Happy Hump Day…or, here on the blog, what is quickly becoming Happy Hodge Podge Day! This week, we are starting off with the weekly gratitude question. And it is about our home. I love my home. I genuinely think it was “given to us” by the Lord. Just a tiny back story: there was a day when scrolling real estate listings and/or driving by homes for sale was literally a hobby for us. My husband and I dreamed of a single family home. We dreamed of a bit more space (or, at least, space that was not spread out over a four floor townhouse – sooo many stairs). We dreamed of moving out of the congestion that had become the area we lived in, and…well, we just dreamed. But, for the most part, we knew it was dreaming.
I had seen a listing in an area about 30 minutes from home that we enjoyed visiting. I sent my husband by to find the new neighborhood. That was a Thursday. The next evening, he suggested we take a ride out to get some dinner and he would show me the house. Friday evening fun for us, for sure! We loved the neighborhood and the house was okay. Just okay. But as we were leaving, on the opposite side of the street, I saw the prettiest house. With a full front porch complete with four white rockers. It was love at first sight. I asked, “Why didn’t you mention this house?” He told me, “It wasn’t for sale yesterday?!!?” Actually, the sign had only been in the yard about two hours!
Long story short, we saw the house as soon as we could on Saturday and signed the contract on Monday morning. Honestly, it is the most impulsive thing we had ever done. Or have done since. We are both committed over-thinkers. But not this time. We believed then, like we do now, this house was just for us:) So…when I answer the first question here, you may or may not agree with my idea of “the perfect house” but, for us, this house is just about perfect. Almost perfect. I refuse to say anything negative, so I cannot complain about where our lovely house is located. However, if we could pick this house and move it somewhere other than…um, here – it would, indeed, be perfect.
Enough backstory. Let’s get on with the Hodge Podge….
1. What’s the best thing about your home, and have you taken time to enjoy it lately? We love our front porch and, yes, we enjoy it often. The layout and design is also just right for us. It has an open floor plan but not “too” open. The kitchen is a nice size but not cavernous. The island is not the size of a continent. The bedrooms are all on the second floor. No master on the first floor for us. The laundry room is upstairs. Brilliant. There is a basement so the tv is not on the main living area. We love the two-sided gas fireplace (no wood for us), the color that was already on the walls, and the perfect sized lot for the two of us. Just lots of little details that we would have chosen if we were building a house. But it was already built and almost brand new. Just waiting for us:) And we are so grateful for our home!
2. Do you like squash? Of the varieties listed, which one’s your favorite and how do you like it prepared? Is squash of some sort on your Thanksgiving menu?? acorn, butternut, delicata, spaghetti, zucchini, crookneck (yellow squash), patty pan I think squash is my favorite vegetable. And I love a lot of vegetables! I had acorn squash last night with dinner. I am cooking butternut squash tomorrow. And I could eat yellow squash and/or zucchini every single meal. But I have to admit, I’m not sure I know what a patty pan squash is?? How can that be? And, yes, butternut squash soup will definitely be on the Thanksgiving menu. YUM
3. Last time you were ‘squashed in’ somewhere, or felt squashed? I (too) often feel squashed. I require an extra large size of personal space and it does not take much for me to feel squashed/uncomfortable/anxious when that space is threatened. I take much care to avoid being (literally) squashed. A couple of weekends back, I stopped at Chick Fil A and, for some reason, it was PACKED with people. The restaurant itself. The patio and even the parking lot. Especially the parking lot. I could feel my blood pressure amping and I should have left, but I did not. It did not end well. And I am not surprised.
4. Have you ever played squash? What about other ‘racquet sports’ such as racquetball, tennis, pickleball, badminton, table tennis (ping pong)? Are these sports something you enjoy? I have never played squash. (Okay, what is squash??) I have not played racquetball or pickleball. I know – where have I been?? The others I have played before but they, like most sports, do not interest me. Sigh.
5. Something in today’s society or culture that feels like a ‘racket’ to you? If you don’t like that one, tell us about a place you’ve been recently where there was a lot of ‘racket’. I love both of those uses for the word “racket.” They so remind me of my dad. Something he would say. Or conversations we would have had. He did not like it when children (his or others) made a lot of racket. I’m (a bit) more tolerant than he was but I do understand – and appreciate – where he was coming from. And there are several things he would call a racket these days. I would definitely say Big Pharma (and/or our Healthcare System) can easily be defined as a racket. I feel sure Dad would completely agree with me. He and I really were “two peas in a pod”!
6. Insert your own random thought here. Okay, let’s go with something completely random. Thinking about Dad…and it is almost time to decorate for Christmas. Yes, Mom did most of the decorating in our home but Dad definitely took an active role with Christmas decorating. I do not remember too many specifics from when I was really young. However, I do remember our Christmas lights were always blue. Dad loved the blue lights! The plastic candles in the windows had blue lights and so did our tree. Dad would spray the entire tree in fake snow until it was quite white. Then it would be covered in blue lights:) Mom would finish it with silver and white balls…and silver tinsel!! It was (oh so the 60s) and rather magical!! I wouldn’t mind having a magical tree. Not so Pinterest inspired. Just magical!
Well, not too many pictures today. But I hope you enjoyed a few squash-inspired question and answers. The rest of the link-up is here. Enjoy!!
On Mondays I feel squashed in at work – way too many bodies in the central work area, compare to the weekend when it is only me! And I too, love squash – patty pan included. (:
If I had a house with a front porch, I think that would be my favorite thing, too. Sweet story about your dad and the Christmas tree. I do enjoy a magical tree. Happy Hodgepodge to you!
We really do enjoy our porch!
I love scrolling through the houses for sale local to me and some further afield with a gazillion bedrooms and bathrooms. What a lovely story about your and your husband buying that house, it was meant to be. Your house sounds wonderful!
I like the sound of your dad. It sounds like wonderful fun decorating for Christmas.
Yes, Kim, we really think this house was “meant to be”!:)
That house was definitely waiting for you to move in and fill it with love!
I felt squashed in traffic this morning – I hate being held up in queues. The temperature had plummeted to 1 degree, it was trying hard to snow but only managed sleet, my windscreen was misting up and I couldn’t remember how to get air just going up the screen (I only got the car this summer!) I had left the house later than usual to pick up my granddaughter as it was my day for looking after her so I was already late. It was a narrow track road, close to a school and every parent in the town had decided to drive because of the weather, and everyone of them had parked their cars awkwardly along the side of the road so it was down to a single track. I could feel claustrophobia settling in!
Oh no…please say it is not sleet weather already!! The feeling of being squashed caused by traffic (and bad weather)is some of the worst! I hope you were able to get your granddaughter and get home safely. And that the weather is improving!!
I really enjoyed reading the story of you guys finding your house! How providential! God really wanted you there :). I still don´t know what patty squash is (I didn´t look it up). I really thought you´d be a squash liker. It just seems like a ¨you¨ veggie for some reason (as odd as that sounds- sorry!). Big pharma is sadly a great example of a racket. Your tree and light memory is sweet. I hope you feel the magic, wonder and love this season as you did when you were a child.
Thank you, Maria. I hope there is a little magic in our Christmas this year as well. I could use it:)
I enjoyed reading your house story, Jennifer. Thank you for sharing it! I’m not a big squash person although I do like it raw with dip or stir-fried. I’m not a fan of mushy or soggy squash or any other type vegetables. I have never played squash, but have played everything mentioned except for pickleball. I enjoyed tennis in my younger days.
Glad you stopped by…I think you and I might be one of the very few who have not played pickleball! It is quite popular:)
I love your house story – how cool!!! I also enjoyed picturing (in my mind) the Christmas tree of your childhood!
Aw, thanks Lisa!! Glad you stopped by today!
My father-in-law loved blue lights but the rest of the family wanted colored so every other year the tree was blue and every other colored. It was a happy compromise. I like a magical tree too. Mine is not curated, but filled with homemade ornaments, childhood ornaments, travel souvenirs and the like. Not fashionable but my favorite kind of tree. I love your house story!
Thank you Joyce. And thanks for hosting the Hodge Podge this week! I enjoyed it!
I LOVED your Christmas memory with your dad!!! That seems soooo appropro for that time :). My stepfather was 12 (?) years older than my mother and LOVED his white Christmas tree – it was so ugly!!! But he loved it, so every-other-year it was “the” tree – he was a great sport and allowed my mother her green tree the other years :). Anyway, the year before he died it was a rough Christmas season with his health and we went over to his house and put up his white Christmas tree so when he came home from the hospital he could have that to look at by the fire. I will never not see a white Christmas tree (although it would be a really tacky person to have one now, right?) and not love it because of him.
When we moved from Ohio to Tennessee, besides leaving our family, we were sad to leave our house. Every now and again we’ll refer back to that house and say, “we loved that house – if we could have picked it up and brought it with us we would have”. So I get it – and your story about finding yours is perfect. We have a somewhat similar story about the one we’re currently in (although we didn’t “fall in love with it” like you did) so we, too, know this was meant to be “our” house. Glad you love it so much!!
What a sweet story…so glad you were able to get that white tree up!! I know that was special for everyone! One year I should try a tree with blue lights…in honor of my dad. That would be fun!
Great story about the house. We had a similar experience – we weren’t even looking to move but a friend was selling their house, the sale fell through and she invited me to check out the house – I couldn’t work out the layout – it had lots of stairs and levels but it was quirky and I knew straightaway it was the house for us. Went home and told my husband that I’d found us the perfect house. He took a bit of convincing but we eventually moved there. I don’t like being squashed in either.
Sometimes…you just know, right?? Glad you stopped by, Wendy!
My dad also requests blue lights on his tree. He strings a lot of blue lights on his tree, he gets it really twinkling. 😉
I enjoyed your random, made me think of my dad.
I also enjoyed your house story.
And I agree about Big Pharma!
Thanks Carla!!
I enjoyed reading this post, Jennifer. A Patty Pan squash is one that is flat with scalloped edges, a bit on the smaller side unlike the butternut squash.
I loved reading the back story about your house. God had that house tucked away just for your arrival to see it being up for sale, when it hadn’t been just hours before when your husband saw the one across the street. He did something similar for one of the houses we had…it was our first home we actually purchased. We’d rented up to that point.
I love it that you and your dad were like two peas in a pod!
Yes, Dianna. God kept that house tucked away…just until we were going to be on the street. You understand how that special that is…since you experienced it yourself! Isn’t our God good??:)
I loved reading your house story! I too love all kinds of squash and have some form of it at least once or twice a week. Though I’ve never heard of patty pan squash either. That tree that your parents collaborated to pull together sounds really lovely. I so used to love layering each branch with loads of tinsel and seeing the sparkle of the lights off of it.
Another squash lover!! So yummy, right:) Glad I’m not the only one who was not familiar with patty pan!?”)