Wedensday Hodgepodge

It's time for Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce, who blogs at From This Side of The Pond.  Each week she'll pose some questions for us to answer. What a great way to journal life.

1. Monday was National Apple Day...did you eat an apple or enjoy something made with apples on Monday? Nope, I don't believe I did. In fact I know I didn't.  Do you like apples? I do like apples. Do you prefer your apples raw, baked, or in cider? It all depends. I like them all ways. Do you have a favorite variety of apple? I don't have a favorite, but if I'm just eating it raw, it has to be crisp and sweet. 

2. Do you think there's any truth to the saying 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'. Of the following healthy habits which do you find easiest to incorporate into your life and which is the most difficult for you to adopt- I do believe there's truth to it, though maybe it's not specifically the "apple a day", but the idea of eating a healthy diet that include plenty of fruits and vegetables and being intentional with what we put in our bodies. 

adequate sleep, a balanced diet, plenty of water, eat breakfast, don't smoke, exercise, limit alcohol,  include fruits and vegetables in your diet, manage stress, limit screen time

Well, I've never smoked or was a big drinker of alcohol so those are easy. I'd say plenty of water and screen time are the hardest for me..Sleep and managing stress are pretty easy. I do include fruits and veggies though more veggies than fruits. When I've looked back over the years of our marriage and our eating habits, they have changed so much (for the better). I'm more intentional with the products I buy and try to make more nutritional food, and of course the occasional dessert or other food we might not have on a regular basis. 

3. Who taught you how to drive? Well....I don't remember, but probably my dad, maybe my mom. I know my dad tried to teach me to drive a stick shift when I got a 1966 mustang (In 1986) but he got frustrated so a friend our family's taught me. 

Do you enjoy driving? I do enjoy driving.  Would you rather be the driver or the passenger? That depends...if my husband and I are in the car, I'd rather be the passenger...most other times, I like being the driver, though the passenger gets to enjoy the scenery more, however the driver gets to control more of when we stop places...haha.  Do you have a favorite scenic drive near you? There are many..I live in the PNW, but the Columbia River Gorge is definitely a favorite and isn't far. 

I know I have more photos somewhere, but don't really have time to look for them. And sometimes, you can't really take photos while in a moving car. 

4. What small habit has had a big impact on your life? Hmm...I'm going to go with getting 10,000 steps a day in...I work in a postal annex and we are on our feet all day, and one time I was talking to one of the gals and thought I wonder how many steps we get on average...well, it turns out that while we are on our feet all day, we aren't always moving a whole lot...it's a small building, and yes we are walking around, and moving packages here and there, but the steps aren't what we thought and often we are standing at the computer helping people...so I have worked hard over the last few years to work to get 10,000 steps a day..the ultimate goal is 70,000 steps a week. Some days I just don't get the 10,000. That's rare, but it does happen. 

The other small habit that I think has been good for me is getting back into reading and even listening to audiobooks and podcasts. 

5. Tell us about something nice that happened to you recently. This was a month or so ago, but my daughter and I were doing a fall vintage barn sale with her coffee cart. She's done 3 of these markets and I usually help her. Well, one of the vendors who follows her, saw that she had made her own pumpkin syrup to use in drinks and there were a few pumpkin drinks on the menu. She makes jewelry and gave us each a pair of Pumpkin spice latte earrings. They are so cute!! It was such a sweet gesture. I wear them often and get so many compliments!! 

6. Insert your own random thought here. Well, I had intended to possibly run into town and go to a few thrift stores and a small dahlia farm today, but I'm kind of talking myself out of it....which makes me a bit sad because I really wouldn't be able to go for another few weeks and by then the dahlias will be gone, but probably not sad enough to actually talk myself back into going..haha. Plus I told my daughter I'd hang out with Pepper while my daughter went and had a crown put on....sooo.....not really sure what I'll end up doing. At this point, I'll be staying home...I'm just feeling the need to be cozy and not do much else..of course I do need to do some online work, and create a reel for a page I VA for. 

Also....have you ever ordered from a company and had great service, timely delivery, etc? But then ordered another time and it was just terrible? That has been my experience recently. I have been so frustrated. In the last few years I've moved to wearing more barefoot, wide toe box shoes. Well, they are NOT inexpensive and I had found a company that was kind of on the less expensive side (though still not inexpensive). I've ordered from them before and always saw a fast turn around. They recently had a sale and I saw a few pair I really wanted, so I ordered 4 pair knowing I'd return at least 2. I thought "oh, I have enough time to order, get them, and return the ones I don't want before my credit card statement closes for the month"....NOPE. 2 1/2 weeks have gone by and just this past Monday I got a notice that they shipped. I should have them Friday. The downside is that I now have to pay that amount on my credit card which was a few hundred dollars, and probably won't see the credit til the next billing statement, which I know, it'll kind of balance out, though I don't spend that much on average. Uggh. I just have to say, these shoes better work! I know I took a risk with ordering and hoping they'd come, but the track record had been good. I get there's a big sale, they're a small company in Colorado...BUT I think you should anticipate the high volume of orders and be prepared. Looking on their social media pages, there were a lot of unhappy people. Anyways, that's my rant! 

I took the grandkids down to the pumpkin patch yesterday after I picked Indy up from school...it's their dads family's pumpkin patch. With it being a weekday, there weren't as many people and they had a lot of fun! My main reason for going was to buy some beeswax candles from a local honey company who has a trailer there. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin