A Hodgepodge With All The Trimmings

Welcome to our Thanksgiving edition of the the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions, add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Everyone is grateful for comments on Wednesdays and everyday. Now let's talk turkey-

1. Have you ever been on a cruise? If so where did you go and how did you like it? If not, do you have any desire to take a cruise someday? 

No and NO. 

2. Tell us about your Thanksgiving plans...are you hosting? cooking? eating out? turkey or some other main? is it stuffing or dressing in your house? homemade cranberries or cranberries in a can? are pies on the dessert menu? what kind? what are your 'must have' sides? Tell us one thing you're especially grateful for this year.

We'll be having dinner with daughter2 and her family, along with my mother-in-law. Turkey for sure, but daughter2 will also bake a small ham because that's her hubs tradition. We call it stuffing in our house, but it's not stuffed so technically I guess it's dressing. Also, it's my one must-have side. 

I'm making homemade cranberry sauce, but we'll have the canned variety too. Don't you need that as a condiment on your leftover turkey sandwich? There are pies on the menu, pecan for sure. I'm bringing a fruit salad which has been my family's tradition forever, and honestly is what I want for dessert after a big meal. 

One thing I'm grateful for this year~family

3. If someone approaches you and asks for money do you give it to them? Do you drop money 'in a tin cup' that belongs to a person on the street? Do you have a specific charity you support during the holiday season and/or year round?

I do give if I happen to have cash on me, but that's rare. I don't normally carry cash. We support specific charities year round including Compassion, World Vision, Cru, and St. Jude, others as needs arise that we feel led to support. I also volunteer in person in a local soup kitchen here and find that meaningful. 

4. Have you started decorating for Christmas? Is your tree up? Shopping done? Wrapped? 

I've started decorating but only a very little bit. Our main tree isn't up because we're going to have a real one this year and we haven't gone to get it yet. Hubs put a tree on the screened porch but it's not decorated yet. We always put a tree on our dock too, and that still needs to be done. There's a small tree on the bar with lights but no decor, but my snow village is up which feels like a huge win. My shopping is not done and there is lots of wrapping still to do.  We have time though...it's still November! 

5. Create your own acrostic using the word THANKS. 

Traveling over the mountain and through the woods to

have Thanksgiving dinner, turkey with 

all the trimmings, including potatoes, dressing, and cranberry sauce, 

not to mention pie. Can't wait to 

kiss and snuggle baby boy and 

say a prayer of thankfulness for our many blessings this year. 

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Happy Thanksgiving from my home to yours...

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 485

Welcome to another week in the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then wobble back here tomorrow (Wednesday) to add your link to the party. See you there! 

1. Have you ever been on a cruise? If so where did you go and how did you like it? If not, do you have any desire to take a cruise someday? 

2. Tell us about your Thanksgiving plans...are you hosting? cooking? eating out? turkey or some other main? is it stuffing or dressing in your house? homemade cranberries or cranberries in a can? are pies on the dessert menu? what kind? what are your 'must have' sides? Tell us one thing you're especially grateful for this year.

3. If someone approaches you and asks for money do you give it to them? Do you drop money 'in a tin cup' that belongs to a person on the street? Do you have a specific charity you support during the holiday season and/or year round?

4. Have you started decorating for Christmas? Is your tree up? Shopping done? Wrapped? 

5. Create your own acrostic using the word THANKS. 

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Think Fast! It's The Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. When did you most recently need to 'think fast'? Elaborate.

Probably when we discovered our water heater recirculation pump had sprung a leak. Hubs is actually the one who had to 'think fast' but I did race for the towels so that's something. 

2. The Hodgepodge lands on National Fast Food Day. What was the last fast food you ate? What's your favorite fast food? How often do you grab fast food? 

I'm not a big fan of fast food and we have it very very seldom. The only real fast food we eat would be Chick-fil-a, and we typically only grab that when we're on the road. I do love it though! 

3. Life in the fast lane, get nowhere fast, on the fast track, not so fast...pick one and tell us how it applies to your life in recent days. 

We're all on the fast track now, aren't we? 39 days til Christmas. 

4. Are you a fast walker? fast talker? fast worker? fall asleep fast? stay fast asleep without too much trouble? 

I used to be a fast walker but I'm in less of a hurry these days lol. In terms of 'fast talker' if you mean the actual speed with which I speak, then yes definitely. If you mean 'fast talker' in the derogatory sense then no. 

I can fall asleep fast, hubs would say faster than anyone he's ever known and his goal in our married life is to just one night fall asleep before me. Staying asleep is sometimes more troublesome, but I wouldn't describe it as an actual problem. 

5. What is one 'hard and fast rule' in your house? 

Be respectful of others. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Love this one-

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 484

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. See you there!

1. When did you most recently need to 'think fast'? Elaborate.

2. The Hodgepodge lands on National Fast Food Day. What was the last fast food you ate? What's your favorite fast food? How often do you grab fast food? 

3. Life in the fast lane, get nowhere fast, on the fast track, not so fast...pick one and tell us how it applies to your life in recent days. 

4. Are you a fast walker? fast talker? fast worker? fall asleep fast? stay fast asleep without too much trouble? 

5. What is one 'hard and fast rule' in your house? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Five On Friday

Actually I have seven not all that important things to share but Seven On Friday isn't a thing in the blog world and Five on Friday is. Quite often you have to use your imagination here. 

1. It's been a really rainy day here and we've taken advantage of the 'at home' time to get a few things done that needed doing. We've been gone more than we've been home these past two months and it feels good to slow down (ish) and catch our breath before the holidays roll in.  

2-I'm so excited to have my whole crew here for Christmas this year and we got the very first bit of decorating done today. I don't put my Snow Village out every year because the set up/take down is a bit tedious, but I know the grands will love it so up it went. 

I love it too. Takes me back to Christmases at my momma's as some of these buildings used to be hers. 

We won't put up any trees until after Thanksgiving, but I'm doing bits and pieces starting now to get  ready for the holidays. I've got my card sorted, stockings ordered for the two newest littles, and a few gifts bought. Baby steps. 

3. Last weekend daughter2 and her hubs and the cutest little boy in the world spent the weekend at a college reunion in Charleston. 

We were on their route home Sunday so they stopped for an overnight visit. We loved the unexpected snuggles with this munchkin. 

I could eat him up with a spoon. We Facetimed with the cousins and I cannot wait to have all four grands in the same house at the same time. 

42 days, not that I'm counting. 

4-We started watching the new season of The Crown and I have to say I'm not loving it as much as I enjoyed the previous seasons. I think the Diana storyline is still too fresh, and it feels strange to see the current royals in the news, then watch them fictionalized on tv. I bet it feels strange to them too. 

5-I loved the Amor Towles novel, A Gentleman in Moscow, and I saw this week it's being made into a Showtime movie starring Ewan McGregor. I'm excited.

6-This was the entrance to our neighborhood just a few days ago-

I'm sure all this rain will mean the end of the gorgeous color but we have really soaked it up these past several weeks. We've had beautiful moonlit nights too and while I love summer, it's the autumn skies that are my favorite. 

7-Heading to a little neighborhood Veteran's Day recognition ceremony this evening. My heart is so tender towards all who serve and towards their families too. I grew up in a military family and am not sure I truly appreciated the load my mother so often carried in my father's absences due to wars and other responsibilities relating to his service. 

And now I have a son-in-law in the Army and their various postings have once again given me the chance to spend time around the military community. These men and women and their families give so much that goes mostly unrecognized and is very often under appreciated  I'm glad we have this day to acknowledge all those who have served. 

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation 

is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~John F. Kennedy

Nine Out Of Ten People Read The Hodgepodge

Welcome to another edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. Last time you were 'dressed to the nines'? 

I'm not sure 'to the nines' describes it, but I suppose it would be a late September wedding we attended. My favorite heels and fancy jewelry made it so. 

2. Something recently that had you on 'cloud nine'? 

The birth of this little beauty of course-

3. Tell us about a time, circumstance, experience, or decision you made where the saying 'a stitch in time saves nine' proved true. 

Hmmm...I guess adding the wood to the stairwell wall when we did 'saved nine'. This wasn't part of the plan but when  the carpenters were here doing another project we had them price it out and then went ahead with it. The painted wall had been taking a beating with both big and little hands going up and down the stairs and especially with suitcases being toted up and down. Now that we have the wood installed we won't need to spackle, sand, and repaint on a regular basis.

4. A recipe you make that calls for exactly nine ingredients? 

I immediately did a mental run through of my Mexican style recipes because it feels like there are lots of little ingredients in many of those. This yummy baked taco dip calls for exactly nine items. So good! 

5. This coming Friday is Veterans Day in the US of A. Will you mark the day in some way? Are you a veteran? If you live outside the US does your country have a day dedicated to celebrating veterans? 

I'm not a veteran but my dad served and my son-in-law currently serves. Members of our military are near and dear to my heart always. If I see someone when hubs and I are out and about wearing a cap that indicates they served I make an effort to speak to them and thank them for their service. 

Our neighborhood is having an event in the clubhouse with a speaker and the chance to recognize neighbors who are vets. We're hoping to attend. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Today is my one and only brother's birthday. He grew up in a sea of women (three sisters, which I'm sure probably felt more like an ocean at times) and he is one of the nicest most easy going people I know. 

I like to think we sisters helped shape his character ha! He's a good listener and has always had boatloads of patience for all of our moods, worries, and emotion. 

"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time." ~Clara Ortega

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 483

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here to add your link to the party. See you there!

1. Last time you were 'dressed to the nines'? 

2. Something recently that had you on 'cloud nine'? 

3. Tell us about a time, circumstance, experience, or decision you made where the saying 'a stitch in time saves nine' proved true. 

4. A recipe you make that calls for exactly nine ingredients? 

5. This coming Friday is Veterans Day in the US of A. Will you mark the day in some way? Are you a veteran? If you live outside the US does your country have a day dedicated to celebrating veterans? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.