Welcome to the end of November and the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Raise your hand if your autumn flew by in the blink of an eye. Raise your hand if you've been moving house and haven't begun to think about Christmas. Except cards! My cards are done, but only because we have a new address and I wanted to get it out there.
If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post. And be sure to leave a comment for the blogger linking before you because the best way to spread Christmas cheer is commenting loud for all to hear...something like that. Okay here we go-

1. Give us three rhyming words that say something about your Thanksgiving holiday (or your most recent holiday gathering if you didn't celebrate Thanksgiving).
Okay, that made me sweat. Way harder than I thought it would be when I wrote the question, but I think I promised we'd burn calories today so there you go. How about-
Blest fest in our new nest.
2. When did you last say, 'the more the merrier'? Did you mean it?
We say that a lot around here. We're more the merrier kind of people, well hubs is anyway. Kind of his life mantra. Mine too, except when it's not-ha! Sometimes I just want solitude. But mostly we live with a 'more the merrier' kind of philosophy in our home.
Probably the last time was Thanksgiving. We'd only been in the house a couple of weeks, I had family coming to stay, and we decided to invite some friends who live on the lake and were away from their own extended family to join us on the holiday. We meant it. If we say it we mean it.
3. What's one piece of advice you'd give someone who is your same age?
Embrace it, take care of yourself physically, don't let little health issues slide because you don't bounce back like you did a decade ago. Do your best to keep up with new technology and current events. You're never too old to change course, set a new goal, dream a new dream, embark on an adventure.
Dear Self-
See above.
4. You're ordering a veggie plate, what four veggies are on it?
Green beans, roasted okra, corn on the cob, and red ripe summer tomatoes-yum!
5. Shop til you drop! Did you? Have you ever? Will you between now and Christmas?
I've shopped til I drop on occasion, but that's never my aim. I don't enjoy that sort of shopping. I prefer a couple of hours followed by a nice leisurely lunch out. We did not shop on Black Friday (never have). I'm usually tired on Black Friday and enjoy a low key relaxed day with leftovers for dinner.
6. What's your favorite chair in your house, and why is it a favorite?
I have a couple, but currently it's this one-
Forgive the lighting, it was raining. Also I'm a terrible photographer when it comes to my phone. Anyway, this chair...we have another one just like it, and they sit on either side of the sliders in our great room. Hubs and I enjoy our morning coffee there while we watch the sunrise over the lake. I normally read my morning devotions in this chair too, and it's the perfect place to start my day.
We've put our Christmas tree in front of the sliders for now, so the chairs are pushed a little bit further back than normal. I can see the tree and the lake so no complaints. Is there anything more relaxing than sitting in a room lit by Christmas light?
7. Share an early memory of faith, religion, or spirituality.
I grew up in church and was not the child that needed prodding to attend. I loved it, and still do. I could write a whole post filled with memories, but will share just one here today. And this one took place not in church, but in our living room. My parents called it Family Altar and they'd periodically gather us up into the living room after dinner to participate. Also participation was not optional-ha! We only sat in the living room on holidays, for company, and for Family Altar so it felt special. My brother and oldest sister probably weren't too excited about the whole thing, but they were teetering into teenagedom and my younger sister and I were still fairly young. I'm sure the intention was to do this once a week, but I don't remember it happening quite that often.
Anyway we'd start off with singing. Now you need to know that we are not a family of singers. We sing anyway, and what better place than in the privacy of your own living room? Our favorite was a song called Give Me That Old Time Religion and my dad would let us call out names to insert into the verses. It went something like, 'If it was good enough for (insert Biblical name here) it's good enough for me...' It's a lively song and we sang it with enthusiasm. We always included Daniel, David, etc, but our favorite was to shout out Shadrach, Meshach and Abednedgo because we thought we were hilarious.
After we settled down my dad would read a Bible story or passage, and then we talked about it and we'd finish up with prayer. It made an impression on me that's for certain.
8. Insert your own random thought here.
If you're a person who prays please remember the firefighters, emergency personnel, and residents of Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, and the surrounding Smoky Mountain area of East Tennessee where fires have devastated the beautiful landscape and many homes, buildings, and schools. The high winds yesterday contributed to the rapid spread and the photographs are devastating. It's a part of the country so near and dear to our hearts, and we have family not far from there.