The Centennial and Completely Common Hodgepodge

As is completely common for something as auspicious as the 100th Hodgepodge, I can't make the linky-picture-thing work on my blog this morning. (I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm so technical I call it a linky-picture-thing.) At any rate, by now you know what this is, and you know what to do. Read the questions, laugh or nod thoughtfully in the appropriate places at my answers, leave a comment and then click this link and go see everyone else's answer at Joyce's blog. Hopefully Joyce will be able to fully participate in this wonderful and epic Hodgepodge, although power at her place is questionable as she is right in the middle of all the havoc Sandy has caused this week. We're praying for you, Joyce!

By the way, the reason for the title is because of Joyce's eloquent introduction this week. The Hodgepodge really is not about the monumental in our lives, but about the everyday minutae that make up our day. Sometimes it's poignant, sometimes it's funny or thoughtful, but always it's us in all of our flawed glory. Of course, Joyce expressed this thought much better than I did, so go read what she had to say. After you finish here, of course.

1. What creeps you out?
Feet. I know they're necessary, but they're gross.

2. What's your least favorite candy?
Why would I have a least favorite? Candy is candy and it makes me happy. Except for candy that is hot instead of sweet, like redhots. That makes absolutely no sense.

3. Are you a fan of scary movies? What's the scariest movie you've ever seen?
I like suspense movies, but not horror. And sometimes a movie starts out as suspense, but crosses over into horror. That's never fun. Like the movie where the woman's head ended up in the dryer. A laundry room is never a good place in a scary movie. Come to think of it, my laundry room scares me all the time.

4. What part of life confuses you the most?
The living it part.

5. Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, poppy...what's your favorite seed?
Why settle for a seed when you can have the whole pumpkin, sunflower, poppy or ... sesame?

6. Imagine your life ten years from today...what's changed?
Certainly not the amount of gray in my hair. It will still be mostly nonexistent, thanks to Clariol. Maybe by then I'll look good in hats. You never know.

7. What do you a) love the most and b) like the least about the Hodgepodge?
I love that it's always there. I don't like when I miss joining in, although I don't think that's the fault of the Hodgepodge or its creator.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Two more of my children are old enough to vote in this election. I helped both of them through the process, and even thought I was a good sport for helping them celebrate this milestone. Then Paul reminded me at dinner that he would be voting in the next election. I had a little trouble swallowing for the moment. He waited until I took another mouthful before casually mentioning that Joel would also be voting in the next election.

I barely managed to avoid spitting my food across the table.

Hmmm. Now that I think about question 6, perhaps in ten years the kids will have to be helping me get through the voting process!

Ninety-Nine Bottles of Hodgepodge on the Wall

So we're at ninety-nine Hodgepodges and counting. Can't wait to see what Joyce comes up with for the big 1-0-0! Click on the link to read everyone else's answers and to post your own. Join in before we reach 100!

1.  So, do you like beer? 

Root Beer once in a great while. But when I sing the ninety-nine bottles song, I usually sing ninety-nine bottles of Coke. Mostly because it's single syllable and fits in the space.

2.  What's your least favorite repetitive task?

Exercise. Seems like I'm never done with it.

3.  When was the last time you rode a bus?  Where was it headed?

I drive the Boyd Bus everywhere I go.

4.  What song from your childhood or from your own children's childhood could make a parent's nerves stand on end?

This question implies that there's a children's song that wouldn't make a parent's nerves stand on end. The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round, John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith, One of These Things Is Not Like the Other ... Am I driving you crazy yet? Any of these songs going to stick in your head for the rest of the day? How about This is the Song That Never Ends? 

Now you hate me, don't you?

5.  The US Presidential election cycle is drawing to a close (can I get an AMEN??), and the third and final debate was held last night...what was the last thing you 'debated about'?

I don't debate so much as I passionately discuss. There's a fine line there.

6.  Can a person make too much money?  How much is too much?

I don't know if a person can make too much, but I volunteer to be the guinea pig and find out. And too much is probably just a little bit more than anyone has. 

7.  Pop-soda-coke-something else...what's it called where you live? 

I don't care as long as you serve it with ice. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Referring to Question #4, I don't know why but the theme song from The Rescuers always sticks in my mind. And when it gets stuck there it stays for a couple of days. Seriously. I'll get up during the night to use the bathroom and still find that song running through my head. It makes me want to smash something.

My children try to plant it in my head on purpose. They are devils.

Where Have You Been?!?

Hello! Yes, I know it's been awhile and I didn't even participate in the Hodgepodge this week and where on earth have I been?

Well, I could give you the short story, but what would be the fun in that?

 

 

You may recall that Luke is the big college guy now, although I still sometimes see him as the baby with three pacifiers.

 

The little boy waving is Paul. He just turned 16. I'm struggling to keep up with life. I think this picture was just taken last month.

 

In addition to my children just deciding to grow up on me, we also had to host the pastors' fellowship this week. You know, the one where we were supposed to eat some kind of chicken? Indiana told us to plan for 20-30. Luckily we planned for more because we ended up with over 50.

 

As soon as that event was over, I got busy with the baby shower our church is giving Kylee this Saturday.  I'd show pictures of the diaper cake I made and the centerpieces I'm working on, but they keep turning up sideways when I try to put them into the post, and I don't have time to fix them right now. Trust me, they're fabulous.

 

I'll have pictures next week. We're decorating tonight because tomorrow I have to leave for a ladies' conference. I'll skip the second day of the conference so I can get back here in time for the shower.

 

Then it's the usual Sunday church activities, followed by the two hour trip to take Luke back to college Sunday night after the service. I don't mind the drive except I'm having more and more trouble staying awake.

 

Can't imagine why that would be a problem!

 

So that's why I haven't been around here on the blog. Busy with life, events, traveling, and even attempting crafts and food for the shower. We'll see how that goes.

 

By the way, I guess Luke and Paul would appreciate it if I posted a picture of what they look like now.

 

I'm not gonna. 'Cause in my heart, they'll always be those adorable little baby boys.

 

 



 

 

 

Peanuts! Popcorn! Hodgepodge!

This week we have Peanuts. (Not the salty kind, but the humorous kind.) We have popcorn, competition and chivalry. So after leaving a comment, click on the link and follow along over at Joyce's. You know you want to.

1. It's a brand new month...share one thing you're looking forward to in October.
How can I stop at just one? Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the cooler temperatures, the changing colors, the crispness in the air ... of course, I don't get to experience these things because I live in Florida. We still hit 90 degrees on a regular basis.

Not that I'm bitter or anything.

2.  Is chivalry dead?  Explain.
No, but I think it might be on oxygen.

3.  On October 2, 1950 the Peanuts comic strip made its debut.  Which character is your favorite?  Which character is most like you?  (Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Shroeder, Snoopy, Woodstock, or Pig Pen)  If you need a description click here .
I love them all, and I think I'm most like Linus. I have a take-life-as-it-comes attitude and a occasional surprising word of wisdom to offer, but I'm a basket case without my security blanket.

4.  What's something you're competitive about?
It's so much that I'm competitive ... I just like to win. (The first step is admitting you have a problem.)

5. October is National Popcorn Popping Month...are you a fan?  How do you like your popcorn?
Am I a fan of National Popcorn Popping Month? I suppose so. But why doesn't chocolate have a month? I could really support an idea like that.

6.  When did you first realize the world is small?
When I started taking up more space in it.

7.  In terms of architecture, what's the most beautiful building you've seen up close and in person?
Big or small, home outshines them all. Look at me; I'm a poet!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I have a lot of thoughts right now--random and not so random--and they're pinging around in my brain like a room full of superballs run amok. 

The Devil's in the Details

And yet another strange discovery about that distant planet that men have come from if you subscribe to the Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus theory. Apparently there are no details on Mars.

None.

Because men don't seem to need any. I'm a detail-oriented person, and I've often wondered how on earth men can go through life so oblivious and uncaring of all the millions of details that make up their world. I guess it's because, on their original planet, everything falls into place with absolutely no effort.

That's strange because, here on earth, it takes a lot of effort for details to fall into place. Not that men notice.

Take, for instance, my Indiana Jones. I love the man to death, but sometimes I think he'll be the death of me. Recently he and another pastor got together and decided our churches should compete in a month-long campaign.                 

 

We were out with another couple from our church when Indiana enthusiastically explained the plan. They wanted to kick off this campaign with a joint picnic/early evening service one Sunday night at a park halfway between our two churches. The other church would provide the meat, and we would bring the sides.

 

Clearly, Indiana was pleased that they had hammered out the details. Vicky and I looked at each other across the table, and I silently agreed that she should go first.

 

"What kind of meat?" She asked. "That might make a difference in what sides we would fix."

 

Indiana shrugged. "Probably hamburgers and hotdogs."

 

That shrug means it wasn't discussed. He's just putting his own spin on things. Now it was my turn.

 

"What about buns? Is that part of 'meat' or 'sides'?"

 

Indiana looked blank as he admitted he didn't know.

 

Vicky's turn.

 

"What about condiments?"

 

My turn.

 

"Who is bringing beverages?"

 

Vicky's turn.

 

"Are desserts included in sides?"

 

"I guess I can send the other pastor an email," Indiana decided. I could tell he didn't want to. He doesn't want to worry about details. In fact, later on he just told me we should plan on bringing all that extra stuff. To him it was an easy way to deal with our questions without his having to bother anymore.

 

But there's a problem with that line of thinking. Guys see the worst-case scenario here that everyone brings everything and we have more than we need and everyone's happy.

 

Women see that, if we bring desserts when they already made desserts, we risk sending the message that their contributions aren't good enough. We also worry about irritating ladies if they spend time and effort on something, only to find out it wasn't really needed.

 

As the picnic drew closer and I badgered asked Indiana for clarification, he confidently asserted that we needed to bring buns and condiments as well as sides. We planned for some desserts, but it was implied that those would be coming from both churches.

 

The day before the picnic, Indiana called me while I was at the grocery store to let me know that our church was responsible for bringing all the desserts.

 

The day of the picnic I found out we were having pulled pork and hotdogs. No need for the lettuce, tomatoes and mayonaise we brought. We definitely could have used more cole slaw. There were enough desserts, but judging from the way they were picked clean, a few more brownies wouldn't have hurt.

 

We had more 2-liters and buns than we knew what to do with. In fact, we ended up taking home most of the ones we'd brought because the other church also brought plenty. Both churches provided plates, plasticware, cups and tablecloths.

 

I made a mental note to call the other pastor's wife next time, but I didn't have time to dwell on it because this month it's our church's turn to host the local pastors' fellowship. Having never been to one (seeing as I'm not a pastor and all), I asked Indiana about the meal we're supposed to serve after the meeting.

 

He thinks he's usually eaten some sort of chicken at these luncheons.

 

Make sure there's desserts.

 

We should probably have a vegetable.

 

Plan for 20. Or maybe 50.

 

Perhaps I should just make reservations for this luncheon.

 

On Mars.