Let's Get This Hodgepodge Party Started

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. Sum up your November in ten words or less. 

So much to be thankful for. 

2. Are you hosting any holiday parties this year? Attending any? Party pooper, party animal, or life of the party...where do you land when it comes to parties? 

We're not hosting, but we are attending. Several in fact and they're all happening the first two weeks of the month. I enjoy a party but prefer smaller gatherings. A dinner party with two or three other couples is my favorite. 

Where do I land on that party list? Hmm...I'm a happy party guest who's married to the life of the party. 

3. Do you purchase holiday clothing of any sort (sparkly tops, Christmas jammies, Santa suit, etc). 

Some years I buy holiday clothing. We typically attend a few holiday fetes and I like to have something new and maybe sparkly to wear if the occasion calls for it. We're going to a Santa Pub Crawl again this year, and everyone dresses up like Santa or some other Christmas related character for that. Hubs and I bought something new to wear and if it's as cute as the catalog I'll share a picture. 

Here we are with friends at last year's event-

I always buy Christmas jams for my girls and this year I got all the grands matching pjs too. Hubs usually gets me pjs and we all open these gifts (and only these gifts!) on Christmas Eve. 

4. What's your go-to recipe when you're asked to bring an hors d'oeuvre to a party? 

Depends on my mood, but pomodori al forno is always a favorite. The tomatoes have to roast for several hours so it's not a last minute option. I also like to make a layered greek dip with hummus, tomatoes, cucumber, feta, and olives served with pita chips. It's yummy too. 

5. December 3rd is National Play Outside Day...what might you do to celebrate? 

There's a chance of rain here on Saturday, but I'm sure we'll get out for a walk with the pup no matter the weather. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Definitely on the nice list this year...

Also, I'm pretty sure this is the real Santa. 

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Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 486

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. Sum up your November in ten words or less. 

2. Are you hosting any holiday parties this year? Attending any? Party pooper, party animal, or life of the party...where do you land when it comes to parties? 

3. Do you purchase holiday clothing of any sort (sparkly tops, Christmas jammies, Santa suit, etc). 

4. What's your go-to recipe when you're asked to bring an hors d'oeuvre to a party? 

5. December 3rd is National Play Outside Day...what might you do to celebrate? 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Joy To The World

In the past 60 days we've been out of town 30 nights, had people overnight in our own home another 6 nights, I've broken my elbow, hosted two dinner parties separate from the aforementioned company, done the usual grocery shop-bill pay-laundry-haircut-volunteering things on my weekly to-do lists, and all of that to say...we've been busy.  

We are in serious need of a recharge before the holiday crew rolls in, which if you're counting happens in something like 25 days. We have five holiday related events in the next two weeks which will be loads of festive fun, but also, where's my nap gonna go???

The thing about this season of the year is there is always something you could be doing and maybe even should be doing, but I'm including times of rest and quiet on my to-do list too. If I don't, by the time my family arrives I'll be like Bumble the Abominable Snowman before his tooth was pulled. 

Less is more, right? Except stuff needs to get done and somebody's gotta do it. 

There's shopping, wrapping, mailing, addressing, meal planning, meal shopping, meal cooking, baking, cleaning, decorating, and whew! December can exhaust and overwhelm and most especially it can distract from the baby in the manger. From the simplicity and the beauty and the peace that is ours if we don't allow ourselves to be derailed by the modern world, social media, and some unwritten expectation that things need to look a certain way. 

Talking to myself here but perhaps you feel it too? 

Hey, remember Thanksgiving? Remember how for the entire month of November everyone was focused on their many blessings instead of their many to-dos? Let's keep calm and carry on this way, k? 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Daughter2, her hubs, her darling little boy, and my mother-in-law. Daughter2 trekked over to pick up her grandmother earlier in the week and then we took her back home when we left on Friday. 

Four generations right there which is so, so special. 

It was a relaxing couple of days. My son-in-law smoked the turkey and we had all the usual sides. I was in charge of the sweet potatoes which I forgot to bring from my house to hers so had to run up to the store soon after we arrived. 

Told you I need a nap. 

Little guy had his first taste of 'real food'-cereal, and he was all in. He loved it once he realized what was happening, and watching a baby take their first taste of anything is a day brightener for sure. 

We left Daughter2's house Friday morning to take my mother-in-law home, with a stop at Benton's ennroute. Have you heard of Benton's? They have a great story, but basically it's the best, smokiest bacon, ham, and country ham you'll ever eat and you should get some. They ship but it's also served in many higher end restaurants around the country. 

Actually Mr. Benton came out and chatted with us because it's that sort of business and he's that sort of man. We bought some bacon to take home and we ordered a holiday ham for Christmas which hubs will pick up in a couple of weeks. Mr. Benton himself told me how to cook it and I'll be following his instructions for sure. If you want to read a little of his story check out the article he was featured in a while back for Garden and Gun magazine (On The Iberico Trail) 

We spent Friday night at hub's brother's house, enjoyed their leftovers, watched football and basketball, then got on the road to head home Saturday morning. We were hoping to avoid the nightmare holiday traffic that was sure to happen Sunday and we mostly did. Traffic was light and we stopped for a lunch break at Sierra Nevada because they have a great patio and we had the pup with us. He was a model guest. 

We got home late afternoon, unpacked, and then I left hubs with the leftovers we'd brought home while I soaked in the tub for an hour. In my opinion, a long hot bath is almost as restorative as a nap. 

And now we're here. The first Sunday in Advent. 

While it may feel like we've been talking about Christmas for weeks now, today is where it begins for me.  Advent is the season where I make a conscious effort to quiet my heart and my brain and my need to do-do-do, and listen instead as heaven and nature sings. 

May we all make room. 

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.