Wednesday Hodgepodge

Greetings everyone!  I'm on a roll with keeping up with these Wednesday Hodgepodge questions brought to us by Joyce.  Here's another round of wintry questions for mid January.  Can you believe we are almost through January already?  The month is speeding by quickly and I'm okay with that.  Okay, here we go.  Thankfully she adds these questions in the beginning of the week so I have some time to think.  

SKIING INTO THE HODGEPODGE - mid January edition

 1. Ice skating, skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, playing in the snow, or a snowy walk...which winter activity do you choose? Have you done any of these activities so far this winter? 

I've tried ice skating a few times and was on my butt more than my feet.  I don't know why I just couldn't get the hang of it.  I used to enjoy sledding as a kid but haven't done so in many years.  Playing in the snow most certainly is a favorite past time, as a child myself and also when my kids were little.  So far this year I've done nothing aside from a little driveway shoveling and scraping ice off of the car whenever we have snow.  I'm sure my kids would enjoy doing something but I am just not a be outside in the winter type of person.  Snuggling up on the couch under a blanket reading a book while the fireplace is on is my type of winter activity.  

2. Everyone is posting pictures from ten years ago on their social media sites so let's jump on the bandwagon too. Share one photo and one thought to go with said photo from the year 2016. And maybe everyone isn't doing this, but many are and we're going to be part of the fun. 

Summertime 2016 when we visited a zoo in Maryland.  This bird looks just like a parakeet we used to have named Sprite. 

3. What's a trend you hope disappears in this new year? 

The current way of life where people will hear something said on mainstream media or read something on social media and take it as facts instead of doing their own research and thinking, which ends up causing a lot of unnecessary chaos in the country right now.  

4. 'They' say there's a day for everything and January 21st proves it. National Granola Bar Day. Do you like granola bars? How about just regular granola? Do you like bars of other kinds? 

I do like granola bars.  Peanut butter or chocolate chip are my top two choices.  I've never made homemade granola bars but it's on my list of things to try.   I've also enjoyed putting granola in yogurt or granola cereal.  

5.  A frozen lake, a trickling stream, a raging river, or a deep well...which one describes something about your life right now? Elaborate as much or as little as you like. 

This is a great question.  To say it literally, life right now feels like a frozen lake because of how cold it's been and there's a blizzard in the forecast for my area this weekend.  Although, if we're speaking hypothetically I'd say my life can sometimes feel like a raging river but I try very hard to focus on the trickling stream.  For example, there's so much going on around me that has me instantly feeling the need to be angry but then I take a deep breath, pray to the Lord for guidance and then become someone who can slowly control the flow of my emotions.  I'm trying, at least.  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Here in south-central Pennsylvania and other parts of the country are forecasted to recieve a large amount of snowfall this weekend.  I'm getting a mix of information in regarding how much.  I've heard anywhere from a few inches to 2-feet.  Time will tell.  Tomorrow is pay day for both my husband and I so a trip to the grocery store is needed.  No, I'm not one of those that has to rush to buy bread, milk and eggs whenever a snow storm is upon us, but we are really in desperate need of food no matter the weather.  I'm going to keep a positive attitude through the storm but will certainly be dreaming about the warmer seasons to come.  

A Few Random Things

 Here we are, more than halfway through January and winter reminds us she's still very much here.  

On Saturday we woke up to a few inches of snow.  Fearful of the unpredictability of the day, my sister cancelled her plans to visit from Long Island.  They were going to stay at a hotel and we were all going to meet up at my parents.  So, instead, I spent Saturday at home doing a mix of cleaning and resting.  

There is no greater joy in wintertime than being able to snuggle up with a good book.  

And my girl, as you can see, has her hand in a brace.  On Thursday at midnight she woke me up to say she was getting out of bed to use the bathroom and fell, landing on her hand, which resulted in a sprained wrist.  She was off of school on Friday so we went in for an x-ray to check for a possible fracture but she's all good there.  

It was a weekend of snuggles.  

Today there is no school all thanks to the wonderful Martin Luther King, jr.  I still woke up early since Bri had to go to swim practice.  My son drove to the coffee shop to sit and study the book of Job and I worked on my book while getting some laundry done.  You know, for a family of four we sure accumulate a lot of dirty laundry way too quickly.  My husband is at work and sadly caught a cold, which started yesterday.  He's feeling miserable.  I made homemade chicken noodle soup last night but still deciding on what to make tonight.  I really, really need to get my act together and come up with a weekly meal plan.  It's so difficult to decide each and every night what to cook, especially with picky children and a husband that can't eat certain things.  I suppose I'll figure it out.  

Have a great week ahead, friends.  Stay cozy and warm!  

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Okay, here I go with my second Wednesday Hodgepodge.  This one is about winter and I'm trying to keep a positive outlook on a season I have always found most dreadful.  

1. What kind of winter person are you-snow lover, fireplace snuggler, winter adventurer, or indoor hibernator? Elaborate. 

INDOOR HIBERNATOR!  Absolutely.  Of course, since I work part-time and have two very active children who have schedules filled with sports, band and theater I am not at home all the time but there are hours in the day and evening when I am home and I love every single moment of it, especially when it's cold outside.  I don't like the snow but when we do get it I enjoy the fact that I'm stuck inside.  

2. The Pantone color of the year is cloud dancer, described as a gentle, billowy off white shade. The color symbolizes 'peace, clarity, quiet reflection, renewal, and a soft reset'. Of the terms just listed which do you need most in your life this winter? 

I'm always searching for peace but that seems impossible so I will say I enjoy those moments when I can sit in quiet reflection.  Praying, planning, thinking.  I believe we are given the season of winter as a time to rest and reflect.  

4. Coconut, cauliflower, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, onions, ranch dressing...of the white foods listed, which would be the hardest for you to give up? Do you like all or any of the foods on the list? 

Well, I'm not so much a fan of coconut and I certainly don't like cottage cheese but the rest on the list I'm good with.  When my husband was diagnosed with IBS he was given a list of foods to stop eating and onions was one of them.  He and I both love onions so having to omit onions in recipes has been challenging and sad.  I can still eat them but I don't bother since he can't.  

5. Thomas Wentworth Higginson is credited with this quote-

"How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year." 

Agree or disagree? Tell us why. 

I can agree; in believing that winter is a time where everything in nature dies away we too have an opportunity to give ourselves rest, and all the bare ugliness of winter can help us to appreciate the beauty in the seasons that are to come.  We'll get there eventually.  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Winter has always been my least favorite season.  The cold weather makes it hard to enjoy being outside.  The lack of sunshine is depressing.  My seasonal depression sets in each and every year.  This year; however, I am focused on seeing the good in this season.  Using this time to be intentional on the things that need done inside.  Cozying up and resting more.  Diving deep into Bible reading and learning how to be a better Christian.  Making use of my treadmill and weights.  With my new outlook on winter I may end up liking the season, afterall.  We'll just see.  

Tuesday Thoughts

 Hello, friends!

The outside air is cool but the sun is shining and I'll take every ounce of vitamin D I can get.  I've been out all morning driving the school van and then going to the grocery store for some needed items.  Now I'm inside, doing some cleaning and taking a break from the outside world until it's time to leave again.  I'll be heading out at 1pm for the afternoon shift and then off to the high school to watch my daughter's swim meet.  All I can think about is being back home to shower and slip into pajamas and relax with a book before bed.  

It sounds like I'm lazy and I often feel that way but I can't help but enjoy being at home and I love relaxing after a day of chores.  Mentally, I feel drained this time of year and it can be exhausting just dealing with that.  I've been enjoying spending late evenings plopped on the couch switching between my diamond art and reading the current book.  I set a goal on the Goodreads app to finish 50 books by the end of the year.  That's doable, I believe.  

Also, who wants to be out in the world in this day and age?  It's impossible to turn on the news or scroll through social media without seeing videos and pictures of the streets filled with hate, anger and crime.  There are protests being held just miles from my house.  I'm confused by it all.  We are living in a time when good is considered evil and evil is considered good, just as the Bible warned us would happen in the end times.  I believe we are getting closer and I choose to be ready for it.  There might not be much I can do to help what's going on in the world but I wonder if there is something, just something, I can do.  I wonder if it could be justified to say for me it's better to just be at home and not interfere.  Is it selfish or is it just the fact that I'm not called to do anything major.  Edmund Burke once said, "All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing."  My husband saw the flaws that were happening within our school district and so he became a director on the school board.  I realize maybe I'm not called to do anything as big but just driving teenagers to school could be meaningful enough.  Conversing with them and trying to help them move towards the right path in life.  I pray that if there's more for me it will be revealed to me.  Until then, I will be at home cleaning, cooking, raising my kids and loving my husband.  

And enjoying the simple moments like this.

Five For Friday: Redirecting My Thoughts in January

 We made it to Friday and the end of the first week of the new year.  January can feel like such a difficult month but we get through it each and every year, don't we?  It won't be long until the sun begins rising earlier and staying out later, the air feels warmer and the ground covers with flowers in bloom.  Until then, I will hunker down inside taking care of the home and making most of what winter can offer.  What is it that winter can offer, you ask?  Rest, peace, hope, preparation and anticipation for the busier seasons that will follow.  In last Sunday's sermon our pastor said we need the evening (darkness) to appreciate the morning (light).  That's so very true and we can say the same in regards to wintertime.  In the past I've talked about how much I dread this time of year but now I'm learning to embrace it a little better.  So, in this week's Five for Friday I'd like to add five things I will do in order to make it manageable.  

REDIRECTING MY THOUGHTS IN JANUARY 

1.  Spend time inside cleaning/reorganizing:  This seems to be an ongoing task but my house is filled with toys the kids no longer play with, papers that need filed or tossed away, parts and pieces of random things scattered all over.  A pantry that can use reorganizing.  A bathroom closet that can use reorganizing.  So many other areas that can use reorganizing.  What better time to do this than now?  Spring will be for outdoor yard work but winter is fully dedicated to the inside.  

2.  Plan for the garden:  I have a very small garden in my backyard where I've been growing tomatoes and peppers.  Last year I was lazy when it came to weeding but this year I plan on making it bigger and more efficient.  This would be a great time to do some research and figure out ideas on how I want to make that garden better and also learn how to do some canning for tomato sauce and also growing cucumbers to pickle.  A better garden means less money spent at the grocery store.  

3.  Reading.  So far I've only read one book and that's the one I had written about before, After Auschwitz.  I'm only a mile away from the library and there's no excuse for me not to stop in to borrow some books.  

4.  Crafting.  Something I found fun to do years ago was diamond art.  It pretty much took the place of my desire to do jigsaw puzzles.  Our last trip to Walmart I spotted this cute Snoopy house and I mentioned how it was cute and my husband convinced me to buy it.  It's something I've been doing in the evening before bed while sitting in the living room with my family.  Things like this help to relax my mind.  

5.  Bible study:  I often feel like having too much to do keeps me away from what is most important and what should be first priority.  Now is a better time than ever to be in the Word.  As a family (minus my daughter because she doesn't have the app) we have been holding each other accountable for doing the Bible in the Year on the Bible app and so far we've been doing well.  I do enjoy using my actual paper Bible, too.  Growing closer to the Lord is what it's all about.  

Are there 5 ways you can think of to stay occupied against the winter blues?  No matter what you do, I hope you can find rest and peace during this time and warmth through the cold.  

Joining In On The Hodgepodge.

I see a few of my blog friends do a Wednesday Hodgepodge and I love reading them and have always loved doing surveys.  Today I jumped to read the blog from the original creator Joyce and decided to join in as well.  Maybe I can make this a weekly thing, as I'm always trying to find new and fun things to add to this monotonous blog of mine.  So here we go.  Thanks Joyce for putting this on the blogging world and I hope you don't mind me jumping in.  

 

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2025? 

Content.  Frustrating.  Lazy.  Contentment was my 2025 word for the year and I learned to be content with what I have but I was also lazy and unmotivated.  I was also feeling a lot of frustration for things that were happening in my life and with my family but those days of 2025 are behind me and now I'm moving onto a better, more focused and a more motivated self in 2026.  

2. I ask this question every January, and I always get comments about how we shouldn't be banning words. This is fun and games so just play along : ) 

Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse, or just general uselessness (go here to read about how the words are chosen). Here's the list for 2026- 

67 • demure • cooked • massive • incentivize • full stop • perfect • gift/gifted  • my bad • reach out 

Which one (if any) do you use most often? I don't use any of these words but I do catch myself saying 6 7 a lot but that's only to explain how annoying kids are these days with that phrase.  

Which one of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why?  I would most definitely say 6 7.  As a school van driver I hear the teens say it every single day.  They even look for things on the road that have 6 7 on a sign or license plate and get hysterical.  I'm told it's a demonic thing and I wish it would go away.  I didn't mind it at first but now I'm like, "Okay, guys, there's really no point to this."  

Is there a word you think should have made the list? There are so many kids say these days that my husband and I don't understand.  I can't think of anything else off the top of my head but I'm sure I'll hear my daughter say something tonight and then I'll let you know.  

3. What are your nightly rituals? Is that different from your 'ideal' nightly ritual? If so what's your ideal? I get a shower and put on my comfy pajamas.  If I haven't done so earlier in the day I'll read my devotional.  My husband and I get comfy in bed and watch a little television before going to sleep.  Sometimes he rubs my feet because he's sweet like that.  Not too much of a ritual person and I'm not sure I have an ideal one.  

4. January 6th is/was National Bean Day. Do you like beans? Which one is your favorite? Last thing you ate made with beans?  I like beans except for chickpeas and lima beans.  I don't make them anymore because they aren't good on my husband's stomach but I do like baked beans, especially in a chili.  

5. Are you easily embarrassed? Elaborate. I'm sure I've been in an embarrassing situation before but aside from peeing my pants in the early years of elementary school I can't really recall any recent moments.  I think because I've learned not to care what others think and if I do something stupid I usually just laugh along with everyone else.  

6. Insert your own random thought here.  I've enjoyed my very first Hodgepodge and hope to do more as the year goes on.  I used to join in another blogger's Happy Homemaker Monday and I should get back into that, too.  It's not only fun to add something consistent to my page but it gives an opportunity to meet other bloggers and I love having new blogs to read.  It's nice being able to read the thoughts of others and see how people from all over the country/world live.  I've met a lot of great people in the blogging community who either share the same lifestyle or live an entirely different way than I do.  

Rest and Reset 2025/26

 And just like that, our Christmas vacation has ended.  It was a wonderful twelve days of not having to wake up early and rush out the door.  It was a time of rest and reflection.  Poor Brianna was sick the entire time and when we finally found an available doctor appointment she was diagnosed with bronchitis and given antibiotics.  

It's the first Monday of the new year but before we get into that let's do a little recap of our time off.  

Wednesday night and Sunday morning church services.  

A visit from Santa

Lots of rest

Craft time

More rest 

Ringing in 2026 in the living room 

More rest

Putting together jigsaw puzzles has always been fun for me and I did manage to get a new one bought and complete  

And after not doing much of anything we took a quick trip south into Maryland to walk around a mall.  Got into a minor fender bender in the parking garage but all is good.  I left the mall with a new calendar to hang in the kitchen and a belly filled with Auntie Anne's pretzels.  

The first book of my reading goal for 2026 was one I picked out online at Amazon and finished it in just a few hours.  It's called After Auschwitz and it's a historical book written by a WWII Holocaust survivor.  Verushka Roth (Yehudit is her Hebrew name) begins to tell the story of her happy childhood in Czechoslovakia until she is taken to Auschwitz at the age of 13.  She is told to lie about her age, which eventually is what saves her life.  She stays beside her mother but is separated from her brother and father.  She talks about the gruesome experiences while at camp and then talks about life after.  The story is filled with so much loss and heartbreak.  If you're into reading historical non-fiction I do recommend this book but make sure you have a box of tissues close by.  

 

And today, the first Monday of the new year and the first day we are back to the grind.  The Christmas decorations have been boxed up and stored back into the attic waiting to make another appearance in 11 months and the house is put back together.  The morning began with the sounding of that dreadful alarm.  After tossing and turning during what felt like a long night, I stepped out of bed and into the kitchen where I made a cup of coffee.  I dressed, woke Bri up to get ready for school, gave hubby a kiss goodbye and off I went.  I had all four boys for their school but my elementary school girl didn't make it because she is sick.  When I arrived home I started some laundry, will continue some housework, figure out menu planning and grocery shopping for the week and squeeze in my Bible reading and work out.  

Winter time should be a time of rest and I plan on making it that way this season.  We could take a lesson from nature.  Certain animals hibernate and all the trees, flowers and plants wither away.  As humans, we should use this time for stillness and reflection.  Of course, our economy requires us to work, and having kids means we always have something to do, but aside from that, I'll be at home cozying up from the bitter weather and relaxing my mind.  New life will come back and bring a busy season in the spring but for now ... rest.  Then, reset.  

Happy New Year

 Happy New Year!  We did it!  I cannot believe we are now in 2026.  The year my son graduates high school and goes off to college.  The year I wish didn't have to come so quickly.  But a year where God will be at the center of every decision and every goal.  If it isn't from Him I don't want it.  

Last night we went to the Wednesday night church service, specially focused on the upcoming year and how we can use this time to ask God to show us what changes we need to make in our lives.  There was also Communion.  I love this church so much, and more importantly than that, I love the closer I've been getting to the Lord.  When we got home my kids turned on the final two-hour episode of Stranger Things, something they had been eagerly waiting for.  My husband made his delicious chicken dip to be devoured with tortilla chips and I made some pigs in a blanket, chicken wings and some other things.  We also had some store bought cup cakes.  It was all unhealthy but that's how we've been ending each year and that's okay with us.  In the last few minutes we tuned in to wait for the ball to drop in New York City, gave my husband the traditional kiss and went to bed.  So long 2025, you were good to me!  

New Year's Day begins a clean slate and a fresh start with better eating, more movement and a continued commitment to serve the Lord.  We also woke up to snow on the ground from an early morning snow squall.  The day began with making the family some cinnamon rolls (okay, maybe not off to such a healthy start), reading day 1 of the Bible in a Year plan on the Bible app (something my son invited us all to join him in doing) and later I'll read a new devotional my husband gifted me with.  It has my name but it's not me.  

I spent 25 minutes on the treadmill which took me to one mile and drank more water than I usually do.  Can I keep this up?  Well, that's the plan.  

I also snuggled up on the couch with the dog and took a little unexpected nap.  

A pork roast sits in the crockpot for dinner, but no sauerkraut because the husband and kids do not like that.  

I set a record of having a total of 82 posts on this blog in 2025.  Can I make it more for 2026?  We'll see.  It's never an intentional number I'm after.  

I'm looking forward to seeing all the Lord has for me this year; the good and the bad.  I also wish many blessings for you, friends.  I'm grateful to those of you who consistently stop by to read my mumblings.  There are more posts to come ...