Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Wednesday Hodgepodge~ December 3, 2025

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Hello friends!  I'm joining Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday's Hodgepodge. Each week, she hosts a weekly link-up that is a collection of questions for bloggers to answer. It's to help bloggers get to know each other better and have a little bit of fun! It's a great way to hang out with friends. So grab a cup of coffee or tea if you prefer and join in on the fun. 




So, what is a hodgepodge? A hodgepodge is an unorganized mixture of various things, a jumble of items that don't belong together. 

Here are this week's questions and my answers for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge~ 



1. What does it mean to have the 'holiday spirit'? On a scale of 1-10 how is yours this year? (10=off the charts, 1=still looking for it)

Holiday spirit is spreading joy. Surrounding yourself with loved ones. Jumping in to do all the holiday stuff... shopping, baking, decorating, watching holiday movies, etc. Focusing on the true meaning of Christmas. 

If you would have asked me last week, I would have said a 10! Now, I would have to say a 4. We had a few upheavals in our life this past weekend that will take some time to heal from. We all feel a little broken and lost right now. I'm hoping we can get that holiday spirit back before Christmas. 



2. What's your favorite character from a (December) holiday-themed movie, book, or TV special? Tell us why. 

I love heat miser and snow miser from The Year without a Santa Claus. The banter back and forth is funny. I love how Mother Nature keeps them in line. 


3. Do you like gingerbread? Are gingerbread houses part of your holiday tradition? 

I like gingerbread cake. I'm not a fan of gingerbread cookies, though. Every year, we each make our own gingerbread house to see who can make the best one. It's been a family tradition since the kids were little. We look forward to it. Even the dogs get excited. They try to eat the candy pieces that fall on the floor. 


4. Much of our vocabulary is determined by where we live or where we grew up. What say you-

sprinkles or jimmies? lightning bugs or fireflies? soda or pop? sneakers, trainers, or tennis shoes? sub, hoagie, grinder, or hero? freeway, highway, or motorway? frosting or icing? sauce or gravy?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Sprinkles, lightening bugs, Coke, Sneakers, Sub, Highway, Frosting, Both sauce and grave depending on what we are referring to. 


5. Share a favorite holiday memory from your childhood.

We spent every holiday with family. We'd visit the grandparents and spend hours playing with our cousins. These were the best days. I'd love to go back and visit with everyone again. It would be so amazing to hear my grandma's voice again. To hear her laugh. We never know when the last time will be, so we take all those things for granted. I'd love to have just one more visit.

6.  I have no thoughts to add right now, so I'll just leave a photo of a cute little kitty.








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Till Next Time,

Monique


Monday, December 1, 2025

Happy Homemaker Monday~ December 1, 2025

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Good morning, dear friends! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was a little stressful thanks to some family drama before Thanksgiving Day. We are still dealing with it, but hopefully things will settle down soon, and we can find some peace and understanding. At least that is what I am praying for. 

So, let's get started with Happy Homemaker Monday with our beautiful hostess, Sandra from Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Be sure to stop in, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and say hi.

The Weather in My Neck of the Woods~

We had our first dusting of snow yesterday morning. It has been freezing since Thanksgiving Day. We have a winter storm coming in tonight and into Tuesday. They are calling for ice and snow with an accumulation of 1-3 inches. Not too much, but a good start to the winter season. Our evening temps are in the low 20s. I feel bad for my sweet girls. I have quite a few hens that are still recovering from their molt this fall. Cold temps and bald chickens don't go together. 

Monday~ Partly Cloudy, 40*
Tuesday~ Snow & Ice, 37*
Wednesday ~ Sunny, 42*
Thursday~ Sunny, 42*
Friday~ Partly Sunny, 31*
Saturday~ Sunny, 38*
Sunday~ Cloudy, 42*





As I Look Out My Window~

The sun is just starting to rise. The sky is a soft blended mixture of pale blue and pink. The trees are bare and empty. The ground is littered with the last fallen leaves. 

Thinking and Pondering~

My brain is in overload. I'm so mentally drained after the past 5 days. I feel like my brain could explode at any minute. Liars, ugh, I hate them. They don't give a crap about anyone but themselves. They don't care about who they hurt. The innocent people they break into a million little pieces. My mama's heart is broken and shattered. Whoever said the terrible twos was the worst stage lied. Having adult children getting ready to launch is the hardest. You just have to stand by and watch as they fall apart. As their world shatters like glass. Hopes and dreams scatter in the wind. It was so much simpler when they had a scraped knee, and I could put a Band-Aid on it. When I could kiss the hurt and pain away. Now, I have to stand here, offer love and understanding, and watch them put the pieces back one by one. I can no longer come to the rescue and fix it. This is the worst feeling as a parent. 


How I'm Feeling~

 
Exhausted! Mentally drained. I just want a few days of peace, calm, and quiet. 

What's on My Nightstand~  

The Greatest Gift Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas by Ann Voskamp
My kindle 








What's for Breakfast~

An egg and cheese sandwich on gluten free sour dough bread and a couple cups of coffee, of course. 

Looking Around the House~


Christmas all done. The trees are up, and all the decorations are out. I do need to vacuum again, but overall, the house is pretty good. 



On My To-Do List This Week~

Laundry
Bake cookies
Organize sewing room 

Happening This Week~

Monday~ Hair appointment
Wednesday~ Wait for my son's new phone to arrive
Friday~ Lunch with my sister





On My Reading Pile~

Christmas Around the Fire by Ryan N.S. Topping
Stocking Stuffer by 
Hot Cocoa and Hotter Nights by Alexx Andria 
The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts



What I'm Listening To~

Classic Christmas music

On TV this week~

Netflix
Grey's Anatomy (for the hundredth time)
Call the Midwives
Blindspot
Your Honor


YouTube
Christmas Music






On the Menu this Week~

Monday~ Chilli
Tuesday~ Tator tot Casserole
Wednesday~ Leftovers
Thursday~ Spaghetti and meatballs
Friday~ Night out
Saturday~ ?



What I am Sewing, Quilting, and Creating~

Nothing at the moment. Things have been a little crazy here and there just hasn't been much time to focus on sewing or crafts. I had quite a few things I wanted to get done over the past few weeks, but they have been left sitting there.

My Simple Pleasures~

The early morning hours before anyone else is up. The house is quiet. The Christmas tree shines brightly with colored lights. I sit there lost in my thoughts drinking my cup of coffee. I can forget about all the problems circling around like vultures.


From the Camera~





Praying For~

My parents
My sister and her family
My husband and son
My daughter and our soon to be born grandson
Our country
Friends and family



Inspirational Quote/Bible Verse/Faith~




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Till Next Time,

Monique





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