Wednesday, July 22, 2026
It’s Wednesday and time to link up with Joyce for her fun weekly Hodgepodge post!
1. Do your goals and dreams energize or exhaust you? Elaborate.
Yes and no – depending on my mindset. They both excite and exhaust me.
Renovating the kitchen, changing out the flooring, painting, and getting rid of popcorn ceiling, oh and cabinetry in the mudroom – excited but scared for Eddie Otis with the contractors and me with the mess and chaos.
Writing a book – this is a very out there goal for me and it also exhausts and excites me. I have no idea where to begin, either.
More travel – exhausts and excites me. I love the planning but it’s so much work!
2. July 23rd is national lemon day. Are you a fan of this flavor? What’s a favorite dish or beverage you enjoy that calls for lemons?
I don’t want a lemon in my water or tea. I love lemon in cocktails. Weird, I know. I have recently been sort of obsessed with lemon spinach orzo chicken type dishes. I have a new bowl of 9 lemons working its magic in my life. It can’t hurt, right? I love a limoncello spritz. When I cut a lemon and use in my cooking I feel like a real chef.
3. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade“…is this something you’re pretty good at managing? Have you had to do this recently? If so tell us about it.
I think I’ve gotten better at this as I’ve gotten older. I remember that I had a teaching observation in my KTIP year at age 22 (first year teachers were considered interns when I started) and the university person cancelled on me because she ran out of gas and I had to re-do a new lesson for the next day. I was so mad. Also, who runs out of gas? I can have a real low tolerance for stupidity. Of course, I had a lesson, but the ones they observed needed a template and certain components that you might not do on a normal teaching day. I did not handle that well.
4. Something you love that is lemon yellow in color?
I love this color! I used to have a top that I wish I still had, to be honest.
I gravitate toward this color in outdoor decor and clothing, mostly.
5. How would you describe your attention to detail?
I can be very detail oriented or pretty laissez – faire about details. It just depends on the situation. If I care about the details and they don’t go my way, that would be an example of having to make lemonade out of lemons.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
A mantra/thought that runs through my head so much is that people won’t remember what you said or did so much as how you made them feel. Do you think about this?
Over time, the quote has also been widely associated with Maya Angelou, who phrased it as: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.
The quote highlights the lasting power of emotional experiences over verbal communication. While words and actions may fade from memory, the feelings they evoke—whether warmth, respect, love, or hurt—remain deeply ingrained in our psyche.
I have a great example of a person in my life who I will never forget how they made me feel. I was 9 or 10 when a young couple with a 6-week-old baby boy moved in across the street from me. Terry (the wife) became an important person in my life, and she hugged me so hard and was always smiling and laughing every time I saw her. She went on to have two more boys, and those three boys were my training ground for becoming a boy mom. I babysat, folded clothes, wrapped presents, and did whatever Terry needed. She praised me to my mom and I needed that, too.
Remember that the August Currently will be Wednesday, August 5th!
Here are the prompts:
savoring, wrapping up, preparing, remembering, and organizing
I was trying to make them kind of August-themed!
I hope you will join me!
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
That is a great mantra… though I often think that what people do and say are a big part of how they make me feel.
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Well, that is true. I guess I look at this mantra as this is how I approach people but I do think about what people say to me and do to me – actions speak louder than words.
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But I also think that mantra makes you more aware of the impact your words and actions can have and how they are perceived by the other party. If you see that a remark you made really did not go over well you can make immediate attempts to explain how you meant it and try to sooth over hurt feelings. So knowing how you want others to feel around you/remember being with you is a huge component of it. And to have that leading your words and actions is important.
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I love that quote and I am using it in a hospitality presentation for our church – people do remember how you make them feel!
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Right? And, there are just some people that feel homey to you! My mom used to stay seated on the couch when we visited – she didn’t get up to say hi. My dad was waiting on the porch for us.
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I don’t think I have any yellow clothes- surely some with a bit of yellow in them but I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. Actions do speak louder than words (I’d say from the actions come “the how you make someone feel” part of the quote).
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I don’t have many right now, either. I do have a lighter yellow button up that I really like.
I have always been suspicious of the smooth talker and I wait to see what their actions are. That makes sense that the actions are how the person feels. Good point!
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Love that story about Terry and her boys- how sweet! She was lucky to have you around. I love love lemon in cocktails and pasta dishes too 🙂
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She was such an important person in my life. We still text but I don’t see her as much as I would like. Me too! So fresh!
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I had a similar neighbor in my life and the memory of her kindness towards me, her genuine interest in me, and her Godly example as a wife and mother impacted me greatly. Seeing a bowl of lemons on a counter instantly lifts my mood. Have your home projects started yet? We’re always doing something here and there’s a large indoor project I want to tackle, but not sure it will happen this year. We’re getting ready to replace our gutters (exciting, no? ) because they really are too small for the job they need to do. Not a fun way to spend money but I think it will be good to have it done. Have a great day!
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See how much those people stay with us? That is so sweet!
It really does.
No, they haven’t. Ugh! That’s all I will say.
I hate spending money on the house stuff that I don’t really see like a new roof! Ha! That’s so important just like gutters, though.
You too!
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I love this quote so much, and it’s so true! It’s such a great reminder for everyday life. Honestly, this makes me think of your blog—you always make your readers feel so welcome and inspired. Thank you for sharing this today!
I think I have a couple of yellow sweaters… I should wear them more. I love yellow and pink in combination!
Wow, I want to be a Terry to someone! #goal
I’m not into home renovations, but my hub loves it. A lot of unfinished projects here and there I must confess :D.
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Something like renovating the kitchen would exhaust me. I hate work being done around the house and I am happy when it’s done! The book sounds exciting. Good luck with it. Oh no! That was not good the university person cancelled, that really was stupidity running out of gas! That is a wonderful quote and a great reminder for life.
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SAME on the writing a book! I have a Masters in creative writing and I want to write something so much but I cannot seem to make the time, which is a terrible excuse, but nonetheless true.
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I have always loved lemon based foods. The more sour the better! 😜 This reminds me that my grandmother used to buy some lemon cookies that were so good. I don’t remember what brand they were! As for the color, I love yellow but I don’t own any tops that are yellow. Yellow looks awful on me so I stick to yellow in bottoms or shoes.
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Add me to the list of readers who love that quote!
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Amy, I love all of this. When I read the prompts earlier this week I felt like it was too deep/personal for me to blog about but I can see now how to make it “lighter” maybe. I tend to go deep as a default – ha!
Write a book – yes! That would be awesome. I think blogging has been good training ground for that?
Love you in that lemon yellow BTW 🙂
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I absolutely hated being observed when I was a teacher. The whole thing was so fake. It was such a dog & pony show for everyone involved it felt like such a waste of everyone’s time.
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I hope you don’t my copying and sending your Random Thought to my son. He is in the process of writing a book about the importance of helping someone become and it deals with how we can help someone else become the person they were intended to be by our example and influence. It is excellent and hopefully it will be published soon.
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