A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

blog challenge

Secret Subject Swap: Hot or cold?

This post is for the Secret Subject Swap, a monthly blog challenge. Information about the swap can be viewed at the end of this post, as well as links to all others taking part. Have a peek at some of the other bloggers and see what they had to come up with. If you are a blogger, consider joining up for future months!

My theme is “Which do you like best, cold or hot? Why?” and it was submitted by Wandering Web Designer.

This one has quite the broad range that I could go with. So, I’ve decided to cover two topics and, for the most part, the outcome is the same.

Cold.

I’m not saying things have to be bone-chilling cold, but I tend to like things colder than warmer.

Weather

First, here’s the thing — I can’t stand super hot and humid weather. If I could be somewhere that it was anywhere from 40-65 all year, it would be perfect. Rain can be at night. Partly cloudy during the day. Perfect.

We know it’s not a perfect world.

So, if I have to choose — I’m going with cold. The main reason being I can adapt easier. I know how to dress for the cold and I can layer up in case it warms up. With the heat, it’s very tough for me to deal with it. It drains me faster, I hate sweating, and it just get uncomfortable.

Again, I’m not saying 10-below-zero wind chills here, I’m just talking colder. It’s probably why fall is my favorite season, outside of the colors. That sweatshirt and jeans weather is awesome and it’s great to be outside during it.

Walking is also more comfortable for me in the cooler weather, so that’s another reason.

Now, the warmer weather does bring a lot of good things. Baseball, for one. So there are benefits to the weather being on the warmer side.

Drinks/Food

This is an interesting one. I would say 85 percent of the time, I like my drinks cold. Even during the winter, I take a bottle of ice water with me to work. Most things I like cold. Even Guinness!

Alas, I do like hot tea in the winter, as well as hot chocolate. Outside of that, I don’t like my drinks warm or hot.

There’s just something truly refreshing about a cold drink. It seems to revive you. Hot drinks, on the other hand, are more comforting, at least for me. It’s nice to sit at home on a cold and snowy winter and have a nice cup of tea.

Food is where it gets interesting. I don’t need mine piping hot. Warm is fine. I love me some chowder, and I like it on the warm/hot side. But, not all food has to be hot to eat.

I’m not even going to talk about the normal cold foods (subs etc.) that I love.

But take something like chicken strips. Or a ham steak. Those are good warm, but they are really good cold, too. Pizza? Same thing.

On the flip side, unless it’s over a salad, I don’t need cold steak. Same goes with pork.

But take things like french fries? Or a hamburger? Or pasta? I need them hotter, that’s for sure. I am not going to enjoy those being cold.

So how about you? Hot or cold?

Five others have taken part in this challenge, so go check out the other posts and have some fun reading their secret subjects!

Enjoy blogging challenges? We have several that happen at A ‘lil HooHaa, and we’d love to have you join us! The Photo Blogging Challenge is one of our main ones and it runs monthly! We also have the Food Photo Challenge (current theme listed at end of post) and the Can of Corn Challenge. We’d love to see you!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Food Photo Challenge (August 2020): Dessert

Do you have a sweet tooth?

I know I do. Sometimes it’s more prevelant than others. Having diabetes doesn’t help, either, as you have to be really careful about what you put in your system.

But there are times …

Before we go on, though, if you are new to the Food Photo Challenge, check out this post, which explains everything. Also, the linkup for this month’s theme will stay live for about a week, so join in even if it’s later!

Food Photo Challenge logo

Simply put, though, each month there will be a theme (announced at the end of this post) and on the 28th of each month, come back and link up.

So we keep moving forward with these food photos and it will be fun to see what kind of things happen with this theme.

Let’s check out this month. And yes I know I’m late!

Theme: Dessert

Goodness the things you can choose here. I wanted to try and make something really tasty looking.

And I am not good at plating!

It started with this wonderful piece of blueberry pie. Then I knew it needed ice cream. And a little whipped cream.

Goodness though … I had it way too off-center on the plate. And I knew if I tried to move it, it may not have a “clean” look. And I also knew when the photo was done I was going to eat it.

Hence … a close up!

Such a tasty treat and is there anything better than a slice of pie after dinner for your dessert?

Here’s my submission for the month! Yum!

That’s my submission for the month and I am looking forward to seeing who else is taking part in this challenge and what they have to offer!

If you took part in the challenge, please make sure to link up below. Also, make sure you visit everybody else’s posts (and do come back to see who may have linked up after you!)! 

Let’s, too, try and grow this challenge. Tell others and invite them. And, as always, one can check out the Facebook group for this challenge and others as well. You can access the group here. 

The linkup is below, but how about August?

The theme for September is: Fruit. Come back on September 28 to link up!

Food Photo Challenge: August 2020

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Secret Subject Swap: Broiling hot

This post is for the Secret Subject Swap, a monthly blog challenge. Information about the swap can be viewed at the end of this post, as well as links to all others taking part. Have a peek at some of the other bloggers and see what they had to come up with. If you are a blogger, consider joining up for future months!

My theme is “Tell us about a time when you believed in something strongly but My theme is “What do you do when it’s broiling hot out? Do you prefer to stay in air conditioning? Go to the beach? A pool? Something else? Have you made adjustments this summer?” and it was submitted by Karen.

One thing I love about living in the northeast of the United States is the changing seasons. We get to experience all four and, depending on the year, some might be longer seasons than others. 

It’s usually a good bet we’ll get a few days in the 60s in December or January. 

At the same time, you can usually plan on a good snowfall in March, April, or even May. 

There have been years where fall or spring is almost non-existent. 

As many communities in the northeast probably say – you want the weather to change? Just blink. 

But that heat. 

I’ve always said if I could stay anywhere from 40-75 degrees, without worrying about humidity or frigid temperatures, I’d be a happy guy. We know that doesn’t happen, though. And in the midst of the summer (and sometimes “spring”), the temps will go very high with a lot of humidity. 

And I hate the heat. 

I don’t mind when it’s warm out. I don’t hate the sun. But when it gets really hot out? Ugh. 

Sweating is something I loathe. Plant me in some air conditioning and I’m happier. When it’s really hot out, I still get my walks in, but I tend to go in the morning or evening to avoid the peak levels and times. 

And though I like the beach – I really don’t live that close to one. I also prefer to go in the off-season as you can walk and stop and stare and not have to worry about hundreds (or more) people. I don’t think a beach in the middle of the summer is my thing. 

It’s funny how things change from childhood to adulthood when it comes to summer. When I was a kid, I would spend all day outside. We’d play baseball. We’d go to the pool. We’d explore the woods. Splash in the creeks nearby. Heck, we used to drink out of said creeks. I’m not sure I’d do that in this day and age anymore. 

As I got older, I became way more self-conscious about things.My interests also changed. Before you know it, you’re an adult. 

Those days of going to the pool and such are long past me. And honestly? I’m OK with that. 

I know many people love the hot months. They love getting out or chilling next to their pool. Maybe floating with a drink. Others plan summer trips and vacations around the beach. I like to find some AC. Or just put my feet up in the shade somewhere. 

And if it gets too hot, I like to find any way possible to avoid it. 

I can’t say I’ve made any adjustments this summer. It actually hasn’t been too bad. We’ve had a few really hot days, but for the most part, it’s been bearable. The hardest part is not really being able to travel anywhere, but maybe next year. 

At this point, I’m ready for the fall. And hopefully … eventually … a return to normalcy.

Let me end this post with a bit of an apology. I haven’t been the best at visiting others posts over the past few months and for that, I’m sorry. I will slowly be going back, visiting, reading, and commenting. It’s been a rough few months and I’ve not had a lot of push. I need to get back into it as I know it’s helpful and I want to get back into the flow of things!

Four others have taken part in this challenge, so go check out the other posts and have some fun reading their secret subjects!

Enjoy blogging challenges? We have several that happen at A ‘lil HooHaa, and we’d love to have you join us! The Photo Blogging Challenge is one of our main ones and it runs monthly! We also have the Food Photo Challenge (current theme listed at end of post) and the Can of Corn Challenge. We’d love to see you!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Food Photo Challenge (July 2020): Summer drink

When I was younger, my summer drink of choice was always beer.

Now, let’s remember our younger days. The beer was often cheap, and something light as you could get through more.

Things change, as you will see below.

Before we go on, though, if you are new to the Food Photo Challenge, check out this post, which explains everything. Also, the linkup for this month’s theme will stay live for about a week, so join in even if it’s later!

Food Photo Challenge logo

Simply put, though, each month there will be a theme (announced at the end of this post) and on the 28th of each month, come back and link up.

So we keep moving forward with these food photos and it will be fun to see what kind of things happen with this theme.

Let’s check out this month. 

Theme: Summer drink

There are so many items you can choose from. It could be a cool, refreshing iced tea. It could be flavored (or regular water). It could be a lot of things.

I love water and drink a lot of it.

But when things call for a true summer drink, I don’t mind something with a bit extra in it.

As I noted earlier a cold, light beer used to be my choice, especially after a softball game. As I aged, though, I tend to enjoy better beer — and a lot of them don’t really work as a “refreshing” summer drink. For example, I love Guinness. And though I can drink it quicker if “needed,” it’s really a waste. So beers like that just don’t count here.

When it comes to liquor, my tastes are a bit more tight in that I don’t like a lot of things. I like rum. I like vodka. And I like fruity drinks as they are refreshing and smooth.

Enter the Blue Hawaii.

This is a drink I had for the first time a bit more than a year ago on a trip to Canada. Earlier this year I got everything I needed to make them and I’ve enjoyed the process. Every once in a while, I need a refreshing drink.

This one does it.

There’s rum, vodka, and blue curacao in it. The fruity aspect is pineapple juice and some sour mix. Shake it up, put over crushed ice and away you go.

I tried to add a bit more to this photo and drink with the fruit. When I got done with my photos, the drink was definitely refreshing!

That’s my submission for the month and I am looking forward to seeing who else is taking part in this challenge and what they have to offer!

If you took part in the challenge, please make sure to link up below. Also, make sure you visit everybody else’s posts (and do come back to see who may have linked up after you!)! 

Let’s, too, try and grow this challenge. Tell others and invite them. And, as always, one can check out the Facebook group for this challenge and others as well. You can access the group here. 

The linkup is below, but how about August?

The theme for August is: Dessert. Come back on August 28 to link up!

Food Photo Challenge: July 2020

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Secret Subject Swap: Believing

This post is for the Secret Subject Swap, a monthly blog challenge. Information about the swap can be viewed at the end of this post, as well as links to all others taking part. Have a peek at some of the other bloggers and see what they had to come up with. If you are a blogger, consider joining up for future months!

My theme is “Tell us about a time when you believed in something strongly but when confronted with new information that contradicted that belief, you changed your mind.” and it was submitted by Climaxed.

I’m going to take this in a bit of a different direction.

Let me explain why, though.

I’m a believer that beliefs are just that — something you believe in. That could be something religious, or a thought process about other things. But to me — and again, this is just me — beliefs are more of things that go beyond our world.

With that in mind, a belief can of course, be built on facts, or those that might not be facts at all. You might believe in a cause or a person and find out things you believed were fully wrong. Or maybe something you believed that others bashed turned out to be true.

There’s a lot of ways to look at this.

But when I look at the initial question, I don’t really have an answer. Though I might have beliefs one way or another, I don’t tend to sway. If it’s something on a larger scale, I tend to try and base it on some sort of fact (unless, of course, it’s something on more of a spiritual level).

This is also why, for the most part, I don’t discuss things like politics on a public forum, be it here or social media. Things like that can become so emotional and heated, that one’s beliefs can go on many different paths and facts become quite skewed.

There are, however, a few beliefs I have that I will not back down from and I challenge anybody to try and sway me from them. My guess is you won’t be able to. Those beliefs are as follows:

  • Smile more. If you smile and people see it, it becomes contagious.
  • Treat people better. If you treat those around you better, it makes the world a better place.
  • Appreciate what you have and realize things can always be worse. Even in the worst of times, something could always be even worse. If you are reading this post, my guess is life can be appreciated in some way, shape or form.
  • Respect others. Others will have different beliefs in many things. Respect their thoughts and opinions. If they have beliefs based on non-factual things and you can show facts … feel free. But don’t let it anger either of you or hurt a friendship.
  • Think before you type — in other words, remember everything on social media is seen. Protect yourself.
  • Be happy. This world is tough, rough, and cruel. But there is a lot of beauty in it. Find a way to be happy. It might not be 24/7, but make sure each day you find a way to find happiness.

I’m sure somewhere in life I changed a belief based on facts being thrown at me. I’m in my mid-40s and I can’t believe anybody can go through life without ever changing a belief. But I don’t remember one that sticks out on a large level.

I hope everybody stays healthy and happy — that’s a belief in which I will not waver!

Five others have taken part in this challenge, so go check out the other posts and have some fun reading their secret subjects!

Enjoy blogging challenges? We have several that happen at A ‘lil HooHaa, and we’d love to have you join us! The Photo Blogging Challenge is one of our main ones and it runs monthly! We also have the Food Photo Challenge (current theme listed at end of post) and the Can of Corn Challenge. We’d love to see you!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!