A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

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Secret Subject Swap: It’s just the way the story goes…

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 “It’s just the way the story goes” and it was submitted by Part-time Working Hockey Mom.

I’m tired.

That can be normal for me at times, but especially now. The whole COVID-19 situation has really taken a toll on me.

For those who don’t know, I work in public relations. And for it, I work in two school districts.

Yeah. Two.

So that means doubling up a lot of things I do. Though it always seems I am behind, the things I am doing now because of the pandemic has amplified it. And I’m beat.

Schools are doing all they can to honor students and the Class of 2020. Graduations are going virtual to a point, and the way the two schools I work at are doing it… it puts me deep into video and video editing. It’s tiring and long.

I don’t know anything about this “work from home,” that’s for sure. I’ve done a few of those days, but after the first several weeks, I was basically always in the office.

I’m sure when things are done, I’ll look back and be really proud of all that was accomplished. That doesn’t take away with how stressed and tired I am!

I need a vacation. The problem is… if I went on one, where would I go?

Maybe just to bed. I can say once July is here, I will definitely be looking to take a week or two off, if even just to let my body rest a little.

Now, allow me to say this. I’m happy to have a good job with good benefits. Being salary, at a time like this, isn’t the most fun, but I’m always trying to look at the bright side of things.

As things are now, well, it’s just the way the story goes.

Be good to one another. Try and smile. Listen. Talk. Understand. One day, we will be out of the situations we’re in. Hopefully, for the better. Stay safe and stay healthy.

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!

BWF: Youthful comfort

Comfort foods.

What does it mean for you? What is that item you can turn to on a cold winter day? Or a rainy spring day? Or in a time when we’re all shuttered up, at least to an extent?

What’s that one item?

In situations like this, or times like this … it’s easy for me. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And why? Because it can bring me back to childhood. A time when things seemed easier and more innocent. The cares in the world weren’t as bad. You didn’t worry about much and this was often the lunch of choice.

That’s the way to be.

Since this whole thing started a few months ago, I’ve had several PB&Js. And I’ve enjoyed each one.

Believe me — there’s a lot I could eat on a day where it’s eat what you want Pizza. Bacon. Steak. Potatoes. Maybe breakfast.

So much.

But I feel if this is something in a time we’re at … this is the way to go. Good preserves. Usually creamy peanut butter. On white bread.

Need some help? Allow me to give you my recipe!

  • Two slices of white bread
  • Creamy peanut butter
  • Strawberry or blueberry preserves
  • A butter knife

Put the two pieces of bread out. Take the knife and load it up with peanut butter. Put that on one slide of bread. Clean off knife on other side of bread. Put the preserves on the other slice of bread. When done, lick the knife clean. Seriously … you don’t do that? Put the two pieces of bread together and take a big bite.

Serve with a cold glass of milk to really make it perfect.

How about any of you? Meal of the day if you can have anything for one day? Any reason?

Blog With Friends: May 2020
Blog with Friends is a themed collaboration challenge where a group of bloggers get together and publish a project based on a theme. Please see the others who have taken part for this month’s theme carrots. Links to their posts can be found below the image!

Check out what the others did with carrots!

Enjoy blogging challenges? We have several that happen here, and we’d love to have you join us! The Photo Blogging Challenge is one of our main ones and it runs monthly! Starting up is the Food Photo Challenge 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!

Secret Subject Swap: Matrix moments

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 “Have you ever had a glitch in the matrix moment? If so what was it?” and it was submitted by Climaxed.

I had to Google to see what this even means. But from my searching it seems it means “deja vu.”

So my short answer is, yes, I have experienced these moments. Several times. Thing is, once they happen, they leave my mind. I can’t think of an actual moment where it happened.

I know I’ve experienced it and I know it’s always a wild feeling. But outside of that, I have no memory of the actual moment. But that got me thinking about the word “matrix.”

Have you ever seen Ferris Bueller? The scene with the one teacher that has the slow words, and then speeds up a little?

“Anywaaaaaaaay…”

Yeah, when I was first in college at a two-year school, I had a sociology teacher that talked like that. It would put you to sleep. And most of the class wasn’t about sociology.

It was about the learning process. And I’m not kidding.

He had this thing he called a learning matrix. For the life of me, I can’t remember the whole thing behind it (we’re talking 25 or so years ago), but it was all … how to learn.

Every.

Class.

He would start by drawing something on the board and would go over the matrix for 3/4 of class. Then he’d do a quick lesson, assign homework and call it a day.

Rinse. Repeat.

And it was tough to stomach. Think about a whole college semester. A M/W/F class. About the learning matrix. I mean, I guess to a point it got drilled into me because I still remember it all these years later.

Though I don’t remember the actual matrix.

Maybe I’m experiencing a matrix moment every time I think about it? Knowing I’ve seen it before.

When all said and done, I think it was his way of trying to help us find a way to learn. I had another class with him that wasn’t a 101 and he barely even touched on it.

No matter what though, I always think of that when I hear “matrix” and it always brings me back.

Six 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!

BWF: Carrots from the eyes of a mischievous youngster

When I was a kid, we lived in a small neighborhood. The summers were spend playing with friends — baseball, football, riding bikes, exploring the woods, and jumping around in streams.

This was before the internet age, so … we had to actually find things to do outside.

We’d leave in the morning. Then we’d all go home around noon (we knew when that was as the fire whistle went off) for lunch, and then back we went for the second half of the day. That would be much the same, and sometimes a trip to the village pool on the best days.

To say we were mischievous would be an understatement. Though we never did anything really criminal (my father was the chief of police … I was a bit too scared to do anything bad), we still definitely caused trouble.

That included carrots.

How, you may ask, could you create trouble with carrots?

Simple, I say. You visit people’s gardens for an afternoon snack.

Now, we didn’t do this often. But there were times when we were hungry and there were some neighborhood gardens that weren’t so hard to sneak to and snag a carrot. (Others grabbed peas or whatever else… but I stuck to carrots).

We’d get things cleaned off and would have a healthy snack to get you through the rest of the day.

Not bad.

But yes, totally mischievous.

I still like carrots. But mine pretty much all come from a store, rather than yanking them from a garden. It’s something that does always make me chuckle though, when I think back more probably like 35 or so years ago.

Here’s some DYI, though.

Cleaning garden veggies from a mischievous kid:

  • Sneak into a garden
  • Find the veggie you will eat (remember not to waste)!
  • Find the closest creek
  • Wash off your veggie
  • Have your snack
  • Get a drink from the creek
  • Go back to your daily activities

How about any of you? You ever do anything like this as a kid?

Blog With Friends: April 2020
Blog with Friends is a themed collaboration challenge where a group of bloggers get together and publish a project based on a theme. Please see the others who have taken part for this month’s theme carrots. Links to their posts can be found below the image!

Check out what the others did with carrots!

Enjoy blogging challenges? We have several that happen here, and we’d love to have you join us! The Photo Blogging Challenge is one of our main ones and it runs monthly! Starting up is the Food Photo Challenge 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!

Secret Subject Swap: Favorite holiday

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 “What is your favorite holiday and how do you celebrate it?” and it was submitted by Wandering Web Designer.

It seems odd to be talking about certain holidays in April. 

Alas, such is the world when you are in a secret subject swap. 

I’m sure I share this with a lot of people, but my favorite holiday is Christmas. And it’s not just Christmas day, it’s everything surrounding it. The festive look and feel. The music. The smiles. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I dislike the idea that stores start doing Christmas sales in like October or earlier now, but the overall feel is what I like. 

I love seeing the look on the faces of kids during that time, especially the innocence of what it is. 

To me, it’s the perfect time of year. 

Family time during that holiday season is usually pretty good. As I’ve grown older, I’ve tended to appreciate the whole season a lot more. It was always my father’s favorite holiday as well. And I think most of my family is usually in the spirit. 

Christmas candy and foods are always amazing as well. From my mother’s homemade caramels (family recipe) to cookies from friends and other things galore, you can’t go wrong with the season! 

I even enjoy a cup or two of store-bought eggnog each year. 

And though I know there are plenty of people who do not enjoy the Christmas holiday, it’s a season I find to be enjoyable and carefree. Innocence only goes so far these days, and I feel as though you can still capture it quite well during Christmas. 

And yes, I like snow during those holidays as well!

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!