If it’s Wednesday it must be Hodgepodge. Click over to Jo’s blog, From This Side of the Pond to join in.
1. Do you have a word for the year (WOTY)? If so, and you’d like to share, please share. How do you decide on a word? If you don’t have a word are you still on the hunt for one for 2024?
I did not pick a WOTY for the year but I did pick a phrase.
Love Jesus More in Twenty Twenty Four
2. January 23rd is National Pie Day…will you celebrate? Do you like pie? What’s your favorite?
We don’t celebrate except for in November before Thanksgiving our church has a pie and praise night. We enjoy pie but don’t have it often. My favorite pies were the fresh Strawberry or fresh Peach pies from Marie Callender’s. Growing up in Southern California it was a special treat to have boysenberry pie from Knott’s Berry Farm.
I just remembered Chicken Pot Pie and the all the great savory pies in Great Britain, yum!
The photo at the top of this post is of a Pear Custard Pie. Click here for the recipe.
3. Tipping. What are your thoughts, expectations, as to who, when where? Do you appreciate a store/restaurant giving a ‘suggested amount’? Have you ever left an extravagant tip?
We do tip and we try not to skimp. When service is over the top exceptional we tip even better. We have left large tips for some of our favorite waiters/waitresses but extravagant is in the eye of the beholder. Before we moved away from the Seattle area, Seattle instituted a set tip and service fee in their prices. That change was confusing and we stopped tipping in Seattle. These days we avoid driving into Seattle to dine.
Since we are talking about restaurants and trends I’m not a fan of using my phone or a table top device to order food. I like the personal touch of the waitstaff coming to the table to take our order. I haven’t mastered the whole take a photo of the thingie that looks like a weird puzzle piece (QR Code) so you can connect with your phone. (yes, I’m old)
4. Share with us one household ‘tip’ that works for you.
We got a tip from a dishwasher salesman that it is good to run the tap till the water is good and hot and then start your dishwasher cycle.
5. Influencers on social media are people who’ve built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a particular subject. Do you follow any influencers online? Have you made a purchase or tried something new because of that ‘influence’? If there’s one you particularly enjoy tell us who they are and why you enjoy them.
The type of influencers we follow online are well known and knowledgeable teachers of the Bible who have proven they believe and teach the inerrancy of the Bible for all areas of life. We regard them as the best influencers out there.
Grace to You, John MacArthur, Ligonier, R.C. Sproul, Master’s Seminary, Tim Challies, Sinclair Ferguson, Keith and Kristyn Getty, just to name a few.
We have purchased books, commentaries and music influenced by these folks. Keith and Kristyn Getty’s music is exceptional.
There are many ‘false teachers’ that we avoid like the plague.
The other type of following we do are the ‘how to people’, like ‘how to replace the hot water thermostat’, or ‘how to smoke a brisket’, or ‘how to clean your oven racks’.
On the lighter side of things this granny is fun to watch…
https://www.youtube.com/@memesrecipessc Meme is a hoot to watch and I love her closing line! She is a cooking in the kitchen influencer.
I also like the jewelry this young gal is creating for sale; Nicole Joy Jewelry Design
https://www.instagram.com/nicolejoyjewelrydesign/?hl=en
https://06e86a-2.myshopify.com/
6. Insert your own random thought here.
These two get to enjoy the snow with joy and then their mom adds more fun with these frozen colored water balloons to decorate their snow castle.
It’s still winter out there!
Update on our Water Heater, the parts arrived early and we should have hot water before this post is published on Wednesday. PTL! And yes, we do have hot water thanks to Greg!
Happy Hodgepodge, I’m looking forward to reading your tips.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
…Pear Custard Pie look great.
The pie looks yummy. The frozen water balloons look fun! Take care, have a great day!
Hope that heater is working now. Love those cuties on their sleds. Bet they are loving the snow. B x
What a clever and fun idea to freeze water balloons to decorate the snow castle! Your daughter-in-law is a creative mom! I love pie, but pie is reserved for special occasions (when others will be eating it too because we don’t need a whole pie here). I am also a fan of Keith and Kristyn Getty’s music! Sooo many wonderful songs!
I love your phrase for the year and those are some great influencers! I am glad to hear hopefully you have heat again. I heard the same household tip once about the dishwasher and do that each time, so it is always reassuring to hear others do that too. Have a good day!
Those colorful frozen water balloons are a great idea! We love pie but seldom have it. However, I’ll be cooking for volunteers at a camp next week and I think I’m going to bake an apple pie for one of the nights. Or possibly an apple crisp.
And so happy to hear that your hot water is back. Handy husbands (mine is one too) are such a blessing!
Hot water is something we take for granted. I know you are thrilled to have it back!!
Thanks for the reminder on the hot water for the dishwasher. We did have a guy tell us that and I forgot all about it. I also forgot about chicken pot pie! Now that, I love!
I love the balloons. What a great pop of color. 🙂
So very creative those parents of your sweet grandchildren – “… frozen colored water balloons to decorate their snow castle.”
My grandsons in Ohio have had a lot of fun in the snow in their state this week. We have had an enormous amount of rain. So much rain. On the bright side, we’re not in a drought anymore so there’s that. I’ve never heard the dishwasher tip but will try it going forward. Have a great day!
So glad I’m not the only one who’s befuddled by that ‘puzzle piece’ (QR code).
Love the frozen water balloons!
Hi Ellen! Frozen water balloons – how pretty they are. I wanted to thank you for the link to Meme’s Recipes!! What a lovely lady she is. The video I watched first was for Mazzeti and I cheered when she showed the sign over her stove that says “The Secret Ingredient is Love and Butter” . . . Butter, yum!! I can’t disagree with that. I’ve subscribed, so I won’t miss any of her videos going forward.
Hi Sara, Lana introduced me to meme and she is fun to watch. You are very welcome.
It was Knotts Berry Farm that got me loving boysenberry pie. They are a hard pie to find. Now my mouth is watering for Boysenberry pie!
I like your phrase!
I love pie but don’t eat it very often.
Don’t even have a dishwasher.
I like your phrase for the year! And I have “pinned” that pear pie recipe. We are pie fans around here, more so than cake. We also enjoy our cookies. Just because I am curious, have you ever made a pork pie? I have and Carroll loved it…I’m not a fan. AND my favorite answers to your questions today was who your influencers are! I’m right there with you, my friend!
Dianna, I have never made a pork pie. Growing up Kosher I have little experience with cooking pork even though I’m not Kosher anymore. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. 🙂
What a fun post. The frozen water balloons look like a lot of fun!
That’s a wonderful phrase. Marie Challender’s had great pies. I agree, I wouldn’t order food my phone. We don’t like to pay on the screen either. That’s a great tip. I’ll have to check those links out. The snow looks like fun and those balloons sound great. Glad your water heater is fixed.
Oh I love your phrase of the year!
I’ll have to try that dishwasher tip.
I don’t like ordering from phone/tablet at the table, or scanning a QR code to read the menu on my phone…I want an actual menu.
I always enjoy reading your hodgepodge questions and answers. Love your “phrase of the Year”.