Technically it's Friday Fragments

On this Friday that unfolds a mere three weeks before Christmas I'm guessing I should be doing approximately a million and one things, which of course explains why I'm blogging. I'm not the only one who, when given a long list of to-dos, walks around in circles not actually doing any of them, am I?  Whatever...I have a few fragments and always enjoy linking up with Mrs. 4444's at the end of a busy week.

I'm having my carpets cleaned today, along with my 'dog's chair'. Technically it's not her chair, but she doesn't know that so technically it is her chair. Not really ideal weather for wet carpet since we've got drizzly rain today, but I was determined to get the rugs cleaned before people have to sleep on them over Christmas. Technically my girls, my niece, and my nephew will be on air mattresses on the carpet, but still, that's almost the same thing as sleeping on the rug.

How many times can I say technically in a single post?
Technically we're going to find out.

I had signed my pup up for daycare and a spa treatment today so she'd be out of the house while the rugs were being cleaned. Spa treatment is technically just a bath, but spa treatment sounds like more fun. I was forced to embrace plan B since my dog spent half the day yesterday with an upset stomach, and I guess half the night too. Technically that's enough detail, right?

In fact, we had pulled her dog bed into our bathroom overnight just in case, since our bedroom is carpeted and the floor in the bath is tiled.  Easier clean up if you're struggling to follow along here today.

This morning I rousted myself out of bed for boot camp, and tiptoed quietly (semi-quietly...hubs says I'm not that quiet) into the bathroom, in the pitch black, at the delightful hour of 5:20 AM. Oh, and I was barefoot-that's important! I carefully opened the door so as not to disturb my sleeping pup, and promptly planted my foot in dog vomit.

As if getting to boot camp isn't stressful enough.

And of course she's been fit as a fiddle all morning long, so she's at home, underfoot, not getting a bath, and a little anxious about the status of her chair.

Technically that was way more than you wanted to know.

Friday Fragments peeps!

Last night was my neighborhood book club Christmas party. We don't read a book in December, and instead have a nice dinner out along with a fun gift exchange. Technically I'm sure we're all reading books in December, just not as a group.

I'm reading Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline for anyone who's curious.

Back to the party...we do the kind of exchange where you draw numbers, choose a present, and occasionally 'steal' from a friend. Always a great time, and I came home with the softest, snuggliest throw ever made. Originally I thought I'd wrap it up as a Christmas present for one of my daughters, but before I knew what was happening that throw was open and my own self was wrapped up in it. Ooops! Sorry girls!

I guess technically I may have known what was happening.

Okay time to be productive...I've got some secret Christmas stuff that isn't going to Pinterest itself. May your weekend be filled with laughter and joy!

Of Hope and Advent and Tangled Christmas Life

On a cold December day in 1992, my father passed away. 21 years ago today, which sounds like a lifetime, but only sometimes feels like one. Time they say is a healer of sorts, and I suppose that's true. The pain shrinks back into the hidden corners of your heart, and there it sleeps, only now and then lifting its head to look you in the eye.

I see my girls and I remember how very much he loved them. I'm sorry he never knew them as the remarkable women they've become. Sorry especially they missed experiencing so much of life with their Poppie.

When this day rolls around every year I'm often caught by surprise at the peace that floods my soul. The knowledge that my father loved Jesus with his whole heart, and the wonder I feel in knowing this planet earth is only one part of the story being written.

Advent is upon us.
The part of the story that brings us right up to the heart of it all.  

We wait, and we're not so good at the waiting. We're so much better at the doing. In a month without a clean page on the calendar we resist being still, feel guilty even for sitting and taking in the miracle.

This month called December grows louder, more demanding, more commercial with every passing year. A noisy mass of honking horns and crowded lots. Long lists and short fuses. Big spectacles and small breakdowns.

 Life so easily tangling up on itself.

It can be untangled.  

Advent comes in a whisper, arching over and under and through the noise. 

A gift we are given in the middle of a knotty life.  

With Advent comes hope. Hope for this tired troubled earth, and hope in our hearts, all the way to the furthest reaches where grief and disappointment and our deepest longings lay.

On a day marked with memory I celebrate that hope.
I make time to be still...

...I hush the noise and listen for the whisper.  

Whistle While You Hodgepodge

I love the Hodgepodge all year round, but especially in December. I enjoy hitting pause on the list making and checking, while I answer random questions and find out what's happening in your little corner of the world. If you're a newbie here today, feel free to join the party.  Here we go-

1.  According to Oxford Dictionaries, the 2013 word of the year is 'selfie'. Your thoughts? When did you last take a selfie? Do you post them online somewhere? Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind the lens?

I don't know, something about the words Oxford and selfie in the same sentence doesn't feel right to me, but I guess time marches on. I don't take selfies unless I'm with my girls, partly because I don't particularly want to see my face THIS CLOSE, and partly because I have not mastered the coordination a good selfie requires. We did snap one in the movie theatre last Friday, while waiting for Catching Fire to start. The three of us were in agreement that I would not be the one operating the camera.  

Here ya go-

...posted online, on my very own blog, but only because its the topic at hand.  I probably prefer behind the lens, but as long as delete is an option I'm okay with having my picture taken.  

2.  Will you send out Christmas Cards this year? If so, are they ready to go? If not, are you glad or sad about leaving that tradition behind?

Definitely. I love sending and receiving, and have mine almost ready to go.  I only address a few at a time so my handwriting doesn't turn sloppy. We got two cards in the mail yesterday, and just catching a glimpse of something personal in the mailbox made me happy.  

3.  Do you trust easily?

Yes.

Should I say more? I don't have anything to add. I'm a trusting person. 

4. Pine-cinnamon-peppermint-vanilla (as in sugar cookie)...of those listed, which one is your favorite December scent?

I love them all, but cinnamon is my favorite.  

5.  Did you do more talking or more listening yesterday?  Was that by choice or by necessity?

Hmmm...Tuesday...I think more listening. It was the last day of my women's Bible study until after Christmas, and we wrapped up the Kelly Minter book on Ruth which was so good. Some weeks I talk more, but yesterday I did more listening.  

I spent the rest of the afternoon home alone, doing secret Christmas-y stuff and attacking the mountain of sheets and towels piled up from the long weekend.

6.  What's the last song that got stuck in your head?  Sorry if it's back there now :  )

Whistle While You Work. Whenever my girls are home they always pop in at least one old video, and this time Daughter1 found one we hadn't seen in eons. Oh be still my heart. She was four years old, singing Whistle While You Work for the camera, in her soft little girl voice.  I've been singing it ever since, which isn't nearly as cute. 

7.  Which world explorer (in the whole history of the world) would you most like to have traveled with, and why?

This is tough because there's that whole days-months-years at sea thing most explorers had to deal with, and I think we all know that is not my thing. Perhaps Marco Polo because he set off from Venice and that much I'm on board with.  He was one of the first Europeans to travel to China and Mongolia, and he wrote about The Silk Road which I find really interesting. I enjoyed my too short trip to China last year...it still feels so foreign to me, and a little bit mysterious.  

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

My goal for this random thought space in December is to post something that will make you smile. My Daughter1 sent me this link yesterday, and the precious factor cannot be overstated. I want to meet her! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 153

It's December, y'all! Has it snuck up on anyone else besides me? Let's not waste minutes wondering because it's December, y'all!  We've got stuff to do! Like answer the Hodgepodge questions! Don't forget to hop back here tomorrow to share your answers with the rest of Santa's elves.

1. According to Oxford Dictionaries, the 2013 word of the year is 'selfie'. Your thoughts? When did you last take a selfie? Do you post them online somewhere?  Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind the lens?

2. Will you send out Christmas cards this year? If so, are they ready to go? If not, are you glad or sad about leaving that tradition behind?

3. Do you trust easily?

4. Pine-cinnamon-peppermint-vanilla (as in sugar cookie)...of those listed, which one is your favorite December scent?

5. Did you do more talking or more listening yesterday? Was that by choice or necessity?

6. What's the last song that got stuck in your head? Sorry if it's back there now :  )

7. Which world explorer (in the whole history of the world) would you most like to have traveled with, and why?

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

The Post Thanksgiving Post

Blogging the Monday after Thanksgiving always feels a little overwhelming to me. It should be a piece of cake given the very full weekend, but trying to condense all the words in my head into something coherent is challenging. And maybe not all that interesting, but here goes.

We had a lovely long weekend with both girls home. In our efforts to outsmart Mother Nature we ended up changing Daughter2's flight, so she arrived in NJ late Monday evening. We're so glad we did, because she would not have made her flight on Tuesday. Some sort of traffic snafu that seriously delayed travelers trying to get in and out of the Charlotte airport. A friend texted her and said he'd driven 4 miles in one hour. Ugh.

Daughter2 had not been at home since May. MAY! We've seen her several times down south, but all mothers of grown up girls will tell you that's not quite the same as having them upstairs asleep in their own beds. Or lounging in their pjs at your kitchen table. Or chattering beside you snuggled up on your comfy couch. There's no place like home.

Anyway, hubs worked from home on Tuesday and Daughter2 and I caught up on life. It was a gross day weather wise, but hubs took us girls out for a cozy lunch in town before getting on a 'nother conference call. Daughter2 napped while I set the Thanksgiving table and did other fun things like laundry, dust furniture, and check lists. It was a low key semi- lazy day.

On Wednesday we did some pre-Thanksgiving prep in the form of baking the cornbread for our dressing, making a cheese ball, and cooking the cranberries for Turkey Day. Daughter1 was arriving late afternoon courtesy of Amtrak so we all trekked back to Newark to collect her. The girls had never been in to the Ironbound section of the city so we ventured there for a fabulous meal at one of the well known Spanish restaurants -Fornos of Spain. Nothing like a big meal the night before a big meal, right? Right!

We awoke to positively frigid weather on Thanksgiving day, with snow flurries blowing in the icy cold air. And oh yeah, we'd signed up for the Turkey Trot, aka 5K. I'd registered back on one of those glorious October days where the sky is full of sunshine and the temps hovered around 50, so guess I should have thought that through a little bit more.  Hubs said he'd go alone, but I zipped up my layers and my big girl panties, and braved it too. I thought I might die waiting for the race to begin, but once we got moving it was better. I know that sounds dramatic, but seriously I thought I might keel over from the cold.  People die from cold weather sometimes, don't they?

I didn't, so whoohoo!

We caught the tail end of the Macy's parade on TV, had a big late breakfast, and then spent the next few hours hanging out in the kitchen making the three hundred sides needed to go with our Thanksgiving turkey. My girls enjoy cooking too, so everyone helps. It's one of my favorite things about the day actually, all of us in the kitchen laughing and chopping and being together.

With a break only every now and then to talk to boyfriends many states away via text or facetime.

I remember spending Thanksgiving away from the hubs when we were dating. Five whole complete entire days apart, and we had to use an actual phone on the wall to connect. My heart could hardly take it.

We ate later than normal this year, since the race threw off our usual timetable, but it was all so delicious. Who doesn't love Thanksgiving dinner? There was lots of football, more napping, and pie at 9 PM. Good thing we'd begun the day with a 5K!

I woke up Friday feeling happy. It has been too long since I've had both girls in the house, hubs at home not checking work emails, and a completely blank day on the calendar. We all went to an afternoon showing of Catching Fire and loved it.  Hubs hadn't read the books, so I think the ending surprised him a little, but we're all excited to see Part One of Part Three (Mockingjay) a year from now.  Who else finds that annoying?

Hmmm...there's more, but I think I'll go all Hunger Games on you and make you wait til Thursday for Part 2-Ha!

Hey, somebody's excited.

Happily Settling for the Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge! I'm thankful for all the wonderful bloggers I've 'met' through this fun little mid-week hop, and I appreciate the chance to think, laugh, and share with you all as we Hodgepodge on. 

1. Are you settling for something?

I looked up the meaning of the word settle, and found phrases such as make-do, and put up with, so yes I suppose I am settling for a certain amount in my life.  I imagine most of us settle in one way or another. Sometimes settling is the best you can do, and in the end its not always a bad thing. Less than the best maybe, but not necessarily undeserving of our gratitude.  

For instance I don't get to live in the same city as my girls, which is something I would absolutely love, but I'll settle for, and make the best of, whatever time we do get to spend together. Hubs and I would love to be living on a lake down south, but for now we'll settle for the New Jersey countryside, grateful for a job and a home we love. My house could use a deep clean, but girls are home for just a few days, so I'll settle for something less than a deep clean in order to enjoy my family.  

Life isn't always perfect, but less than perfect can be pretty okay too. 

2.  It wasn't that long ago almost every store in the US locked doors and turned out lights on Thanksgiving Day. This year many will be open all day Thursday, giving shoppers a jump start on 'Black Friday'. In your opinion is this a good thing or a not so good thing? Will you be shopping on Thanksgiving Day?

I am not a fan. At all. Is there anything wrong with our country taking a collective breath once or twice a year? Stepping back from the frenzy, and the pace, and the crazy? I thought this blogger said it so well...worth a read if you haven't read it before.

http://themattwalshblog.com/2013/11/17/if-you-shop-on-thanksgiving-you-are-part-of-the-problem/

3. Speaking of shopping...I saw a recent article on the twelve best shopping cities in the world. In order they are-New York, Tokyo, London, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Vienna, Dubai, Madrid, Milan, and Seoul.

Ever shopped in any of the cities listed? In which city would you most like to pull out the plastic or cold hard cash?

I've shopped in New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong, and Dubai. I suppose if I can only choose one I'm going with Kuala Lumpur, because I like saying Kuala Lumpur. Plus I've always wanted to see those crazy buildings connected by a skywalk high above the earth. They're called The Petronas Towers...if you ever saw the film Entrapment with Sean Connery they were featured there.  

For the record,  I'd never turn down a trip to London, Paris, or Milan-shopping or otherwise. Just sayin'. 

4. When did you last dine by candlelight?

Last Friday night actually. Right here at home in my very own kitchen.  I broke my rule of no-cooking on a Friday because hubs had been home exactly one day in a two week time span, and it felt like a home cooked meal was in order.  I put a table cloth on the table, lit candles, and made a nice meal.  It was a lovely way to spend a Friday night, and I think it needs to happen more often.

5. What do you have too much of?

Hmmm....dust? Always just a little too much of that around here.  

6. The Hunger Games...are you a fan? Did you read the book(s)? Will you/have you see the movie? Will you/have you seen Catching Fire?

Definitely a fan! I loved the books, and enjoyed the first movie. The second book was my favorite of the three, so I'm looking forward to seeing Catching Fire with my family on Friday or Saturday. Daughter2 saw it last weekend with her cousin, but she is happy to see it again. 

7. Share your plans for Thanksgiving Day. The who, the where, the what..especially the what! As in what's for dinner? If you're one of my International visitors, whose homeland doesn't celebrate American Thanksgiving (the whole world doesn't ya know!) then still tell us your plans for Thursday.

Just the four of us here this year, and we're all looking forward to lots of wonderful food, naps on the couch, and just hanging out in the same space and time. It doesn't happen often enough these days. We're still fixing turkey (breast) with all the trimmings-cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, brussel sprouts with pancetta, cranberry sauce, squash casserole, corn pudding, and creamed onions. This year we're trying Pioneer Woman's Pumpkin Cream Pie for dessert.  

Right now all four of us are signed up for a local 5K Turkey Trot, but I'm guessing the weather will be a factor in who actually decides to join the 'fun'. We'll watch the Macy's Parade on TV, and then lots of football throughout the day. We'll probably eat around 4 so there is still time for a late night turkey sandwich. It's not Thanksgiving without a late night turkey sandwich.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I posted this on my Facebook page earlier this week. It's not a new story, but it was new to me, and is a wonderful reminder that one person doing good, doing the right thing in the midst of unspeakable awfulness, can truly make the world a better place.  



To read more of his amazing story click here. 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 152

Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a Happy Hodgepodge! That's how it goes, right? Here are this week's questions...waddle on back here tomorrow to link answers with all your friends and neighbors.

1. Are you settling for something?

2.  It wasn't that long ago almost every store in the US locked doors and turned out lights on Thanksgiving Day. This year many will be open all day Thursday, giving shoppers a jump start on 'Black Friday'. In your opinion is this a good thing or a not so good thing? Will you be shopping on Thanksgiving Day?

3. Speaking of shopping... I saw a recent article on the twelve best shopping cities in the world. In order they are-

New York, Tokyo, London, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Vienna, Dubai, Madrid, Milan, and Seoul.

Ever shopped in any of the cities listed? In which city would you most like to pull out the plastic or cold hard cash?

4.  When did you last dine by candlelight?

5. What do you have too much of?

6. The Hunger Games...are you a fan?  Did you read the book(s)?  Will you/have you seen the movie?  Will you/have you seen Catching Fire?  No spoilers please!

7. Share your plans for Thanksgiving Day. The who, the where, the what...especially the what! As in what's for dinner?  If you're one of my International visitors, whose homeland doesn't celebrate American Thanksgiving (the whole world doesn't ya know!), then still tell us your plans for Thursday.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.