Wednesday Hodgepodge

Just click the Wednesday Hodgepodge button above to hop on over to Joyce's place to play along.

1. What's the last job you did that required elbow grease?

I would have to say scrubbing the shower. This house had a mold problem (I think this whole part of Texas has a mold problem!) and it is most evident in the bathroom.

2. March Madness, aka the men's Division I basketball championship, is nearing an end. What sort of 'madness' has your house seen this month?

I would have to say getting ready for the graduations of both our youngest son and youngest daughter. The invitations have been delivered and the caps and gowns have arrived. The rings have shown no sign of getting here any time soon, so there may not be a ring ceremony at the graduation ceremony. We still need to order the cake and make other party arrangements. We had to change the date for the ceremony several times due to conflicts, but hopefully this one sticks!

3. What's your favorite shop for browsing?

My favorite stores are bookstores, home improvement stores and some craft stores. Generally, though, I'd rather browse online instead of in person.

4. Is there ever a time when giving up makes sense?

Yes, I think so. Sometimes pursuing something is just totally pointless or even dangerous.

5. What's a song you love that contains the name of a city, state or country in its title?

I like the song Austin by Blake Shelton.

6. When did you first begin using a computer?

We got our first home computer in 1996. I was scared of it at first, afraid that I'd end up launching a missile or something. It was probably late 1996 or early 1997 when I got brave enough to try it out.

7. Did you buy girl scout cookies this year? What's your favorite?

Yes. We got the shortbread cookies and peanut butter cookies. David loves the shortbread cookies and the peanut butter ones are my favorite. Personally, I think the shortbread cookies are great, too, especially with peanut butter on them. :)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm thinking lots about how things will go for us once all of the kids are in college. We'll have three there this fall. On the one hand this will give us opportunity to do more jobs, but it might also mean a lot more driving back and forth to the school as we only have one car and that isn't going to change any time soon.

I'm also excited about the impending release of the 1940 US Census. I am going to be an indexer and hope that I do a good job of it. Mistakes are frustrating all the way around. I just hope that I'll be able to decipher the handwriting!

You might also want to join the April A to Z Blog Challenge that I read about on From This Side of the Pond. Check it out; it looks like it will be lots of fun!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Just click the Wednesday Hodgepodge button above to hop on over to Joyce's place to play along.


This week's questions:

1. The first day of spring is here...do you enjoy working in the yard? Weeding, raking, mowing, planting-your favorite springtime garden chore? How about your least favorite?

Yes, I enjoy working in the yard, but not when it is a zillion degrees out there. I was making progress until someone interfered with my efforts, then I got sick. I just haven't totally gotten back into the swing of things yet. It is too squishy to do much of anything out there right now. But PTL for all of the rain because we sure needed it.

2. What puts a spring in your step?

My feet can't do too much "springing" right now because one of them is still recovering from a fall. But, what excites me is genealogy and visiting cemeteries looking for tombstones and statuary to photograph.

3. Describe a time when you had to spring into action?

The first thought that comes to mind for me was when one of my daughter's got a broken arm. She was out playing with the older kids and they were using a basketball as a soccer ball and it clipped the tips of her fingers. When that happened, it snapped both the radius and the ulna clean through right at the growth point near the wrist. It had to be reset and that had to be one of the most painful things that I've witnessed. They could have given her an anesthetic, but they said that would hurt her as much as the resetting. She told them to just go ahead without the anesthetic. She was maybe seven years old at the time. She was a trooper. I felt like screaming for her. It was awful. The weird thing about it was that it was healed in less than three weeks' time. I was very surprised at how fast it healed.

4. We're having carrots for dinner...would you prefer yours raw or cooked?

I like them both ways, but preferred the cooked ones...cooked baby carrots are my favorite.

5. Do you take the shampoos and other sundries from your hotel room when its time to check out?

Usually, especially if we have opened them already.

6. What's the most enjoyable team or club you've belonged to and what was it that made it so?

I enjoyed being part of Baptist Young Women. It was a fun time of fellowship and learning and growing in our faith.

7. Is cloning a sign of progress?

I suppose it could be seen as such, but I think it is more of a backing-up. Anything that has us playing God takes us further from Him, in my opinion, and isn't a true movement forward.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I wish that I were better about burying feelings on various things. I also think often about how funny some words are. Visually, they look like they would rhyme, like goes and does or goose and choose, but they don't rhyme at all when you say them. English is my native tongue, but it still doesn't make any sense to me. :)

Wednesday Hodgepodge

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1. St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated this coming Saturday...what's a favorite article of clothing you own that contains a touch o' the green?

I own several articles of clothing that are green and one I won't go into great detail on. I have a green peasant top with white embroidery down the front and another green top that might also be considered a peasant top, but I'm not sure. It has tassels for ties and they're forever getting knotted up, but I love the shirt. I also have a pink St. Patrick's themed shirt with shamrocks on it.

2. What's a favorite 'green space' in the town, state, or province where you live?

My favorite "green space" is a cemetery. Maybe that isn't what is meant by this question, but it is one of my favorite places to be.

3. Do you wish you were taller, shorter, or think you're just about right in the height department?

My whole life I've wanted to be taller. I have been tired of being called names or having it pointed out to me (like I didn't already know!) that I am short. I am 4'10" tall, give or take, and at this point in my life I am fine with that. I'm a carbon copy of my grandma. I am the height that Heavenly Father intended for me to be and who am I to argue with what He thought best for me?

4. What's the surest way for someone to pick a fight with you?

Messing with one of my kids or my husband is a sure way to get something stirred up with me.

5. Broccoli-Spinach-String Beans-Peas...of the four, your favorite green veg? (Or the one you dislike the least if that first option's too hard. I just know there's some veggie haters out there.)

I can't choose! I love all of them very much.

6. March is National Women's History Month...besides friends, neighbors and the women you're related to, who's a woman in history you admire and why?

This question took a lot of thought because the women that I admire the most are in the categories that are off limits. I would have to say Helen Keller. She had so much against her, but fought her way through it. She didn't let it hold her back or use it as a crutch to get out of making something of herself. I think she was a very strong woman.

7. Keep Calm and ____________on.
You fill in the blank.

Keep calm and dream on...in the good way. No matter what is falling apart around you, stay calm and hold onto your dreams.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

The bluebonnets are in full swing here in Gulf Coast Texas!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

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1. February 22nd is National Be Humble Day...what makes you proud? What keeps you humble?

My children make me very proud. They aren't out there running wild and getting into trouble. What keeps me humble is knowing that I'm just a tiny speck in the grand scheme of things and He loved me enough to secure my future.


2. Where is the catch-all (aka dumping ground) in your house?

I think the whole house fits that description at the moment.


3. Do you make it a point to visit State/National Parks when you travel or even in your own hometown? What's your favorite?

It is one thing that I'd like to do, but we don't often go anywhere that is near a state or national park.


4. How would you define honor?

I think it is fighting and possibly dying for what you believe in. It is doing right even when it would be easier or more fun to do wrong. It is defending the defenseless. It is putting others before yourself.


5. Angel's food or Devil's food-which cake do you prefer?

Devil's food wins, though I'm not at all fond of the name! I think "Brat's Food" would work so much better. I'm a brat, so I should know. :)

6. What's the most recent road trip you've taken? Where did you go and how many hours did you spend in the car? Do you like to zoom to your destination without stopping or leisurely wind your way there with stops along the way? What is your car snack of choice?

We went further north in the state that had me driving for ten or so hours. If I had chosen to drive straight through Houston, there would have been less drive time overall, but there would have also been a freaked-out Suz at the end of the journey. We don't have the option of non-stop driving. One of us is diabetic and the other one is a old lady. Many stops are going to happen on any journey that we make. Generally, I like barbecue chips and Diet Coke.


7. Recent headlines told how a preschool child in NC had their packed lunch from home taken away and a school lunch substituted by a school inspector who deemed the homemade lunch unhealthy. Reportedly the parent was then billed for the school lunch (chicken nugget meal) although an update to the story says the parent was not billed. The inspector was conducting a routine inspection of the classroom-he/she was not there solely to peek in the lunchboxes. The packed lunch contained a turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple juice box, a bag of chips, and a banana. You can read the story here. Your thoughts?

Personally, I think the government is stepping way out of bounds. It should be the parents' choice what their child eats or doesn't eat. If they want to inspect the school-provided lunches, then let them have at it, but stay out of the private lunches. It is none of their business. It sounds to me like the lunch the little girl brought from home met the guidelines. She had a meat, a grain, a dairy, and two fruits. Sure, the chips aren't necessarily the healthiest thing, but how healthy are the school's extras? It just seems silly and intrusive to me to give this family grief over their child's lunch when most schools these days have soft drink vending machines all over the place. Maybe they should get their "healthy police" to get rid of those soft drink machines and leave little girls alone to eat their turkey sandwiches!


8. Insert your own random thought here.

I am wondering what happened to the little baby that I just read about in the newspaper online from back home. I'm also wondering how a family can bury two family members within four days and survive, but I hope that they do.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

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1. George Washington-Abraham Lincoln-Thomas Jefferson...who would you most like to meet and why?

Most definitely I would love to meet Thomas Jefferson. He's supposedly in my family tree (still working to confirm or deny that!) and I think that he was a very interesting character. I think that his house and grounds are beautiful.

2. What's your favorite chain restaurant?

I love Olive Garden. Everything about it is great. The food, the decor, and the service, it's all great.

3. I spied this question on the Bears at Home blog last week and she gave me permission to steal borrow it-

When you look back on your life, do you imagine you'll think about the goals you failed to meet with regret? Or will you look at what you accomplished and say: it was good?

There are things at this point already that I wish I had done or done differently. There's no going back. I can only hope to do better from this day forward and I'm working on it.

4. Grapefruit-take 'em or leave 'em? Given the choice between an orange and a grapefruit which would you choose? Would you prefer it served as is or squeezed into juice?

I am majorly allergic to grapefruits and have a milder allergy to oranges. The last time I drank grapefruit juice (well over 25 years ago), it wanted out of me so fast that it passed itself...as I was drinking it, it was coming back up. It didn't even have time to warm up. Yucky, I know, but it is the truth!

5. When was the last time you cleaned out a closet? Is there a closet in your home that currently needs cleaning? What are you waiting for?

All of them could do with a good sorting and cleaning out. I'm waiting for the energy to do it. And maybe for the good fairies to beat me to it.

6. You get to have lunch with three famous people...who would you like to see round your table?

I think that I would enjoy a visit with Zig Ziglar. He is a great motivator and seems to be a genuinely nice man. I also think that it would be interesting to have Frank and Jesse James there, too. I want to know if my take on the reasons for their actions is on the mark. I know what I believe; I just want to know if it is true or not.

7. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your ability to parallel park?

-1000. OK, that isn't a scale of 1-10, but it is way more accurate in my case than 1-10 would be. I stink at it. I can't do it and, personally, I think the way they require it to be done is an accident waiting to happen!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I made an interesting find today. I found a pension application for one of my great-great grandfathers on my mama's side of the family. His name was Jim Spence. He enlisted in the CSA, Company C, Palmetto Sharpshooters, Jenkins Brigade, in August 1863 at age 16 and was in service until after the surrender in April 1865. He died in October 1923. You can learn some very interesting things about family members by reading these pension applications.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What is something you are loving right now?

I am loving the cooler weather that we are having as well as the progress that I'm making with my genealogy research.

2. Paris, Venice, New York, and Rome are considered four of the most romantic cities in the world. Which one would you most like to visit?

I think of the four choices given, it would be a tie between Venice and Rome. Rome would probably win.

3. Are you a romantic?

I think that maybe in some ways I am, but generally I am a practical, logical person.

4. What's your favorite love story made for the Big Screen?

There are several, but the first two to come to mind are Gone With the Wind and The Quiet Man. Both are full of love of people and place and way of life.

5. Everyone loves Pooh bear and friends...which character are you most like and why? Click here for help in answering this question.

Eeyore is the one that I am the most like and I think that he's the cutest of all of Pooh's friends, too.

6. What's the best chocolate something you've ever eaten?

I don't know about being the best that I've ever eaten, but right now the best that I can think of is Blue Bell's Dutch Chocolate ice cream. It is super yummy!

7. Share a favorite quote about love.

This is one of many favorites:

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach... Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I really like this one, too:

I love thee, I love but thee, With a love that shall not die, Till the sun grows cold, And the stars grow old. William Shapespeare

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I don't know why things have to be so hard, almost always. One thing that I'm learning more and more every day is that my faith should not be in this person or that person. Humans can and will disappoint and cause pain. I should put my faith solely in Heavenly Father. I believe in Him and He is there for me. I am never truly alone, no matter how alone I may feel at any given moment. He will never leave me nor forsake me.

"...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. It's that most wonderful time of the year...tax season! Do you complete your own returns or farm that job out to the professionals?

My husband has a Master's Degree in Business Administration/Accounting & Finance, so he does them. I wouldn't touch them with a ten-foot pole!

2. This next question comes from Kansas Bob...he posed it in his response to something I asked in an earlier Wednesday post and I asked him if I could add it to the Hodgepodge some day. Today's the day....

Which do you think has changed you more-love or pain?

I'm thinking it is a mix of both, but pain has made the most obvious changes. Actual, to-the-core, hope is generally a thing of the past and laughs are few and far between. However, that trend seems to be changing and when I do laugh, it is a deeper, more true laugh than in the past.

3. Tangerine Tango has been named color of the year for 2012. Your thoughts? Would I find this color anywhere in your house? How about in your closet? If not, will you be adding this color to your life in some way in 2012? If you're not sure what tangerine tango looks like click here.

I'm allergic to citrus fruits and that carries over to home decor and clothing. :) I'm more into earth tones, blacks, and reds.

4. Are you a collector? What do you collect and does it get admired, used, and/or dusted regularly?

I collect angels and books. No, no, no in regards to the angels and yes, yes, no in regards to the books. The angels are in the living room and I rarely am in that part of the house. The books are here in the room with us.

5. February is National Heart Month...besides a green salad what is one tasty heart healthy dish you like to prepare?

Anything loaded with garlic would be our choice. Garlic helps to reduce blood pressure and that can't help but be a good thing for the heart.

6. When was the last time you had car trouble?

We had our last car trouble about a year ago, unless you want to count a flat tire. That happened on the way to take our daughter to class just a few months ago.

7. Have you been more demanding on yourself lately or less? Is that a good trend?

In some ways, yes, I have been more demanding of myself lately and I do think that it is a good thing. Rather than taking things at face value and assuming them to be the truth, I am digging deeper and looking for confirmation. This comes out the most in my genealogical research. Just because someone says A belongs to B doesn't mean that this A belongs to this B. There are a lot of factors that need to be considered and records to track down to prove the connection. It would be easiest to assume that all information that I was given was correct and let my research stop there. But, I need to go the distance and get that confirmation through legal papers and other fact comparisons.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I do not like waiting. Most of my life I have been an impatient person. Over the last couple of years I have become a far more patient person. Until last night, that is. Someone dangled a blasted carrot that they know I want and now I have to wait to see if I can have the carrot. Hurry up and wait. OY! One problem with this particular dangler is that they dangle and then take it back without following through. I know this, but I can't help but get my hopes up each time, hoping that something will change for the better. I am determined, however, whether they follow through or not, I'll find a way to get that carrot with or without their assistance.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

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1. The NFL playoffs were held this past weekend and this year's Superbowl lineup will feature The New York Giants versus The New England Patriots. How do you define 'patriot'?

A patriot, in my opinion, is someone that is loyal to their country, no matter how stupid it might seem to be at the moment. They are willing to defend their country, at times risking their lives to do so. Like a parent to a child, a patriot loves their country, no matter what.

2. What's something in your life right now that feels like a 'giant'?

At this exact moment, the never ending headaches fit that description. Feeling secure is another.

3. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to being 18?

YAY! I made it through school. I'm old enough to move out without permission and I'm about to get married!

4. Coconut-mashed potatoes-vanilla ice cream-mayonnaise...which white food would be the hardest to give up?

I wouldn't want to have to give up mashed potatoes. I don't eat coconut very often, so I wouldn't miss it. The same for vanilla ice cream. I would miss mayo only because I don't like dry sandwiches. I could live without it if I had to.

5. Describe an incident or a day you remember as the coldest you've ever experienced?

That would probably be a day back in South Carolina when our heater went out and it was in the single digit temperatures. The fan was running on the heater, but it wasn't putting out any heat. Even bundled up in blankets and coats and cuddled up together, we were very cold.

6. You're hosting a brunch...what's your favorite dish to prepare and serve?

I don't know what would be my favorite dish to prepare, but my husband's favorite things for me to make are custard pie and deviled eggs. I would probably opt for the deviled eggs and pray that the others liked them as much as my husband does.

7. How do you combat negative thinking?

I'm not very good at combating stinkin' thinkin'. It usually wins over any attempt to combat it.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I was hoping to go to photograph a cemetery today but didn't get to because of rain and tornado warnings. I am very happy for the rain because we need it, that's for sure. But, I really, really wanted to go work through our list of photo requests today. Our last two trips out to this particular cemetery, we didn't find any of the people on our list. It will still be too squishy to go out there tomorrow, but I hope by Friday we can try again.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

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1. A new Miss America was crowned on Saturday night-did you watch? If you were a contestant what would your talent be?

No, I do not generally watch beauty pageants. The talent that I seem to have the most is ticking people off. A more positive talent, I guess, would be making something out of nothing. My husband says that I'm very good at that.

2. Do you have houseplants? Real or fake?

Does a dead poinsettia count? I do not generally have flowers in the house unless I am planning to photograph them. That isn't very often these days.

3. When you were in school did you speak up or were you more of the hide your face, avoid eye contact, and pray the teacher didn't call on you type of student?

I was always hoping and praying that the teacher would forget that I existed. The thought of being in front of the class, giving oral reports, writing on the board, all of those things scared the heck out of me and made me sick. I'm still the same way.

4. Next Monday marks the Chinese New Year....what do you order when someone suggests Chinese food?

We never go anywhere for anyone to suggest Chinese food to me.

5. How would you define a miracle? What would it take for you to consider something a miracle?

To me, a miracle is something good that has no possible way of happening, but it does anyway. For example, going to bed the night before Thanksgiving with no food in the house and waking up to people at your door the next morning with more groceries than your kitchen can contain.

6. What's your favorite Disney song? If you're stuck you'll find a list here

This is one of my favorites: Beauty and the Beast

7. I should have __________yesterday.

I should have walked through a section of the graveyard looking for some of the names on our list of markers to photograph, but it was just a lazy day all around.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I am excited to find a relative online (that I never knew existed) that is every bit as excited about genealogy work as I am. She's got information that I didn't have; I have information that she didn't have and so we're both getting to grow our family trees a little more and maybe we'll be able to knock down a few brick walls in the process. I am very happy to have found her!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Lake Superior University has once again banished a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen's English in 2012-

amazing, baby bump, shared sacrifice, occupy, blowback, man cave, the new normal, pet parent, win the future, ginormous, trickeration and thank you in advance.

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why. Go here to read more about how the words were chosen.


I think the term "baby bump" is cute, so that one can stay. Of the choices given, I guess I would say get rid of shared sacrifice. Generally, they aren't truly "shared" and certainly not in the political realm.

2. Are you easily embarrassed?

YES! There are things that some folks think are totally hilarious, but they embarrass me something awful. There are some folks that I think are the happiest when they are being a goof ball *because* they know it is embarrassing me.

3. What is your go-to snack?

If I could afford it on a regular basis, shrimp would be the answer here. Shrimp fixes everything. But, for now, it is peanut butter crackers.

4. Have you ever been to Washington DC? If not, do you have any desire to go? What site/attraction would you most like to see in that city? If you have been, what's your favorite site?

I've never been to Washington DC, but I would love to go to see the Jefferson Memorial.

5. Sit ups-planks-lunges-squats-which one do you hate the least?

I don't really particularly like any of them, but sit-ups would win the most hated slot. I don't know what "planks" are, so squats or lunges would get the "least hated" spot.

6. What's a small act of kindness someone did for you that you've never forgotten?

When I was in elementary school, a girl shared her lunch with me and was my friend. In high school, my US History teacher mailed letters for me because I couldn't get to the post office. These were letters to my then-future husband.

7. Have you ever been a blood donor?

I have tried on several occasions to be a blood donor. Each time that I've gone, they have rejected me. Each time that I've gone, I've found out that I was pregnant. Now, I can no longer have babies, but am anemic, so not a good candidate for giving blood.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Love is a hard-to-figure thing. It shows up when you aren't looking for it and disappears when you are. It either is or it isn't. You can't make it be any more than you can make it not be.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

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Here are this week's questions:

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2011?

Way too busy! I have driven over 21,000 miles in the last 9 months. But, it was a good kind of busy most of the time. I am enjoying driving my li'l zoom-zoom.

2. Do you like shrimp? What's your favorite way to have it prepared?

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE shrimp! It is my favorite food, breakfast, lunch, or supper. I would even count it as a dessert. haha I like it fried, as a cocktail, grilled, scampied. I have never met a shrimp I didn't like!

3. Is your house de-Christmased? If so, when did you tackle that job? If not, when will the decorations come down?

The tree stays up all year around here.

4. Do you like to watch scary movies?

I used to love watching scary movies, but since I almost died, they unnerve me too much. I can deal with mild spooky, but spooky on a spiritual level (as in with demons and such), I just can't handle those anymore. They cause panic attacks and this isn't even just modern movies. We tried to watch "Angel on My Shoulder" and we had to abort mission because I just couldn't take it. I know, I'm a wimp.

5. ice skating~sledding~skiing~snowboarding~of the four listed which wintertime activity do you most enjoy?

I've never done any of them, unless sliding down a little hill on a flattened cardboard box counts as sledding. Of the choices given, I would love to be able to ice skate. At this point in my life, however, it just isn't going to happen.

6. Did you have a childhood hideout? Describe it.

I lived in the woods. I don't know that it was so much of a hideout; it was just fun. I don't recall having anywhere that I actually went to hide.

7. What's a place or space that motivates you?

I know it will sound weird, but cemeteries motivate me. There I am, face to face with mortality and untold stories, and it revs me up to continue the research that I've spent the last thirty years working on. I want to find out as much as I can about my family and my husband's family before I, too, am lying under one of those stones with just my name and vital dates to show for it. I want my descendants to know what filled the dash.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

This year will not be without its challenges. I hope that I can knock them out, one day at a time. That is all that I have to do, make it just one more day, and then one more day. He is with me, however many days it takes.

Happy New Year!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

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1. Share something you loved about your Christmas day.

I loved having absolutely no reason to have to leave the house. We didn't have any jobs to do, the stores were closed (at least the ones that usually suck us in at least once a day!) and it was just a fine day of relaxing with nowhere to have to be.

2. You get to put five items in a time capsule to be opened in 100 years, what items would you choose and why?

First: I would start with a copy of my genealogy research so that future generations wouldn't have to fight the same battles that I've had to fight to get it.

Second: I would include copies of my pictures along with an index of who the people/places are in those photos.

Third: I would want to make a blessing gown and outfit (one for a girl and one for a boy) so that my future grandchildren would have something that I made and it would have my stitched signature and the date I completed it.

Fourth: I would include a copy of Enya's version of Silent Night, called Oiche Chiun. However, I have no clue how music will be formatted in the future, so maybe they'd just have to take me at my word that it is the most beautiful version of Silent Night in existence.




Fifth: And last, but not at all least, a letter telling those in the future about how important it is to have faith in Heavenly Father in ALL things, not just some things. We are not promised an easy life, but if we keep the faith and persevere, happiness is waiting for us on the other side. No matter what is happening, we just need to make it one more day...I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know Who holds tomorrow.

3. What do you like on a cracker?

I like several things on cracker, but not at the same time: peanut butter, cheese, seafood salad, and chicken salad.

4. Do you make resolutions? How'd that work out for you this past year?

No, I don't generally do resolutions. I have goals, but they are flexible and often change. Making resolutions is too much like setting it in stone.

5. What's a song or song lyric you'll associate with 2011?

My health battle isn't cancer, but like the song says, I just want to feel like a woman again and this is hard because of what surgery took from me. For those friends and acquaintances that have received the "c" diagnosis over this past year, this one's for you:



Jesus Take the Wheel...He's the only way this train will keep moving.




He's the only reason that I'm still here today.

6. How will you ring in the new year?

I will ring it in at home with my husband and remaining children, with sparkling grape juice and I'm not sure what else. I don't know if fireworks will be happening or not because I'm not sure if the burn ban is still on or not.

7. What is something you look forward to in 2012?

Although "freedom" was my word for 2011, it is my goal for 2012 as well. I won't go into details on that one. Also, I look forward to more family tree discoveries.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Childhood cancer is on my mind. It stinks. They shouldn't have to fight such things...and we shouldn't have to bury our babies.




For those still fighting, like Kate and Braden and so many others, please pray for them. For those little heroes that have gone on to Heaven, please remember their grieving families in your prayers. There's a cure out there somewhere and He's still in the miracle business. Please support the fight to end childhood cancer!


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Happy New Year, everybody!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Are you cooking Christmas dinner? How many will be round your table this year? What are we having?

A friend will be frying a turkey for us to bring home. We'll be having dressing and I'm not sure what else at this point. There will be five here: my husband, our three remaining children and me.

2. What is one must-have Christmas cookie in your house?

Sugar cookies! I love sugar cookies.

3. Santa likes a glass of milk with his cookies-do you? What kind of milk is on tap at your house-skim, almond, soy, full fat (Gasp!)

I love milk with cookies, but milk doesn't love me, so I don't have it very often. Santa and the little elves all drink 2%, when we can find it. When we can't, we buy whole milk. Skim milk is ICKY! For some reason, the local store has an awful time of keeping 2%. I can't imagine that there's suddenly been a high demand for it, but maybe everyone around here decided to lessen the fat in their milk to make room for more cookies?

4. Time magazine recently named its Person of the Year for 2011. This is the person the editors believe has had the greatest impact, for better or worse, in the past year. This year they chose 'The Protester'. Your thoughts? Who would you name person of the year for 2011?

As far as having an impact on the world as a whole, I cannot answer this. But impact on me personally and a large number of other people who are praying for them, I would have to say Braden and Kate. These two little ones have gone through so much in their young lives, more than many of us will experience in our entire lifetimes. They have cancer. They suffer tremendous pain and yet they keep on fighting. They hold onto faith. No matter what happens, they are fighters and they will win. They will find healing and I am praying that this healing brings with it long and happy lives for each of them.

They have been teachers of priorities, detours, and perseverance. They have taught what really matters: love, being happy in the moment, and being thankful for what you do have. These children are heroes in my eyes.

Here is a link to the foundation that Braden's family has set up to help all children to some day be free of such tragic illnesses: Braden's Hope

This site has been set up by Kate's family: Pray for Kate

Please pray for these precious children and all like them, fighting battles that are difficult even for adults. Thank you!

5. December 21st is National Flashlight Day...when was the last time you needed a flashlight? Did you know right where to find one?

We almost always leave something in the car that we meant to bring into the house and don't remember that we forgot it until the middle of the night. This is an almost nightly occurrence. "Fishy" (the name our kids gave the flashlight) lives on the stand beside our television.

6. candy canes...yum or yuck?

I think that candy canes are pretty but that is about as far as it goes for me. They make me sick to my stomach. I don't think that they taste bad, really, they just don't agree with me. They make great Christmas tree ornaments.

7. What Christmas carol lyric means the most to you?

I like all of Silent Night, especially the version done by Enya called Oiche Chiun. It is the most beautiful, most peaceful version I have ever heard. The song says "all is calm" and this version of the song just washes me with that calmness. Just beautiful.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas filled with love, laughter, and family all around and a new year full of the same. May Our Father bless you all richly as you seek to be the best that you can be.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Do you put Christmas decorations in every room of your house? If not, what rooms do you decorate?

We have angels in the living room and on the tree. The tree lives in the dining room. Other than angels, we don't really have a lot of decorations.

2. If you could visit one of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) which one would you choose and why?

I think that I would choose Denmark. There is a large Danish population here where I live. These folks are really nice and I think that it would be nice to see the area that they came from.

3. What does the word faith mean to you?

It means believing without seeing. It means you don't give up just because things are bad. You know that He has it covered and Who wins in the end.

4. You can go back to your childhood for one day...what day and age would you choose?

I have been doing a lot of genealogy research lately, so those relatives that have gone on to their rewards have been on my mind. I think that I would choose age fourteen and the day before my Papa Gunter died. I would want to go back with the knowledge that I have now and be able to prevent the event that led to his death.

5. When did you last have 'punch'? If its not too much trouble share your favorite punch recipe.

I can't remember the last time that I had punch, at least not any that I made. When we make it, we make what we call "Gremlin Guts." I can't remember the recipe at the moment, but two of the ingredients are lime sherbet and ginger ale.

6. Do you fill stockings at your house? Are stockings opened before or after the bigger gifts?

We usually fill stockings. There isn't a particular order of events here.

7. What takes your breath away?

Physically, cigarette smoke, strong chemicals, and perfume/cologne so loud that it seems the person fell into the bottle.

Emotionally, my children and some of the things that they come up with. The twinkle in my husband's eyes along with that grin of his do a pretty good job of it, too.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I have been researching the family tree of Jesse James as well as my branch of the James family to try to find if and where our families cross paths. One thing that I decided last night is that Jesse's family tree is about as twisted as my own, so I won't be the least bit surprised to find that he is, indeed, a relative. Sometimes I wonder if other folks have family trees that look like the people were in a braiding contest!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Please be sure to click the button to join Joyce and the Wednesday Hodgepodge fun!

1. Will you be hosting any house guests between now and the end of December? Does that thought make you happy or crazy? Do you do anything special to make your house guests feel welcome? How long should a guest stay?

We are not expecting any house guests between now and the end of December. I am perfectly fine with that. This house (and our schedule) isn't well suited for entertaining or for finding places for people to sleep.

2. Walter Elias Disney was born this week back in (Dec 5) 1905...what's your all time favorite Disney movie? Here's a list in case you're struggling...and yes, you have to pick one.

I think that my favorite would be Beauty and the Beast. The Beast reminds me of folks that have been in my life at points along the way. They appear rough and tough, but inside they are just big ol' teddy bears with hearts of gold.

3. What's the last thing you purchased that you realized was a mistake after the fact?

Definitely those Christmas Oreos! Unlike the Halloween Oreos where the orange was just a color and not a flavor, these Oreos were mint-flavored. Not exactly my favorite thing to dunk into a glass of milk. BLECH!

4. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done online?

This year, so far, it has been 100% online. It would suit me just fine for it to always be 100% online.

5. Amaryllis...snowdrop...poinsettia...your favorite winter blossom?

I think that all of these are beautiful. The amaryllis is elegant, but a big, bushy poinsettia is absolutely beautiful. I saw tons of them arranged just like a Christmas tree one year. Beautiful!

6. What is one thing on your personal wish list this year? I think we all want peace on earth so let's make this an actual item.

OK, since I'm not supposed to wish for peace because that's a given, I want the huge digital drawing tablet that that shows the art-in-progress on the tablet itself instead of on the computer monitor, the Adobe Master Collection newest version, and a computer with enough power to handle it all. Of course, I know it isn't happening anytime soon, but that is what I wish for.

7. If you could only use one word today what would it be?

The word would probably be "why". I always need to know the "whys" of things and "just because" doesn't cut it (plus, that's two words, not one!).

8. Insert your own random thought here.

That's a loaded one this week. There are lots of thoughts floating around in my head; some are pretty, some not so pretty. Mostly, I wonder why that man killed his babies over his wife leaving him. If he was bent on somebody dying, why didn't he just kill himself and leave the little ones out of it? He did end up killing himself, but why did the babies have to die, too? I wonder how their mother is, if she's even awakened yet, and how she is going to live once she finds out that she has lost all of her children. Such a sad, sad end to an apparent history of domestic violence.

Why can't people just be nice to each other?

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Please be sure to click the button to join Joyce and the Wednesday Hodgepodge fun!

1. Who taught you how to cook?

My mama taught me some things...like how to turn on the stove and how to boil water. Can't do much in the way of cooking if you don't know how to turn on the stove, right? She also taught me why I should listen when someone says "don't touch that; it's hot!"...which, of course, I didn't listen to and promptly put my little girl hand on the just-turned-off eye of the stove. OY!

My mother-in-law taught me how to make green bean casserole and chicken casserole.

Mostly, I am a self-made cook. My husband says that I'm a great cook and very good at making something out of nothing, which I've had to do on many occasions over the years. I love to cook and to experiment in the kitchen and look forward to being able to do that again.

2. Have you been told you think too much? Are too much of a perfectionist? Are too sensitive? Were they right?

Yes, to all of the above and yes, they were right. My husband says that I'm very analytical and sensitive. I do tend to analyze things and I want to be prepared. My mama always said that I was very tender-hearted. And YES, I am a perfectionist...one that is quite imperfect. Monk and I would make good buddies. :)

3. As a child did you have a favorite blanket or toy? Tell about it.

My teddy bear was my favorite toy as a child. I slept with him even after going off to college. He disappeared in the mid-190s when our storage building was stolen...not just the contents, but the entire building. He saw me through many nights of fear and crying. He knew the secrets that I carried and couldn't share with another human. He never judged and I loved the fur off of my little bear.

4. What 'institution' do you have the most faith in?

I am not really sure how to answer this question. I would love to be able to answer "marriage" as other friends have done, but I have issues with trust and they come from years of seeing how people treat each other when they think the other one isn't looking. I love my husband and he loves me and we would each die for the other if called to do so. We plan on being together forever and will fight it through, no matter what comes along. I have the most faith in Heavenly Father. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know Who holds tomorrow.

5. Chrysanthemums, pansies, burning bush, ornamental cabbage...your favorite in an autumn garden?

All of these are beautiful, but out of the bunch, my favorites are pansies. They are such happy little flowers!

6. What superpower do the kids in your neighborhood seem to posses?

I'm thinking they have the power to be invisible. I rarely see them, and when I do, they invariably end up behind my car at the very moment that I'm backing out of the drive, after having checked both ways and the way being clear two seconds before.

7. Are you a fan of the cranberry?

I think that cranberries are great. Without them, Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same. They are also great for helping to maintain bladder health and many other good things could be said for cranberries. They are such a pretty color, too!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

What is on my mind right now is blood pressure freak-outs and chest pains. One nearly floored me a couple of days ago. The thing about it is that my blood pressure has been more low than high lately. I went about a week or so with the diastolic being over a 100, now I'm doing good to have either number over 100. I don't know what's going on, but hopefully it will even out soon!

The other random thought is: Thank you, Joyce, for the Pinterest help!

Wednesday HodgePodge #50

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1. What gives you goosebumps?

The first thing that comes to mind is my husband's grin. He has a particular grin that sends shivers all through me. Horror movies also give me goosebumps as does a sudden poof of wind across my neck. Things of a spiritual nature often given me goosebumps.

2. Halloween-are you a lover or a hater? Okay, that sounds harsh...Halloween-yay or nay?

It doesn't really matter to me. We don't go trick-or-treating out in the community, more for safety reasons than anything else. Plus, our kids are nearly adults. We just play trick-or-treat here in the house and they load up with candy that hasn't been drugged or bladed.

3. Can you respect someone you do not trust, and can you trust someone you do not respect?

I think that this is a very complicated question as these feelings can be both intertwined as well as separate events. You can respect a person for their position in the world, but not trust them any farther than you can throw them. Someone can be a man of his word, therefore you trust him, but maybe he's an ax murderer on the side and you can't respect him due to his actions. I think mostly, though, it would be very hard to have one without the other tagging along for the ride.

4. Apples or oranges? Yes, you have to choose.

I would have to choose apples as I am allergic to oranges.

5. What is something you wish was in your town? (shop, restaurant, attraction, etc).

Hobby Lobby, Olive Garden, and Lowe's would be wonderful additions to our town, but I don't look for any of them to show up here anytime soon.

6. What non-food item is in your refrigerator or freezer?

My daughter's balloons are in the freezer. She makes balloon animals and the un-inflated balloons have to be stored in the freezer. I have no clue why.

7. Are you at all superstitious?

Not really. Bad things seems to find me whether a black cat crosses in front of me or not. :)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I think that there are some things that are billed as wholesome; on the surface, they are. But, once you dig down deep and really pay attention to what is going on - read between the lines, more or less - they are not wholesome or virtuous at all. They aren't teaching the lesson that they should be teaching.

Wednesday Hodgepodge #49

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1. How do you typically react in a sudden, extreme, pressure-filled crisis? Would we want you nearby in an emergency?

I don't generally panic, but depending on what has happened, I may get a hurly tummy. I am generally calm and capable of driving people to the ER without causing an accident.

2. Caramel apple-caramel sundae-caramel corn-caramel macchiato...of the four, which caramel treat would you choose?

I love caramel corn, of the candy variety. I would die to have a caramel apple, but I cannot eat them anymore. I can't eat really hard things. They lock my jaw. I have no clue what a "macchiato" is. Caramel sundaes are great but, due to dairy intolerances, I have to try to avoid them. Sometimes they hold me hostage and make me eat them. You know how insistent a sundae can be.

3. Is there such a thing as destiny? Explain.

I believe that all lives come into being for a purpose. I believe that we have free will but also believe that there are things that we are destined to do, not because we have been pre-destined to do them, but because of choices that we make in life, this is our destiny. We have free will. We have the power to change our destiny in most cases. I say 'in most cases' because there are some things that, once we set them in motion, there is no turning back, no matter how much we may want to do so or how hard we try.

4. What's your favorite piece of furniture? I'm referring to something currently in your possession as opposed to something on your wish list.

Our piano is my favorite piece of furniture. It was built in 1895 and is a beautiful, black mahogany. It is an upright grand. It is in dire need of some work, but I love it anyway.

5. Wednesday night marks the start of the 2011 Baseball World Series. Did you know? Do you care? Will you be watching? Ever been to a professional baseball game? If you're not an American do you find the title 'World Series' annoying or amusing?

Yes, I knew it. My husband told me. We are not big baseball fans, though we have watched many documentaries about various baseball legends. The only "World Series" that really interests us is the College World Series. Our alma mater has won for two years in a row now - University of South Carolina. Go, Carolina!

6. A sound that takes me back to my childhood is...

This one is hard! I don't remember very much from my childhood. I do remember the sound of my daddy revving up his old truck and the '57 Chevy. I also remember quite clearly the sound of my baseball bat as it met with the side of a neighbor boy's head. There are also sounds that I don't want to remember, but do every time I hear people arguing.

7. On average, once you've linked your hodgepodge post to mine how many other participant blogs do you visit? Do you ever come back to the Hodgepodge later in the day or even the day after to read posts?

I try to respond to one to three people for each meme that I participate in. Sometimes I do more and on occasion I forget completely to go back and visit the other posters. I don't mean to forget, but it happens because most of the time I do the post on one day and go back to respond on a different day because I don't have time to do it all at once.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My random thought for the day is...do meme responses count as natural posts? What exactly is a "natural post"?

Wednesday HodgePodge

Please be sure to visit Joyce at From This Side of the Pond to play along!

1. What makes you stand to your feet and cheer?

I am not generally a physically expressive person in most instances. However, inside, I was jumping all over the place, cheering my face off, during the College World Series this time. Our team, University of South Carolina, won for the second year in a row. They were the last to win at Rosenblatt Stadium (2010) and the first to win it at TD Ameritrade Park (2011). It was exciting beyond belief and I'm not even a sports fan. :)

2. What's your favorite patriotic song?

OK, this is probably not the expected response, but it is my honest answer: "Dixie" is my favorite patriotic song.

3. Do you believe that opposites attract? If you have a significant other are you opposites?

Yes, I believe it and live it every day of my life. My husband and I are total opposites in many ways. One of the ways that stands out the most to me is that he is a goofball, jokes about everything and I am a very serious-natured person. He doesn't get embarrassed and doesn't mind putting on a show, "hey, look at me" and all that. I would rather blend into the shadows, get embarrassed very easily, and just generally want to be invisible in public situations. He doesn't mind public speaking. Just the thought of it makes my tongue swell, and legs shake, and makes me sure I'm going to hurl buckets at whoever has the misfortune of being in close proximity of me. There are many other ways in which we are opposite, but it would take a whole series of posts to get them all in.

4. You're going to get a behind the scenes look someplace-where would you like that someplace to be?

There are so many ways to answer this because there are lots of places where I would love to be a fly on the wall, so to speak. But one thing that I have wished for years now that I could do is to go back in time to just before my immigrant ancestors left Ireland and Scotland for the United States. They were here in the US pre-Great Famine, having been here since at least the 1690s. I know there were other famines over the years, so maybe an earlier one caused them to leave their homeland. Maybe it was persecution, as there was much of that going on (and, to a degree, still is). I just would really love to know the story behind their leaving and I would love, love to hear them do the telling of the story. But, that will never happen, at least not this side of Heaven.

5. How far would you have to travel to ride a carousel (merry-go-round)?

For a carousel, I would probably have to go into Houston and that's not happening. I avoid that place as much as humanly possible. In order to spin on a merry-go-round, I only have to walk up the street just a little bit to the park. I love merry-go-rounds. It was on one back home in Anderson, South Carolina, where my then-friend/now-husband asked me to be his girl. My response, the words that will follow me until the end of time with many giggles attached, was "I reckon".

6. When was the last time you saw fireworks? What was the occasion? Do you enjoy fireworks?

I believe that the last time I went to see fireworks was 4th of July 2009. I love watching and trying to photograph fireworks. We didn't make it last year because I was very sick. I don't know yet if we'll make it this year to the display. Time will tell.

7. Of all the 'beauty products' you own, what item do you consider to be the most overpriced?

The only "beauty products" that I own personally (outside of those here for our Avon business) are a 99cent hair brush and a scrunchy. I don't think that either one of those were overpriced at all. I don't generally put money into makeup, beauty parlors, or anything like that. If I ever have extra money, it generally goes to buy a book or magazine, not things to attempt the impossible.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm thinking that I am very glad that it is almost Friday. Things have been very stressful here for a variety of reasons and Friday is the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm just hoping there's not a freight train on the backside of that light. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but PTL I know Who holds tomorrow. He has it all in His hands.

Wednesday HodgePodge

Please be sure to visit Joyce's blog, From This Side of the Pond, to play along!

1. Summer's here-whoohoo! What's your favorite sight, sound, AND smell associated with summer?

I love the smell of food cooking on the grill, be it ours or our neighbors' grill. One of my favorite sights is a tree with a really full canopy, especially the huge oak trees around here. My favorite sound of summer...the same as it is any other time of the year. I love to hear the cardinals chinking back and forth to each other. :)

2. Fireflies or lightning bugs...what are they called in your neck of the woods?

I grew up calling them lightning bugs and still call them that. I don't know what the folks around here call them.

3. What is something in the past week that reminded you of your childhood?

Father's Day always reminds me of my childhood. Also, watching people get hit with the ball and/or the bat on the College World Series *really* reminds me of my childhood because I can still hear the crack of the boy's head when I whacked him with the bat. It was totally an accident, but I don't think that anybody believed me. We both wanted the bat. We were both trying to pull it out of the other's hand. When I finally let go, he was still pulling and he got whacked in the head but good! You could hear that noise all over the neighborhood. I can still see him, plain as day, sinking to the ground holding his head. I high-tailed it into the house and locked myself in the bathroom and watched the rest from the bathroom window. I was sure that I was going to get my tail torn up over it. I don't remember anything beyond climbing up onto the bathtub ledge to look out the window. He lived, thank goodness, but I don't remember him coming over to play at our house anymore after that.

4. Define 'the good life'.

The good life, to me, is being with people that you love, that you can trust love you, too, not having to worry if you'll have a home to live in the next day, not worrying that you'll be left stranded on the side of the road, and not having to worry where your next meal will come from. It is also the security in knowing that, when this life is over, there is a far better place waiting for me, a place of no more sorrow, no more pain, no more being lonely or scared.

5. Tell us what we'd see if you took a snapshot of your desk/workspace.

Honestly? At this very moment, you'd see a big mess...lots of first aid supplies (for tending to the spider bite), Diet Coke and water bottles, a Sharpie, a dry erase marker, a pen that that needs a new ink cartridge, a scrunchie, a hairbrush, headphones, CDs, a non-working camera, printer, scanner and our computers. Oh, and the TV/Roku remotes are here, too, but on my hubby's side of the desk.

6. Peaches or watermelon? Yes, you have to choose.

This is a very hard choice to make. I love them both, being a good Southern girl and all. :) I love the cooling taste of watermelon, but not the drippy mess. I LOVE peach cobbler and it isn't so messy. So, I'll choose peaches.

7. Ever been skinny dippin'? Is that too much for the Wednesday Hodgepodge? Rest assured we won't need details...unless of course you feel you must but keep in mind this is a family friendly blog so keep it G rated please.

I don't think that I have...and if I have, it must have been pretty traumatic, but I have no recollection whatsoever of doing it. haha

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I love days in which we collect more jobs to do while we're out working on the ones that were planned for already. I like being an Avon lady and having my hubby as an Avon man. We make a great team. He's the people person and I am the behind-the-scenes detail person. It works for us.