Wednesday Hodgepodge

Have you ever been fishing? Did you catch a fish? If so did you keep it or throw it back? If you haven't been fishing is that something you'd like to try? Fish out of water, big fish in a small pond, living in a fishbowl, packed in like sardines, this is a fine kettle of fish, plenty of fish in the sea, fish or cut bait ... which fishy phrase most recently applies to some area of your life?

When I was a little girl I loved to go fishing with my dad. My dad would do work for the Amish in exchange for us being able to fish their ponds. Some of my best memories with my dad are when he would take me fishing. I don't remember if we would keep the fish or thrown them back. There is a lot of fishing being done at my parents' lake house, and we definitely keep those fish for meals. Brynne always has Collin catch her fresh fish to fry for her birthday dinner. On our 17 acres we have a pond that is crammed with fish. I am looking forward to all of the fishing that will be done there. Speaking of those 17 acres, I am getting more and more excited for the time when we are able to start building our new farmhouse. For the past several months we have definitely been packed in [this house] like sardines, especially in regard to sharing only one bathroom. Space is going to be a great thing!

What's something you're always fishing for in your purse, wallet, desk, or kitchen junk drawer?

In my purse, my keys. In my wallet, my debit card (that I never put back in the same place). In my desk, tape. And in my kitchen junk drawer, bag clips. I do lots of fishing.

Your favorite fish tale or movie? 

I guess I would have to say Finding Nemo. It's a movie our family quotes often.

Are you sunrise, daylight, twilight or night? Explain why you chose your answer.

Definitely sunrise. I love the promise of a new day and love to be sitting alone in the quiet enjoying it.

What's the oldest piece of clothing you own and still wear?

My bathrobe! I bought it to wear to a Polar Express Christmas party at our church when Kyndal was in the 6th grade. She would have been 12 years old. She is now 22.

We've got one more month of (officially) winter here in the Northern Hemisphere. Are you feeling the need for a getaway? What's been the best and worst part of your winter so far?

I just got back from a weeklong trip to Hawaii to visit my friend Cheryl. It was a great trip and just what I was needing. So, I am not really needing another getaway. The worst part of winter? No snow! The best part of winter? Cold days in front of my faux fireplace covered up in a blanket.

The Wednesday Hodgepodge lands on National Margarita Day ... will you be celebrating? Frozen or on the rocks? Are you a Jimmy Buffet fan? If so, what's your favorite JB tune?

Today I just so happened to play cards with some friends, and we did have margaritas! I love my margaritas on the rocks without salt. Yum! I am not really a Jimmy Buffet fan, so "Margaritaville" is the only song I can even really recall.

Insert your own random thought here.

I recently wrote a post about my 11 year old daughter and her quest to eat healthier and, hopefully, lose some weight by using the food plan set out in the book Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right: The Food Solution that Lets Kids be Kids by Joanna Dolgoff. Brynne has been on this plan for 4 months and has taken total personal responsibility for it with supervision by her dad and I. It has been obvious that she has lost weight. But more importantly, it has been obvious that she has changed her approaches to food. She has learned so much, and taught us so much. I have been so incredibly proud of her! She has been so excited to realize how much better she feels when eating a healthy diet. And it has drastically improved her effectiveness in sports as she is able to run faster without getting winded and is so much stronger! Recently we weighed her and she has lost just under 15 pounds! It has taken her from the obese range to right at the edge of the healthy range. In fact, she is right at the place where we are going to be adjusting her eating plan to increase her daily calories to make sure she maintains her weight instead of continuing to lose it. We took a couple of photos today with her wearing the same shorts and shirt she was wearing on the day that she first told me she wanted to try to lose some weight. I will let one of the photos do the talking. When she saw the side-by-side photos, she got a little teary, and so did I. I am so proud of her for taking control of her body and taking care of it to the best of her ability. And more importantly, she is proud of herself.