Winter Wonderland HodgePodge

Join up with Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond - copy her questions into your blog and answer . . . and link up!

1. 'Hurry less, worry less'...what's your strategy for making that happen this holiday season? How's it going so far?

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! I so wish this could be true!  I will say that the snow last Friday definitely slowed me down. We don't get a lot of snow in Alabama and we especially don't get between four and five inches. We did last Friday. Mark was out of town and I watched a million Hallmark movies - back to back and made Christmas ornaments.

horrible picture of me - keeping it real!

I don't even have the right kind of clothes to

wear - hoodie under a wool coat!

I was out in the street with all of the neighbors

it was so beautiful!

2. Do you have a list of to-dos that need accomplishing in order to prepare your home and/or property for the winter season? What are some of the jobs on your list? Are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you hire someone to accomplish these tasks?

Isn't that what my husband is for? Just kidding - sort of! Actually, we don't have to do a lot of winterizing here. We have some faucet covers that we put over the outside faucets if we have freezing weather. Just FYI, I have lists for everything. I have lists for my lists!

3. According to dietitians surveyed, the most popular health foods for 2018 will be -turmeric, sprouted foods (bean sprouts, breads with sprouted grains, etc), veggies in place of grains, dairy free milk, and pulses (lentils, chickpeas, etc).  What's the first thought that ran through your head when you read this list? Of the foods listed which one might you add to your regular diet? Also, can milk really be dairy free? Is it still milk?

I've replaced a lot of my grains with veggies this year (I type those words as I sit at the island in the kitchen munching on a fake chip!) I don't drink milk very often so that won't affect me. I love lentils and chickpeas and already eat those quite often.

4. The Pantone Color of the Year for 2018 is Ultra Violet. According to the Pantone site 'Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking pointing us to the future.' What say you? Do you like the color purple? Did you see the movie or read the book-ha!?  Is purple a color you wear often? Describe for us one purple item in your home without using the word purple.  If you were in charge of such things what color would you select for 2018?

really? Ultra violet? Purple is the favorite of one of my sister-in-laws so she should be happy. I don't think I have anything purple in my house!

5. Favorite book read this year?

I've read lots of good books this year - Boys in the Boat was excellent. I also reread The Nightingale earlier this year - good book, too!. My Kindle Fire died a few weeks ago and I ordered a new Kindle Paperwhite. I couldn't wait until Christmas. A day without reading is torture! I read while I ride the stationary bike every night. I've read a ton of James Patterson and at least 40 cozy mysteries (my secret pleasure that you now know about). In addition to pleasure reading, I also read so that I can teach adult Sunday School each week - one of my favorite books this year was:

200 Pomegranates and an Audience of One: Creating a Life of Meaning and Influence

by Shawn Wood

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

We had our church staff Christmas party yesterday and it was so much fun. We had pot luck lunch and everyone ate together. We each had a stocking that our co-workers had filled with notes of encouragement and tiny gifts (candy, cookie cutters & recipes, clever treats). Santa ate lunch with us and then handed out stockings and the senior pastor was Santa's trusty sidekick.