Auld Lang Hodgepodge ala 2020

When I dusted off the Hodgepodge and brought back this little Wednesday link up back in March, I thought it might last six or eight weeks at best. Yet here we are, nine months later and still at home, still masked up, sanitized, and missing a lot of things we didn't think we'd still be missing. I'm so glad you've joined (or rejoined!) the Wednesday Hodgepodge this year, and am truly grateful for the connections made here. 

If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post. And before you say Cheers! to the new year, drop by the blogger linking before you and leave a comment to help usher out the old on a high note. Here we go-

1. Tell us about your favorite moment or share one of the bright spots from the year we're leaving behind. 

That's easy...this one-

2. What do you wish you'd known at the start of 2020? Elaborate. 

This is a hard question. I'm someone who is glad we don't know what's coming down the pike. I think it would have just added anxiety to what is already an unhappy situation, and I'm so glad God gives us grace for the day, one day at a time. Exactly what we need. 

If I have to answer I guess I might have gone up to New Jersey and collected my momma early on. Brought her here so we wouldn't have spent all these months apart. She's in good hands, staying with my sister so not alone, and my brother is nearby too, but we surely do miss her. I will make a trip north once the wedding is behind us. 

3. Best book you read this year? If you did not read any books this year, what's the best thing you ate all year? We've all eaten, right? 

Always hard for me to pick a favorite book, but two I especially loved were American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins and The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. 

4. The Pantone Colors of the year for 2021 are ultimate gray and illuminating yellow (a bright shade)...are you a fan? Would we find either of these colors in your home or wardrobe? 

I like gray in small doses and more as a backdrop to color so that wouldn't be my favorite. But I do love a sunny shade of yellow and yes I have some in my wardrobe. 

5. If you were/are making a list of 21 things to do/accomplish in 2021 what is one thing that would be on it? 

I think I'm going to make a list, but haven't thought through the content just yet. One glance at the desk I'm currently using inspires me to say organize the office. Between Christmas and a wedding and a late fall house re-fi this desk and the room in general need a lift. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Wishing each one of you reading here love, joy, peace and good health in this new year...

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 401

Well, here we are. The last Hodgepodge in the year that has been 2020. Answer the questions on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there- 

1. Tell us about your favorite moment or share one of the bright spots from the year we're leaving behind. 

2. What do you wish you'd known at the start of 2020? Elaborate. 

3. Best book you read this year? If you did not read any books this year, what's the best thing you ate all year? We've all eaten, right? 

4. The Pantone Colors of the year for 2021 are ultimate gray and illuminating yellow (a bright shade)...are you a fan? Would we find either of these colors in your home or wardrobe? 

5. If you were/are making a list of 21 things to do/accomplish in 2021 what is one thing that would be on it? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Let's Review

Not the whole year, just Christmas. 

Because Christmas memories need to be recorded somewhere and a blog about the everyday ordinary is a good place to do just that. 

Also, there's nothing ordinary about Christmas. 

So how was your holiday in this strange year that feels like it might never end? Ours was smaller than originally planned, quieter than originally planned, and almost as sweet as originally planned. 

Holding plans loosely is the key to success in the year that was. 

Daughter2 and her groom arrived late afternoon on Christmas Eve Eve. We snacked on a delicious cheese ball my neighbor had dropped off earlier and hubs grilled salmon for dinner. We played a little pool too, before calling it a night. 

She takes her game playing seriously, but what can I say... she's got my DNA. 

It rained hard all day long on Christmas Eve and I have to say it felt quite cozy. We bundled up for a walk after breakfast, then spent the rest of the day in front of the fire, chatting, playing games, and prepping our dinner. I'd ordered a Prime Rib from Kansas City Steaks and it was perfect. They offer an assortment but this one was seasoned and tied so all we had to do was cook. 

And trust the probe we have in our oven when it says it's done approximately 42 minutes before we thought it should be. But it was and I would order again from them. 

Of course there were pjs to open. Not sure how my sons-in-law feel about matching pjs, but I buy them anyway and they humor me by wearing them on Christmas Eve. fyi-the pjs are still wrapped in this picture. Not sure how he feels about a photo in his pjs on my blog. teehee. 

Does he read here? 

I didn't take a lot of pictures this year. There were just the four of us so most of my photos are of the soon-to-be marrieds. We kind of just soaked up the moments and the company. 

Speaking of...my favorite moment of all the moments was this one-

I had my wedding dress made into a robe for my daughter2 and surprised her with it on Christmas morning. To be honest, this was one of those gifts I'd built up in my head and I worried a little bit that her reaction might disappoint me. 

It did not. Oh my word. Best thing ever. 

I'd written her a note to go with the robe and also had a picture of me in the actual dress and her in the actual dress (she tried it on once a long time ago) in the envelope in case she didn't recognize it, but it only took a few seconds before she said, "Wait...is this your wedding dress?"  

Cue the water works. It was so precious and so special and I'm not sure I'll ever give another gift that felt as personal and as perfect and as joyous as this one. 

I used a company called Unbox the Dress and they were so nice to work with. I had some pieces left over after they made the robe so the seamstress also made a pocket square for hubs to wear at the wedding and two angel Christmas tree ornaments, one for each of my girls. 

In other gift giving news, hubs asked for a few suggestions of things to buy for me and I jotted down some of the usual... makeup, socks, etc...but also said I wanted something not on the list-surprise me. 

And he absolutely did. We had fun guessing what was in this package. It looked a lot like the armoire in Beauty and the Beast, but I was fairly certain that wasn't it-

Even better! A popcorn machine! The super deluxe kind. The kind I cannot wait to show my grandsons. Popcorn is my snack of choice so this will be fun. 

The day passed at a leisurely pace. We had our go-to Christmas dinner of ham with a side of pineapple stuffing followed by too many Christmas cookies (again!) and more game playing and really just a very relaxing holiday. 

Of course we were missing family, nobody more so than the South Korean contingent, but we Facetimed with our grandsons, and saw all their new goodies and felt all the excitement and joy little boys bring to this very special holiday. 

We ended our day the way every Christmas Day is meant to end... 

...grateful for family near and far, for all the love between us, and for a Savior born this day. 

Merry Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge, Volume 400. 400!! How many of you have been here since the beginning? I think there's a few. 

And since we've all got lists we need to be checkin' let's roll right on in to episode 400. If you've answered the questions add your link at the end of my post. Then go say hi to your neighbor and have yourself a merry little Christmas Day. 

1. I feel like episode 400 cannot go without comment. That is a lot of Hodgepodging folks. 2000 questions if my math is right. So, what's something you feel like you do 400 times a week? 

Rearrange my refrigerator and freezer? They both get a workout this time of year and I feel like I'm constantly moving things around to make room for more things. 

2. Tell us where you were and something about what your life looked like in the year 2000? 

Twenty years sure goes fast, doesn't it? I feel like maybe this question needs to be it's own blog post. Let's see if that can happen before the calendar page turns.  

In the year 2000 we were living by the Bay (the Chesapeake of course), I was working as the Director of a church preschool (a job I loved), hubs was working and traveling quite a bit for work too, and together we were parenting girls in grades 5 and 7. 

I think I've made my feelings about 7th grade pretty clear on the blog, but in case you don't know-NOT my favorite. My girls know-ha!  

It looks like we spent Christmas in the Smokies that year. It used to be an every other year tradition, one year with hubs family in the Smokies and the next year with mine in New Jersey, but then in the blink of an eye your children grow up and get married and you realize you need to start some new traditions. See question #4. 

3. Do you like cinnamon? What's something you make and enjoy that calls for cinnamon? Of the cinnamon 'foods' listed which is your favorite-red hot cinnamon candies, cinnamon toast, cinnamon rolls, cinnamon toast crunch cereal, apple cinnamon oatmeal, churros, an Indian curry?

I love cinnamon, and I especially love the scent of cinnamon. I love the Yankee Candle Christmas scent called sparkling cinnamon. I use cinnamon a lot in cooking, but one dish I make that everyone in my household loves is my overnight French Toast. I like all the foods listed but will confess I probably love red hot cinnamon candies the most, particularly hot tamales. 

4. Does Christmas 2020 (or Hanukkah) look much like it has in years past, or is this year vastly different for you and your family? How so? How are you feeling about it all? 

It's going to look a little different than most years in that it's a smaller group, but then our last few Christmases have been smaller so maybe that's our new normal? I'll have the soon-to-be marrieds here and that makes me happy. Daughter2 spent last Christmas in South Korea with her sister and I can't tell you how often we all say we're so glad she went when she did. She had considered waiting to go until her school spring break (she's a teacher), but opted for Christmas because it gave her more time. And of course we all know what happened in the spring. 

How do I feel about what this year's Christmas looks like?  I'm learning (and it's a process) that when traditions change, when I have to let go of some of what I love most about the holidays, that it helps to turn my eyes on the real meaning of the day, the birth of Jesus.  To do what I can to amp up the Christmas spirit in my own home and heart. 

5. What's one thing you need or want to do before this year ends? 

Write that blog post I mentioned above? 

We have a wedding coming up in the new year so there's a fairly long list of things to do before the new year rolls in. Fun stuff though so not complaining. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Merry Christmas Hodgepodgers! May the love born this day find room in your heart this holiday season.

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 400

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge, Volume 400. 400!! Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with all of Santa's elves. See you there-

1. I feel like episode 400 cannot go without comment. That's a whole lot of Hodgepodging folks. 2000 questions if my math is right. So, what's something you feel like you do 400 times a week? 

2. Tell us where you were and something about what your life looked like in the year 2000? 

3. Do you like cinnamon? What's something you make and enjoy that calls for cinnamon? Of the cinnamon 'foods' listed which is your favorite-red hot cinnamon candies, cinnamon toast, cinnamon rolls, cinnamon toast crunch cereal, apple cinnamon oatmeal, churros, an Indian curry?

4. Does Christmas 2020 (or Hanukkah) look much like it has in years past, or is this year vastly different for you and your family? How so? How are you feeling about it all? 

5. What's one thing you need or want to do before this year ends? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Wedding Planning In The Time Of Corona

We have a wedding coming up in the not too distant future, and I'm not saying a whole lot about it beforehand because everyone has opinions and I don't want to hear yours concerning this-ha. Kidding. Only not really. It just seems like everyone is in each other's business these days, making judgements without all the facts, and it's exhausting. We're making the best decisions we can for our family and those decisions may be something different than what your family would opt for in similar circumstances, and that's okay. God bless America. 

I don't know of any brides who picture hand sanitizer and face masks as important details to their day, but here we are and might as well embrace it. We know someone who was married last weekend, an event that looked a lot different than the way the couple imagined it would look when pre-Corona planning first began, yet still beautiful and so very meaningful. Maybe even more meaningful because of all it took to get there. 

This is true of so many engaged couples in 2020. While re-imagining your wedding day is not the end of the world it is a disappointment that needs to be felt and processed. And then I think it needs to be tucked away in your heart and mind for some future date when God will remind you of the lessons learned in this strange season that need calling up in whatever new and challenging season you find yourself in.

That's how life seems to work, or how I think God works anyway. We can't always see the why of a hard thing when we're in the middle of it, but somewhere down life's road when we're faced with disappointment, we're struck by the memory of how we coped and even thrived 'back in the day'.  

It's not easy organizing a wedding in the middle of all the crazy, but one of the good things that's come out of it I think is there are far fewer couples getting married right now 'on the fly'. Brides and grooms have to be all in to get married during a pandemic. There are umpteen hoops to jump through and you don't just decide one day to get married because you want a big bash with 200 of your closest friends. Not gonna happen in the age of Corona. There are restrictions and limits and you cannot have everything you dream of having on your special day because you need to consider numbers and spacing and the actual health and safety of your guests. 

Weddings for the most part these days, are smaller more intimate affairs, and above all they seem more focused on the significance of what you're signing on for. In the year of Corona couples must ask themselves do we want to get married or do we want to have a wedding? 

So you plan. You adjust your expectations and you look for all the bits of joy to be found along the way. This is perhaps one of the more challenging aspects of planning a wedding right now, people are not feeling particularly celebratory. We're cranky and depressed and tired. Some are sick and fearful. We're missing people we can't get near, and we're anxious about so very many things, the virus of course but also the general state of our nation. 

Cue the joy.

It's what we need. 

We need smiles that make your cheeks hurt, all the heart eye emojis, and wedding bells chiming because time doesn't stop. It marches on and we need to march with it. I was thinking about how pretty much all the large milestones in my life have been met...education, marriage, a career I enjoyed, birthing and raising children. In most ways this pandemic has not changed any of my long term plans. No we're not traveling like we might, nor are we seeing friends like we might, but there's nothing on the timetable of my life right now that needs to happen before I'm x years old. 

The same can't be said for my daughter's generation, or those coming behind her or the ones just a little bit ahead. The under 55's want college degrees or to get a business off the ground, to marry, travel, have children, take that new job, earn that promotion, and time is very much a factor. 

So you get married during a pandemic. A pandemic that might end in a year or be with us in one way or another for always. You look at the boy you love and want to spend the rest of your life with and you say I DO. While the day might not look exactly the way you imagined, I believe it's possible for it to look even better. To feel more magical. A precious memory made and cherished because in the middle of chaos you found joy. 

And it's contagious. 

You already know life will not always go according to plan, and still you take each other by the hand. You say come what may we're in this together and you mean it. 

Forever and ever. Amen. 

'Twas the week before Christmas...

...and all through the house, not a creature was stirring...

Because it's 2020 and we're all home by our lonesomes spending too much time on the couch. 

That's okay though. To quote another favorite Christmas rhyme, '....it comes without ribbons, it comes without tags, it comes without packages, boxes, or your whole entire extended family in the house...'  

Something like that anyway. 

Time is so strange this year. What isn't I guess, but I can't believe we celebrate Christmas just one week from today. The month of May felt like it lasted 347 days but wasn't it just September yesterday? 

So are you ready? I'm mostly ready. Tracking package deliveries online like a mad woman, but kudos to the US mail, UPS, Fed Ex, Amazon, and anyone else managing the overload of boxes, bags, and envelopes happening currently. We're getting deliveries at six in the morning and nine o'clock at night too. 

My house is decorated, but my dining room table isn't quite set and I'm hoping to get to that this weekend. I've been wrapping presents in there, but whoohoo! I think all my gifts are finally wrapped with the exception of one or two still set to arrive. 

Do you still send Christmas cards? I love them, both the giving and receiving, and checking the mailbox every day in December makes me happy. I told hubs I know we're getting older because we've received a lot more traditional cards this year as opposed to photo cards. 

Maybe the stupid you know what has something to do with that. Travel, family vacations, and gatherings of any sort were at a minimum, hence not as many photo ops. I really hope people don't stop sending cards altogether. Yes they're pricey and a bit of work to put together, but they are such a day brightener for the receiver. 

In other Christmas-y news, I might need one of those 'workplace incident' signs for my kitchen...'it's been 12 hours since a Christmas cookie was eaten ...'  I'm not the only one am I? 

Hubs and I have watched most of our favorite Christmas movies and did you know Home Alone is 30 years old? 30! I think it holds up remarkably well in terms of humor and the sweetness of that last little scene with the neighbor still tugs at my heart.  

Speaking of neighbors, we have brand new neighbors next door who we've bonded with over the fallen tree. They spend a lot of time in Florida and somehow in the course of conversation hubs mentioned how much we love stone crabs. 

Fast forward to yesterday when we opened our front door to this-

An enormous box of fresh stone crab packed on ice straight from Joe's Stone Crab in Miami. Merry Christmas from the new neighbors...

Shouldn't we be the ones sending them something? Rest assured we picked every last one of these crab claws clean and they were delicious. 

Unexpected thoughtfulness is such an absolute treat and the world needs more of it. 

Christmas is coming and that's good news. The very best news in fact. It may be minus a few of the usual bells and whistles we all look forward to, but the baby in the manger never needed that anyway. 

Wishing you all a holly jolly hope-filled weekend!