Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Resetting the Wednesday Hodgepodge




A hodgepodge is a jumble or assortment of things that might not appear to belong together. Joyce at From This Side of the Pond hosts a weekly link-up called Wednesday Hodgepodge that is a little collection of questions for bloggers to answer just for fun and to get to know each other. I always look forward to chatting with friends over coffee, so pour a cup of your favorite and let's visit for a few minutes!



Here are this week's questions - and my answers - for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1.  Are you feeling more reset, restart, or full speed ahead as we move into May? Tell us why.
 
I could make a case for each of the three options! Let's go with "reset". We've got a fair amount on the task list as we work through the house purchase, but most of May will be a time of preparing for the actual move, but with some limits to what we can do. We don't want to live out of boxes for weeks, for example. So I think it will be a good idea to do a bit of a reset of our usual routines after the upheaval and travel of recent weeks, and I think "reset" also implies a time of adjustment and preparation.
 
2. Painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, cinema, theatre, music . . . what's your favorite form of art? Elaborate.

I do enjoy visiting museums and viewing paintings and sculpture. I'm interested in architecture, though I don't understand the technical side of it. I love a good book so literature might be a valid answer. But my favorite form of art is music. More than any other art form, music can also be woven into every area of life. I can attend concerts, listen to music, make music myself, but I can also have music accompanying me while I'm doing all kinds of other things. Music has the ability to inspire, to energize or to calm,  to spark our memories, and even to bring healing. 

 


3. What time is dinner at your house? How do you feel about leftovers?

 Dinnertime varies, but on weeknights it's usually 6:30 or as late as seven when we eat. It's not even unusual for us to eat later than that. Mostly that's a function of us both working and rarely getting home before five. 

We do like leftovers because they are such economical lunches! I cook once and we get two or three meals out of it, so what's not to love? My husband is much more willing to eat leftovers than I am, so if there's only enough for one lunch, I usually happily concede it to him. 

4.  What's the last thing you fell down a rabbit hole investigating?

 I regularly go down little rabbit trails and holes just because I wonder about something seen in passing, or try to remember a detail about something that happened. Or even need to settle a friendly argument between me and hubby. So I'll Google it, or search for a specific photo, or ask AI. But what was the last thing? Hmm. I didn't go real far down this particular rabbit trail, but I was curious about the name of the venue where we had our chorus party on Monday night and wandered around google world for a bit finding out the history and who it was named for. 

5.  And now for a question from the book Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me - 

At what are you 'self-taught'?

 Teaching, as crazy as that might sound! I always wanted to be a teacher, but I did not finish my degree. However, I homeschooled my kids, so in a way I taught myself how to teach. I took my turn teaching in our co-ops and taught myself how to adapt curriculum and resources for use in a ten- or eleven-week class so it was fun (hopefully) and valuable. That set the stage for me to be on the founding board of a high school level tutorial co-op. I taught English composition, creative writing, literature, and history there and loved it. And I believe I had a natural knack for some of it, and did a good job, despite never having taken a single class in classroom management or instruction strategies.



6. Insert your own random thought here.

We are in contract on the house! Inspections are this week and after that it's mostly a matter of waiting for all parties to get together on establishing a closing date. Our contract specifies closing "on or before May 29" and we would like for it to be on the "before" side of the equation, but we'll see what the seller has to say about that. I've got a checklist and timeline from our agent that is helping me stay on track with the things I need to do and documents to submit and all of that. And I've started thinking about making a wishlist of furniture and other things that we need to bring from Maryland and acquire new. So much anticipation!!

Are you resetting, restarting, or going full speed ahead in May? Leave a comment and let me know!



From this Side of the Pond

I host the Wednesday Quotes link-up every other Wednesday. Stop by and share a few thoughts and quotes on the current topic here: WQ - Positive Impact. I host the Everyday Images photo link-up every other Thursday. And find the Scripture and a Snapshot link-up here every Sunday.



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 ©2006-2026 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

 This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Simple Meal Planning - Plan to Eat

WQ - Positive Impact



We were placed on earth to fulfill a purpose, and that purpose is what gives meaning to our lives, you were sent to the world to make an impact and make a difference. ~Myles Munroe

As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself . . . Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility. ~Nelson Mandela



I think every player should think that he's a difference maker. ~Brett Favre

If you want to make a positive impact, no matter how far-reaching, start at home. Treat your family members like treasures. ~John C. Maxwell

John C. Maxwell had quite a bit of wisdom on this topic - here are a couple more:

It is hard to feel bad about yourself when you are doing something good for someone else. There are a lot of ways to lift your self-esteem, but making a positive difference in another's life has got to be my best leadership guidance. Serving others and working to add value to them will lift your spirits in a way that nothing else will. ~John C. Maxwell


If you don't love where you are right now, you won't love where you are going. Here is what I know: People who are passionate about what they do every day and love where they are in life are the fortunate ones. They have discovered their purpose. They are the difference makers who fully understand the gift of adding value, and yes, they can't help but love where they are going on their journey. ~John C. Maxwell


You are the light of the world―like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
~Matthew 5:14-16~





Be a fountain, not a drain. ~Rex Hudler



How are you making a difference in your world? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Wednesday Quotes is a bi-weekly opportunity for bloggers to share their writing, poetry, photos, or stories inspired by our theme. We've chosen the themes as a starting point for your creativity, and the only requirement is that your post include at least one related quote. Feel free to combine or "double-dip" with other writing or photo challenges as well. Of course, we'd appreciate a link back to us, if you'd be so kind. Add your link and please visit others and leave a comment! The link is open for two weeks.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Thanks to Marsha at Always Write for introducing us to the Wednesday Quotes challenge, and for passing the hosting duties along so we can continue sharing great quotes! Wednesday Quotes is co-hosted by Kym at A Fresh Cup of Coffee and Sadje at Keep It Alive


Quoting reminds me there are other people in the world besides only me. 
And other thoughts besides mine, and other ways of thinking. 
~Gregory Maguire~

Wednesday Quotes 2026 Themes

January 7 - Resolutions
January 21 - Motivation
February 4 - Eating Out/Restaurants
February 18 - Being Responsible
March 4 - Libraries
March 18 - Perseverance
April 1 - Simplicity
April 15 - Conquering Fear
April 29 - Making a Difference
May 13 - Family Ties
May 27 - Courage
June 10 - Teachers/Mentors
June 24 - Connecting with Nature
July 8 - Milestones
July 22 - Sunrise
August 5 - Patience
August 19 - Taking a Break/Rest
September 2 - Learning from Mistakes
September 16 - Best Friends
September 30 - Elegance
October 14 - Reaching Goals
October 28 - Dreams/Nightmares
November 11 - Integrity
November 25 - Generosity
December 9 - Beauty in Nature
December 23 - True Love


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This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. 

Monday, April 27, 2026

Share Four Somethings - April 2026



Each month we're each invited to share things in these categories: something we loved, something that sustained us, something we're carrying forward from this month to the next, and something we're making space for. I usually like to include a little bit of a bonus: Some Things I  Read and a little of What's Coming Up Soon


Some Things I Loved:

Right at the beginning of the month we celebrated Resurrection Day, which I love! Jesus Christ's resurrection and triumph over sin and death is the greatest display of God's goodness and grace, and is the reason we have hope and joy and can experience God's goodness and grace in all areas of our lives. I love this above all else all year, but I definitely have to lead with it during the Easter season.


That same weekend, we went on a hike to see the eagles at the nature area of one of the Metro parks. I loved the time spent with our son and his family, loved watching the eagles, and I loved that another family that was already there generously shared the binocular/camera/tripod setup they had which made it really easy to see. My granddaughter really appreciated that since adjusting our binoculars herself was a little frustrating!



I loved seeing my kids and granddaughter that live in Maryland a couple times this month. The first visit was really short, but we were able to watch part of A's karate class and it was adorable. On the second visit, this past weekend, we had a little more time to spend, and it included seeing our daughter sing with other alumni at the 40th anniversary concert of the Children's Chorus of Carroll County. I loved seeing her in that setting again and the joy on her face as she sang, and the music was so beautiful.




A couple weeks ago, we loved walking on the recently reopened Galena boardwalk in hopes of seeing some birds. We saw cormorants and ospreys and heard a lot of songbirds.





We love watching playoff hockey, especially when our teams are winning. 


We found a house we love, at a price in our range, and we are now in contract on it and the timeline has us closing on it by this time next month! I'm so excited!



Something That Sustained Me:
Lately it's been the assurance that God will work things out the way they're supposed to be, and help us have wisdom to make the right decisions. Some people call it coincidence, but often there's a series of coincidences that seem more than just coincidental, y'know? So as we were viewing houses, there were a few that we really liked but weren't ready to commit to offering on, and then a short time later we'd see them under contract. We were disappointed on a couple of those, but also felt like maybe those houses weren't quite right for us, and there was a reason we hadn't felt strongly about making an offer. There was one house we saw early on that we loved (except it didn't have a fireplace) but it was still early and we had others lined up to see as well. As I was crunching numbers I was pretty sure that there was a set of numbers on that house that was an error and couldn't possibly be that low, and we heard that there was a potential buyer putting together an offer so we moved on. But it was about ten days later that I verified that the numbers I thought were mistakes were correct, and figured the cost again since that first house we loved was still on the market. We had two more houses to look at, and although we really liked both of them, we'd decided that unless the last one we saw REALLY grabbed us, we wanted that first one. So that's what happened. Coincidences that the other houses we were really interested in were claimed by other buyers? And that the house we're purchasing was still available for us? Maybe. But the thought that it was God nudging us in the right direction sure did sustain me during the process.


Something I'm Carrying Forward:
A lot of housework! I sure did not get all the things on my to-do list done, so I will have to step it up over the next several weeks!

Something I'm Making Space For:
We're trying to make space for the Maryland kids by getting some of our stuff out of that house. We won't be able to actually move those things until we are in our new house here, but we're in the process of deciding what gets moved and what the kids would like to keep. And what we can just get rid of. We are hoping to have space in the new house to get a real piano.

*********************
Some Things I Read:

I have been so occupied with house hunting that I've greatly neglected my books, or that's what it feels like. I haven't finished anything lately!

However, here are the books I'm currently reading:

Oracle of Philippi by Catherine Ensley (ARC)
A Tarnished Canvas by Anna Lee Huber



All of my reading news is at Just A Second if you're interested.



What's Coming Up Soon?

Our move! We are in the process of buying a house, in contract right now and doing all the inspections and that sort of thing. We don't have a firm date for closing yet, but it will be before the end of May and we'll be able to start moving in during the first week of June at the latest. I don't want to live out of boxes for the next month, but I also don't want to wait to the last minute to pack up and be ready to go.

Share something in the comments, or share four somethings with the rest of us in the link party!

This post will be linked at My Joyful Life in the Share Four Somethings link party.



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This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Simple Meal Planning - Plan to Eat

Sunday, April 26, 2026

Scripture and a Snapshot - The First and The Last




This is what the LORD says ―
Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty;
I am the first and I am the last;
apart from me there is no God.
Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is yet to come ―
yes, let them foretell what will come.
Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?
No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.

~Isaiah 44:6-8~

"Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."

~Revelation 22:12-13~





Thank you for joining Scripture & A Snapshot. Leave a link to your own post sharing a Scripture and a Snapshot. Take time to visit some of the other links and bless each other with comments.

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©2006-2026 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

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Saturday, April 25, 2026

Five Minute Friday - Timing


One word. Five minutes** to write about it. This is the idea behind Five Minute Friday and this is today's free-writing post.


perfect timing

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My timing isn't always good, mainly because my 'toxic trait' is my tendency to procrastinate. I wonder why some people seem to be so good at time management and others - like me - have trouble estimating how long something will take or focusing on a given task during the allotted time. I even started writing an FMF last week about sticking to a schedule, but was so busy on the weekend that I didn't get it posted when I wanted to. The good news is that I could use some of my thoughts on that as a starting point for today's (late) FMF about timing.

Even though I have trouble sticking to the schedule I set for myself, and timing things well, I do like to use alarms and timers to help myself. I plan out my days and work in an attempt to meet deadlines, and though I often fail, I try to time my commutes and activitivies properly.

When circumstances in our lives are not lining up neatly, it's tempting to wonder if God is still in control and listening to our pleas for help or peace or certainty. But we can be assured that God sees the big picture, knows the future and all the things we can't see in the present, and is always working things out for our good and his glory. And his timing is always perfect.

His timing was perfect when he sent Jesus to fulfill prophecies, to die for our sins, and to rise in victory over death.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
~Romans 5:6~

His timing is, and will be, perfect in all the ways he works in our lives and in our world to bring about his will.

God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ―which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ―everything in heaven and on earth.
~Ephesians 1:9-10~

What a comfort to know I can trust that God's plan for me is good and I don't have to worry or fret that he will be late.

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
~I Peter 5:6-7~

So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.
~Galatians 6:9~


Teach us to number our days carefully
so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.
~Psalm 90:12~

********************

This post is linked at Five Minute Friday for the word prompt "Timing"


**written in approximately five minutes, though I don't set a timer - extra time is taken to add graphics and quotes**

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 ©2006-2026 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. 

Simple Meal Planning - Plan to Eat

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Everyday Images #86


Welcome to my ongoing challenge and reminder to myself to take photos somewhat regularly. I'm not a photographer, but I enjoy taking everyday photos of things I find interesting or want to remember later, and I'm more likely to notice interesting things when I'm intentionally watching for them. Having some prompts that are open to interpretation has helped me pay a little more attention to what's around me. Here's how it works: Every two weeks I have a few words and phrases to focus on, and I try to find opportunities to take pictures of these things each week. The link-up post will be here every other Thursday, sharing my photos and offering a link-up for participants to share theirs. Right below the link-up is where you'll find the next set of prompts. 

April Prompts - Everyday Images #86
~~~~~

purple
out for a walk (quarterly)
grow
at home (monthly)
trees
big and/or small
birds
~~~~~

purple



out for a walk (quarterly) - at the mudflats boardwalk in Galena




grow 



at home (monthly) - as the song says, "wherever I hang my hat, that's my home". We'll be hanging our hats at this place and calling it home for another month or so.





trees



big and/or small - our granddaughter looks very small compared to this big old tree!



birds - no impressive closeups, just this shot of cormorants roosting in the trees on a little island at the mudflats



And a few bonus photos:

Transporting tulips to Maryland at our son's request


Our granddaughter is in a karate class - very fun to watch them!


Stopped by to visit our daughter at work and checked out the pianos they were working on in the shop. They're painting this one - so pretty, but not quite purple.



A few more photos from the boardwalk:


osprey



Sure wanted to go into The Coffee Vault, but that will have to wait for another weekend.


Contenders for the "at home" photo were the family photos on the mantel, and what our evenings look like now that the Stanley Cup playoffs are underway.




I am sharing my photos every other Thursday, along with my prompts for the next two weeks. You can use all or some of the prompts for your own photo posts, or none of the prompts and just link up a post featuring your photos. Simple rules: Your posts must be family-friendly; the photos must be your own; and the post must be mostly photos. If you do share I'd appreciate a mention and link to A Fresh Cup of Coffee on your post.


The Everyday Images link-up is posted every other Thursday, and is open for two weeks.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

April/May Prompts - Everyday Images #87
~~~~~

Saturday scenery
current project (quarterly)
green
on my plate
miniature
tower
connected


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©2006-2026 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

 This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Simple Meal Planning - Plan to Eat