Joyce has posted the questions for Wednesday Hodgepodge, some thought provoking and some easier.
1. What do you think has remained the same about you your whole life?
Being in church on Sundays was ingrained early and is a constant in my life. Having my Spiritual life nourished is a deep and consistent need that I have. This involves much more than just Sundays in Church. On many of our out of town weekends we end up in a local church and meeting Christians from around the U.S. and the U.K. has been a rich experience.
How has your perception of yourself changed over time?
The more I know about myself the more I know about why I needed to be saved and why I need my Savior, Jesus Christ every day.
2. What was the first thing you learned how to cook?
This is a hard one for my memory bank. I didn’t cook with our mom in the kitchen. I’m guessing it was something in my Home Economics class in Junior High in the kitchen at school like biscuits or cookies or eggs. Later in my life our family started getting together to learn to make some ‘heritage’ foods with our mom. A cooking day with our mom, my sisters, sister in laws, and nieces was always such a fun event!
Do you prefer to cook or bake?
I enjoy both. Cooking is always faster and something I do more of these days. Baking is something for special occasions.
3. What are some of your current priorities in this season of life? Elaborate.
Spending time with our children and Grandchildren is a huge priority.
4. How much time do you spend on your hair each day or, put another way, what’s your hair care routine? Do you get it cut regularly or just whenever the mood strikes? Do you go to the same stylist every time? Do you tell your stylist everything? Any other beauty treatments you indulge in throughout the year?
A visit to my hair stylist happens about every 6 weeks. She works out of her shop on her home property so yes, it’s the same gal every time. I do not tell her everything because she’s a stylist to several other gals and guys from our church. LOL! I’m not a fan of beauty treatments. I do love a good massage and it’s been ages since I’ve had one of those. I spend about 1 minute on my hair everyday. If it’s freshly washed I spend under 10 minutes drying and shaping it into my same old hairdo, a ‘Bob’.
5. What is the most awe-inspiring place you’ve visited?
I have been privileged to be in many awe-inspiring places in my life. Cathedrals always have the ‘wow’ factor. The Ark Encounter in Kentucky was awe-inspiring.
Last September when we walked around Fountains Abbey in the Yorkshires, the four of us just kept saying, ‘Wow!’. It was so awe-inspiring.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
Hello Ellen,
I enjoyed these questions and your answers! I love both cooking and baking.
Beautiful photos of the Abbey! Take care. have a great day!
Your one minute hair style sounds amazing! I have had the same style for years and years. It does require a few minutes to straighten it but I love not spending much time or wondering if I should change the style. The answer is always, ¨no¨ if I do consider changing it! I have not heard of that particular Abbey but I can see how it was awe inspiring. The Ark at the Ark Encounter is awe inspiring. I hope to go back to it someday as it is not far from our house and we didn´t get to see nearly everything inside.
Hi Maria, I’d love to take our grandkids to the Ark sometime. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
…enjoy as many awe walks as you can.
I had forgotten about cooking in home ec in middle school! We made these things called BBQ cups (or something like that). You put a biscuit in a muffin tin and made a “cup” with it. You cooked ground beef and added some sort of BBQ sauce and a sprinkle of cheese and then baked them. We also made doughnuts with biscuits! Thanks for jogging that memory for me!! I don’t spend much time on my hair either. The humidity is so high in Alabama that some days I wonder why I bother at all hahaha!
It was fun to read your memories of home ec! Oye, that humidity. I look like Bozo the clown when the humidity hits!!
I have never been to the Ark. Did you know they found the real one, they say, on Mt. Judi in the mountains of Ararat? The door is amazing. So tall!
Hi Sandi, I did remember reading about the real one at Ararat. The door was amazing to see. Thanks for stopping by!
Such lovely responses to the Hodgepodge questions today, Ellen. The heritage cooking day with your mom and other family members sounds like such a wonderful time of good food and wonderful fellowship.
Hi Dianna, thank you for leaving your sweet comment.
My daughter and I were discussing the ‘awe’ question and agreed we could do a whole post on cathedrals all over Europe. Cooking with your mom sounds like fun and special. Enjoy your day!
Joyce, So many cathedrals…so little time!
I’d much rather bake than cook! 🙂
I’d rather indulge in a delicious meal at a nice restaurant than spend time cooking or baking. I used to enjoy doing all of that, but my interest has faded over the past few years. I really want to reignite that passion because eating out is expensive. Your travel adventures have taken you to so many breathtaking places. Your photos are absolutely stunning!
Hi Debby, I’m sorry I didn’t see your comment sooner but WordPress put it into spam. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. These days I prefer eating out to cooking, too, but as you say it is expensive and getting more expensive! Take care…
Fountains Abbey certainly is awe-inspiring. The workmanship is incredible considering the tools that were available at the time.
Pam, I agree!
Funny how we all remember our school cooking classes. I like your pictures with your family. I like to visit different churches. I loved going to St John’s Cathedral in NY while on a tour in 2008. I like to take pictures of little country churches. I am going on a cruise in January, and I do want to see the churches there.
That is wonderful that you started so young and still continue to go to church. My parents were very involved in our Presbyterian church but they never talked about God in the house. Let me tell you that I have been struggling with anxiety and depression. I am talking to God all the time. Yes, I didn’t cook with my mom either and Home Economics was probably the first place I learned how to cook. I agree with your answer for #3 🙂 That’s a short time on your hair. I need a new hairstyle. Wow, that door is amazing. I love your random thought. Take care.
Loved your answer about church attendance and involvement being a constant in your life. It has been in mine too, and I’m so grateful for that! Hope you’re having a great week!
Ellen, I always love reading your hodgepodge answers and thoughts. Your awe inspiring travels are all so well documented. I too learned to cook in Home Economics class. My mom was a fantastic cook and did all the cooking for our family of 10 so I never had to do much. When I did need to make a meal there was canned beef or sausage, canned vegetables and all I needed to cook were some potatoes to go with. The rest was as easy as warming up the meat and veggies! I did learn how to make things taste like mom’s cooking and soon learned to cook like her too! God bless you and keep you. You are an inspiration!
Thank you so much, Rosella. I’m just seeing this comment because WordPress put it into Spam. I was able to retrieve it today. Sounds like we both had moms who had command of their kitchens and cooking was their calling. 🙂 Hope your summer is going well.
No worries – not sure what happened there? Hope your summer is going well too. It always seems to go too fast.