Wednesday Hodgepodge #263

It's time for this week's Hodgepodge over at Joyce's! After reading my blog, hop on over to Joyce's to read about the other hodgepodgers.
1.  What was the last thing you did that could be described as 'taxing'?  Trimming our front hedges!  I'm not a particularly good trimmer but it was really getting out of hand.  So, last week I got to work on them and got it done.  And boy did I use muscles that I hadn't used in quite a while!  I was so sore the next day!
2.  If you could plant a garden of anything, what would it be?  Well, I'm not really a gardner just like I'm not a hedge trimmer!  I enjoy fresh fruits and veggies from a garden and by that I mean that I wait for all the gardeners at church to bring produce from THEIR gardens to share with everyone!  
3.  April 10-16th is National Library Week...will you celebrate with a visit to your nearest library? When did you last make a trip to the library?  What are you reading right now? What's a title on your want-to-read list?  We have a fantastic library here!  For a small town, we are fortunate to have a nicer library than a lot of bigger cities! They have great programs for children, classes of interest for adults and a great genealogy program.  I go about every two weeks or so to check out magazines and books.  Right now I'm reading Karen Kingsbury's "Brush of Wings" and I've got Beverly Lewis' "The Atonement" waiting on the nightstand to be read next! 
4.  Share a saying or an old wives tale you heard while growing up, you believed to be true or that you paid attention to 'just in case'.  I can remember as a young child the saying "step on a crack and break your mother's back".  I was SO careful to not step on a sidewalk crack just in case this could happen to my momma.  I did NOT want to be the cause of breaking her back.  
5.  Are you a fan of onions?  Garlic?  Ginger?  What's a dish you love that contains one, two or all three items listed?  I love to cook with onions and garlic but I have never used ginger in anything I don't believe.  I for sure have never used fresh ginger.  I recently found a new recipe on Pinterest that we like a lot-one pot chicken and potatoes  (you have to search for it once you go to that site).  It's a great easy dish and really tasty! 
6.  Where does nurturing end and indulging begin?  What are some skills or qualities you think a person needs to possess in order to be viewed as mature?  Oh my!  I could probably preach a sermon on this!  I believe that parents have got it all wrong and are taking the indulging to a whole other level than we've seen in past generations.  It seems like they're replacing true nurturing with more indulging, as if that will replace the nurturing that all kids need.  You just cannot replace quality time, teaching, training and discipline with indulging children with 'things' that make them happy in the moment. They will not be happy, successful adults because they'll always be looking for that new 'thing' that will fulfill some need...and the fulfillment is always short lived.  I think a quality that a person needs to have to be seen as mature is self-control.  Self-control is so valuable in so many ways...relationships, finances, behavior, etc.  
7.  What leading figure in any field would you like to hear speak and why?  This one is hard for me!  Oprah is who comes to mind first.  I've always admired her even though I've not agreed with her on a lot of subjects.  She is a very strong woman and has done so well for herself.   She literally came from nothing and now has this huge empire and has been so successful.  I think she has a huge heart for helping people and is a very generous person.  
8.  Insert your own random thought here.   Recently our church was challenged by another church to take the 30 Day Bible Challenge.  The purpose was to read through the New Testament in 30 days. We accepted the challenge and began it on March 1st.  And, we finished it!  I'm not sure how many in our congregation did it, but I know that quite a few did.  It was relatively easy after getting into it.  Now, we are doing the 90 Day Bible Commitment where we read the New Testament again but at a much slower pace so that more study can be done.  I have tried numerous daily Bible readings over the years and I always end up not finishing it but I'm LOVING this one!  I have to admit that I've learned so much already that somehow I've missed over the years.  If you're interested in knowing more about this challenge, just comment and let me know!

Wednesday Hodgepodge #262

Welcome to this week's Hodgepodge!  I've missed the last couple of weeks, but I'm back at this this week!

1.  What does retirement mean to you?  Are you planning for it, not thinking about it, looking forward to it, or dreading it?  

I'm really not thinking about retirement at all!  I work part-time as our church secretary so I plan on keeping that going until I physically can't do it anymore, which I hope is a long time.  When my hubby retires, I imagine I'll be helping him with projects on our land which I suspect will be never-ending.  

2.  It's International Guitar Month...do you play?  Does anyone in your family play?  What's a song you especially like to hear played on the guitar or a favorite song featuring the guitar?  

No, I don't play the guitar but I enjoy listening to others that do.  No one in our immediate family plays either.  Right now, I can't think of a single favorite song featuring the guitar.  

3.  What's your comfort food?

Oh my, that's a loaded question for sure!  I comfort myself with different things it seems.  Chocolate is may main one for sure, but other times I NEED something salty like chips or something cold like ice cream!  Another comfort food that just reminds me of my childhood is good ol' macaroni and cheese.  Mmm...mmm...

4.  What's one activity or area of your life where you absolutely never procrastinate? 

Well, I'm a huge procrastinator and SOMEDAY I'm going to change that! I do manage to get things done at the very last minute but I hate that I wait to do it.  I guess I just haven't learned my lesson yet about putting things off till the last minute.  What's kind of weird since I am such a procrastinator is that I'm NEVER late for any kind of appointment or any place I'm supposed to be...in fact I'm a 30 minute early person! Go figure!

5.  Who does the grocery shopping in your house?  Does your local store bag the groceries for you or is it a do-it-yourself kind of place?  Do you like someone packing your groceries?

I do almost all of the grocery shopping.  I do send hubby to pick up specific items that I might have forgotten but he doesn't do the regular shopping.  Our local Wal-Mart is where I do my grocery shopping and they do sack the groceries for us.  I like things packed a certain way so I load them on the conveyor belt in the the way that I want them sacked up.  The service I WISH they had is that someone would come home with me to to carry them in the house and put them away!  I hate that part of shopping!

6.  What's the coolest thing you've seen in nature?

I've never been a real outdoorsy girl but seeing the ocean was an incredible experience.  It's just so big!! haha  Closer to home though, since we've had our 40 acres that we're building a house on, I've learned to 'see' things that I would normally not pay attention to.  Allan is a hunter so he can just see all the signs of animal presence that I would never notice at all.  He's shown me enough tracks of various critters that I thought I was getting pretty good at identifying the animals that are coming across our property.  Three or four weeks ago, he happened to see a bobcat run across the front lawn. About a week or so after that, I was there dragging dead limbs to my burn pile when I came across some tracks.  I had cold chills break out all over be because I just knew it was a cat...a BIG cat!  I called for him to come look!!!  He came and checked it out and said they were dog tracks.  Oh well, I guess I need more lessons on identifying animal tracks. 

7.  Share a favorite quote about home. 

There are so many great quotes about home but to me, this just says it all.  There really is NO place like home.  No matter where I go or what I do, I'm always happy to go back home...always!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Last Saturday, Allan tested for his 4th degree black belt in Taekwon-Do and he earned it!  It was such a great day and I'm so proud of him in accomplishing this goal.  He's amazing!!

Show Us Your Life-Favorite Recipe

I'm linking up with Kelly over at Kelly's Korner Blog for her "Show Us Your Life" favorite recipe.  I had bought the fixings to make enchiladas earlier in the week, so I decided to share the recipe here! I learned to make enchiladas years ago by watching my mom make them. (Ingredients listed at the end)
So, first off, chop up an onion and 3-4 cloves of garlic.  Begin browning your hamburger meat-I used about 4 lbs of meat today since I was making enough enchiladas to share.

Add the chopped onions and the garlic to the hamburger meat.  I also salted and peppered the meat a bit.  After the meat is browned, drain on paper towels and put it back in the pan.  Add the taco seasoning and the amount of water that it calls for.  I used 4 packages of seasoning since one package seasons 1 pound of meat.  If you prefer, you can make up your own seasoning using chili powder, cumin, cayenne and whatever else suits your fancy.  I like easy, so I used the prepared seasoning.  Let it simmer until most of the water cooks out-you don't want it too wet. Drain the meat again and get ready to assemble your enchiladas!

Gather the rest of the ingredients (enchilada sauce, tortillas, and grated cheese) and I just make an assembly line to make it easier to put together.  

I pour the enchilada sauce in a shallow pie plate.  I put the grated cheese in one as well so that I'm not putting messy hands, and they will get messy, inside the cheese container.  Now, you're ready to get to the nitty-gritty!  Dip a corn tortilla in the enchilada sauce and place it on a cutting board.  Add a couple of spoonfuls of the meat and top with cheese.  Roll up the tortilla and place in a baking dish. Don't overfill or the tortillas won't stay rolled up. You'll see what I mean!  Continue on until you run out of ingredients.  While you're assembling them, open up a can of chili, with or without beans, and have it heating on the stove. For the amount I made today, I used two big cans of chili, but normally I just open up one small can and then another if needed.

 After you're done rolling up all of the tortillas,  top each pan with chili and a sprinkle of grated cheese.

Andddd, 30 enchiladas later...I was tired!!  I made enough to be able to share with my mom and one of our neighbors and then I've got several pans to freeze for us for later.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until everything is heated throughout and the cheese is melted. If you make a large batch, you can freeze them without baking them at this time. Just thaw and heat up when you need them.

Plate it up and enjoy!  I also served refried beans and Knorr's taco rice.  Chips and salsa are a great addition too!  I hope you'll try them and let me know what you think. 
Ingredient list:
2 lbs. of ground beef (I used 4 lbs today since I was making a ginormous about)
Salt & pepper to taste
Onion
Garlic cloves
2 pkgs. Taco Seasoning
1-2 cans of Enchilada Sauce
Grated Cheese
Corn tortillas
2 cans of Chili-with or without beans, your choice
Extras-sour cream, jalapeños

Wednesday Hodgepodge #259

Welcome to this week's Hodgepodge!  

1. What do you think about luck?  I really don't believe in just pure luck.  I do say "good luck" to people when I'm hoping  for good things to come their way but I really think God's blessings come upon us moreso than it being luck. 
2. Not counting your own backyard, what's a favorite green space in your town, city, or state?  Well, with all of the rain we've had here in SE Oklahoma, my yard IS very green but green with weeds! And, not very pretty at the moment.  My mom's yard is always pretty with lots of different flowers, bushes, and trees.  I blogged yesterday about blooms in her yard right now!  I have to say the pond scene out at our property was gorgeous on Saturday!

 3. How do you make your life more complex than it needs to be? I have a TERRIBLE time saying 'no'.  I always have and I imagine I always will.  If someone asks me to do something, I rarely, rarely say no. My hubby has always told me to stand in front of the mirror and practice saying no to get in the habit of being able to turn people down at times.
4. I read here the three places you should visit with friends. They are-New York City, Hawaii, and Amsterdam (rent a bike, walk along the canal, visit one of their world class museums). I felt the need to expound on that one. Moving on...Of the three places listed which would you most like to visit with friends? What's one place not on the list you think should be visited with friends?  I think New York City would be a great place to go with friends!  There's just SO much to see and do that I imagine there's things that would appeal to everyone. 
5. What's the last live performance you saw? On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being best) how would you rate it? Last July, I went with some church friends to the Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival's play of "Shrek The Musical".  It was great! A 10 for sure!  I love musicals anyway, but the talent in this was just amazing.  One of our church girls did all the scenery backdrops and they were gorgeous.  It was just a great night overall!

  6. March 14th is National Potato Chip Day. Are you a fan? Your favorite flavor? Besides potato, what's your favorite chip type of snack?  I love potato chips!  BBQ, sour cream and onion, plain...it doesn't matter!  I also love corn tortilla chips...with salsa!
7.What rule is most important in your home?  When our kids were home, we had a lot of rules.  The kids probably thought there were too many...haha  Right now, I really can't think of any kind of rule we have just for Allan and I. 
8.  Insert your own random thought here.  We are still working on our log home.  I'm thankful for my hubby that is able to do so many jobs concerning the house.  Last weekend, he began laying tile in one of the upstairs bathrooms.  It's looking really good!

Have a great week!

Spring Is In The Air!

Spring is definitely here in SE Oklahoma!  We had such a mild winter that signs of Spring started really early.  The daffodils first poked their heads out back in mid-February!  We've already had near 80 degree weather and had to turn on the air conditioner. 

I went out to my Mom's yesterday to visit and take some  pictures of her blooming plants.  Her forsythia was just beautiful!

One of my sisters-in-law and niece were there too.  And Buffy!  Mom takes a lot of pride in her yard and works really hard at getting it just so.  She's got such a green thumb, which I did NOT inherit.

She has had several peach trees over the years but lost one a year or so ago and really thought this one was dead too.  She just happened to look out a few days ago and there it was in full bloom!

Peach blossoms are so pretty!  I can't wait to see this tree just full of ripe peaches later on in the season.  We'll have to keep a close eye and pick them before the varmints get them all like last year.  I need a good ole peach cobbler! 

"K" had a good time running around and ended up in a tree!  I remember those days myself!

"K" had braided her hair and her mom's and couldn't wait to get a hold of me, too!  Someone mentioned that I looked like Pocahontas so she ran to their car where she just happened to have some feathers for me to wear.  So, I did! 
What does Spring look  like in your part of the world?

Show Us Your Life-Introduction

Hi, I'm linking up with Kelly today for her "Show Us Your Life" series that she sponsors.  Kelly's blog, along with The Pioneer Woman, is one of the first blogs I followed.  So, today's topic is sort of an introduction in order to meet new people.

Here we go!  I'm Cheryl and I live in Southeast Oklahoma. 

 I love my home state of Oklahoma and have lived here almost my whole life. I live in a small town and wouldn't trade it for anything.  There's just nothing like the coziness of small town life for me!

I am married to my wonderful hubby of 33 years.  We met at a Christian college in the big city and I was able to convince him to come back to my small town for us to begin our life together.   We have two grown children that we're so proud of!  I admit that I really don't like being empty-nesters since our kids are grown and out of the house, but I'm trying to adjust!

I'm very involved in my church where I am employed as the secretary and I also work in our Sunday school program.  I've taught pre-schoolers for the last 30+ years and I absolutely love it!  After being asked a rather deep, but hilarious, question a few years ago, my daughter told me I need to have a blog dedicated to the funny stories that happen in Bible Class.  So, check out my other blog, Does God Shave!

We live in a house where we are outnumbered by CATS!  We had never, never been cat people until about 10 years ago when our first cat adopted us.  Well, now there are many more that have chosen us to be their 'people'.  They provide so much entertainment and are just so much fun!  We absolutely love them...all of them! 

A couple of other things that are my favorites are...Dr. Pepper and chocolate!  I have to have them...both of them...every day! I blame my Dr. Pepper addiction on one of my grandmothers.  I say I inherited the DP gene from her!  Also, Sonic has made it so enticing since they have $.99 drinks in the morning and Happy Hour in the afternoons!

 I hope this gets me jump-started to blogging a bit more than I have lately!  Come check back to see what's going on here at Chery's Shenanigans!  

All You Need Is Love & The Hodgepodge #255

It's time for this week's Hodgepodge over at Joyce's . Hop over there after reading my answers to check out everyone else's answers.  
 1. Create an acrostic using the word LOVE. If you're unsure what an acrostic is click here. 
L-looking into the eyes of my hubby
O-overflowing with love
V-valued
E-ever after (happily) 
 
2. Does love really conquer all? Why or why not?
I think love has the potential to conquer all but DOES it conquer all?  I don't think so for all situations.  Within a relationship, I believe the love between two people should be enough to conquer any problem that comes up. 
 
3. Tell us about a time recently, where you really put your heart into something.
I'm at a loss on this one.
 
4. What's your favorite fictional love story?
Karen Kingsbury is my FAVORITE author and her REDEMPTION book series is the absolute best!  The Baxters love for each other, whether it's the love between a husband and wife, parents and children, siblings is such a great example.  Even when tragedy strikes, their love never wavers.  If you haven't read these books, you need to!
 
5. Do you generally wear your heart on your sleeve, or keep your cards close to the vest? 
I think I tend to keep things close to the vest, especially if I'm angry or upset about something.  If' I'm happy, then I'm not afraid to show it to others.  Most of the time, only a few people close to me will  know if I'm upset about something.  
 
6. What food says love to you? Why?
Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! Chocolate in any form unless it's combined with coconut, and then it's totally ruined! 
 
7. When were you last 'tickled pink' over something? Explain.
I love to laugh and can usually find something to laugh about in most situations.  I teach the pre-schoolers at my church and they are forever getting me 'tickled pink'!  In fact, my other  blog, www.doesgodshave.blogspot.com is cute and funny stories that take place in Sunday School. 
 
8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Last Friday night, my church held a Chili Cook-off and I tied with one of the guys for having 'Best In Show"!   I was so excited, mainly because in the past my Daddy won with his Deer Chili.  Now that he's gone, I was glad I continued his tradition! 

We had planned for only one winner, so since there was a tie, we had to share the one package of Rolaids!

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge #253

 

Welcome to this week's hodgepodge.  I've missed these for about the last month but I'm back this week!  Thanks to Joyce for coming up with the topics this week.

1.   Share a winter memory from your childhood.
Most of my childhood, we lived in southeast Oklahoma and we didn't get a lot of snow but as kids we really enjoyed it when we did get the rare snowy weather.  I remember that we made snow ice cream when we got a good clean snowy downfall.  My brothers and I thought making ice cream out of snow was just the grandest thing ever!  Also, since snow was not a usual thing here, we didn't have the cold weather gear that other parts of the country had.  For some reason my mom always had a stash of Wonder Bread sacks that she used for whatever she used them for.  I really don't know what she used them for.  Anyway, since we didn't have snow boots, she would put the bread sacks on us over our shoes and that protected us from getting wet feet! 

2.  What was on your blog this time last year?  (Besides the Hodgepodge of course)  If you weren't blogging, what were you doing with all of that free time?
I went back and looked at last January on my blog and I have NOTHING!  I don't know what I was doing with my time, but I should have been doing the Hodgepodge! 

3.  Ellen Goodman is quoted as saying, 'We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential.' 

Do you see more flaws or more potential in your life at the start of a new year? Have you done anything specific this month to address either one? Does the new year truly begin for you on January 1, or is there some other month of the year that feels like a fresh start and new beginning?
I honestly see both flaws and potential and they kind of go hand in hand!  I don't make resolutions really but do try to make some changes that will be beneficial to me.  One thing I have done well since the new year is reading my Bible more.  I started in the New Testament this time and I'm already in the book of Luke!  I'm trying to study as I go and not just quickly read through it. 

4. Who's an athlete you admire or respect and why?
I'm not a big sports person to the point of really following certain athletes.  I think there are a lot out there that have the potential to positively influence our young people if they realize those little eyes are watching how they conduct themselves. 

5. Do you like cream in your coffee? Whipped cream on your pumpkin pie? Cream cheese on a bagel? Sour cream on a baked potato? Cream of wheat for breakfast? Have you ever had a scone with clotted cream? Of all the creamy foods mentioned, which one sounds most appealing to you right this very minute?
Sour cream on a baked potato!  I love a good loaded baked potato!

6. Where were you last kept waiting for 'hours on end'? Or for what felt like hours on end? How well did you cope?
I was recently at our pharmacy to pick up some meds.  I waited about 10 minutes in line before I got up to the counter.  I told my name and then was told to to to the drop-off line to update new insurance cards.  Sooooo, I move to that line and it's backed up 4 deep.  So,  I wait and wait and wait.  Finally, it's my turn and there  is a problem with the new card.  After multiple tries, the lady finally gets it to go through.  She smiles sweetly and says, "Barring no problems, it should be about 20 minutes!"  Soooo, I go do my grocery shopping and 30 minutes later, I wander back to the pharmacy again.  Now the wait line is all the way back to the main aisle!  After another 15-20 minutes of standing in line, I finally get my meds and get out of there.  I don't usually get too impatient when I have to wait but this time was a little excessive I thought.  I usually cope by listening to other people's conversations and trying to find something funny about the situation!

7. Believe it or not, when next week's Hodgepodge rolls around it will be February. Huh?!? Bid adieu here to January in seven words or less.
One month closer to Springtime!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Our kids live 3 1/2 hours away and we don't see them as often as I'd like.  Sunday after church, we met up with them and Allan's folks for a late lunch in a town that's about halfway between us.  We had a good visit and I always hate to leave but I'm thankful that we did get a few hours to visit!