Tag Archives: Wednesday Hodgepodge

Green Without Envy Hodgepodge

It’s time once again for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

Many shades of green were enjoyed by our family on St. Patrick’s Day. Greg and I enjoyed a St. Patrick’s day lunch in Rathdrum, Idaho on our way to Coeur d’Alene. We ate at the Westwood Brewery on Main Street. Friendly staff and good food. My Mocktail was on their March specials. More about our getaway coming soon. Addy’s Irish Dance Group performed again at one of the elementary schools in town.

Thank you Joyce From This Side of the Pond for our Wednesday Hodgepodge Questions! 

1. I write the Hodgepodge questions so they’ll post on Sunday, which sometimes throws me off in terms of what day it is. St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated on Monday, March 17th. Did you mark the day in some way? Wear green? Make a special meal? Watch or participate in a parade? 

On Monday, St. Patrick’s Day, we had an overnight getaway to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho for my birthday. We stayed at an old converted School house B&B for the night. Last Thursday we enjoyed Corn Beef and Cabbage at the Senior Hub in Colville with entertainment from Addy’s Irish Dance Group.

2. Do you think luck plays a part in your life? Explain. 

No I do not. My life lies in the hands of a Sovereign God and His Providence. Piper defines this Providence as “Purposeful Sovereignty”. God accomplishes His will on our behalf.

3. Of the 15 green foods listed, which one is your favorite and how do you like it prepared?

Avocado is a favorite in any form; fresh out of the skin, on toast, chopped in salads, or fresh guacamole. Cucumbers are also a favorite.

Any on the list that are a hard no for you?

Nope

In general do you like fruits and veggies?

Yes

As a kid did you eat them willingly or did you hide peas in your napkin hoping your momma wouldn’t see? 

Many of these green items didn’t make it into my mom’s cooking when we were young. Cucumber and celery and pistachios and spinach were some common items in my mom’s cooking or snack foods. I didn’t meet the other green items until my college years and beyond!

Asparagus, avocado, broccoli, celery, cucumber, grape, green bean, kale, kiwi, lettuce, lime, 
pear, peas, pistachios, spinach

4. What’s something that makes you ‘turn green’? (with envy or with illness… whichever way you want to run with it)

It’s a mild green but I can be envious of those of you who have so many choices for good eateries in your own backyard. We joke around here in Colville about our slim pickins.

5. Did you spend a lot of time outdoors as a child? Doing what? Do you spend a lot of time outdoors now? Doing what? 

I did spend a lot of time outdoors as a child playing neighborhood games, jacks, going to the park, hide and seek, jump rope, tether ball. Nowadays winter finds us more housebound here. Later in Spring and Summer we start our yard work and we walk more.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This is the historical establishment we stayed at in Coeur d’Alene. More about our stay in a later post.

 

March is speeding along. Tomorrow is our granddaughter’s 8th birthday and we’ll be celebrating her with all our family this coming weekend. Tomorrow is also the first day of Spring!

Happy Spring, Hodgepodgers and all who find themselves here.

Birthday Week Hodgepodge

Put another candle on my birthday cake, I’m another year old today Friday. It looks like there are 7 candles on my birthday cake above so I’m going to say this was my 7th birthday.

Beware of the Ides of March but not Joyce’s questions for the Hodgepodge this week.

1. March 15th is known as The Ides of March, the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C….have you ever been to Rome? If so what did you love most about the city? If not, is this a place you’d like to visit? 

I have never been to Rome. Rome is not on my bucket list even though it has fascinating history associated with it. Coincidentally as I type this my youngest niece is in Rome on a school trip. Sheesh, the only school trips we had living in Southern California was a trip to Disneyland!

I have been to Italy, to Milan, and that was an Italian enough experience for me to savor.

2. ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.’ What project/activity/improvement (of any kind) do you have going on right now to which this saying might be applied? 

Physically…

Well here we are again trying to get a lot of extra pounds off. Time will tell if this new long term effort pays off.

Spiritually…

I’ll be in the Sanctification process (becoming more like Jesus) all my days on this earth. God is faithful in this process even when I am not.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 ~Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

3. Let’s do a little this or that with some Italian foods…

  • Caprese salad or Prosciutto with melon? 
  • Bruschetta or Antipasto? 
  • lasagne or ravioli?
  • bolognese or Carbonara?
  • Risotto or gnocchi? 
  • tiramisu~gelato~cannoli? 

Prosciutto with melon, bruschetta, ravioli, carbonara, gnocchi and tiramisu, thank you.

4. Of the colors red, white, and green which would I find most prevalent in your home?

I have a lot of red highlights in my kitchen.

Which one do you think is most flattering to you in terms of your wardrobe?

Red and green and white are colors suited to me as per my color chart.

Have you ever had your colors done?

Yes, many years ago and I still have my color chart. Recently I stumbled across that chart and showed it to my ‘daughters’. The fold up chart is pictured above with my colors rated from 2 – 4+. Four plus are my strongest colors with colors that are just a 2 being my weakest colors.

Is that something you’d be interested in doing? 

It was a fun experience.

5. Life would be boring without____________________?

Life would be boring without all that God has done in my life because of Jesus. All the good things in my life have come from Him. Some of those good things were hard and painful. Many were the most worthwhile experiences in my life.

James 1:16-18

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. 18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My birthday is Friday March 14th and my license is expiring this year so I got to go to the DMV on Monday. All their systems were down when I got there. I bummed around Wal-Mart for a while and decided to go back after an hour to see if they were online again. Hooray, they were. I just walked in and in less than 5 minutes had my license renewed for another 8 years. In two weeks I’ll see how awful my photo is this time around!

Another birthday photo from years ago.

Once Upon a Hodgepodge

Speaking of Fairy Tales, I’m sharing some of my Russian Fairy Tale lacquer boxes above and below.

Winding down February with Jo’s Wednesday Hodgepodge questions.

1. February 26th is National Tell A Fairy Tale Day…have you read a fairy tale lately?

No, I have not read a fairy tale lately.

What’s your favorite fairy tale?

I’ll go with Cinderella.

Do you believe in ‘happily ever after’? 

It definitely is not a given. Life gives us more than happy. It gives us grief and suffering, too. I think a better ending line would be ‘joyfully ever after with contentment and peace through it all’.  Reminds me of that great song by Andrae Crouch, “Through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God. I’ve learned to depend upon His Word”

2. Complete one of the following sentences with a thought relating to your life currently-

  • Once upon a time___________
  • A long time ago________________
  • In a place far far away__________

I’m getting ready to travel and be In a place far far away for a few days. Hopefully I’ll have lots to share when I get back, Lord willing.

3. Which of the following ‘fairy tale foods’ is your favorite?

Which have you made/eaten most recently? 

porridge/oatmeal (Goldilocks and The Three Bears), an apple (Snow White), a gingerbread cookie (The Gingerbread Man), pumpkin soup/pie/bread (Cinderella), peas (The Princess and the Pea), beans (Jack and The Beanstalk) or a cup of tea (Alice in Wonderland) 

I have not had any of these fairy tale foods recently except for a cup of tea. I do enjoy a bowl of Oatmeal with cream, walnuts, brown sugar and raisins.

4. What’s your idea of fun? 

Seeing my Grands interact with their aunts and uncles is a lot of fun. Listening to their descriptions of experiences is fun, too. I think it’s fun to plan a trip and then to take that trip.

5. Next week’s Hodgepodge lands in March. Is that right? I guess so.  Give us one noun, one verb, and one adjective that tell us something about your February. To make you think a little harder, you cannot use the words cold or snowy. 

A month where I needed my Brain to work calculations. (noun)

There was a lot of dusting in February. (verb)

The freezing temperatures increased my electric bill by 3x. (adjective)

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This little guy is moving along in Taekwondo.

We enjoyed a brief hello as we exchanged some Costco items in the church parking lot last week.

Speaking of fun, it is always a treat to bump into these two in parking lots, stores, church and to see them at our front door!

A Presidential Hodgepodge

Mount Rushmore September 2021

Joyce From This Side of the Pond has fresh questions for us to ponder for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. Many of our earliest presidents created words or expressions widely used today. Teddy Roosevelt is credited with mollycoddle, pack rat, frazzle, and loose cannon…which of those words/phrases currently relates to your life in some way? 

mollycoddle: to treat with an excessive or absurd degree of indulgence and attention

I was going to say none of these relates to my life in some way but then mollycoddle was in a sentence in the book I am reading, The Vanishing Conscience, Drawing a Line in a No-Fault, Guilt-Free World by John MacArthur. It made me smile to see it right there in print. Here is the sentence I read and then the context of my reading.

We cannot mollycoddle our sin.

“Paul is not suggesting that anyone can obtain life or merit God’s favor by the process of mortification. He is saying it is characteristic of true believers that they put to death the deeds of the body (mortification). Nothing is more natural than for people “led by the Spirit of God” to mortify their sin. One of the proofs of our salvation is that we do this. It is expected of believers. It is the expression of the new nature. 

In other words, the true believer is not like Saul, who wanted to pamper and preserve Agag, but like Samuel who hacked him to pieces without mercy and without delay. Saul may have wanted to make a lap dog of Agag, but Samuel knew that was utterly impossible. Similarly, we will never tame the flesh. We cannot mollycoddle our sin. We must deal with it quickly and severely. “

So yes, I want to mortify my sin not mollycoddle it and make excuses for it. It can be done with the help of the Holy Spirit.

2. Have you visited many (or any) of the US Presidents homes, monuments, libraries or related sites? If so what’s been your favorite? Are there any you particularly want to see? Here’s a link to presidential sites listed by state which is kind of fun to read-Presidential Places by State. And since several bloggers who participate in the HP each week live outside the US, here’s a link to Presidential Places Outside the US. Have you seen any of those? 

The most concentrated presidential sites I’ve seen were in Washington D.C. in the Spring of 2011. At the National Portrait Gallery you can view paintings of all the U.S. Presidents. The Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington Monuments and statues of other presidents are prominent and scattered throughout the area. You could go on a presidential scavenger hunt.

Outside the Lincoln Memorial

At Arlington National Cemetery we were able to see the grave of John F. Kennedy. When we were in Dallas we went to the ‘Grassy Knoll’ to see where JFK was shot.

My parents lived in Yorba Linda for a few years where the Nixon Library is located. Whittier was part of our stompin grounds, too, growing up so we passed Whittier College many times. When Greg was working in Thousand Oaks California his company Christmas event was held at the Reagan Library and Museum and we enjoyed an evening there taking in history including Airforce One that we were able to walk through.

I have a photo somewhere of the George Washington statue at the University of Washington, Greg’s Alma Mater.

We’ve been to Mount Rushmore and to Rapid City, South Dakota. Rapid City has the coolest display of statues of all the presidents on several corners in town.

John Quincy Adams

Favorite? It is hard to choose a favorite. It’s a tossup between the Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore and the Reagan Library and Museum.

3. February 20th is National Cherry Pie Day…will you celebrate? Given your choice of cherry pie, cherry cobbler, cheesecake with a cherry topping, or black forest cake which would you choose? 

Cheese cake with cherry topping would be my choice (and I might just scrape the cherry topping off). Greg enjoys cherry pie.

4. Last time you worked a puzzle of some kind? Something that had you puzzled recently? 

Finished this puzzle a week ago.

I had to puzzle over converting a recipe from serving 24 people to serving 400 people. Calculating the quantities of the ingredients was something I puzzled over and then I puzzled over how many veggies to buy for veggie trays.

5. Of the early blooming flowers (January-early March depending on your zone) which one’s your favorite? snowdrops, lenten roses, pansies, violets, snapdragons, reticulated iris, crocus, winter jasmine 

Do you have any of these in your own yard/garden? 

I don’t have any of these growing on our property here but when we lived in Kenmore we had a couple Lenten Roses. They are my favorite.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

George Washington Statue in the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. and outside the Cathedral.

I’m posting my Hodgepodge early this week. See you all tomorrow when I’m recuperating from our big event on Tuesday. Maybe I’ll have the presence of mind to take some photos.

Spread the Love Hodgepodge

 

Joyce From This Side of the Pond is sharing the love with our new set of Wednesday Hodgepodge Questions.

1. Did you watch the Super Bowl? Did your team win? What’s your favorite game day snack for  whatever sport is happening? 

We did watch the game and were so surprised at the blow-out. The Eagles played a great game. I’m glad the Chiefs finally got some good plays in. We really didn’t have a favorite team. For game day snacks I like Charcuterie with meats and cheeses and veggies with dips like artichoke and a baguette cut up in thin rounds and nuts and I could go on and on.

2. What’s your ‘superpower’? 

Detective work is one of my super powers and along with that comes spotting danger. Those powers made me a real good Playground teacher.

Another super power, because I love to do it, is planning a trip.

3. Will you do anything special on Valentine’s Day? If so do share. Any thoughts on/about this particular holiday?

I’m thinking I’d like to do a chocolate fondue again.

Chocolate Hazelnut Fondue
  • 1-1/2 cups half and half
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1-1/2 pounds bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped. (I used 2 bags of semisweet chocolate chips that I didn’t need to chop)
  • 1/4 cup Frangelico liqueur (If you do not want to use this you can substitute 1/4 cup of strong brewed coffee)
  • 1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts (as always you can omit the nuts if you’d prefer)
Method:
  1. Place the half and half and heavy cream in a double boiler.
  2. Heat the creams until they bubble.
  3. Reduce the heat and gradually stir in the chocolate chips 1/2 cup at a time whisking while adding. When the chocolate is completely blended in, add the liqueur.
  4. Keep warm and sprinkle with hazelnuts just before serving.
  5. You can divide the chocolate into individual dipping bowls and serve with dipping fruit and other items or you can put the chocolate into a fondue pot at this time, too, to keep it warm.

Some dipping suggestions: cookies, biscotti, cubes of cake, dried apricots, pineapple, fresh berries, sliced pears, orange slices, and marshmallows.

This recipe easily served 8 people with leftovers. If you are serving a smaller group half the recipe.

I enjoy hosting a little Valentine dinner and decorating in pink, white and red for a change.

Share a favorite verse or quote relating to love. 

1 John 4:7-12

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loves us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

4. Are you a fan of the rom-com genre? If so what’s one of your favorites?

Not a fan of this genre in movies or books. Give me a good murder mystery with a faithful loving relationship in the plot line and I’ll be happy.

If you’re not a movie go-er then what about a book you love that features a great love story?

Going back to murder mysteries the relationship between Gamache and Reine-Marie in the Inspector Gamache series of murder mysteries is a great love story. Their relationship is loving, faithful and an everyday kind of relationship, not far fetched but inspirational.

How about a favorite love song? 

This song about God’s love in sending Christ to save us is a current favorite.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a more earthly note, from my high school days, I’ll go with Cherish by the Association. There were so many popular love songs in the 60’s.

I love good music sung by talented singers. Even if they sing something that isn’t necessarily classified a ‘love song’, it brings out the love in me. Andrea Bocelli can be singing anything and it sets a amazing mood. Nat King Cole is another singer who’s voice is ‘music to my ears’. Music is very key in my personal history. God has used it in powerful ways in my life.

5. Let’s get creative…write an acrostic using the word L-O-V-E. 

Living in love

On the cusp of heaven

Visualizing with hope

Eternity

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My favorite Valentine’s! Photo from Valentine’s Day 2024.

More or Less Hodgepodge

My sister Vera, Me, and sister Kathy on the couch with our mom in the kitchen above us.

Joyce has some new questions for Wednesday Hodgepodge this week even with a house full!

1. What was your after school routine like when you were a kid?

To get home from the bus stop without getting jumped. (Okay…that only happened once) I made someone mad at school and they announced they would be jumping me at the bus stop after school. They had their own gang group of friends that were all excited to gather and watch this happen. Instead of getting off at my regular bus stop, I quickly jumped off the bus at the stop before my regular stop and ran home!

Growing up there really wasn’t a routine. Mostly we were on our own to fill the time before dinner.

2. January 26 is National Green Juice Day ( I guess it’s true everything really does have it’s day). Do you juice, as in make your own in an attempt to get healthy? Do you do the green juices? What’s your favorite kind of juice (home blended or store bought, either one)? 

No, nope and nyet to green juices!

A favorite juice is fresh squeezed orange juice. I enjoy cranberry and pink grapefruit, also.

3. What’s something trivial about which you have a strong opinion? 

Green juice! LOL!

4. What do you need more of in your life? Less of? 

More of…

Less of…following my own heart.

5. Give us three adjectives to describe your January.

Jubilant ~ Joyous ~ Devoted

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

We ventured to Spokane on Saturday to return an item to Lowe’s and do some other shopping. On our way home we stopped at our usual spot in Deer Park and were met with this special of the day.

We decided to try it and it was good. I had the soup of the day, Beet Soup, as my side and it was delicious.

Opportunity Abounds Hodgepodge

Fresh questions are up for Wednesday Hodgepodge thanks to Joyce From This Side of the Pond.

1.  It’s been said January is ‘the month of opportunity, inspiration, and change.” Which of the three do you need most right now? Elaborate. 

I’ll go with inspiration. A good dose of inspiration is always good. Inspiration to keep reading and learning. Inspiration to keep moving and giving my heart a good workout. Inspiration to encourage others. Inspiration to clean and organize the spaces in our home.

2. Do you consider opportunity as something that comes to you or something you create for yourself? 

I think it comes both ways. I’ve had many opportunities come my way in the course of doing what I enjoy. There’s a verse that comes to mind.

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the LORD is.” Ephesians 5:15-17

Some examples:

Through blogging (something I enjoy), God brought the Mennonite Girls Can Cook into my life with all the amazing experiences and friendships to enjoy.

Through singing in groups honoring Christ, God brought Greg and me together.

Through following Christ and staying involved in a church body, my life has had many opportunities to serve and enjoy many good gifts from God.

3. The British Museum opened on this date (January 15th) back”  in 1759. Do you like visiting museums? Do you have a favorite? 

I have a couple favorites in Southern California that I hope will still be standing after the fires in the L.A. area are finally under control!

The Getty Museum and the Getty Villa. These photos are from the Villa in Pacific Palisades from a visit enjoyed with my bloggy friends, Willow (Willow’s Cottage) and Sara (Come Away With Me) way back in 2008!

We’ve also had the opportunity to visit the Art Museums in New York, Chicago and London. They were all amazing. Unlike my husband and daughter, though, I tire easier than them and I am more casual about viewing everything.

4. It’s National Oatmeal Month (yes, apparently it gets a whole month as opposed to a single day). Do you like oatmeal? How often do you eat a bowl of oatmeal? How do you like yours? What about an oatmeal cookie? Is that a sweet treat you enjoy? 

I do enjoy all things oatmeal. I love a nice hot bowl of oatmeal with a little milk, brown sugar, raisins and walnuts. A good oatmeal cookie is always a treat I enjoy.

5.What’s something useful you learned in high school? 

I’m going to go with Junior High because that is where I learned to type and that is a skill that has been so very useful throughout my life!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our two sons, Dan and Josh with our little granddaughter photo bomber.

We are celebrating these three this week in January! Jamie’s birthday is today, Dan’s tomorrow and Joshie’s is on Sunday. We’ll have a birthday dinner here on Saturday for our Colville kids and we’ll have to celebrate Josh over the miles with birthday greetings. God bless you and keep you and protect you! We love you, we love you, we love you!

Same son Dan and his wonderful wife, Jamie.

Hope all is well in your corners.

Happy New Year, Hodgepodge!

Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth.
~Martin Luther

С новым годом!

Joyce has a brand new set of Hodgepodge questions for a brand new year. Thank you, Joyce, and Happy New Year everyone! Happy 2025!

1. Oxford’s Word of the year for 2024 is ‘brain rot’. Are you familiar with this term? Do you suffer from the condition? Ha! This is a term used to ‘capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media’. If you were choosing a word to capture 2024 (for the nation/world, not your own life personally) what word would you choose? 

I have to be honest and admit that I am suffering from brain rot because of smart phones, computers, and social media. It is easy to get into the habit of using my phone or computer for everything. I want to read more good books in 2025 and master some good questions to engage friends and loved ones into good conversations.

My pick for a phrase to capture 2024 for our nation would be ‘from downhill to hope’.

2. It’s National Polar Bear Plunge Day (January 1)…will you be participating in one of these events (or even your own)? How will you spend the first day of this brand new year? Do you have a traditional New Year’s Day menu? 

No plunging in the frigid waters for me but some of our kids do that more than just on the 1st. No traditional menus for New Year’s Day. Because I grew up in Southern California I got into the habit of watching the Rose Parade and and the Rose Bowl game on New Year’s Day. There were even years that I enjoyed both in person.

3. What’s something that brings you joy and how will you do more of it in this new year? 

Spending time with family whenever we can brings me joy and I will do as much as is possible in the new year.

4. Do you struggle with the January blues? What’s one thing you can/will do to keep them at bay? 

Thankfully, I do not suffer much from the blues. We have several family birthdays in January and I will concentrate on being thankful for these family members and celebrating them which will keep those blues at bay.

5. Will you choose your own personal word of the year for 2025? What about a goal, resolution, or maybe even a bucket list? Elaborate as much or as little as you like. 

No personal word but some of the same old goals like losing some pounds which means eating less and exercising more. A new devotional with a reading the Bible plan as part of it is on my desk.

Bucket list is always about adding a place to travel to. We already have airfare purchased for Dallas but where else will we go, LORD willing. Still pondering that.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Another antique postcard Happy New Year Greetings to you all.

Smile, Your On Wednesday Hodgepodge

Blogging…where everyday is Candid Camera day.

Time for a holly jolly candid Hodgepodge. Thank you to Joyce From This Side of the Pond!

1. What’s one thing you want to get done before the calendar flips to a new year?

There is not one thing that stands out to be accomplished. I was considering weeding out some Christmas decor before everything is put back into the bins for next year. Some of our stuff is tired looking. Maybe I’ll designate one bin for the things I can let go.

2. What’s something that brought a smile to your face this year?

Thankfully there were many things. I am a smiley person in general. Our family times together always brings a smile on my face and generally there are belly laughs, too. The wonderful weather we enjoyed in Scotland in September brought many smiles and gratitude! We have our children’s play/musical this coming weekend and I know that will keep me smiling. It is called The Loaned Manger, a western themed presentation. Both Addy and JJ will be performing. Addy has some key singing parts and JJ is Joseph this year.

3. What do you like on a cracker? Do you have a favorite cracker variety? 

We really enjoyed Jo’s Cranberry Jalapeno dip at Thanksgiving and when JJ was here on Monday he said “I’ll get the crackers for the cream cheese” as if I kept that dip around every day. Hilarious! (JJ is Five)

4. Do you have plans for ringing in the new year in a fun or special way? Are you typically awake at midnight on the last day of the year? 

We have entered the dud zone when it comes to New Year’s celebrations. We are typically in bed and the fireworks might wake us up at midnight! In our part of Washington state it is generally too dry with fire danger on July 4th so people around these parts stock up on fireworks to shoot off on New Year’s Eve instead.

5. What are three words that describe your 2024? 

Celebrating Fifty Years! 

We were married in 1974 so 2024 marks our 50th wedding anniversary. We have celebrated well starting at the end of June with a getaway to Walla Walla for a weekend of fun with our family of 10. We celebrated again in Scotland in September and we celebrated on the actual day with an overnight trip to Coeur d’Alene.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I saw that common phrase this year on facebook, ‘keep Christ in Christmas’ and my reaction was a new one. There is no way anyone can keep Christ out of Christmas, even if you don’t know Christ or celebrate Him. The darkness (Satan) has been trying to eliminate God from the beginning of time. It started in the Garden of Eden. The light of the world will always overcome the darkness. Christ brought His light into the world and will continue to shine till one day the darkness will finally be cast away. Herod tried to kill Christ as a babe and did the unspeakable by killing all the male children in his realm thinking he could eliminate Jesus. God in His mercy preserved Jesus Christ for His role in becoming the Savior of the world by his sacrificial death on the cross so that man can be at peace with Holy God. Because of Jesus Christ’s perfect life and righteous sacrifice and resurrection our repentance, turning from sin, makes us acceptable to God and makes us redeemed in His sight. Christmas is all about Jesus Christ’s incarnation, Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus, fully God, became man for us. He condescended with love to make it possible for us to be reconciled to God and have eternal life with Him instead of eternal damnation in hell.

Praying that God is calling you to repentance and opening your spiritual eyes to see His Truth today.

Merry Christmas Hodgepodgers!

On the Road Hodgepodge

A few photos from Christmas past.

Thank you, Joyce, for the Wednesday Hodgepodge questions each week.

1. What’s one task you’d like a little Christmas elf to sneak in and take care of tonite? 

I would love for a little elf to come in and address all my Christmas cards!

2. What’s your biggest challenge during the holidays? 

Writing our Christmas letter is harder some years than others. Once the letter is written, the cards are addressed, and the envelopes are taken to the post office and dropped down the slot I feel a load off!

3. Are you a cookie baker this time of year? If your year had to be summed up in the shape of a cookie cutter what shape would it be? 

Cookies are not something that get baked every year. This year I hope to make some cookies for our Children’s play/musical coming up soon. My cookie cutter shape for 2024 would be thistle in honor of our trip to Scotland.

4. Santa likes milk with his cookies. Do you like milk? What kind of milk is on tap in your house? (whole, 2%, skim, almond, oat, etc). What’s the last thing you made that called for milk? 

I like milk but I can’t have too much of it as it doesn’t sit well with me. We typically have 2% on hand. Cereal is the last thing I enjoyed with milk, not something I made but something I put together.

5. Share one favorite line from a Christmas carol or holiday tune? 

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, There is room in my heart for Thee.

and

O come. let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!

And there are so many more!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are on the road again today, on our way back home from the westside of the Cascades. We were in Canada on Monday and overnight into Tuesday. Lots of time in our vehicle. I will be late in visiting Hodgepodgers. In Canada we enjoyed time with the B.C. Mennonite Girls Can Cook. More photos of our time to come later but here is a preview of some of the food we enjoyed.