Farewell to November

Welcome to another Wednesday Hodgepodge with questions you may also choose to ask and answer.

1.  Sum up your November in ten words or less.

My favorite month of the year left too quickly and left me one year older.

2.  Are you hosting any holiday parties this year?  Attending any?  Party pooper, party animal, or life of the party...where do you land when it comes to parties?

I will not be hosting any holiday parties because we leave for Northern Indiana mid December for the remainder of the month.  Yes, we will be attending some Christmas parties before we leave that are church related.  I am NOT a party animal - more a party tolerator.  I tend to sit on the sideline at parties and enjoy watching the others.

3.  Do you purchase holiday clothing of any sort (sparkly tops, Christmas jammies, Santa suit, etc.)?

I do not purchase holiday clothing per se'.  I do own one sort-of sparkly top that was purchased years ago that I pull out for the occasional holiday gathering. I am not a sparkle clothing type.

 My Christmas jammies were given to me by my daughters and I love them.

4.  What's your go-to recipe when you're asked to bring an hors d'oeuvre to a party?

I do not have a go-to recipe but recently tried a new recipe to serve at home which was a big hit.  It will also be on our Christmas Eve hors d'oeuvre table this year.

Salted Caramel Pecans Baked Brie

5.  December 3rd is National Play Outside Day...what might you do to celebrate?

National Play Outside Day?  I may walk outside but that will be the extent of my celebration.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Thanksgiving 2022

Christy always hosts our Thanksgiving Dinner with a beautiful table setting, and we all contribute food.  She went less formal this year with these pretty disposable dishes and we loved it.

Ava Grace enjoys making the place cards every year, and she also makes labels for the food.

This little turkey was the chief center of attention and the blessing for which we were most grateful.  Landon is 7 months old and such a joy.

Two of our girls were absent this year, but not far from our thoughts.

The other blessing for which we are most grateful this year, is our big boy, Jax.  His mother sent this picture of him and his daddy Thanksgiving morning.  This rascal is only 4 months and wearing 9 month clothing, and you see they are a snug fit.  Yes, another BIG DAY BOY!

Trust your Thanksgiving was also full of thanksgiving.

Tis the Season to Give Thanks

After being absent for a couple weeks it is good to be back with the Hodgepodgers on this day before Thanksgiving.  Thank you Joyce for bringing us together.

1.  Have you ever been on a cruise?  If so where did you go and how did you like it?  If not, do you have any desire to take a cruise someday?

In 1996, we and four of our best couple friends took a Caribbean Cruise to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversaries.  We had a great time making tons of memories, but realized that the sun on the sundeck of a cruise ship got old.  Regretfully, two of our group are now deceased and one couple divorced.  Time and life can take a toll, but we will forever be grateful for friendships.

In 2000, we took an Alaskan cruise with two other couple friends and it was a wonderful trip.  Yes, I would do this one again.

2.  Tell us about your Thanksgiving plans...are you hosting?  cooking?  eating out?  turkey or some other main?  is it stuffing or dressing in your house?  homemade cranberries or cranberries in a can?  are pies on the dessert menu?  what kind?  what are your 'must have' sides?  Tell us one thing you're especially grateful for this year.

We traditionally have Thanksgiving with our daughter and her family, along with her husband's family.  Since moving to Plano, it is only a 10 minute drive rather than the 3 hours it used to be.

Dick and I will be bringing the cornbread dressing and gravy, - yes dressing not stuffing- a Cajun Rice Dressing better known as "Dirty Rice," sweet potato casserole, and our family's favorite "Pink Salad."  Granddaughter Chandler will bring the favorite side, green bean casserole.

Christy always provides the meats, cranberries in a can, drinks and a beautiful table setting.  Chuck's mom, Sandra brings her much desired pecan and pumpkin pies; His sister, the bread.

I am most grateful for my family and especially for our two healthy, beautiful great grandsons.

3.  If someone approaches you and asks for money do you give it to them?  Do you drop money 'in a tin cup' that belongs to a person on the street?  Do you have a specific charity you support during the holiday season and/or year round?

No, I never give money to anyone asking on the street or elsewhere.  I sometimes will put a few dollars in a red kettle manned by a bell ringer.

I give year round to a ministry that supports widows of deceased ministers in our denomination.  I also support a child in Rwanda.  Our extra holiday giving is done through our church for missions.

4.  Have you started decorating for Christmas?  Is your tree up?  Shopping done?  Wrapped?

As I do not decorate for Christmas because we leave mid-Dec., I just today put out one little throw pillow that says "Joyeau Noel!"  NO TREE!

I have wrapped one gift and have another ready for a party auction, and that's pretty much all I have.  I haven't seen the shopping lists for the babies yet, so that remains to be ordered.

5.  Create your own acrostic using the word THANKS.

The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious unto you;

Now and for evermore.

Know the Lord will not leave you or forsake you.

Sing praises to His name.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

We saw the movie, "The Chosen" Season 3 Episodes 1-2 today and it was great.  We marathon'd the first two seasons and enjoyed them much more than we thought we would.  If you haven't seen these, I do encourage you to do so.

May this be a wonderful time of praise and thanksgiving for each of you and all within your door. 

A Grateful November Hodgepodge

I started blogging after retiring from a full-time, demanding job in 2011.  Curious to see if I had posted anything about my 67th birthday that first year, I looked back and found that yes, I had.  It was spent with our daughter and her family in Dallas, but my outing with Ava Grace, 5 at the time is still a special memory.

We went to the Galleria where we had lunch and shopped at American Girl and even took Kit to the ice skating rink where she excelled on her first try.

That night we went to the huge Fall Festival at Prestonwood Baptist Church where Bat Girl was not too proud to snuggle with her pretty mom.

Gracious, the changes these 11 years have brought and I am more than grateful for the majority of them, especially for my 78th birthday today, the 1st of Nov.

Thank you Joyce for this week's Hodgepodge questions.

1.  What about your upbringing are you most grateful for?

My parents.  I am grateful for the life of commitment to each other, to our family, to their faith, to the people they ministered to, and the example they set every single day of their lives.  I'm grateful to have grown up in the south in the mid 40's - 60's, in a rural area where everyone was either called "Aunt" or "Uncle" or by Mr. and Mrs.  That was an idyllic time to grow up.

2.  What are two or three things that bring you comfort?

Sitting around a roaring fire snuggled in a warm blanket, sipping hot chocolate, surrounded by family.

3.  Something beautiful you saw today?  (or yesterday depending on when it is you're answering this question)

The sunrise while on my morning walk in The Village.

4.  Have you ever used a typewriter?  Tell us a memory associated with that.

Oh yes, and in fact first typed on one that looked exactly like the one above.  My dad had one that he used all the time, and allowed us to play on it.  My memory is watching him type a mile a minute with no errors using his forefingers only.  I was shocked when I took my first typing class that that was not the right technique.  It sure worked for Daddy.  He would have been a great texter.

5.  Something you are grateful for today.

To be healthy, active, happy, and a year older.  I'm grateful for God's faithfulness to me and my family and for my eternal hope in Jesus Christ.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Jax's 1st Halloween

Landon's 1st Halloween

Ava Grace (Center) and fellow students will have their first school theatrical performance this weekend.  Obviously, acting comes more natural for some than others.