Wednesday Hodgepodge

It is once again Hodgepodge time.

1. I live in the south so we're pretty much only talking about the weather right now. Give us a weather report from where you live. Does the kind of weather you're having today affect your mood in some way? 

It is extremely cold and we have had at least a dusting of snow every day for the past 2 weeks. For example today the low was 1 and the high was 16. With the wind chill it felt like -6 when we left for school this morning. I am really not dealing well with the weather this year. Yesterday was the first day I left my house since last Thursday since school was cancelled on Friday and Monday. 

2.  Avocados, kale, cauliflower and cottage cheese have all had their time to shine. 2026 brings us the year of the cabbage. Is this a vegetable you like? If so, what are some of your favorite dishes that call for cabbage?  

I really only eat cabbage in egg rolls and cole slaw.

3. Was a Cabbage Patch Doll a part of your childhood? Or maybe your children's childhood? What's a toy trend from your childhood you remember wanting for your own?

OMG I LOVED Cabbage Patch dolls! The first Christmas of the craze my mom couldn't find one so she had a friend of hers make me a fake one. I did end up getting 2 or 3. I remember one was the preemie doll and the other had hair you could style. I remember they had a line of international dolls and I really wanted a Russian one. He had one of those cool fur hats. Alas my mom never did find one of those for me. I remember that my cousins Neil and Steve tool my doll and shoved him in the heat register at our house and I cried.

4. Something you've spent a lot of time doing lately? 

Trying to find a balance of running the heat so high my bill is going to be ridiculous and not freezing. 

5. Somehow it's the last week of January...sum up your month in just three sentences. 

1) I am tired of being cold. 2) I am looking forward to spring. 3) I have enjoyed being cozy in my house with my guys.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I am so tired of waking up everyday afraid of what the news will bring. I am tired of reading about people being murdered in the streets by their government. I am sad of what the people in Iran are dealing with. I live in a constant battle of being informed and keeping my sanity.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It is tine again for the weekly Hodgepodge. 

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

I honestly do not choose any - I hate being outside in the cold. As a kid I would go out to play in in the snow and go sledding. I am very clumsy so skating and skiing are definitely out - I have no desire to break anything.

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

2016 was an interesting year - I turned 40, Clark was 8 years old and we were 2 years away from Preston being born. Here is a picture of the 3 of us from when we went to Atlanta for our niece's wedding.

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

The trend of people taking joy in the suffering of others. 

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

I do like granola bars. The Quaker Oats Chewy Chocolate Chip are a favorite around here. I have not had granola much but have enjoyed it when I have had it. I do like all kinds of bars, especially dessert ones.

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

I would say a trickling stream. There are a lot of things in the works for me this year but so far progress has been slow. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

In true Michigan fashion I am going to complain about the weather. It has been extremely cold, snowy and very windy the last few days. I am so over it already and we have at least 2 more months before we get a break. 

Monday Musings

As another week begins these are the things that are currently on my mind.

1) I am glad that today was a holiday. I really needed the extra day off. Although with the current crap going on in this country I think MLK is rolling over in his grave.

2) I am really over winter already. We are in a deep arctic freeze with major winds making it feel like it is below 0 with the wind chill. I am thinking the boys may have another day off tomorrow.

3) I am a bit sad that football season is almost over. Only 3 weeks until the big game and them the long months until training camp begins.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It is once again Hodgepodge time.

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

I am a winter hater. Since I work from home and have access to grocery and food delivery I would never leave the house. As it is I only really leave to take the boys to school and pick up Preston.

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

I think I need peace the most. The state of the world has me severely on edge and I need to let it go and have some peace of mind. 

3. Every cloud has a silver lining, on cloud nine, head in the clouds, storm clouds gathering, or cloud of suspicion...which 'cloud' idiom do you most relate to currently? Explain. 

I would have to say head in the clouds. I am noticing that my concentration levels are lacking lately and I feel like I am not always as with it as I want to be.

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

Ranch dressing would probably be the hardest for me to give up. I like coconut, mayo and onion, I am ambivalent about cauliflower and cannot deal with the texture of cottage cheese.

5. Thomas Wentworth Higginson is credited with this quote-

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

Agree or disagree? Tell us why.  

I agree. Even though none of us want to deal with hard times they do make to good times even better.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I am still in awe of the talent of our local bakers. Their ability to make these cakes is amazing.

                                                                                                                                                                  

Monday Musings

Another week is beginning and these are the things currently on my mind.

1) Mother Nature appears to be off her meds. Last week it was in the 50s, then it snowed, tomorrow will be in the 40s before going back into the 30s. It is crazy.

2) Last week was the week from hell at work. I am hoping that this week will be better. Today was not too bad so hopefully that's a good sign. 

3) I received a off-brand Crickut from my dad for Christmas. I wanted to try it out on a cheaper version just in case I do not like it. Preston is also excited to give it a try.

Here are the pictures for the week.

Our local bakery is at it again. They made another cake of a Detroit Lions touchdown celebration. The skill is amazing.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 It is a new year but we are still doing the Hodgepodge on Wednesday.

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

Frustrating, scary, trying

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

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

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

Which one (if any) do you use most often? Which one of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word you think should have made the list? 

I really do not use any of these words often. I am not quite sure why perfect is on the list but I am not really up on popular culture so there maybe a reason I do not know about. None of these really bother me so I do not have a specific one I would ban. The only words I would like to have banned are any form of hate speech.

3. What are your nightly rituals? Is that different from your 'ideal' nightly ritual? If so what's your ideal? 

My ritual is pretty simple. Preston and I go upstairs, he takes his vitamin, brushes his teeth and picks out his clothes for the next day (if it's a school night). The we turn on You Tube videos and set the sleep timer for an hour. Then I take my meds, brush and floss my teeth and wash my face. Then I lay in bed with him and read or doomscroll until the TV goes off. I am pretty happy with the routine but we should probably add in some reading time for Preston as well.

4. January 6th is/was National Bean Day. Do you like beans? Which one is your favorite? Last thing you ate made with beans? 

I am not really a bean fan. I have tried to like them because they are cheap and healthy and the only ones I can really stand are chickpeas and cannellini beans. I really can't remember the last time I ate a bean though.

5. Are you easily embarrassed? Elaborate. 

Not really. I am clumsy and socially awkward so I learned a long time ago to not let much embarrass me.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Mother Nature is off her meds around here. Last week we had bitterly cold temperatures and now it is in the 40s. The snow is melting though and my face doesn't hurt when I am walking outside so I won't complain too much.

Books Read: 4th Quarter 2025

So I fell 2 books short of my GoodReads 2025 reading challenge. I finished 18 of 20 books and to be honest several of them were really short. I set my goal for 2026 at 20 again so we will see how it goes. These are the books I finished in the 4th quarter of 2025.

1) The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau: I liked the way that this book highlights relatively small businesses and how they became what they became. It is nice to read success stories of people who seem relatable unlike the billionaires of the world.

2) We Are Inevitable by Gayle Foreman: a look at grief, family dynamics and love and how they affect us. I really did not like the main character I found him to be very whiny but I think he was written that way purposely.

3) The Haunted Mitten: A Guide to Haunted Locations, Ghost Stories, and Spooky Happenings Throughout Michigan by L.A. Miller: one of the very short books I read. A fairly interesting read.

4) Supernatural Michigan by James Blessing: another one of my shorty books. The stories in this one were a bit different than the normal haunted location stories.

5) Hauntings, Spirits, and Eats Michigan by Kathy Conder: I enjoyed reading about these different locations. Some of them I was familiar with but there were some that were new to me as well.

6) Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews: a cute Christmas romance. It was fairly predictable but sometimes a bit of brain candy is called for.