Wednesday HodgePodge

Today is Wednesday so it is time for HodgePodge and I've been trying to be on time . . .so join us!  Visit Joyce at From This Side of the Pond!

1. Can you believe it is the end of January?  What was the best day of January 2017 for you and why?

Where did January go?  Where did 2016 go?  Surely, we aren’t already a month into 2017.  We are, aren’t we?  Wow.  We had several good days in January – do I have to pick one?  My sister came to visit from Texas and stayed a week.  Those were good days!  We kept Emma overnight – that was a good day!  We’ve had dinner with friends – love them a lot so that was a good day!

2. What sounds make up the background noise in your life?

I work in a church office so there is almost always some kind of noise.  I love it when there is laughter around me (and that happens often!).  Sometimes there are tears.  My office is near our workroom so I often hear conversations and copiers and the postage machine and the folding machine (it sounds like a horse galloping – really!).  When I’m home alone, I actually enjoy total silence.  When Mark is there, he usually has the TV on.

workroom right next to my office - galloping - oops! "FOLDING" machine on that counter in the back!!

3. I read on the Power of Positivity website a list of ten things to drop from your life right now.

anger outbursts, people who put you down, regret, negative self talk, being a people pleaser, the notion you need to be perfect, the past (but keep the lessons learned!), gossip and judgment, comparing yourself to others, and the word hate (focus on what you love instead)

Which thing on the list do you most need to drop? Are you trying or will you try?

Dadgum – I need to drop most of these things!  Just like the first question, I can’t pick just one.  My angry outbursts are fewer and farther between now than when I was young.  I do have some people in my life who put me down.  I don’t have a lot of regrets but I do have a few.  I’m horrible with negative self-talk but I’ve been trying to re-frame in my head (as quickly as possible!!).  I am a people pleaser and I’m not sure I can change.  I’m a number 1 on the Ennegram (talked about that recently!) and just listen to this: “Ones - by attempting to create their own brand of perfection, they often create their own personal hell. Instead of agreeing with the statement in Genesis that God saw what He had created, “and it was good,” Ones intensely feel that “It wasn’t—there obviously have been some mistakes here!””  Ones also tend to be judgmental and I’ve been working on that one!  I do tend to LOVE much more than HATE so that is pretty good!!

4. What is sacred to you?

Goodness gracious – the word of God; my faith; my relationship with Jesus – I can’t imagine life without those things.   I also feel like my family and some of our friends are sacred to me – they are of utmost importance (not THE most important thing in my life but way up high on the list!)

5. January is National Oatmeal month.  Are you a fan, and if so, how do you like it?

I do like oatmeal in several forms.  I LOVE a good oatmeal cookie – throw in some coconut and some chocolate chips and some pecans – yuuuum!!  I also love a good bowl of oatmeal on a cold morning with some cinnamon and butter.  On Sunday afternoon, I actually did meal prep for lunches and some of our dinners this week.  I think I’m going to do some oatmeal jars soon.

6. What feelings does twilight stir up in you?

My very first thought was of Twilight, the series about the Vampires – I am terrified of vampires and can’t watch anything with them in it – I have horrible nightmares!!  This fact is so weird because I loved Dark Shadows when I was a teenager.  I’ll bet you weren’t asking about that kind of twilight, were you?  Twilight always has a feeling of peace – the day is coming to a close.  I love that time of day at the beach or at the lake.  I just googled “does dusk come before twilight” and the response is that “twilight comes between sunset and dusk!”

7. Something you’re looking forward to next month?

Time – time with family and time with friends . . .time for hobbies . . .more time.  We don’t have any big plans for the month of February.  Mark is going hunting this weekend.  We’ve been trying to plan a time to meet our friends from Nashville and it would be great if we could do that one weekend this month!!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I’ve been truly struggling lately.  I consider myself a moderate – politically.  I’m conservative in many economic areas and more liberal on social policies (I believe that God calls us to take care of each other).  These days EVERYONE is so divided.  I truly don’t remember a time in my life when our country has seemed so broken.  I’ve never enjoyed talking about politics but lately, I feel as if I say anything at all, someone is going to disagree. . . or tell me I am stupid – maybe not to my face, but behind my back.  (Reread my answers to question 3!!)  Households are divided; friends are divided.  It makes me sad.  For years, I’ve tried to follow Jesus . . .sometimes it is painful.  This seems to be one of those times because we can’t even agree on the Jesus stuff – some say “Jesus would do this” and others say “No way – Jesus would do that.” . . . . .and I found mouse poop on my desk today (needed something funny!!!). . .I should bring my cat to work . . .I had to clean with Lysol wipes!!

Harvey . . .with his pirate eye!