January's Last Hodgepodge

Goodbye,

Can you even believe it?

Wasn't it just last weekend when the ball dropped and we sang Auld Lang Syne?

Time is passing CRAZY fast!

~

And here it is, time for Joyce's Hodgepodge again already...

...where she writes the questions and we answer them on our blogs.

And this week's questions are.... 

1. Speaking of endings....at your wit's end, at loose ends, a dead end, burn the candle at both ends, all's well that end's well, or no end in sight...which 'end' phrase might best be applied to your life lately? Explain.

So I guess if anyone read my post from a couple of days ago, they could guess how I might answer this question. I have a monumental task ahead of me...getting the house ready to sell...and everything that goes along with that. I am not at wit's end or at a dead end...nor am I burning the candle at both ends...YET. You actually have to start before you can be any of those things, am I right? So that leaves things at loose ends because that basically means unfinished business. I'm sure once I finally get started, it will seem at times like there is no end in sight and finally, then and only then, I'll be able to say "All's well that ends well!"


2. What was a must have accessory when you were growing up? Did you own one? If so tell us what you remember about it.


Do shoes count as an accessory since they are plural?
  

If I have understood the question right, shoes would be my favorite accessory when I was growing up. With so many kids in the family, we weren't able to afford new ones very often but I was beyond excited when it was shoe shopping day...black patent leather ones made my heart go pitter-patter. If you'd like to know more, you can read the details here over on my childhood memories blog. Oh yes, there were many other accessories that I had to have that were the latest thing, but I remember it was always about the shoes...I still love me some cute shoes!

3. Something that made you smile yesterday?

Meet Snickers, my new little grand puppy...Aaron and Michelle's newest addition as of yesterday. He is a Silky-haired Dachshund and is the color of.......a Snickers! 😉 Isn't he adorable? He sure made me smile!

4. January 30th is National Croissant Day. Do you like croissants? Sweet or savory? We're having chicken salad for lunch...would you rather have yours served on a croissant, a wrap, a bagel, bread, or a roll of some sort?

I do like croissants of all kinds but rarely do I eat them because I simply don't eat many breads or rolls of any kind for the most part. If someone came up with a low-carb version, I would be all over that puppy in a heartbeat. Even though I love the combination of chicken salad on a croissant, I would choose to have mine in a Mission Carb Balance flour tortilla wrap, thank you!

BUT...if I was invited for lunch and they were on the menu, I would eat it. Far be it from me to offend!

😋

 

5. Sum up your January in fifteen words or less.

We had snow...lots of it and ate comfort food...lots of it.







6.  Insert your own random thought here.

One Room at a Time (Sweet Jesus)

My plan was to start in January.

Well, January has come and will be gone in a couple of days.

Have I started yet?

That would be a big fat NO.

~

Every room in our house needs some attention in one way or another.

We replaced the floors less than a year ago and closets were cleaned out...

...and remember that bedroom redo from last spring?



But that is just a drop in the bucket, my friends.

And since we all are aware of how the months fly by,

the spring will be here before I blink twice.

There is so much to do before our home is market-ready.

~

I get overwhelmed thinking about all I have to do as a whole...

...sorting, purging and getting rid of the organized (organized?) clutter.

So I have decided I need to do this one room at a time.

And by that I mean not only the de-cluttering, etc., but repairing nail holes,

touching up walls and painting the new primed doors and woodwork, etc., etc.
One. Room. At. A. Time.
~

 So the other day I was when I was feeling particularly lazy and disinterested,

That still, small voice in my head reminded me, "Just do one room at a time, Debby."

And then that old gospel song from the 70's infiltrated my brain...

"One day at a time, sweet Jesus, that's all I'm asking from you,

Just give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do...."

You probably remember how the rest of the song goes.
~
Once the song started playing in my head, I couldn't make it stop
so I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity and take it a step further.
I decided to take a few creative liberties with the song...no offense to anyone...
...and I'm not trying to make fun of this beautiful song or it's message.
So here it is...

One room at a time, dear Debby, that's all that you have to do,
You'll muster the strength to do everything that you need to do.
January's near gone, dear Debby and spring will be here real soon.
So get off your tail, let progress prevail,
One room at a time.

I really do need Jesus to help me with this.
I'm feeling a little emotional these days and unmotivated to get my act together...
...dragging my feet, I guess you could say.
I'm thinking that subconsciously I'm still in a bit of denial when it's all said and done.
Twenty-five plus years is a long time...lots of memories under this roof.


Remember how excited I was when I finally got my front porch?





Don't get me wrong...I am getting excited about our move to Tennessee.
But a part of me is also a little ambivalent...having a hard time letting go.
And a maybe just a tad apprehensive...
...but I've just got to suck it up and get motivated, y'all!
~

"Yesterday's gone, sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine.
Lord help me today, show me the way,

one day (and one room) at a time."

 

A Very Positive Hodgepodge

What a difference a week makes!
Last week at this time it was just beginning to snow... and man, did it snow!
It didn't stop all day Wednesday and by 7 pm we had nearly 10 inches.

I spent most of the day taking photos of the hungry birds...of all types.
But these guys always steal the show, especially when it's snowing.

So the snow is nothing more than a beautiful memory,

 unless you count those traces of ugly piles still hanging out in the shade.

It has been in the mid to high 60s the past several days and feels like spring...

...even had a thunder storm the other night! Crazy!

~

So we're here for the Hodgepodge...

 ...where Joyce asks the question and we answer them on our blogs.
Here we go.
~

1. January 24th is National Compliment Day. Is it easy or not so easy for you to accept a compliment? Share a recent compliment you've given or received.

There's no doubt that I can give a compliment easier than I accept one. I am one of those who usually has a come-back with maybe "This old thing?" or "I'm having a really bad hair day." I wrote about this in one of my early posts, Gracie's Nativity. My MIL was one of the sweetest women you would ever want to meet and she handed out compliments like it was breathing...but she wasn't ever really able to accept one. I try to remember the words I wrote in that post when someone compliments me and I hesitate to accept it...in fact, I just went back and read it again. The last compliment I think I gave was to a new lady at church on Sunday...telling her what a blessing her outward enthusiasm for the the Lord was to me.


So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

2. Ten little things you are loving right now.

Even though it's all gone now, I am still loving the fact that we got 10" of snow last week and the beautiful birds that all came out of the trees to play in it, especially the cardinals. I can still love it even though it's gone, right?

We always have lots of cardinals but when the are placed on a backdrop of white, they almost take my breath away. The day after it snowed, I got out to make a trip to the grocery and it was the first time I had driven my Honda CR-V in very deep snow...all-wheel drive is a wonderful thing! And now that the snow is all gone, I was loving that rain that we had yesterday morning as it washed off all of that road salt. Let's see...flowers from the hubby that looks as though spring has exploded on my dining room table...

...the new prime lens for my camera, comfort food, a vintage quilt top that I got on eBay and the perfect fabric for the backing (it's really a great Ralph Lauren sheet) that I found at Goodwill.

 

 

And as of this evening after opening the mail, I am more than loving the fact that a letter from my healthcare insurance stating that the appeal that I filed for overcharging me due to using out-of-network doctors in the ER without informing me...and this is the same hospital that I have worked for the past 25 years...has approved it! They charged me over $2300.00 for two five minute visits. I won, I won! Yeah, I am loving that...thank you, Jesus!!

3. Would people describe you as a positive person? Do you see yourself that way? I read here  a list/description of eight things positive people do differently-

Positive people find something to look forward to every day, they celebrate the small stuff, they're kind, they stay busy, accept responsibility for their actions, forgive themselves, know when to move on, and resist comparisons.

Which action on the list would you say you do regularly? Which action could you add to your life to give you a more positive outlook?

I'd like to think that others see me as a positive person and for the most part, I see myself that way too. I will say, however, that although I would like to be able to say yes to all of the above, the fact remains that I am a flawed human being and don't always succeed. I am pretty much an up-beat person from the time I get up...and I don't even need my coffee first. I'm sure Jim sometimes wishes I wasn't because it takes him a while to get his social groove on when he first gets up. Mondays are just another day to me because I really like my job and I usually have something that I look forward to everyday. It doesn't take a whole lot to make me happy...it's the little things, you know. Kindness is very important to me and I try very hard to practice it daily...it's very important to what I do for a living since I deal with patients that are already in pain. Making them feel welcome and comfortable makes their physical therapy experience easier and sometimes even fun. Am I always kind? I'd like to say yes and I try very hard...but I can get riled up with the best of them. Depending on what the situation is, you may not want to cross me.😇Where I'm lacking the most would be comparing myself to others and self-forgiveness...I'm pretty good at beating myself up...sometimes with a smile on my face.

If you're a positive person, what's something you do regularly that's not on the list?

Smile...I smile a lot, whether I feel like it not. I can be carrying an almost unbearable burden and still smile. Many times folks around me have no clue what's going on inside. I guess that can be a good thing.

4. Homemade chicken soup, beef stew, or a bowl of chili...what's your pleasure on a cold winter's day?

It's probably homemade chicken noodle...with chili coming in as a close second. I made some last week during our snowfall (this is not it) and as I was getting ready to put the noodles in, I realized that I only had a handful of the spiral kind. I had some lasagna noodles though (the no boil kind) and broke them up into small pieces and threw them it. It worked great.
 

5. The best part of my day is....

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

A Snowy Hodgepodge

It's going to be a white Wednesday here in central NC...
...I'm so excited that we are expecting to get several inches of SNOW today! 
I know...I can see all of you out there snickering and shaking your heads at me.
I understand that many of have had enough so just humor me, okay?  
It's a snow day for me even though it's just started.

 And of course it's also time for Joyce's weekly Hodgepodge...

...where she asks the questions and we answer them on our blogs.
Here we go....

1. What keeps you blogging?

I know some of you have been at this a very long time...it will be 5 years for me this June...it is still kinda hard for me to believe. I have said this before but I never, ever thought it was possible to form relationships with those I have never met face to face. My #1 reason that I have continued is because I truly feel like my life has been enriched by "meeting" so many wonderful friends... kindred spirits even, over the years. We have prayed for and encouraged one another and shared our heartaches and joys. Blogging has truly been a blessing. These days, I seem to be finding a way to intermingle what's going on with me mostly with my weekly Hodgepodge posts. Blogging has also become a way to keep record of what's going on with me...a bit of a journal, so to speak. There are times when I am trying to remember when I did this or that...or whatever...and I find myself going to my blog archives where I know it is documented. And sometimes when I feel a bit down or discouraged, I will go back and read some of my older posts to be reminded just how good God has been to me, not that that I would ever forget, but there is just something about going back and reviewing it...kind of like reading your diary. Does anyone else do that?

2. Some people like to travel in the winter months. Do you enjoy the beach in winter? According to Southern Living the best U.S. beach towns to visit this winter are-St Simons Island (Georgia), Hilton Head (South Carolina), Bald Head Island (North Carolina), Seaside (Florida), Bay St. Louis (Mississippi), Cape San Blas (Florida), South Padre Island (Texas), Folly Beach (South Carolina), Chincoteague (Virginia), Duck Key (Florida), Nags Head (North Carolina), and Fairhope (Alabama)

Although I've never been, I think I would enjoy the beach even in the winter. A couple of weeks ago when we had that super cold spell, the beach closest to me that we go to most often, Kure Beach, had snow and ice. Here are a couple of photos I found online. I only wish I had been there to take my own photos. 

 



Have you been to any of the towns listed (in any season)? Which on the list appeals to you most this winter?

Out of this list, Bald Head Island has been at the top but I have yet to go there. I still hope that there might be a chance before we leave NC. I was just thinking the other day how much I will miss having the beach only a couple of hours away after we move to TN...but I will have the beautiful countryside in it's place. I have been to Seaside in Florida a couple of times...the first time was when the community was just being built back in the late 80's I'd say, before the crowds of people took over and spoiled the beautiful seascape. I have photos in an old album somewhere of pastel and brightly colored pristine homes scattered across the edge of the unspoiled coastline...now, you are lucky if you can catch a glimpse of it. When we were there a few years back, I was able to make my way past the cars and people to get a shot of the beach. 



3. What's a song you're embarrassed to know all the lyrics to? Are you really embarrassed or do just think you should be?

There are really too many to name them all but a few from the 60's come to mind..."Young Girl" by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, "Wild Thing" by the Troggs, "Light My Fire" by the Doors ...the list could go on and on...these are just the ones that popped into head. I am not  embarrassed that I still know them, that's just the way my mind works when it comes to popular songs. Today I mostly listen to contemporary Christian/Praise & Worship music or soft instrumentals when I don't want any lyrics. I can also attest to the fact that I have memorized many of the words to them as well. The thing is about these old songs I've mentioned is this...I haven't heard them, sung them or thought of them for a very long time...but now they will be playing in my head for the next few days... at least. Thanks a lot, Joyce! 😒

4. When you were a kid what's something you thought would be fantastic as an adult, but now that you're an adult you realize it's not all that fantastic?

I had so many bosses when I was a kid. Being the baby of the family and having so many people telling me what to do really got under my skin at times. There was a time when I couldn't wait to get out from under my parent's roof and when I did at 18 or 19, it didn't take too long to realize that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be....at least the situation that I found myself in. I played and partied for a little while but it wasn't long before I was asking to move back home. I thank God that He kept me safe when I was doing a lot of stupid things and that He let me get a little taste of a lifestyle that I didn't really want. Lessons learned. 

5. Share a quote you hope will inspire you in 2018.



6. Insert your own random thought here.

 Hmmm....I think it sounds like a great day to make some soup and snow cream for dessert. 

😋

Once Upon a Cold Winter's Hodgepodge

Well, have y'all thawed out yet?

I don't remember when it has been so cold for so many days in a row.
It has certainly been the main topic of conversation for days and days around here.
I mean, it has been FRIGID just about everywhere but we so called southerners
aren't quite used to such temperatures!
I have a high-school friend from Ohio that started making up "It was so cold..." jokes
and posting them on her Facebook page...
...she started out with one and before it was over, she was posting them several times a day
and they just seemed to just get funnier and funnier.
Or maybe they weren't actually all that funny but we just needed to laugh to stay warm!
Here is a compilation of some of them that decided I would share with you.

And along with this cold weather, came some beautiful skies...

...feather-like clouds...

...to mortars lighting up the darkening sky...

...to strange looking funnel-ish cloud formations...

I am forever amazed by the masterpieces the Master Artist paints for us all to enjoy!

~

So lets get to why we're here...the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions on her blog and we answer them on ours.

~

1. January is National Mentoring Month. Have you ever had a mentor? Been a mentor? How would you rate the experience?

Wikipedia's definition is this: Mentorship is a relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. The mentor may be older or younger than the person being mentored, but he or she must have a certain area of expertise. If I was answering this off the top of my head, I wouldn't say I have been much of a mentor throughout my life. But when I really look at the given definition, I'd say that just about all of us, including myself, have been both the mentor and the mentee. Most every one of us have had mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters and other women in our lives that have taken us under their wings... that we have learned from...God's word tells us we need to do this. And most of us have done likewise for the younger women/girls in our lives...some daughters, grand daughter, nieces, friends, etc. The only other time that I knowingly mentored someone is when I had to train a new employee in a job that I was knowledgeable in. Through the years I'd say I have had many mentors in one way or another and at the moment, nothing stands out in my memory about having a bad experience. I'll have to think more on that one.

Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. 
Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives.

Titus 2:3-6 MSG

2. What current trend makes no sense to you?

Aw, come on...just one? I have a whole bunch! Man buns, water bottle flip, fidget spinners, ripped and holy jeans, taking a knee (unless you are going to pray)...the list goes on and on.

3. I saw a cartoon on facebook highlighting a few 'weird' things that make you happy as an adult. The list included-writing with a nice pen, having plans cancelled, freshly cleaned sheets, eating the corner brownie, cleaning the dryer lint screen, and sipping coffee in that brief time before anyone else wakes up. (Credit for the cartoon goes here) Of the 'weird' things listed which one makes you happiest? What is one more 'weird' thing you'd add to the list?

I can actually agree with the ones listed except for maybe the dryer lint one...okay so maybe if I have just taken brand new towels or something fluffy that left a lot of lint behind.... I can kind of see how that might be just a tad gratifying. There are probably many more of my own that I could add to the list but the first one that I thought of was messing up that nice, fresh, semi-soft surface of a newly opened carton of ice cream...using a spoon (not the scooper) and taking a big bite!

4. What's the last good thing you ate?

That would be this...

I was wanting something like pizza but without the carbs. I regularly use the Mission Brand low carb flour tortillas for tacos and ultra thin crusts for personal pizzas but I tried something a little different for my supper tonight (Tuesday). I sauteed all of my pizza toppings together in a pan, added a little pizza sauce and then fried up the tortilla in olive oil. I then scooped all of the yummy toppings and placed them on the tortilla, added Italian cheese and folded it over to make...well...you could call it a "skinny calzone" or a "pizza quesadilla". It was great!

5. Describe life in your 20's in one sentence.

Looking for love in all the wrong places...until I finally found it.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I saw this earlier on Facebook this evening and just had to share it. Only God.

Have a blessed week and stay warm!

Love,

Happy New Year Hodgepodge

It's a brand new year and a brand new Hodgepodge!
Even though I say this every year, I hope to make this year better than last year,
not that 2017 was a bad year by any means...
but if I am able to step it up a notch at any one place where I am lacking,
and there are too many to count,
I will have accomplished that...only with the Lord's help.



So let's get down to the business at hand...the Hodgepodge...

...where Joyce asks the questions and we answer them on our blogs.
~

1. It's that time of year again...time for Lake Superior University to present a list of words (or phrases) they'd like to see banished (for over-use, mis-use, or genera uselessness) in 2018. You can read more about the decision making process and word meaning here, but this year's top vote getters are- 

unpack, dish (as in dish out the latest rumor), pre-owned, onboarding/offboarding, nothingburger, let that sink in, let me ask you this, impactful, Cofefe, drill down, fake news, hot water heater (hot water doesn't need to be heated), and gig economy
Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?

Oh my, there are so many to choose from...some I've not really paid much attention to and others that are just plain silly. Of all that are on this list, I'd like to see "fake news" disappear...and not just the term...but the real thing, which sounds like an oxymoron. Remember the days when we used to be able to trust what we heard on the news and respect the people who brought it? I hope that day will return soon. Right now I can't think of another word to add to the list, although there surely must be more floating around out there.

2. What's something you need to get rid of in the new year?

Many, many things but mostly this one...



3. Where do you feel stuck?

Worrying too much. I know better.

4. January is National Soup Month. When did you last have a bowl of soup? Was it made from scratch or from a can? Your favorite canned soup? Your favorite soup to make from scratch on a cold winter's day?

If you consider Brunswick Stew soup, then that's my answer and it was on New Year's Eve at Aaron's house that he made from scratch. Click on the link if you northerners want to know it's origin and a little more about it. To tell you the truth, it's not my favorite but there is Brunswick Stew and then there is Brunswick Stew...

...and this was Brunswick Stew! 

It's a thing here in NC and large gatherings are usually held when folks are "doin' a stew". The taste is wonderful but it's the consistency that is my least favorite thing about it since you cook it so long that the meat is in strings. Some cook it even longer and the vegetables are no longer recognizable. That's when I say, "No thanks". Aaron's was actually very good! My favorite soup right out of the can would be the one and only Campbell's Chicken Noodle (with crackers) and my favorite from scratch on a cold winter's day is either chili or broccoli cheese...but any homemade soup on a cold winter's day hits the spot!

"I don't usually open my mouth this wide when I am eating Brunswick Stew,
but when I do, it's because I'm posing for the camera." 😉

5. Tell us one thing you're looking forward to in 2018.

Country living.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Well, I hope that the first few days of 2018 have been goods ones for you
and that the next 362 are even better!

Love,