Wednesday Hodgepodge~ December 10, 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. Do you struggle with the commercialization of the holiday season? What helps you keep your focus when the season’s busyness and commercialism start to take over? 

I hate the craziness of the holiday season. As someone who used to work in retail, I know firsthand how rude and crazy people can get during the holiday season. I hate the hustle and bustle. I actually try to avoid all the stores during this time. When I do go out it's usually on a Monday morning before the rest of the people are out and about. My goal is always to be done by 12! The concept of buy, buy, buy annoys me. SO often, we are buying gifts for people who really don't need them and many of them don't actually appreciate them. It can be rather stressful trying to find the perfect gift for some people. I would much rather have an old fashion Christmas with family and love. A cozy dinner surrounded by those I love. 

2. What's one small thing you want to savor before the year ends? 

Honestly, the peace and quiet of the house. We are expecting our first grandchild this February, and I will be watching him, so life is going to change drastically around here. We will have a sweet baby to love, but it will be a lot of work. The quiet will disappear but in a good way. I'm very excited and can't wait for those baby cuddles. 

3. December 9th is National Christmas Card Day. Do you still send Christmas cards? If so does yours include a photo or is it a more traditional card, or maybe homemade? How do you feel about the tradition of exchanging cards at the holidays? If Hanukkah is the holiday you celebrate in December, do you send cards to mark the occasion? 

I still send out Christmas cards, especially to my older relatives. I always feel sad when I open up my address book and realize that another relative has passed and is now in heaven. I actually worked on this past Saturday. I need to get some stamps to mail them out. When the kids were little, we did the photo card. Now that they are older, I've been doing just the good, old fashion Christmas cards. I like getting Christmas cards in the mail. It's part of the Christmas traditions that I grew up with. Sadly, I think less and less people are sending them out, now. I'm sure the cost of the stamp is part of that. 

4. What's your least favorite holiday related task? What's your favorite? 

My favorite activity is to bake cookies. I love baking. I miss the days of when the kids and I baked tons and tons of cookies together. We'd bake chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and sugar cookies every year. We would also add a few extra kinds each year depending on what the kids wanted that year.  I'm looking forward to doing it when my grandson in a few years.

I hate cleaning for the holidays! I love everything else about the Christmas season...decorating, shopping (I try to get this done early), baking, cooking, etc. A close second to my least favorite activity is wrapping. I used to love it. I'd do ribbon and bows. I'd go all out. Now, I dread it. I don't do bows, ribbons, or tags anymore. I have a wrapping paper for each member of the family. They look for their paper and get to it. 

5. Let's do a little holiday this or that. 

• shopping or wrapping
• baking or decorating
• eggnog or wassail
• real tree or artificial
• turkey or ham
• white lights or colored lights 
• ugly sweaters or matching pjs
• peppermint or cinnamon 
• presents Christmas Eve or presents Christmas Day 

Shopping, I hate wrapping

Baking or Decorating... I can't decide, I love both!

Eggnog or wassail...neither I'm more of a hot chocolate girl

Fake tree, we have a pine allergy in our family. If we put up a real tree, my daughter would die

Turkey, I don't eat any pork 

white lights or colored, Both. I have white lights outside and around the nativity. I have colored lights on the Christmas tree. 

Matching pajamas

Peppermint, I don't like cinnamon, too spicey for me

Presents on Christmas morning

6. I love Christmas lights! I hate testing them and putting them on, but I love seeing all the lights around town. The colors fill the night with holiday cheer. They add a warmth to the holiday season. This year, we are heading to Pigeon Forge to see the lights there. I'm very excited. 

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Monique

Sunday Inspiration~ December 7, 2025

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Monique

Happy Reading~ My November 2025 Reads

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Good morning, y'all! I hope you've had a fantastic week and a very Happy Thanksgiving. Are y'all ready for the weekend? I know I am. I do think we're supposed to get a few snow flurries, though. Today, I'm sharing my November reads! 

2025 Reading Goal~ 125 Books

I've currently read 121 books, so I have 4 more to go before the end of the year. I have 5 books started so I'll probably finish the year a little over my goal. 

Here's how my book recap goes. 

~I have included pictures if I have them and have provided links to them on Amazon so you can find out more about the books before you buy or check them out at your local library. 

~ If I left a more detailed review for a book, I'll include the link under the book so you can check it out. I leave reviews for books I really like or have received for reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and this blog. 

~If I receive a preview book, I'll include the release date for you.

~ Each book will have a rating in bold. I rate each book with a numbered star.

The rating system I use is as follows ~

*5 This book was amazing! I couldn't put it down. I loved the book so much that I either bought the book or planned to buy it to add to my ever-growing collection so I could reread it. 

*4 This means the book is definitely worth reading. I really enjoyed the book. I liked it, but not enough to buy it and add it to my collection. 

*3 This book was good. It wasn't the best book I've read, but I did enjoy it. I wouldn't need to read it again. 

*2 This book was okay. I finished it but had to force myself to. I probably didn't like the plot or the characters. The story just didn't work for me. 

*1 This means I didn't like the book at all, and I couldn't finish it.

This month, I read 9 books. 

Christmas Wishes in Wild harbor by Grace Worthington

4****

This is book 3 in the Wild Harbor Beach series. Mila returns home for the holidays and suddenly finds herself being set up by her matchmaking grandma. I love this series. The cute little town is the perfect setting for a small-town romance. 

Rooted and Radiant by Mallory Smith

5*****

This was the book for my weekly Bible study from Walking with Purpose. Each year our women's' church group choses one or two books from Walking with Purpose to study. This book was a journey through Colossians. 

Food Babe Family: More Than 100 Recipes and Foolproof Strategies to Help Your Kids Fall in Love with Real Food by Vani Hari

4****

This book was one I picked up at the library. It was on the new books shelf. I'm always looking for new cookbooks, especially ones with tasty and healthy recipes. I've heard of Food Babe before, so I was already familiar with her ideas and concepts. 

A Scottish Christmas Hideaway by Ellie Henderson

4****

I loved the Scottish village in this book. Reading Christmas themed books during this time of the year is a favorite past time of mine. This is a Christmas romance story. Jessica returns home for the holidays after a crazy year. She loves coming home and seeing the familiar faces, Christmas lights, and her brother's infuriating best friend. It's Christmas time. It's time for some Christmas magic and a sweet romance to bloom. 

The Oak Inside the Acorn by Max Lucado

5*****

This was a read for my 1st grade Sunday school class. It's a great book to help little ones realize that with God we can become so much more. We all start out small, but God has big plans for each and every one of else. 

One Snowy Swedish Christmas: A Spicy Holiday Novella

3***

This was an ARC read. I always have problems with novellas. I always end up needing more of a story line. I personally didn't care for the characters, and the plot was just oaky to me. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't one of my favorites either. You can read my full review over at Goodreads.

The Gingerbread House by R.M. Whitaker 

5*****

I absolutely loved this one! It is the perfect Christmas romance story. Great characters, a wonderful small-town setting, and a fixer upper job restoring the Gingerbread house. What's not to love?

Christmas at Serendipity Springs by Ella Score

5*****

This was another 5-star Christmas romance story. A charming, small-town setting, a winter wonderland, and two reluctant people falling in love. It's the perfect book to curl up with on a cold, snowy day!

Hazelnuts and Homicide: A Bonne Annee Mystery by N.E. Carlisle

4****

Another fantastic ARC read! A quirky little town. Amazing characters. A furry sidekick. A murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. Grab a cup of hot chocolate and sit back and enjoy.

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Till Next Time,

Monique

Friday Book Review~ Hazelnuts and Homicide

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Hazelnuts and Homicide

Author: N.E. Carlisle

Publisher: Plot Twist LLC

Published Date: October 21, 2025

Print Length: 350 pages

Hazelnuts and Homicide is a classic whodunit! It's a charming, cozy holiday mystery filled with great novels, delicious culinary treats, and some humor. The characters are likable and you immediately feel part of this quirky little town. There are plenty of plot twists to keep readers engaged. The plot is clever and filled with mysteries. It's not too dark or twisted for the holiday season.

In the coastal town of Hazelnut, Oregon, bookstore owner Bonne Annee finds herself in a recipe for murder. Annee's literary dinner clubs combine delicious themed foods and novels to bring the community together. These events are what Annee loves to do. Annee's Poe-inspired dinner party this month ends in disaster. One person is dead, and another has had a severe allergic reaction to nuts. Her best friend and roommate disappears.  Annee's house becomes a crime scene, and Annee sets out to clear her name. 

Amateur sleuth, Annee, jumps into a tangled mess of lies, deceit, and secrets. With her cute Bernadoodle, Oscar, and a few trusted close friends, Annee sets out to solve the mystery. She digs deep into the town's secrets and heads out on her own few adventures. She has to save the town's Christmas market and her reputation. Who can she trust? Who did it? Will she put her own life in danger? 

All Annee knows is that she has to find the real killer!

I loved the small-town feel. The literary themes and the delicious foods are a treat. Hazelnuts and Homicide is the perfect cozy mystery for literary lovers. A bonus note~ the author has included some of the recipes in the back of the book. I personally loved how the recipes reflected food allergies. There are a few gluten-free recipes that I plan to give a try.

I received this book as an advanced reader's copy for my honest opinion. 

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Monique

Wednesday Hodgepodge~ December 3, 2025

Please note that posts may contain affiliate links. If you choose to click on a link, add it to your cart, and complete your purchase, I will receive a small percentage. We are very grateful for this additional source of income. Thank you.

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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Monique

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 Bible and the Catholic Mom's Prayer Companion: A Book of Daily Reflections. 

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

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

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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Monique