Wednesday Hodge Podge

Hosted by Joyce.

1. Share one happy moment/memory from the holiday season. 

I absolutely love it when the girls  hurry down stairs  every morning when we are visiting  and jump in our bed,  not too see us, but to play with my Ipad.  They don't get to do it except  on mine!  But  I love it..  The oldest has learned how to  do Sudoku  and the youngest loves to Tap Color beautiful pictures! And I just love to have them close and thinking I'm a cool Grandma!

2. Let's be reasonable with our expectations going into this new year, k? What is one thing you'd like to accomplish/improve/complete/do in 2022?  I have had so much  crazy sickness  and have been so infirm..  shingles for over 2 months,   horrid gout and completely unable to walk for  2 weeks,   and more,, I got so weak  with  debilitating   back and leg pain.  It would take  me   weeks to build back to the stage where I could stand up straight without  pain. I am good now,  praise God,  but   I know  one  little  glitch and Id be right back  in a pretzel.  So I am signed up for  extensive  therapy this  winter to  build my up strength,  to my back and legs,  hips and  inner core.  To strengthen my balance so  steps won't be so daunting!  I hope to also  through it all lose about  25 pounds   during this time..  maybe more. Our trip to Scotland,( I pray  we can go  because  covid  kept us from going to Ireland 2 years ago,) is my impetus to get in  the best shape I can!!!  

3. Every January 1st (since 1976) Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse or just general uselessness (go here to read more about how the words are chosen). Here are the words/phrases they'd like to see banished in 2022-

wait, what?-no worries-at the end of the day-that being said-asking for a friend-circle back-deep dive-a new normal-you're on mute-supply chain

Which of these words/phrases do you use regularly? Which of these words would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word/phrase not on the list you'd like to add? I guess because of covid and not being around a lot of people I do not  get into  discussions enough to use these that much.  I mean, I remember saying wait, what,, maybe to hubs   when he was asking me to  do something he knew I couldn't do at this time.  I have prayed for us to get back to  normal and  someone has said  'normal is dead and gone. it will be a new normal.'  I have  prayed for the supply chain, but truly, I don't use any of these in my regular conversation.  

4. Best thing you ate in the month of December? I discovered the perfect bite at my charcuterie party. Take a Fig and Thyme crisp Cracker by Simple Truth, yum,   put a smear of  fruited Chevre' cheese (goat cheese)on it, top that with a slice of prosciutto and  then a smear of Pineapple Passion Fruit jam. So many flavors.. Super yum!

5. January 5th is National Bird Day. Are you a bird lover? Yes, indeed! What's your favorite bird to see in the wild?   I love bluebirds  which are coming back from a long hiatus! Choose a phrase from the list that follows and tell us how it relates to your life currently...eat like a bird, bird's eye view, early bird, bird-brained, free as a bird, a little bird told me, or kill two birds with one stone.  Well,  kill two birds with one stone  relates  to me, because what ever I do,  if it is carry something downstairs I try think ahead and  carry  two things so I do not have to trek the stairs  agin for a while, of course, I must be super careful  for stirs are not my forte' these days. I will go so far, if possible, to  place the second item in a towel or  throw and drag it down behind me.   Oh, what things we   can dream up to do!  Old age is really pitiful!

6. Insert your own random thought here. Just because I am noticing it  so much t this moment,   another thing about old age is ringing ears.. right now I have a cacophony of crickets  going on in my head...  My Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor just tells me   learn to get used to it!!!  At least I never   feel like Im alone!

Tuesday 4

Here are this week's..... all about January  Linens.  Hosted by  Annie!

1. White month is in January when towels, sheets and household goods go on sale. 

 Do you replace old sheets and towels each year?  If not when?  No, sorry to admit, we replace them when they showed a certain amount of wear.  Usually, it is when the edging shows a bit of raveling.  Then the towel goes into the rag bag.  Sheets just aren’t made as nicely as they used to be.  They show wear and thinning much sooner than they should, I think. We do  replace sheets fairly regularly.

2. How many sets of sheets  and towels do you feel a household need and how often should they be changed on the bed and on the bathroom towel rack? We have 3 sizes of beds and about 3  or 4  sets of bedding for each.  We try to change sheets every couple of weeks, sometimes it spills into 3. We have several sets of towels.  We fairly recently redid a bathroom and bought new towels so the towel supply is plentiful at this time. With covid we try to change towels pretty often. 

3. Do you think the January sales are a bit too close to Christmas when people have spent their money? If you do, what month would be an ideal time to replace linens and things in the home?  I do think it is too close to Christmas.  I think June or July would be much better.

4. There is something so lovely about a linen closet with beautifully folded sheets, towels and blankets. Some place lavender in the closets for a relaxing beautiful scent.   What do you do to make your linens nice?  Our linen closet is actually too full.  One shelf is tableclothes, too, and we keep medical items there, as well, so towels and sheets only get one shelf each and it gets pretty tight.  I like for linens to smell fresh so I do purchase and use sachets whenever I see them at the store.  I, also, use Gain detergent on towels and sheets. It gives such a fresh smell .

Just a note to you guys!

I am still having difficulty     responding    to comments.  Comments just do not work for me.  I have tried everything Ive read on blogger   in their    format  having  bloggers  write in suggestions.  Nothing works for me.  I really appreciate  comments  and  I  feel just terrible that I cant respond in kind.  I was  very pleased to  have some comments from  friends I had not seen for a while.   I am always  very  blessed by  the concerns of dear  blog friends and their   prayers for my situation. So far  this month.  I do have a cat scan coming up   mid month  to  check on the gall ladder  . then I  see my  wonderful doctor  who has been amazing.  this  office visit will lead up to  hopefully my last endoscopy to have a look see and  remove  any  stone  debris and  the stents  he has placed during previous procedures. Then he may either  remove the GB or not.  If he does my prayer is that it can be done laparoscopically.  Lately my  allergies have been bothering me  and my mind immediately goes to covid.  Let's all pray for  everyone to stay clear of  covid and  that  we all stay well, safe, and strong during this  cold and flu season!!  God bless you all!

Happy Homemaker Monday

 

Hosted by Sandra over at Dairy of a Stay at Home Mom.

I can't believe it. it did snow!

The weather  has been crazy.  75 one day, snowy the next.  

Monday measurable snow event

Tuesday cloudy, 40

Wednesday cloudy, 47

Thursday cloudy, 43

Friday  cloudy, 31

Saturday, sunny, 41

Sunday,  rain, 50

On my mind

Well, we are still eating on left overs from last week’s party.  I froze the Heavenly Ham, but olives, and a couple of the cheeses and other meats do not freeze well.  We made great salads with the cut up veg and added some meat and cheese and much of that is used up. Then there are the sweets.  I may just have to throw the extra cookies etc away.  We just do not need it..

On the breakfast plate

 Coffee,  eggs and  left over French toast my sweetheart  made over the weekend.

On my reading pile

Pastor is beginning the study of Exodus in the new year! So I need to read ahead to get my mind on it, plus we went to our first Core Group ( Sunday School) class and they are doing Ezekiel, so that, again is a book I’ve never studied so that is pretty exciting!  I started my new Christian planner Sunday, I love keeping my sermon notes in those planners! 

On my tv

Hallmark movies and English vlogs, one I love is the British version of Love it or List it. 

Interesting youtube vlog I saw this week:  

Looking around the house

I refuse to take down the Christmas decor  until Epiphany, January 6. It has always been my habit.  I may even listen to Christmas music while I do.  I never tire of Christmas! I know I am German, and Irish,  perhaps I have a bit of St. Nicholas in my blood!

On my to-do list

• Develop the everyday habit of starting my day with Bible  and devotions
• Clean the downstairs well and redo some of the decor
• Meet with my physical therapist to set up my therapy schedule
• Bible study on Wed. 
• Ugh, start seeing my glaucoma specialist on Thursday. This doctor did my cataract surgery and he just about killed me putting stents in my eyes.  There is significant fear of him in my psyche! But my precious ophthalmologist is retiring.  So I need to  get used to this specialist!

To relax I will:

Listen to Pandora music,, Bible Study, vlogs, practice my calligraphy for my Christian planner and. Keep up in my weekly planning, start painting in the wonderful bird book I got for Christmas!

Prayer and devotional :

 Praying for our new church and  the leadership there... 

Our government leaders to seek God, and for the fear of the Lord to
spread among all people.

Prayer about the influx of illegals into our nation, and the possible spread of disease and covid.. Father,  we rebuke the spread of covid and its attaching deviants.. We say no more and we also pray that these diseases will calm down and that they will not be so disruptive to the body. that our bodies will fight them off effectively and without devastating consequences.. we say enough to covid! In Jesus name!!

We pray for the places everywhere that persecution is taking place...

For healing of the sick,
salvation of the lost,
deliverance for the hurting,
the supply, food, and building shortage problem: may it not become
a huge crisis  
Churches to arise and pastors to preach according to our times and
these days.. very vital! For the churches to repent and get straight
before a holy God. We have become too lax in our Christianity and
we need to be more persistent to seeking God and His Word!
Protect our children from the ungodly teachings and protect them
from ungodly people who wish them harm for their own purposes. 
Especially for people to turn or return to God. Only He can
save.. There is no other way to God except through the shed blood 
of His son! 

       

                  

                        

                                               

                             

     

One Thing Great About 2021

 How wonderful to spend  some of the last hours of 2021  with some of  your very best friends.

 It actually helped redeem a bit of the  not so  great  things we remember about  last year.  That we were able to be together meant so much!..  Praying that  covid with all of its  variants will dissipate  rapidly, that herd immunity will win the day and  things will get back to normal  very soon,  in Jesus name.,  Amen!

Skywatch Friday

 Skywatch Friday  is Yogi each Friday.  It is  a  fantasy  trip around the world to capture  the  Skywaltz  through  the day and evening.  I wish I had  more  time to be more actively involved but every now and then I do capture  a lovely sky!

In November we travelled  to Massachusetts to celebrate the upcoming holidays   with our daughter and  her family.  Coming back we encountered  snow and  icy roads  through  Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. It was  a pretty grueling trip. Then we got to Virginia    and  the sky cleared and all was well. And as I looked up    and out my side window to utter a prayer of thanksgiving,   there she was .  A beautiful sky angel    traveling along beside us,   reassuring me that  all was, indeed, well and  we were  assured of smooth sailing the rest of our way home!

Final Thoughts on the Charcuterie Party with recommendation

 We had a  wonderful Charcuterie party last night. It was a huge  hit  ..  even having it for  a pick and eat for  supper.  My  70 year old guests  loved it..  Of cours,e we are the youngest 70 year olds you will ever meet!! But  truth to tell  I had  about 1/3 of the board's left overs.. because I  think I  offered too much.  But  those left overs  are  nice to have.  I mean for  lunch   that  cheese and ham   were perfect  on a cracker    for lunch..  along  with grapes and sliced apple. I t was  almost the perfect bite.  I had  in the fridge  enough  hydroponic lettuce ( our favorite)to  make us  chef salads  for suppes.. I cut up  the remaining  cucumber  sticks,  some of the  multicolored  carrot sticks,  and red pepper sticks..  Added to it  more of the ham  and various cheeses  cut up in small pieces.. There is an instant supper us  along with  a  fine choice of  crackers..  Those pretzel crackers would be  wonderful.. I also had some gluten free crisp  flavored with Parmesan and garlic..  I only have a few of those left.. But my absolute  favorite  cracker last night was the       

                                 

but all three  were great !!!