Hodgepodge Wednesdays; Wrapping up our July
This is the first time in 8 years that I'm not participating in the What's Up Wednesday post. It feels a bit weird but I also felt like my end of the month posts were getting far too repetitive. Between my Share 4 Somethings, Currently, and Sentence a Day posts, I think my month is pretty well wrapped up. So today we're shifting gears and joining Joyce for her Hodgepodge Wednesdays.
1. What was the last thing you celebrated?
This weekend we celebrated the high school graduation of a close family friend... and I took zero photos.
2 July 29th is International Day of the Tiger. Besides the wild animal itself, when you hear the word tiger what's the first person-place-thing-whatever that comes to mind?
I guess the zoo where I see tigers and all the other animals and big cats.
3. The expression 'eye of the tiger' describes someone with intense focus, determination, and the drive to succeed. What area of your life are you currently bringing that kind of energy to?
Nowhere? It's summer and in summer I tend to lose most of my focus, determination, and drive. This tends to be about the only thing I have energy for...
4. What was the last meal you cooked?
Writing this up Sunday night, the last meal I cooked was dinner. My husband grilled some steaks while I cooked up roasted potatoes, onions, peppers, and asparagus to go with it.
5. Describe your July using exactly five words.
Busy. Fun. Delicious. Relaxing. Creative.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
I'm always amazed that our fridge looks like this by Friday night/Saturday morning (which is perfect for cleaning it).
Then we do grocery shopping and it's filled up like this and I always think we'll be good for at least a week and a half but come Friday it's empty again. It kind of amazes me that we can eat so much food in just one week...
I feel the same way with doing various "wrap up" "summary" type posts. It seems like I rehash the same events :). Hodgepodge questions are definitely good for a change in direction and for the prompts you write about things that you'd likely not write about which is one reason the Hodgepodge is so fun! WOW, that is an empty fridge!! For sure, ideal for cleaning :). You'll have two going away soon, right? That will change things in the food/eating department.
ReplyDeleteYep, with two gone it is going to be a BIG change!
DeleteI tend to post as I go so also feel like photos I'd add to a wrap up post feel repetitive. Your frig! Mine is never empty empty. Occasionally I can see what's there lol. That brownie pie looks really good and the torched cake is impressive! I am with you on summer focus. Rest and relaxation I suppose are the goal. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteIt's only something we've ever managed to do with this fridge but I kind of love that I get to clean it pretty thoroughly each week before filling it back up.
DeleteFab photos from the zoo and how lovely to sit by your lake. It looks the perfect spot for a bit of reading! Your dinner looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteYep! My fridge looks like that before our shopping gets delivered. It does make it easier to clean though!
Thank you! Evan and I love playing around with photography-- especially at the zoo.
DeleteI love how you said you aren't bringing intense focus anywhere. I think that's how summer should be! Although I need to bring to focus to my unpacking and organizing.
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you. I think that's how summer should be most of the time too.
DeleteThat is great to get a fridge that empty! Wow! My issue is always the condiments. That means you aren't wasting food. I am a work in progress on using up what we have before buying new food. We are cleaning out freezer food this week.
ReplyDeleteAll I want to do is read and watch tv right now. I did have a busy cleaning week last week so there is that.
We go through a surprising number of condiments too but I'm glad that we use them up rather than throw them away 1/2 eaten.
DeleteWow! I wish we could get our fridge that empty! Nice job- means you are not wasting! I need that recipe for Alec's cheesecake- I am so so intrigued ;)
ReplyDeleteVery true; we have very little food waste in our house. I will ask him what recipes he used and link them up in a post very soon.
DeleteI do my own version of a month in review post, but it's true that month end posts get repetitive! I love the photos you shared in this one.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteHow nice to just get lost in the summer! I often feel lost because this heat is brutal! haha! I've been thinking about doing something different with end of the month wrap ups...Just haven't landed on a good answer.
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to just get lost in summer-- the warm weather doesn't last that long up here!
DeleteYour July does look delicious! Most of your posts always look delicious! Hard to believe how empty the fridge can get!! And welcome to the Hodge Podge:)
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI love reading everyone's Hodge Podge posts. I've never joined in, but I'm always answering in my head and nodding along with everyone's answers!
ReplyDeleteI join in maybe once a month but usually not more than that. I tend to write posts a week or even 2 in advance so I rarely think to join in but I do enjoy reading along.
DeleteHonestly, taking zero photos at a graduation is the most liberating thing ever. Sometimes you just need to experience a milestone with your own eyes instead of framing it through a screen! But I will take photos...Also, can we talk about the Bermuda Triangle of the refrigerator? That is one of life’s greatest mysteries. You unpack the grocery bags on Saturday and it looks like you're prepped for a small army, and by Friday you're staring at a lonely jar of pickles and a half-empty packet of cheese wondering how on earth you consumed a small grocery store in seven days. Those steaks and roasted veggies are like an absolute dream team for a weekend dinner, though. Happy end of July, you made it.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
DeleteFabulous zoo pics! And your steak meal looks delicious 😋
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteIt’s great to make sure food doesn’t go to waste! Back in 2020, when our refrigerator broke, the one I really wanted was too big and would have stuck out from the cabinets, so I had to settle for a much smaller one due to what was available at the time. It still took a while to get. It’s too small for us, so we ended up buying an additional smaller fridge a few years later for the garage, which works fine, but my dream refrigerator is a large one with the freezer on the bottom.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure this one was going to fit in our space either but luckily we only had cabinets on one side as it does hang over on one side but it's just a doorway into the dining room and it only covers a tiny bit of the molding. I LOVE it so much though. It fits so much more than our old side by side.
DeleteI love a stocked up fridge!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI am so envious that you get your fridge that empty! I absolutely hate meal planning (weird, I know) and so always end up running to the store for something else. and my fridge is always full and messy :(. We're about to be empty nesting and I just said to my husband that we'll definitely start just eating whatever is in the fridge once it's just us
ReplyDeleteI hate meal planning too but we tend to sit down and tackle it as a family at dinner one night and try to fill out the whole month at a time.
DeleteI haven't done a WUW post recently for the same reason. I'm so impressed with your clean fridge. I will say it doesn't empty as fast when you're in the empty nesting phase. ;)
ReplyDeleteWe'll see... that is mostly fruits and veggies which the boys rarely eat willingly..
DeleteI don't think we have met, so it was so nice to meet you today on the Hodgepodge. I have been participating since I started blogging back in 2012 after retiring. I look forward to visiting with you again next week. I do admire keeping such a clean frig. It's only me and my husband and we aren't quite as faithful as you are.
ReplyDeleteWow! What a long time participator you are.
DeleteReminds me that I should clean our fridge. Those animal photos are incredible
ReplyDeleteXoxo
Jodie
Aw, thank you!
DeleteThat is one amazing fridge full and empty! Mine never looks empty and we eat a lot! Lol! 😂
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you had a great month!!! I also lose my focus and determination by this point. But it doesn’t bother me too much but by mid August I’m like…girl…you gotta get with it! But it has been hard the last two years now that I don’t homeschool! It is hard to find what to do and create a new routine and rhythm that doesn’t revolve around that season I had.
I literally almost took a photo like that on Monday night. I thought, well, darn, I'm going to have to shop on Tuesday after my mammo, when I would rather be on my couch. Ha!
ReplyDeleteFun post, Joanne! Enjoyed your pictures! Relaxing and recharging is a good focus for summer, in my book!
ReplyDeleteWow! I always have so much in my fridge. My protein shakes take up a lot of room because I buy three cases at a time and put them all in at once. But, you are feeding four guys so I'm sure you go through a lot. I need to be better about cleaning my fridge...maybe this weekend!
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