Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What's surprised you most about your life or life in general? 

I'm not sure anything surprises me anymore. To be sure, this isn't what I expected, but it is what it is.

2.  Sweet potato fries, sweet potato casserole, a baked sweet potato, a bowl of butternut squash soup, a caramel apple or a slice of pumpkin pie...you have to order one thing on this list right now. Which one do you go for?

A baked sweet potato, please.  I do love sweet potatoes.  (I love pumpkin pie, too, don't get me wrong...but...)

3. What's a famous book set in your home state? Have you read it? On a scale of 1-5 (5 is fantastic) how many stars does it rate?

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  On the scale, I'd rate it a 4--it was a good book, but it didn't compel me to pick up any of the other books in the series.

4. There are 60 days until Christmas...have you started your shopping? How do you stay organized for the holidays?

HAHAHAHAHA!  Oh, you were serious.  Um, no, I haven't started shopping yet; and organization is a thing of the past.

5. October 26th is National Tennessee Day. Have you ever lived or spent any time in Tennessee? Is this a state you'd like to visit one day? The top rated tourist attractions in Tennessee are-

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park (Gatlinburg area), Elvis's Graceland (Memphis), Birth of the Music Biz (Memphis and Nashville), Dollywood (Pigeon Forge), Tennessee's Military Heritage (many battlefields), The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home), The Parthenon (Nashville), Oak Ridge American Museum of Science and Energy, Chattagnooa and the Tennessee Valley Railroad, Downtown Knoxville, Lookout Mountain, The Titanic Museum (Pigeon Forge), The Museum of Appalachia (Clinton), and The Lost Sea Adventure (Sweetwater)

How many on this list have you seen? Which one on the list would you most like to see?

I've never seen any of them, though I hear a great deal about the Great Smoky Mountain National Park...so I suppose I'll choose that one.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Fall is finally here, and I'm glad it is...but honestly, I wish it had arrived on a day when I could stay home and make chicken noodle soup for dinner instead of running everywhere...

My ray of sunshine

This tale starts on a Wednesday morning.

I was heavily pregnant.  My high-risk doctor had scheduled me for an appointment, so I was wobbling my way through the parking lot at the hospital (where his office was).  I know it was 11:00, because the state of Kansas tests the tornado sirens the first Wednesday of every month at 11:00.  And the sirens had started to go off in the distance.

I chuckled to myself and called my boss.  We were fortunate enough to share a workspace situated directly below one of those sirens, and it always brought work to a grinding halt for a few minutes because the sirens were so loud, we literally couldn't do anything else but wait for it to be over.  So I called her and jokingly asked, "So are the sirens working?" because that's the kind of rapport we had.

I won't repeat her reply, because it's family-unfriendly.  Because that's the kind of rapport we had.

Anyway, I signed in for my appointment and situated myself on the table for my bazillionth ultrasound for this pregnancy.  I was lucky enough to live near a high-risk prenatal specialist with all the equipment on hand, and they used it enthusiastically.

"Good morning," he said as he walked in.  "38 weeks...let's take some measurements."

I agreed and settled back for what had become routine.  I barely listened as he called out numbers to the nurse sitting at the computer behind him.  But it got my attention when he turned to her and said, "So, where are we at?"

The nurse didn't reply immediately.  When she did, she said "Second percentile."

The temperature in the room dropped by about fifteen degrees.  "Say again?"

She didn't say it.  She didn't have to.  The doctor had walked over to the computer to review everything.  I was whisked down the hall to a room with a large, squashy chair in it but not much else and told to have a seat.

When the doctor came in, it was with the news that something was going very, very wrong.  The baby that I'd been trying so hard to take care of was measuring at about 15 weeks, and they needed to get her out before tragedy struck our family again.

"Okay, when?" I asked stupidly.  It wasn't that I hadn't caught on, it was that I was in denial.

"As soon as possible.  If not, sooner."

Five frantic hours later, I'd rushed home, packed a bag, told my boss, set my away message on my work phone, picked up my son from day care, run him over to my sister's, and rushed back to the hospital.  The baby never stopped moving.  The whole time, she thrashed and struggled as if to tell me that she was still there and things were still okay.

An hour after that, doctors placed a nearly-seven-pound bundle into my husband's arms.  She was here, and she was healthy, and the doctor shrugged and phoned in a request for his instruments to be checked.

Today, Sunshine is eight years old, and she's just as unstoppable now as she was then.

Wait, what?

Really? A non-Hodgepodge post?  Yup...

I talked briefly a while back about when that tree came down on our house a few weeks ago (on my 37th birthday, in fact)...repairs are done, and the room that will eventually belong to Sunshine is well underway.  The floor is getting redone, and I finally got all her favorite My Little Pony characters traced onto the walls, and I should be able to start painting those tomorrow.

Meanwhile, take a look at a fun thing we got to do over the weekend...

The people who organize our local marathon also organize a few other races throughout the year, and we decided to give the Flyby 5K a try.  There's two races--the 5K itself, and an untimed 2-mile "fun run" that we were more comfortable participating in.  All four of us were signed up.  Scout and my husband were a minute ahead of us.  Sunshine and I made a deal ahead of time to run across the finish line, no matter what, and that's what we did--in a time of almost exactly 34 minutes.  The race itself was along a runway at the airport, and it was a fascinating ground-level view of a lot of things I've never seen up close before.  At the end of it, we all got medals, and we all agreed we were in for it next year.

Running is not exactly a "passion" of mine, per se.  But I do enjoy it, and I'm so grateful I finally got my family to go along with me.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What pets did you have while growing up? Tell us a little something about them.

Quite a few, actually.  We had two dogs--both wonderfully sweet.  One was incredibly smart (like you could tell him to pick up his toys and he'd do it), and the other was one of the dumbest creatures ever called into existence.  Also two cats--again, total opposites.  One was a good mouser and was a loving cat; the other was a lazy, mean, hissing ball of spite and fangs.
Also, birds.  Mom loved finches, and we had a number of them over the years. 

2. What is one thing you absolutely must accomplish today?

I have to get a new coffee grinder.  the lid on mine (that actually operates the grinding mechanism) snapped this morning.  If I go through tomorrow without coffee, I will also snap.

3. Where were you ten years ago? What were you doing there?

Living in our former city, working for the local government.  I miss having a job--sometimes.

4. September 26th is National Dumpling Day. Did you celebrate? Apple dumpling, xiao long bao (steamed Chinese dumpling), chicken and dumplings, pirogi, matzoh balls, or gnocchi...which dumpling on this list would be your dumpling of choice? Have you ever made homemade dumplings of any kind?

I did! I made gnocchi sautéed in sage butter.  I've tried making homemade pirogi before (because I wanted a gluten free version) and it was sort of a mess and it was hard with limited space, but it turned out..well actually it turned out kind of meh.  I've also made chicken and dumplings before, it was tasty and I had fun making it.

5. 'There are two kinds of adventurers: those who go truly hoping to find an adventure and those who go secretly hoping they don't.' William Trogdon

So which kind are you?

I would like to say I truly hope to find an adventure, but right now I'm a little tired of adventures and I would like to just quietly enjoy a day.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

At long last, the contractors are done.  And just in time for an overwhelming amount of fundraiser information to be coming home.  I understand the need for them but I kind of wish they'd just ask me for a check.  Until then, if you need candles, candy, nuts, magazines, cookie dough, or popcorn....and no, I'm not joking.  That's an incomplete list of the stuff my children are currently selling.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Hey y'all!  Here's hoping to get back into the swing of things...

1. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.
Sometimes.  Sometimes, a picture says things that can't easily be articulated in any other way.

2. Have you ever driven any part of the Pacific Coast Highway? If so what was your favorite stop? If not, is this sort of trip on your bucket list?
No, I've never been that far west in America.  I'm not a huge fan of road trips in general anymore, to be honest.  I suppose I'd be happy to take it by train, but not if I'm driving.

3. How do the changing seasons affect you? As the seasons change do you find yourself looking more forward or backward? Which season-season transition bothers you most? Why do you suppose that is? 
The fall-to-winter transition is hardest on me.  Makes my back ache a lot more.  I do love summer-to-fall, though, it makes me look forward to fresh apples and pumpkin everything.

4. It's your birthday and you get to pick the dinner menu. What are we having? Do you ever lie about your age?
Something with cheese!  Seriously, though, my mood varies so much it's hard to pick one particular thing.  We went to a Mexican place for my birthday this year, if that counts.

I don't generally lie about my age.  For the time being, I don't feel like I have anything to hide.

5. What's a life lesson you've learned recently?
Not sure how to articulate this one.  We got a big life lesson when that tree came crashing down on our house.  It's still in a state of disrepair.  But the new roof is on, and the inside work is starting...uh, today, actually.  But I've learned I can deal with a few weeks of chaos if I know for certain things will be better in the end.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.
I never posted the obligatory first day of school pictures!  Scout is starting sixth grade, Sunshine is starting second.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Did you watch the solar eclipse? Your thoughts? Sun Chips, Moon Pies, Starburst candies, a Blue Moon beer, a Sunkist orange, or a Milky Way candy bar...what's your favorite eclipse related snack on this list?

We did!  The kids were mesmerized by it.  We had a fantastic time playing outside and watching the sun disappear little by little.  We weren't in the path of totality, but we saw a lot of it!

I wanted to get Moon Pies, but the store was sold out.  Not that I'm surprised...
2. What are you 'over the moon' about these days? What's something you enjoy doing every 'once in a blue moon'?

The cooler weather.  I'm not necessarily meant for winter, but I like it when fall starts to arrive.

Once in a blue moon...I...don't know what I like to do.  I seem to be kind of all-or-nothing about things.
3. Tell us about something in the realm of science that interests you. How do you feed that interest?

Electronics.  I used to have an IT job that I loved, but I left that job long ago.  So I try to help out when I can.

4. What are a few things you remember about going back to school as a child?

Nervously looking around my classroom to see if any of my friends were there.  Wondering what the teacher would be like.

5. I've seen several versions of this around the net so let's make one of our own...share with us five words that touch your soul and briefly tell us why.

Huh, I haven't seen anything like this!

peace
service
sharing 
understanding
love

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Tuesday was my 37th birthday (though a lot of people in my orbit have started joking that I'm turning 29 again). I don't mind getting older, I kind of feel like I've earned it.

It was also the day a tree landed on my house about ten minutes after I took the kids to Scout's violin lesson.  Everyone is okay, but the house is in desperate need of some repairs.  But everyone's okay, and since my son had actually been IN the room that got the most severe damage about fifteen minutes before that tree came down...we're hugely blessed to all be safe.

In other news, I'm redecorating a room, and I'm totally open to ideas anyone has...

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Do your actions match your words? Elaborate.

I hope so.  I like to think I can be relied upon to be honest.  It's harder during the summer, when I can't do ANYTHING without having to open a juice box or answer a question about cats or settle a debate about anything...

2. Sick as a dog, go to the dogs, dog days of summer, dog tired, it's a dog's life, every dog has it's day, can't teach an old dog new tricks...now doggone it which saying could most recently be applied to your life?

Dog days of summer.  It hasn't been that hot here, which is good, but it's closing in on the beginning of the school year, and we're running out of energy and time to do everything.  

3. Your favorite book featuring a dog in the storyline? What makes it a favorite?

Is anyone gonna laugh if I say Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban?  I know the dog was Sirius, but he was a good boy.  Yes he was.  

4. What's something you hope to one day have the confidence to do?

Speak up.  There's kind of a lot of stuff going on, and I wish I had the spine to make my opinion clear.  I feel like my own blog should be a safe place for me to say something, but I've seen people get burned by that in the past.  The only thing I think we can all agree on here is we don't have the time or the place in our lives for hating one another.

5. August 16th is National Tell a Joke Day. So tell us a joke.

I stole this one from my son, who wrote it down and put it in his sister's lunchbox.
What sound do porcupines make when they kiss?
...
...
...
Ouch!

(Putting jokes in Sunshine's lunchbox is kind of our thing.  I'm gonna need some ideas for the coming school year, so hit me with your best ones!  She's gonna be eight in October, if that helps...)
6. Insert your own random thought here.

I discovered the other day that most of my tea towels have holes in them.  What the heck?  So I ordered a bunch of new ones, and I ordered some of those designs that you iron on to embroider over so they wouldn't be so BORING but turns out, I don't know how to use an iron because the pattern I was trying to iron on to a towel this morning only got half transferred.  I have no idea what I'm doing and I kinda feel like less of an adult because of it.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Happy Summer, everyone!  You should totally join us with the Hodgepodge, courtesy of From This Side Of The Pond.

1. When and where were the best fireworks you've ever seen? Speaking of fireworks...do you know your hot buttons? The things people can say and/or do to set you off? When was the last time someone pushed one of your hot buttons?

I haven't seen fireworks in many different places, honestly.  But the shows in my hometown were usually pretty wonderful.  I remember one year the drought was so severe they cancelled the fireworks show and replaced it with a laser light show, that was pretty awesome.

As to my hot buttons, yes.  I don't like conflict and I don't like bullies.  Last time someone pushed that particular hot button was about a week ago.
2. Have you hosted any outdoor summer parties this year? Attended any? What makes for a great outdoor party?

Meh, sort of.  Scout and my husband are both out of town this week on a mission trip, so it's just Sunshine and me...so we invited over a friend from church yesterday for hot dogs and s'mores.  It was fun, and it was a nice relaxing evening.  (I'd invited over Sunshine's best friend too, but she couldn't make it.)

3. What does freedom mean to you?

It means everything to me.  I can mostly go where I want, when I want, speak to who I want, about what I want.  I have it really good in a safe neighborhood surrounded by good people.

It doesn't free me from any fallout from my poor choices.

4. July is National Cell Phone Courtesy month...what annoys you most about people's cell phone habits?

Speakerphone.  Nobody wants to listen to you make a dentist appointment, stop that!

5. What's your current summer anthem?

Since the boys are gone this week, Sunshine and I had a movie marathon the other day.  She'd never seen Moana, or Mulan, or Trolls, and now she has.  One of the songs in Moana has been stuck in my head ever since, which is awkward because I don't speak Samoan...

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

I feel like I've barely seen my children this summer.  First there was a day camp they wanted to be part of, then there was a week of camping (scout camp for him, church camp for her), now this mission trip, and they both have another week of church camp coming up soon.

They're loving it, and I kind of am too, because it's good for them to spread their wings and fly...but I'm missing them. :(

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. The Hodgepodge lands on June 14th this week, Flag Day in the US of A. Do you fly your country's flag at home? Sometimes, often, or every single day? Have you ever visited the city of Brotherly Love (Philadelphia)? Did you make a point of seeing The Betsy Ross House? Have you ever made a trip to Baltimore? If so, was Fort McHenry on your itinerary? (where Francis Scott Key was inspired to write The Star Spangled Banner)

We do, sometimes.  Most the time it's either raining or I'm forgetful.  Fortunately, I can count a boy scout among our ranks, and he's a bit better about remembering than I am.

As to Philadelphia or Baltimore, it's been many, many years since I've been to Philadelphia.  We drove through Baltimore a couple years ago on our way to/from DC.  Didn't stop by any of the touristy places in Baltimore.
2. Red flag or white flag? Which have you encountered most recently? Explain.

Probably white flag.  I say that as I'm watching a pair of groundhogs frolic in our backyard.  I know the fact that there's two of them back there means big trouble later, but...they're so cute...

(Also, now that school's out, I have lost complete control of my schedule.  So there's that.)
3. Are you a stay in the car listen to the end of a song kind of person? What kind of person is that?

Sometimes.  I've been known to be that crazy lady that drives around the block a couple extra times, just because I'm listening to something I love.  I think it means I'm kind of sentimental, especially if it's because I'm listening to something that makes me wistful for some long-hidden memory.

4. What are some of the traits or qualities you think a good dad possesses? In other words, what makes a good dad? What's an expression you associate with your father?

I think a good dad is honest and a good lead-by-example sort.  Wants the best for his children and isn't afraid to play goofy games with them.

An expression I associate with my father, particularly during my college years, because he said it a LOT then..."Your attitude got you into this, and your attitude will get you through."  I always took it to mean he knew I was determined enough to make it through just about anything.

It may have been something more sarcastic.  Who knows.

5. What's one rule you always disagreed with while growing up? Is that rule somehow still part of your adult life? Is that a good or bad thing?

"Your sister is in charge."

Not that it applies much, anymore, but given that my sister was the older of the two of us, and BOTH of my parents had older siblings, I always thought they would have remembered the laws of sibling dynamics enough to *not* do that.  But they did, and I concede, I did it just last night, for about five minutes.  Nothing happened, but I'd really rather never do that again.
6. Insert your own random thought here.

You know that prayer that goes, "Lord, keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth"? That's in my head these days...I got committee'd for boy scouts, Scout has a swim test tonight, Sunshine has a dress rehearsal for her dance recital tomorrow night, the big show is on Saturday, and I'm already tired.  Clearly coffee is no longer strong enough.

Wednesday Hodgepodge (early edition)

Well, I'm back again for another hodgepodge, and I'm doing it early again because Wednesdays get busy in a hurry around here!

1. Share a favorite memory of your mother or share a favorite something from your own life as a mother. If you're a mother (or stepmom) tell us how your experience as a mom differs from your own mother's experience.

I remember one particularly warm winter, when I was very young, my mother decided one morning to assure me that Santa would still be visiting because he would put wheels on his sleigh.  She spent a lot of time trying to assure me that everything would be okay.  I didn't understand why she was so worried--Santa's sleigh could FLY, so what did it matter that there wasn't any snow?

One of my favorite memories as a mother was when my son was about eighteen months old.  I had a terrible headache one morning, and I was lying on the sofa, trying to sleep it off, but I could tell he was somewhere upstairs crying for one of us.  My husband went to find him, and came back with the news that he'd gone upstairs to his room to get his favorite stuffed kitty, and couldn't get back downstairs with him.  My eyes were still closed, and I barely replied, but I definitely noticed when my son tucked his kitty into my arms, kissed my forehead, and patted my cheek.  He'd gone to get his kitty for ME so I would feel better.


2. In May we celebrate teachers (May 9) and nurses (May 6) both. Most every family has at least one in their midst, so tell us something (or a few things) you appreciate about the teacher or nurse on your family tree.

I...actually don't think I have any teachers or nurses in my family tree!

3. Chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad...which would you go for if all three were on the menu? On bread or a bed of lettuce? If you answered bread, what kind of bread would make it the perfect sandwich?

I suppose if those are my options, I'll take chicken salad, on a bed of lettuce.  I'm not a huge fan of any of them.  But since I've had chicken salad that I'll actually tolerate before...

4. Do you have a desk? Is it organized? If so, share your secret to keeping it that way. If you don't have a desk, where in your home do you take care of family paperwork and business? Where do you normally sit to blog?

I don't.  And NOTHING of mine is organized.  Family paperwork and business is taken care of at the dining room table.  I set it in my place so that I definitely get it out of the way before dinner.  Right now, I'm upstairs in my room blogging.

5. When I was nine years old....
Wow.  Uh...I was in fourth grade?  My teacher got married halfway through the school year.  I don't think that lasted long.  I wanted to be a police officer when I grew up.  My favorite color was blue.  I had a soft spot for a certain boy, but there were three of them by that name in that classroom, and one of them had gotten the WRONG impression, and was rather cruel about it.  

Maybe I don't remember that much about being nine years old...
6. Insert your own random thought here.

My husband is travelling for work this week.  I wasn't feeling well after dinner, and all I wanted was to do the dishes in relative peace and quiet.  Scout responded to this by taking Sunshine outside to teach her how to pitch a baseball.

If every summer day was like this, I'd like summer more.  Most summer days are spent breaking up shouting matches or trying to keep them from flooding the backyard.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Hey y'all--I'm doing that thing where I do this on Tuesday instead of Wednesday again, so bear with me...

1. April is Lawn and Garden Month. On a scale of 1-10 what's the current state of your lawn and/or garden. (10=a showpiece, 1=send in the professionals). Tell us about any lawn or garden plans you have for this month.

I won't lie to you, it's probably at a 2 or 3.  We never managed to fully get all the leaves out of our yard from last year (that oak tree just NEVER GIVES UP) and right now it's pretty muddy, because Pittsburgh gets an astonishing amount of rain.  But once it dries out, all it needs is a few passes with the mower and it'll be all right.

2. "Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there."~Thomas Fuller  What does this quote mean to you?

This seems to me to be about plot twists.  Similar to the idea that we make plans, and God laughs.  Just because something happens in a truly life-changing way doesn't mean it's because of any actions we took.

3. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think about God?

Grace.

4. If we were chatting in person, how would I know if you were nervous?

I'd be talking really, really fast.  But nervous is not something I do often anymore.

5. Do you like the color yellow? Would I find any in your home or wardrobe? Daffodils, tulips, roses, sunflowers, day lily, black eyed susan...which yellow bloom on this list is your favorite?

It isn't part of my wardrobe, but I like it all right.  I just like it better in nature.  Of the ones on the list, I have a soft spot for sunflowers.

6. Flip flops or bare feet?

Bare feet.  Less noisy that way.

7. Tell us about any Easter plans, celebrations, or traditions you'll carry out this month.

Other than going to church, nothing specific--I'm getting the kids' gifts together, and I think this year I'll send them on a color-coordinated Easter egg hunt, but other than that, Easter is pretty low key for us.  It's usually nice, so I'll just let them spend the day playing outside after church.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
...is anyone other than me kind of tired of hearing that this giraffe is gonna have her baby "soon"?  Because they've been telling us that for two months.  To be fair, I hope she does have her baby soon, but meanwhile, I have chores to do....

Wednesday Hodgepodge

For the first time in a long time, I'm back, baby!

 

1. Setting aside the real March Madness (NCAA Basketball) describe something happening at your house this month that might earn the title 'March Madness'?

ALL THE THINGS.  Scout's birthday was last week, which means guests and a party and general chaos.  He's 11 now.  This year, he also got to take part in the annual 5th grade vs. teachers basketball game (which the 5th graders won by one point).  There's also a lot of things going on with him with actual Scouts--he's in the process of transitioning from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, which is more activities, but he's enjoying it.

Sunshine has had dance classes and after school fitness/wellness stuff and Girl Scouts and cookie sales and...well, that's all...but isn't that enough?
2. What's a favorite made up word from your childhood or a favorite from your children's childhood? Does your family still use the word today? If there's a story behind the origin please share.

Not really a made-up word, but kind of a mishmash of a couple things from my children's childhood.  They always called my grandmother Super Nana, mostly because I had told my son that she was his great-grandmother.  He knew "great" also meant "super", and the name kind of stuck.  She loved it.  I thought it made her sound like a super hero.

3. Will you be doing any spring cleaning now that the season is upon us? I read here a list of 15 quick (under one hour) spring cleaning tasks. They were-

clean out a drawer, vacuum furniture, whiten tile grout, dust the nooks and crannies you don't get to year round, degrease kitchen cabinets, wipe down walls, go behind furniture, wipe down ceiling fans, vacuum the mattress, clean the range hood, wash baseboards, shine the stainless steel, clean out vents, tackle the windows, and wipe down gadgets

Of the fifteen 'quick' tasks listed which two most need doing at your house? Will you do them?

Of those fifteen, the ceiling fans DEFINITELY need my attention, and then probably the baseboards.  The fans will get done...I may make someone smaller than me take care of the baseboards.

4. A favorite movie set in Paris or New York?

Well, I seem to remember the X-Men series being set in New York...

5. What's put a spring in your step this month?

The birds outside my window.  True, right now they're squawking and I can practically hear them saying, "HEY, LADY, YOUR BIRD FEEDER IS EMPTY AND WE'RE HUNGRY" but still.  It's nice to have them back.

6. Did you ever want to be a teacher? Why or why not?

For a while, yes I did.  I don't recall what exactly the appeal was, but it didn't last long.  

7.  What's your favorite floral scent? Do you have this somewhere in your home or maybe in a perfume? How do you feel about florals in food? How about wines with floral notes-yay or nay?

Lavender.  I always have some lavender essential oil around somewhere--the kids love it because it helps them sleep, I love it because it helps the kids sleep...

Florals in food--It's a nice looking effect, but I have a hard time with the idea of eating a flower.

Wine with floral notes--done right, it's very nice.  I tend to prefer a sweeter wine, though.
8. Insert your own random thought here.

Today's schedule includes (counts on fingers) eight stops.  I'm already tired thinking about it.  (I'm writing this on Tuesday morning, though, to avoid the REAL busy day that will be tomorrow.)

New Year, New Hodgepodge

I haven't actually been able to get to one of these since September.  New Year feels like a good reason to try again...

1. Share one favorite moment/memory from your Christmas holiday. 

The end of a long drive.  Fifteen hours in the car, ooof.  Seriously, though--getting to see everyone.  Getting to go to the candlelight service on Christmas Eve.  Watching my son transform as he carried his youngest cousin everywhere.  She adores him, and he loves every second of it.

2. What was the best thing you ate over the holidays? Was it homemade or store bought? If it was homemade did you make it?

My BIL made a pretty awesome prime rib for Christmas day.  

3. What was one of the most beautiful things you saw over the holidays?

In one sense, watching my kids play with their cousins was an absolute high.  In another sense, those looong car drives are stressful for everyone, so it's always a relief to see the stadiums in Kansas City , because it means we're almost done.

4. What does fresh start mean to you?

Moving on from the past.  Making another attempt to reach a goal.

5. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very positive and 1 being not so great) how would you rate 2016 in terms of personal achievement and well being? Explain. 

2016 was a mess of a year.  I feel like things went to pieces about every six weeks on us.  That made it really hard to take care of ourselves well, focus on stuff that needed to be done, etc.  For myself, I give 2016 a -95.

6. 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 more about how the words were chosen or, if you're like me, to find out what in the world the word or phrase even means or the context in which it's used. There were quite a few on this year's list I'd never heard before.

Here's the 2017 list of banished words-

You, Sir-focus-Bete Noire-Town Hall Meeting-Post Truth-guesstimate-831-historic-manicured-echo chamber-on fleek-bigly-ghost-Dadbod-listicle-get your dander up-selfie drone-frankenfruit-disruption

Which word on the list would you most like to see banished in 2017? What word or phrase would you add to the list?

Guesstimate has always kind of made my hair stand on end.  I don't know why people started saying "bigly" but UGH.

7. Large or small, light or deep, share with us one goal you have for the new year. 

One of my friends posted something on Facebook at the beginning of the year about crocheting a "temperature blanket"--chrochet one row a day for the year, and the color is based on the outdoor temperature that day.  I chose to amend that to "outdoor temperature at noon" because otherwise it's too variable.  My goal is to actually keep up with that blanket.  So far it's light blue, but the row I'm adding now is just a little darker.  And yes, I know it's going to be ridiculously long.  That's okay with me.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Also a goal: be nicer.  My gut is telling me that crocheting is going to be an easier goal to keep.