It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Hodgepodge

Welcome to another week in the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If your week is like my week, you're busy, so thank you for taking the time to play along today. Here we go-

1. What is one new holiday tradition you'd like to establish, or one you've established recently, say in the last year or two?

Advent. I didn't grow up celebrating Advent in any sort of intentional way, but I try to do that now.  I did grow up 'unofficially' marking the season with church programs, special music, carol sings, watching my mother set out her beautiful nativity and hang her 3 Kings tapestry, and all of that was wonderful and meaningful, but I don't think we marked the days one by one. I really enjoy the early morning quiet in front of my Christmas tree, with my Bible and Advent devotional -The Greatest Gift. 

2. It's the second week of December. Have you sipped a cup of eggnog yet this month? Wrapped a gift? Opened a gift? Kissed someone under the mistletoe? Lit a candle? Eaten a Christmas cookie? Seen Santa in person? Watched a Christmas movie or special? Read scripture relating to the birth of Jesus?

I like eggnog okay, but I'd rather spend my holiday calories on a cookie, so no eggnog this year. I have wrapped a gift or two, but I'm a little behind on this one. I haven't opened any gifts yet. No to the mistletoe, but I'm not opposed to it-ha! I burn candles year round, and my home is full of them at Christmastime. It's 6:30 AM and I have one burning in my kitchen right now. As far as I'm concerned one can never have too many candles.  

I've sampled a Christmas cookie (possibly two), and have also seen Santa. He was at a fundraiser we attended this past Sunday. I have not watched a single Christmas movie or special yet this year. I'm stockpiling the movies for a pajama day once both my girls are home. I read scripture relating to the birth of Jesus every day during the month of December. He's the reason for the season! 

While I'm on the subject-what's the big deal about saying Merry Christmas? I don't get why that's offensive, and why in heaven's name we need to label something a 'holiday tree'? If you don't believe, then don't celebrate Christmas, but for those who do can't we just agree to call it what it is-Christmas?

3. Do you think it's better to be an adult or a child at Christmastime? Explain.

I think both are wonderful, but the best thing in my mind is to be an adult with small people living under your roof.

Small people enthralled with the magic of twinkle lights and Christmas trees and waiting for Santa. Small people who sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing slightly off key because they learned it from their momma. 

4. It's often said, 'Good things come to those who wait'...agree or disagree? Why?

Sometimes. And sometimes you snooze you lose.  It depends what we're talking about, but yes I think it can be true.  I think waiting is something of a lost art.  As it relates to Christmas, the waiting for it to get here is one of my favorite parts. 

5. What's the last sweet thing you baked? Did you keep it, take it to a party/event, or give it away?

I baked two batches of cookies yesterday (Monday)...Butterfingers cookies to send to my future son-in-law, and candy cane snowballs, which I have to say are both pretty and delicious. 

I posted this picture on Instagram and had a request for the recipe so am linking to it here.  I'm giving the Butterfingers cookies away, and will take some of the snowballs to a Christmas party this weekend. 

6.  This question comes to us courtesy of Jhona who blogs over at The Red House at the End of the Lane. Everyone hop over and say hi to Jhona this week!  Here is her question... "I heard an actor talk about how he makes a conscious choice to talk to people in elevators.  He chooses to connect, make eye contact, and converse. Do you talk to people/strangers when you're in an elevator or any other place where you might have to wait together? Why or why not?"

Sure I talk to strangers. I do think you need to test the waters though. Not everyone sitting in a doctor's office wants to gab. I think you know when it's okay to chat, and when that person waiting with you is distracted or doesn't want to be bothered.  I think it's awkward not to at least acknowledge that other person waiting with you, particularly if it's just the two of you. 

7. Are you on the naughty or nice list this year? What put you there?

I would like to think I'm on the nice list. Perhaps we should ask my family?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I hosted a little giveaway last week and had a great response. If you posted a comment you received one entry, if you added a question for a future Hodgepodge you received two entries. There were 48 comments, but some bloggers posted their question in a separate comment, so for the drawing we had-

• 38 bloggers entered 
• 26 of the 38 were entered twice because they asked a question

• for a grand total of 64 entries

I printed out all the names, twice where appropriate, and put them in a Christmas bowl.  Hubs did the honors and drew the winning name last night.  

Now time for the big reveal...the winner of the Wednesday Hodgepodge Volume 200 giveaway is...drum roll....

Michelle, who blogs over at New Horizon Reviews. Congratulations Michelle! Message me with your mailing address and I will send you a box of Hodgepodge. 

That is- seven random holiday items plus one to make an even eight. I'm not going to show everything in the box, but I will show you all the one little item I had personalized-

A first edition Wednesday Hodgepodge Christmas ornament. 
It's a desktop computer in case you can't tell from my stellar photography. 

Every tree should have one!  

Bears, and Boxes, and Boys! Oh My!

Y'all there was a ginormous bear in my yard last night. Oh my word you cannot believe how positively humongous he was. I need to run get the thesaurus because seriously, there are not enough great big adjectives to do it justice. Where is the photo you might ask? Well you know what? It's dark up here in the NJ countryside. And bears are also dark. Pretty sure God came up with that whole camouflage thing for their protection except I'm kind of wondering what in the world could take out a bear this size. A cannon maybe? Did I tell you he was colossal? Behemoth in fact. (Thank you Mr. Roget).

My hubs had a business dinner last night...a lovely Italian meal whilst I was home eating a scrumptious supper of microwave popcorn but, I digress...anyway, he got home a little before 10 and when he came in the house he asked what had happened to the bird feeder. I said I had no idea, that it was fine this afternoon. He went to the kitchen door and as he prepared to step outside he whisper yelled (effective in this case) to GET THE CAMERA! THERE'S A BEAR!!! I was on it for once and came up to the door and looked out into the pitch blackness and saw... nothing. At first. Once my eyes focused I took a step back inside. He was gargantuan. Hubs went all the way out to the deck railing but it occurred to me how fast a bear can move when he wants to and I hung back. I mean he was going after the finch food and even the squirrels, possum, and chipmunks don't bother with that. He must have been really really hungry.

Note to self-do not let the dog out in the pitch black night without a reconnaissance mission first.

I took two pictures before he lumbered on up into the woods and I'd post them for you but essentially they are two fuzzy black squares. My photography skills amaze even me.

I did snap a picture this morning of the bird feeder. Goodbye my beautiful yellow finches...it's come down to you or us and I'm gonna choose us.

On to an exciting note of another kind...boxes. I recently won a giveaway and my prize arrived in the post yesterday. In the mail. Sorry. Some habits die hard. Anyway, I won a drawing over at Chaos Theory. Courtney is an American grad student in Budapest so go say hi. Budapest is an amazing city and Courtney posts some beautiful pictures in between her studies. In fact part of the prize was a lovely photograph of their Parliament building...

and a gorgeous scarf...I can't wait to wear it because the colors are mine. Thanks again Courtney!

And finally...boys. I suppose I should say men but that didn't complete the alliteration so boys it is. Yesterday I was catching up on some blog reading after being out of town for a few days and it dawned on me that three of my very favorite blogs are written by men boys. So here's a little link love on this beautiful Tuesday morning...and no, these are not compensated endorsements, just some of my own personal faves...

Billy Coffey-maybe my favorite blog...it's like getting a short story every single morning. He is a gifted writer and has a book coming out later this year.

Pete Wilson-a preacher in Nashville who is sometimes funny, sometimes thoughtful and always completely transparent. Great discussions occur in the comments here too.

Jon Acuff-hilarious. Seriously funny. Except on Wednesdays when he is seriously serious. His website, Stuff Christians Like, is also the name of his recently published book available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and local Christian bookstores. I'm a huge fan.

So there you have it. Oh, and I'm playing Bunco today which would also have worked in my post title but eh, not as exciting as bears, boxes and boys now is it?

The not-so-much a Pioneer Woman cooks

Before I start rambling let me announce the winner of the book drawing:

Congratulations Nel! Email me with your contact details and I will put the book in the post to you this week. If you didn't win this time check Nel's blog in the next couple of weeks as she'll be passing the book on to another reader soon.

Now, I don't know how it was in your neck of the woods this weekend but it was bitterly cold in these parts. And I'm not sure why I'm talking like this...evidently frigid temperatures make me talk like the Clampetts. Frigid temperatures also make me want to pull out my cookbooks and try some new recipes.

Okay, so I like cookbooks...love to buy them and love to read them but I'm not always good about remembering to actually cook from them. Like the rest of America I received a copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks this Christmas. I've made several recipes via her website but on Saturday night I actually used the cookbook. I made her recipe for linguine with clam sauce and it was delicious. My husband loved it too but he struggled to understand the 'pioneer' part. She says this is one recipe that is maybe not as 'cowboy friendly' as some of her others but it is really tasty and also quick and easy...if you have her book give this recipe a try.

On Sunday we were still living with arctic temperatures which called for homemade soup and cornbread. I'm pretty sure that as a little girl parsnips fell into the category of vegetables that needed to be secretly stashed in my napkin when mom wasn't looking followed by an 'excuse me may I leave the table to go to the restroom' request. Brussel sprouts would have fallen into that same category. Not so as an adult...in fact I don't think there is a single vegetable I don't love. Or dessert but that's a post for another day. I don't think I ever cooked parsnips before moving to England but they're a popular vegetable there and I fixed them pretty often, usually roasted in the oven with a little maple syrup-yum! Yesterday I made a delicious Cream of Parsnip soup that we all love... if you've never eaten parsnips give this a try...they are sweet and a perfect vegetable for a cream soup. You will notice pretty quickly that I'm nothing like The Pioneer Woman when it comes to combining photography with cooking but I consider it a success that I remembered to take pictures at all. Here's the recipe-

You will need:

2 tsp. unsalted butter

1 cup diced shallots (about 3)

1/4 cup diced onion

3/4 cup white wine

3 1/2 cups peeled, chopped parsnips (about 9 small-medium)

5 cups chicken stock

3/4 tsp white balsamic vinegar (I didn't have this and used cider vinegar...regular balsamic would change the color of the soup and the cider vinegar worked)

3/4 tsp salt

pinch pepper

3/4 cup half and half

In a soup pot over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add shallots and onion and saute, stirring until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add wine, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

Add parsnips, chicken stock, vinegar, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until parsnips are completely tender, about 45 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and use immersion blender to puree the soup (or cool slightly and carefully puree in batches in food processor or standing blender). Transfer puree to saucepan and whisk in the half and half. Warm over low heat until steaming.

I served this with The Barefoot Contessa's Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread which is fab-u-lous.

Seriously fabulous. I highly recommend...this cornbread recipe makes a large pan so I froze the leftovers. Enjoy!

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Book

A few weeks ago I won a little something in the 'I Win You Win' giveaway. You can read the background here but essentially Robin started something fun on her blog and today is your chance to be part of that fun.

We are 'sharing' a book called Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes by Robin Jones Gunn. Robin (the blogger, not the author) chose this book because as she was reading she could see so many similarities between the main characters friendship (they were originally pen pals and in 40 years had never met face to face) and the friendships we make through blogging.

The book is being passed around from blogger to blogger and I am the most recent 'owner'. Today it's time to pass the book on to another reader and that's where you come in. If you have a blog and would like to be the next reader just leave a comment on this post and I'll drop your name into the proverbial hat. I'll announce the winner on Monday and send the book on to its new 'owner'. There are a few things you agree to in accepting the book-

• Read the book (preferably within a 4 week period of time)
• As you read feel free to make notes in the margin or on a favorite chapter of the book.
• When you're finished write the date and your blog address on the inside of the front cover. You can also tuck in a book mark as a small gift or even a surprise gift card or some other small prize. Have fun with it!
• Place the book on your blog and continue the “I won…You Won Giveaway!
• Lastly let Robin know when you have your giveaway up and running. She will keep a running list on her side bar of this books journey.

This has been fun...don't forget to leave a comment today if you'd like a chance at the book.

Finally, in one last little bit of 'book' news....several people asked to see a picture of my 'blook'. That's what I'm calling the bound copy of my blog. I wrote about it here and this is what mine looks like-

I did not include comments as it would have made the book too big. You may have noticed I use far far too many a lot of words. I also include lots of photos in my blog posts and I'm happy to have them saved in this format. It's not an inexpensive thing to do but I love it so keep your eyes peeled for the sequel.

General folderol

Don't you just love that word? It means nonsensical talk or writing so don't say I didn't warn you. I have two fun things to tell you about today the first being this...I won something! Yay! It's a book and is part of a blog carnival called I Win You Win hosted this month by Amy at All Things Ro. The carnival was started by Robin several months ago and the prize is a copy of the book Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes by Robin Jones Gunn. Here is how the whole thing started....and I'll let Robin tell it (and I mean Robin the blogger, not Robin the author)...

'As I finished the book up the other day I began to think about the two women the story centers around. The story begins with two pen pals in elementary school and they continue with their friendship for many, many years through letters and emails, but they have never actually met, not until things change for the main character. Her life takes an unexpected turn and she finds herself face to face with her long time pen pal. I began to think of the similarities between the two women in the book and all of you, my fellow bloggers. As members of this unique internet community we enter into each other lives as we read each others posts, as we comment, share encouraging words or just a well needed giggle now and then. But what I enjoyed as I read this book was the depiction of the friendship these two women shared. They had been intimately involved in each others lives but had never been in the same room with each other, never shared a cup of coffee over the kitchen table, never wept in each other arms. Yet they still shared in the deep bonds of friendship. The relationship the two women in this book have is a real friendship, as real as friendships get. I found the similarities between the book and the blogosphere to almost mirror each other."

Now, here is where the fun begins. Robin had the wonderful idea to 'share' the book. I think I'm the fifth person to read it and winning comes with a few responsibilities which are-

• Read the book (preferably within a 4 week period of time)
• As I read the book I am to make notes in the margin or on a favorite chapter of the book.
• When I'm finished write the date and my blog address on the inside of the front cover. I can also tuck in a book mark as a small gift or even a surprise gift card or some other small prize but I'm supposed to have fun with it.
• When I'm through I'll put the book on my blog and continue the “I Won You Won" giveaway. Then you'll have a chance to win and keep the sisterhood of the traveling book going...watch for that post in the next few weeks.

The next bit of fun is for NOW....I am approaching my blogaversary. Is that word in Webster's? I think not. Anyway, I hit 'publish post' for the very first time on January 21, 2009 and I think that calls for a little celebration don't you? I'm not too techie and I use too many words so I'm going to keep it simple...leave a comment on any post I write between now and January 20th and mention my blogaversary. You will then be eligible to win fabulous prizes. Not really. But there will at least be a prize and I will try to make it fabulous. I like big adjectives though (note my overuse of the word spectacular) so fabulous may be a relative term. I will for sure drop your name in the hat for a chance to win something 'good'. And of course I will be using a hat as opposed to one of those random integer generators because I think I just told you I'm quite the techie. Let's also say if you link to my blog in any of your posts between now and January 20th I'll drop your name in the hat twice, once for commenting and once for the link. And....you lurkers...if you de-lurk and become a real life honest to goodness follower of my blog you'll be entered twice too. Lurkers need encouragement y'all.

I will close the comments at 6 am Eastern Standard Time on January 21, 2010 (ooooh so official!) I'm sure I'll mention this at least 42 times once or twice on my blog between now and the BIG DAY so stay tuned.

Whew! Who knew planning a party was so exhausting?