Wednesday, April 8, 2026

A Springtime 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.  Egg on your face, putting all your eggs in one basket, a good egg, walk on eggshells, nest egg, or a tough egg to crack . . . which eggy idiom currently applies to your life in some way? Explain.
 
I'm going with "nest egg" because we are planning to tap into our nest egg to help us with our upcoming home purchase, and we are at the point where we are trying to think very strategically about that retirement nest egg and how we handle related financial decisions. 
 
2. April 7th is National Beer Day . . . are you a beer drinker? If so do you have a favorite? Beer battered fish, beer bread, beer can chicken, beer brats . . . which one sounds good to you? Have you made any of these? 

I'm not a beer drinker. I've had beers that I do like, IPAs or brown ales, that don't have as much bitterness. I'm much more likely to go for hard cider or a hard lemonade than any kind of beer. Beer battered fish is one of my go-to items to order at a restaurant, and almost always sounds good to me. I've made my own, but it's a messy process, so that's why I so often get it at a restaurant. Haha. I used to make beer bread quite a bit, but haven't done that in a very long time. I like beer brats and we have them fairly often in the summer and fall. 

3. Do you have siblings? What's the best thing about being your sibling? If you don't have siblings, what would you say are the pros and cons of being an only child?

 I do have siblings, two brothers and a sister, all younger than me. I honestly don't know what any of them might say about the best thing. I live a long way from my family so we don't communicate that often, and yet I'd say I have good relationships with all of them. When we do see each other, we tend to pick right up where we left off and it doesn't feel awkward, at least to me. I just don't get to have them over for dinner or socialize with them or babysit their kids (well, when the kids were young enough to need babysitters), which I wish I could do! I hope the best thing about being my sibling is something like me trying to stay in touch, being suppportive as much as I can from a distance, and remembering everyone's birthdays.


celebrating our parents' 60th anniversary


The "mid-drink" or "mid-bite of food" photo is a long-standing tradition in the family. Here we are doing the same thing at our parents' 50th anniversary:




We can take a nice photo too. And we like to include our spouses who are amazing additions to the family. One of my favorite things is how well we get along. Which sounds easy for me to say when I don't live near any of them, but I say it because it's true.

 
4.  How do you feel about floral scents in products? Do you have a favorite?

 I don't mind floral scents, depending on the product, I suppose. In general, I don't care for lavender, and I don't like rose-scented anything. I love the smell of roses, but not rose-scented soap or candles or anything else. The ones I like best are usually the lighter, sweeter floral scents, like orange blossom or honeysuckle. 

5.  What's one thing in your home that begins with the letter G that you would say is a keeper, something you'll hold on to? Tell us why.

 I had a really tough time with this! Anything green? Grey? Glass? I don't know. How about this ― "Grandmum's washstand". And by Grandmum, I mean my mother-in-law, because the kids called her Grandmum. We brought this little washstand dresser home with us years ago when we helped Grandmum and Granddad move. We use it as an occasional table in our living room or dining room, and I love it for its old-fashioned simplicity.



6. Insert your own random thought here.

House hunting is in full swing! We viewed four possible properties yesterday and are going to see some more tomorrow. It's hard to make a decision! Because of course, nothing is "perfect" and the ones that are, well, they'd be out of our price range. Haha. One might have the fireplace I was hoping for and a fabulous kitchen, but a wierd backyard and still be priced a bit high. Or maybe all the features we want except there's one thing we really dislike or are concerned about that we can't quite get past. Just last night I browsed listings and found one that I think would be pretty great except it doesn't have a dishwasher and I don't know where I'd fit one; and another that is so nice but it's priced a little higher than we'd wanted and it's located on a busy corner and I'm not sure that would be acceptable. Wish us luck, because the timeline we're on means we should get started with inspections and negotiations on something next week, and hope everything goes smoothly so we're not rushed when it comes time to close and move.

What are some highlights of your spring so far? 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 - Simplicity. I host the Everyday Images photo link-up every other Thursday. And find the Scripture and a Snapshot link-up here every Sunday.



 Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to A Fresh Cup of Coffee by email

 ©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

19 comments:

  1. Wow! You are in the midst of a very busy time with some very important decisions to make. I do wish you the very best in your choices and the whole moving process. Fun photos of you and your siblings! Love your grandmother's washstand! Happy April to you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortunately, the busy-ness makes it even more challenging to visit my friends' blogs! I'm trying to keep up, really!
      Thanks for the good wishes and for taking the time to read and comment!

      Delete
  2. Praying for you as you prepare for the move.
    I loved all the photos of your siblings, great smiles. :-)
    I use to make beer bread too, but I have not made it in years as well.
    xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your prayers and your kind comments! I appreciate you stopping by!

      Delete
  3. So exciting. I do hope all goes smoothly and you find a spot you love. It seems like everyone used to make beer bread but we all dropped the trend. There was a home party I used to go to that sold a mix for beer bread, and a lot of other foods too, but I remember everyone loving the beer bread mix. Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I remember those home parties too, and looking back I think that beer bread must have been a trendy thing. It was a delicious trend though!
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  4. Good luck with the house hunting! I don't like bitter beer either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the good wishes, and for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  5. Wishing you all the luck with the house hunting and the timing. It can be rather tricky. I don't think I have ever had anything made with beer except for beer battered fish... but it's really, really hard to find up here as most places have replaced batter fried shrimp with a thin "dry" batter that supposed to be healthier but no where near as tasty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you - we're hoping the timing works out smoothly - fingers crossed! It does seem like the more traditional beer battered seafood is getting harder to find, and I don't think the dryer "healthier" versions are as good.
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  6. Please keep us posted on your house hunt! I know it can be frustrating, but hope you find just the right one (or close enough). I love your choice for G - great piece of furniture.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it's safe to say our house hunt and move process will be mentioned frequently on the blog! LOL
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  7. Gosh! We haven't house hunted since the early 80s. We've built the last three homes...well, the middle one was already built and ready to move into. I loved that house and would have stayed in it except for all the bedrooms and full baths were on the second floor. With my husband's hip problems, that wouldn't have worked. So, I'm glad we had the foresight to build this condo in an unofficial 55+ community. Our hallways and doorways are extra wide. You might want to think about that if this will be your forever home. You don't think you need it until you do!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We don't plan for this to be our forever home, but kind of shopping as if it could be, if that makes sense. So that if we wind up staying in this area for a much longer time than we think, we'll be able to stay in the house we choose for that entire time. Everything on one level is definitely a consideration, even though our knees and hips work pretty well . . . right now! That could change, as I well know.
      Glad your condo with wide hallways has worked out so well for you!
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  8. Oh, the thought of moving just makes me so anxious. I held my breath all the way through your house-hunting report. Hope you find something that will check off all of the important boxes. A dishwasher would be one for me!!
    Adorable photos of you, your siblings and parents. It says a lot that you maintain close relationships with your brothers and sister even though you live so far away. Thank goodness for cell phone calls and Facetime.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You should be rushed, the war going on in the middle east is on track to crash the economy. The double digit inflation that is coming will make property unaffordable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Uh huh, Sorry you feel that way, it must be depressing and exhausting to be so negative and not even have the courage to leave your name on the comment.
      And fact check - it's not a war, it's pretty much over now anyway, and the economy is doing very well, with inflation back down to a very healthy level.

      Delete
  10. I enjoyed your answers. We are in our upper 50's and working hard to save for retirement...sadly because we just always thought we'd be working for the church, we didn't have a lot saved up and no one who really mentored us in this, so now we're scrambling to save, save, save and find residual income options. AND we live in Washington which is expensive, sooo a move someday might be in the books for us if things don't change here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We hope we've done a good enough job of saving for our retirement. It always felt like we weren't doing enough, but now that it's getting closer and we have a good finance guy helping us plan I feel better about it. Still wish we'd taken it more seriously when we were younger though! Hope it all works out for you! I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment!

      Delete

I love comments! Keep the conversation going over a virtual cup of coffee.