Week(end) Review

I'm adding in a couple of photos from last week, in addition to the weekend, because the photos are so cool!

Below is frozen fog. The photo was taken by my friend on her way to work. She actually pulled off the road into the parking lot of the old Tip Top Grill, which sits on the edge of the bluff. Instead of seeing down into the valley, you see a sea of frozen fog! It looks like a lake.

The next morning, I was riding the stationary bike upstairs and stepped out onto our top porch and snapped the sunrise. I am so thankful that his mercies are new every morning!!

Since I work on Sundays, I feel like our weekend begins on Thursday night. I've mentioned before that we have season tickets to a small local theater for opening night of each production. Dearly Beloved was so cute!! The entire play is set in the fellowship hall of a church where a wedding reception is to be held. It was well done!! Before the play, we met four of our closest friends for dinner at Urban Cookhouse. Actually, before dinner . . .I was working Lil' Lambs which is our huge consignment sale held twice a year at our church. 

Friday morning, Mark prepped a massive brisket to go on the smoker. Of course, it was pouring down rain.

He started the smoker inside the edge of the screen porch but was able to move it outside.

I had an appointment to get my roots covered and drove 45 minutes in the pouring rain.

While the color was processing, I sat in the massage chair. Ahhhh!

The reason Mark was smoking the brisket was because we were hosting our supper club Friday night.We've been together since 2004.

Here is what that brisket looked like at the end of the day! It was tender and delicious.

I love our dining room.

Everyone was chatting and eating appetizers in the kitchen.

We gathered together around the island and held hands while Mark asked the blessing and then we made our plates -- we provided the meat, one person provided the appetizer, another brought twice baked potatoes, another brought a salad with fresh picked lettuce, while one more brought dessert.

I love using our silver and don't use it often enough. Probably because you have to wash and dry every single piece by hand.

On Saturday, I met two close high school friends for lunch and we took zero photos. Kaye and Faye are identical twins and the three of us were roommates back when I met Mark. They were also in our wedding. We try to go to lunch a couple of times a year.

During the rest of Saturday, I did a LOT of laundry, worked on homework, and wrote a Sunday School lesson to teach. One of the younger (30's) Sunday School classes is going to join our older (60-75) class for the month of February. They asked if they could come and soak up some wisdom (not sure we have any hahaha!) and we asked if they would share their youth with us! The combo class could be 75 people. I'm used to teaching in front of 40-50. I'm writing this part of the post on Sunday morning and I'm nervous. (note added at 8:42 p.m. -- we had a room FULL of folks this morning and I think the lesson went well - people discussed which is always the goal!!)

I did homework this afternoon and tried to take a nap - didn't happen. We went to check on our son and his family. He is home from the hospital and he looks so much better. He is slowly healing!! We took separate vehicles to their house and Mark headed on to the farm and I came home to do more homework.

What did you do this weekend??

 

What A Year, Huh? Hodgepodge

I am joining up with Joyce at From This Side of the Pond. She very graciously writes the Hodgepodge questions each week and we all jump in to answer them! Give me some good news today!

1. What was your after school routine like when you were a kid? I grew up in a small(ish) blue collar town/city so most of the time, we walked to elementary, middle, and high. I don't remember our morning routine. After school, we walked home. There were 17 kids living on our block at one time so there were lots of kids walking the same way. We had an after school snack and then did homework before we could play. We ate supper around 5:30. When I was a little bit older, I remember talking to friends on the phone at night. We had one phone and you could stretch that phone cord around the corner. When I was younger, I remember we went to bed at 9:00 and before bed, we had a bath. We only had one bathroom so that meant taking turns.

2. January 26 is National Green Juice Day ( I guess it's true everything really does have it's day). Do you juice, as in make your own in an attempt to get healthy? Do you do the green juices? What's your favorite kind of juice (home blended or store bought, either one)? I do not juice (using juice as a verb). We do not own a juicer. I rarely drink juice of any kind, unless it is cranberry juice in a cocktail (no pun intended). When the grandkids are here, we keep apple juice on hand. I don't think I've ever consumed any of the green juices. 

3. What's something trivial about which you have a strong opinion? I tried to think of the silliest thing possible but all I could come up with . . .I have a strong opinion about how we fold our towels. Since we redid our bathroom after the fire, we roll our towels. I like the more finished edge of the "roll" facing outward. Our towels are stored on pull out shelves behind the glass doors on the right.

4. What do you need more of in your life? Less of? I need more time. I know we all have 24 hours and I try to use those hours wisely . . .but, there are days I could use more. I probably need less distractions. After typing that answer, I feel like I'm missing an important thought. I can't wait to read everyone's answers!!

5. Give us three adjectives to describe your January. Stressful, Worrisome (though we are trying to focus on Jesus), Cold (though it has warmed up some this week!)

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

 

Weekend in Review

Our son's surgery was on Monday and they released him from the hospital on Thursday . . .and he was readmitted yesterday and will be there most of this week. Our granddaughter #1 sent one of her favorite stuffies to the hospital with her daddy.

I hung some pictures of all three girls in the Jack and Jill bathroom upstairs.

Granddaughter #1 is on the top. She is almost 9 years old!! The photo on the left is from Halloween and the photo on the right is from the Christmas tree farm outing.

Granddaughter #3 is in the middle in the baptism gown she wore for her dedication. It has been worn by everyone from Mark and George on down. (they each had one since they were twins which came in handy since we had twins!!)

The bottom row left is Granddaughter #2. She is 5 1/2 and granddaughter #3 (sisters) to her right.

I cross-stitched the picture/scripture below for my in-laws 40+ years ago. After Mark's mom died, I brought it home and hung it in the same bathroom with the photos above.

These crosses are in the same bathroom. The photo of Laura and Glenn (our twins) was also at Mark's momma's house and I put it on the counter.

On Saturday night, we invited our neighbors (traveling buddies/fellow Auburn fans) pver for white chicken chili and Auburn basketball. We won . . .but oh my goodness!!

I made brown sugar brownies. Mark has eaten quite a few . . .stress eating.

It was nice to have a fire and watch basketball. We did some yelling!

Sunday was Celebration Sunday - the culmination of our generosity month.

Our gym was transformed once again. Our chef prepared brunch and it was served from 9:30-10:45.

One young woman made all of those paper flowers. I love how it echoes the theme of the wallpaper flowers behind the welcome desk.

Glenn was readmitted to the hospital. Mark left immediately following early worship and went to sit with them in the ER. We both went back last night after he was finally in a room.

I'm going to be honest. January has been a tough month and we aren't through with the tough stuff. We are clinging to our faith, family, and friends. We give thanks for all three!!

 

Sunday Stealing

Hey friends! I left a message for our fearless leader at Sunday Stealing. I hope all is well. I pulled up an old set of questions for 2013 and thought I would answer these. I even copied and pasted where she found these questions.

This week's questions come from Helena at Skyblue

1}Which do you prefer in the am: Coffee or tea? Neither! I drink Diet Pepsi when I awaken. I have a Diet Pepsi while Mark has a cup of coffee with a lot of half and half in it.

2} Work has been cancelled on the spur of the moment: Clean house and do errands, Or just fun things? If work has been cancelled on the spur of the moment, it means there is a major tornado threat or snow and ice. If it is either of those, I will be hunkered down. Is "hunkered down" a southern expression?

3} Middle of the hot summer, vacation at: Mountains or Beach? We love the beach. Alabama has the most beautiful white sand beaches.

4}You have to travel at a leisure speed: Train, plane or car? Mark nor I never want to move at leisure speed. I'm normally a rule follower . . .except for speed limits! I hate when I'm with some one and they aren't driving at least the speed limit . . .or I'm stuck behind someone driving 40 miles an hour on the interstate. If I'm in a plane, it better not be flying at leisure speed. If I have to chosse, I guess I would choose riding a train at leisure speed because you could see everything.

5} To relax: A movie or a book? I love to escape into a good book.

6} What kind of pets? Dog, cat, bird or fish. We had a cat named Harvey, but we had to have him put to sleep in August. I miss him every day.

7} Dream home: Hard wood floors or carpeting? We have hardwood floors throughout our home except in the laundry room and bathrooms. We have tile in those rooms.

8} a fun activity: cards, bingo or blogging? We rarely play cards and I can't remember the last time I played bingo. I do enjoy blogging. I also enjoy crafting when I have time.

9} First date: Dinner, movie or a hike? Dinner. I'll tell you why -- if you go to a movie, you sit in the dark and you don't talk so you don't get to know each other. If you go on a hike on your first date, you would be all sweaty and I might be huffing and puffing.

10}The first Kiss: peck on the cheek, or a long romantic one? Are we talking about my first kiss? If so, I was kissed while standing under the mistletoe in a hallway at church when I was a young teenager. The kiss was from Mike Parker who was several years older and I had a crush on him. It was a quick kiss on the lips.

Winter Hodgepodge

Hey friends! Happy Wednesday. Thanks to Joyce at From This Side of the Pond for our weekly questions. I love reading everyone's blog and I love reading your comments. I wish we all lived close enough to gather together in person!

1. What's a winter memory you treasure (can be from any winter in your lifetime)? On Tuesday, I shared a memory with a couple of co-workers. We had an ice and snow storm in January 1982 that shut down Birmingham and her suburbs for at least three days. The ice brought down tree limbs and power lines. I was dating a guy named Ronnie and I was at a doctor's appointment downtown. The snow and ice arrived 8 hours earlier than expected so the city was in chaos. Ronnie came to pick me up at the doctor's office and we made it a few blocks and could go no further. We left his car in a gas station parking lot and walked several miles to his mother's house. We actually walked on the expressway! His parents power was out and we cooked popcorn in the fireplace and his mom cooked other things in an iron skillet in the fireplace. I made the mistake of saying I was bored at some point . . .and I have never said it again! hahaha! I learned to polish silver that day among other things.

2. Tell us about the last time or a recent time you were caught up in red tape. Does it send your frustration level off the charts or is it something you've come to expect when dealing with any sort of bureaucracy? We've been dealing with lots of red tape regarding Mark's brother and his wife. Things continue to decline. Our sister-in-law fell on Monday and is now in the hospital and Bill is home alone (with sitters). Working with hospice and skilled nursing facilities and getting paperwork has been so hard for Mark and his siblings.

3. Do you eat/like fish? Do you cook fish at home? What's your favorite fish dish? Ever been ice fishing? I recently posted a picture of the lake on the farm. Mark fishes there often and loves to host a fish fry. I enjoy fried fish. Mark fries it on the screen porch!! I prefer shrimp over fish but I do love cod and halibut that Mark has caught in Alaska. I have never been ice fishing. Mark hasn't been ice fishing exactly, but he flew to Saskatchewan two summers to fish in Reindeer Lake. It was mid June and there was still some ice in the water. I also like fresh caught Gulf of Mexico seafood. We always sttay at the same condos in Orange Beach and they have a private fishing pier. Yum!

4. Did you watch any of the US President's Inauguration coverage on Monday, Jan 20? On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being not at all and 10 being very very) how interested are you in politics in general? Do you follow/keep up with/ get involved with local politics? I did not watch any of the inauguration coverage. I don't like politics at all and I try not to discuss it.

5. What's the coziest thing you own and what makes it so? I love a good hooded sweatshirt with a pocket in front. I have two or three of those.

6. Insert your own random thought here. Our son had surgery on Monday. He had his colon removed in 2016 when he was 29 years old as a result of severe ulcerative colitis. He had a small complication recently that required surgery. Mark stayed with him on Tuesday. I think he has to stay in the hospital three nights. I know he has been in lots of pain since the surgery, BUT he will get better soon.

What a week! Whew!!

Wow! What a week! January is our Generosity month at church. We hosted a dinner on Monday night for our leadership. The staff serves the dinner and then we sit together at a table in the back of the room. Our gift to each leader was a book by Miraslov Volf. I spent a lot of time tying ribbons on books!

The colors for this month's generosity sermon series logo are navy, pinks, and gold.

When I say we serve...we all serve - the office staff, the youth staff, music ministry, kid's ministry, etc. The dinner was lovely and was cooked by our chef, Bert. We served about two hundred leaders.

The menu was petite filets, fancy potatoes, and haricot verts. We also had a lovely salad and a dessert (which I didn't eat).

Susan (kid's min) and Jackson (worship and student ministry) were cutting her steak. Plastic knives do not work on steaks haha!! It was pretty gold plastic but it didn't work well on steak.

Mark and our brother-in-law, Bob, went to the farm one day this week. Mark loves to fish and has just the right lake to catch delicious fish!

Tuesday night was Young Adult night at our house. 

Kathy made a poundcake for them. We made jambalaya, green beans, rolls, and salad. Mark sliced 4 pounds of Conecuh sausage and three pounds of chicken for that jambalaya. I couldn't have done it this week without his help. After working a 12 hour day on Monday and preparing the Bible study for the night and working in the office Tuesday until 2:00 . . .I was done.

I worked about 10 hours on Wednesday - normal Wednesday. On Thursday night we went out to eat with our Sunday School "out to eat" supper club group. The food was delicious. The conversation was great! I took zero pictures!! There are ten of us in the group so there was plenty to talk about. Mark had a seafood omelette. He said it was really good. I can't imagine seafood inside an omelette. I had shrimp kebobs, salad, fruit, and hummus.

I had PT on Friday morning at 8 and yay!! my back is definitely better.

Then I hurried home and took a quiz for my class. I hastily changed out of yoga pants to rush out the door to meet three friends for lunch. I texted the photo below to my friends and asked if they would be ashamed of me due to my casual attire. They love me and said they could care less what I was wearing!

Friday night we invited two other couples to join us for dinner. We had salad, asparagus, baked sweet potatoes, and chicken wrapped in bacon. Have you ever ordered from Burgers Smokehouse? I love to order those bacon wrapped chicken breasts. They are so tasty!! They are not cheap, but they are worth it! Burgers Smokehouse folks don't know me and they aren't giving me anything to talk about them, but if you want to order some check it out here. Granted, I wish they would see this and send me an 8 pack! haha!

Saturday morning I headed to the wholesale florist for 300 carnations that I had pre-ordered. We tied cards to each one with instructions to give them away. This morning, we gave them to children as they headed to the parking lot and asked them to give to a friend or neighbor as an act of service and generosity.

This was me after loading and unloading 300 carnations on Saturday! I had on ZERO make up and a t-shirt and exercise shorts. Of course, I saw people but they were all dressed to work, too.

This is how the Welcome desk looked today! You can see the lovely back drop with the navy, pinks, and gold. The temperature got up to almost 70 on Saturday, but today is a whole different story.

While I was at the Wholesale Florist on Saturday, Mark was down at our daughter's "new" house - they bought a fixer upper in Wetumpka. They are doing the demo themselves to save money. Mark demo'd the kitchen. I haven't seen the house yet except via FaceTime.

Here is the before.

Here is Mark after he did the demo. You can follow our daughter @shortredlandreno on instagram as the reno.

The high temp was at midnight and it has been dropping steadily all day. We had snow flurries this morning. It is 31 degrees at 5:22 p.m. on Sunday evening and the low tonight is 17. This is Alabama. This is the deep south. Right now, that Siberian air is whooshing through. BRRR. Birmingham is right on the line -- the snow is actually going all the way to the coast. We may or may not get snow but we are definitely getting cold air.

Update on our family -- Bill and Rebecca continue to decline. Mark and his siblings have found a place where we can move Bill. Rebecca is not going to be able to care for him with her own cancer progressing. It is very sad. Our son (38 years old) is having some surgery tomorrow morning and will have anywhere from a one night to a three night stay in the hospital. Mark is on tap to spend the night with him at the hospital.

I taught on Philippians this morning and we were talking about running our race at a more mature age. Some days we run our race with ease and some days our race is a tad harder. Even when it is tough, we can discover the joy in our journey.

 

It's a Snowy January Hodgepodge

Thank you to all of you who posted such kind comments on my last post. We are hanging in there. I promise to come and visit all of your blogs soon and leave happy comments!! My husband and his siblings have hired some sitter help for their brother and our sister-in-law. It helps that we had such wonderful sitters for their mother. We've kept in touch with the sitters for the last six months since she died so the family was able to get one of our beloved sitters. It helps when the sitter is not only trusted, but loved by the family. The rest of us continue to drop off food and check on them.

We had a snow day on Friday. Snow in Alabama is infrequent. According to Good Morning America, we had the most snow we've had in 11 years. Our local forecasters are hinting that we might have snow again next week.

our courtyard

the street and park in front of our house

my tiny snowman with rosemary arms

our house in the snow - photo credit to our neighbor

On to the hodgepodge - thank you Joyce at From This Side of the Pond for writing the questions for all of us every week!!

1.  It's been said January is 'the month of opportunity, inspiration, and change." Which of the three do you need most right now? Elaborate. I guess I need inspiration and change. I've gained a few pounds. I'm a stress eater. I need to get those pounds off. The inspiration would be the two family weddings we have this year. The change would be sticking to my WW (Weight Watchers) plan. We went to our first wedding of the year this past Saturday (close friend's daughter) and I do NOT like the way I look in the photos. Maybe that will be inspiration enough.

Our friend, Peggy, on the left and Laura, the mother of the bride
in the middle, and me on the right
Lots of co-workers behind us

2. Do you consider opportunity as something that comes to you or something you create for yourself? I think opportunity can be either! Right now, I've been given the opportunity to add to my job description at work and I'll learn some new things. I can also create my own opportunities by suggesting the addition of something new to my life or a new social event. 

3. The British Museum opened on this date (January 15th) back in 1759. Do you like visiting museums? Do you have a favorite? I do like visiting museums but don't get to visit them often enough. Sometimes we get to visit museums on our international travels. My sister-in-law (mother of the groom for the May wedding) said there are some cool museums around the area where we will be staying in Pennsylvania. Maybe I can visit one then. The Birmingham Museum of Art is actually a nice museum. They bring in great exhibits at various times. I wrote about going to the exhibit of Heroes and Villians costumes last year. I thought I had written about the visit to the museum to see the costumes . . .but I can't locate the post.

4. It's National Oatmeal Month (yes, apparently it gets a whole month as opposed to a single day). Do you like oatmeal? How often do you eat a bowl of oatmeal? How do you like yours? What about an oatmeal cookie? Is that a sweet treat you enjoy? I do enjoy oatmeal but I usually eat mine cold, not hot. I love the 100 calorie packets of oatmeal without added sugar. I don't eat it as often as I would like, because it works on my body in a good way . . .and I prefer to be home when I eat it. No more talk about that! My husband loves oatmeal - cold, hot, with raisins and honey. He has also been making homemade granola for himself. He also loves oatmeal raisin cookies.

5.What's something useful you learned in high school? I'm sure I learned a lot of things in highschool. I learned how to do some things I'm not proud of and I don't think I'll list those. I learned some good things, too. I learned that when your mom dies, the world continues to turn and you learn to cook supper. I learned that back in the 70's, a daddy who had never talked about periods with his youngest daughter (me) had to learn what it meant when I was doubled over with cramps. I learned that he would do his best and he would offer me a shot of whiskey to ease the pain. I'm still laughing about that one. I don't think I accepted it. I learned that there are good people in this world who will support you. I learned that there were moms who loved me, stepping in the gap for my mom, who would throw a surprise 16th birthday party for me or who would take me on all of their family vacations and pay for everything. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. My Speech 106 (communications) class has begun. It is pretty interesting so far. I have to record several speeches since it is an online class. I have applied to graduate in May and I need to start filling out my application and writing my essays for the four year school(s).

It is Time for a Hodgepodge!!

Thanks to Joyce for the questions every week! 

1. At the end of every year (or at least since the mid-1970's) Lake Superior State University posts a list of words they think should be banished from the Queen's English for misuse, overuse, and/or general uselessness. You can read more about the decision making process here, but this year's list includes-

cringe, game changer, era, dropped, IFKYK (If you know you know), 

sorry not sorry, skibidi, 100%, utilize, and period. 

Which of these words/phrases do you use regularly or even just every now and then? How many did you have to look up? 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? If so do share, then tell us why. 

I only had to look up one - skibidi! I use period sometimes in conversation. I think I would definitely ban #iykyk - simply because I get tired of seeing it. At this moment, I can't think of anything else I want to ban BUT I'm sure there are some words I dislike.

2. Your favorite soup? Do you make this one yourself or is it from a can? I keep Campbell's Vegetable Beef and Homestyle Chicken Noodle on the shelf for those days I need soup and don't have time to make some. When I was a kid, Campbell's made a Chili Beef soup that I loved. I was sad when they quit making it. I love any kind of homemade chili and lots of soups. I make taco soup often and the young adults love when I amke Crack Chicken Chili. Mark loves for me to make the bean soup mix from Honeybaked Ham with leftover ham.

3. How do you feel about winter? What's one winter activity you look forward to? To be honest, winter is not my favorite. I don't like winter clothes - many people find winter clothes cozy and comfortable but I find them constricting and restraining. I do love being all cozy in front of our fireplace in the winter. 

4. The Pantone color of the year for 2025 is mocha mousse (sample pictured here). What say you? The website describes it as 'a warming, brown hue imbued with richness. It nourishes us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort'. Is this a color I might find in your home or wardrobe? Is it one you might add in some big or small way in the year ahead? Wow! Mocha Mousse is a dark color. It would be lovely in a cozy home office. We have some browns in our home but they are leather and/or wood. I don't have a lot of browns in my selection of clothing. I did buy one dress from Tuckernuck aat Thanksgiving that has brown in it.

In a similar, but not really vein...if I were to offer you a choice right now of either a cup of mocha or a cup of mousse which would you say yes to?  I'm not a mocha drinker and I don't eat sweets . . .but it is cold in Alabama this week, so I'm choosing a cup of mocha.

5. Which of the following winter related idioms can best be applied to your life in some way right now? Choose one, then tell us why you chose it.  

snowed under, on thin ice, tip of the iceberg, chill out, break the ice, snowball effect, not a snowball's chance in hell, get cold feet, the cold shoulder 

Snowed under -- after taking a few days off during the holidays, I am swimming upstream all week! One of our pastors has been "loaned" to another congregation until July. Several of us have taken on parts of her job and the Discipleship piece falls under me for a time. This involves Wednesday night adult programming - studies, etc. Tonight is the first night of the new semester and I'm trying to chill out, too. Do I get bonus points for picking two?

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I have several random thoughts. First of all, I'm so sorry if you've commented and I haven't responded and I'm sorry I haven't visited your blogs and commented as often. The last few weeks have been a tad crazy. I so appreciate your prayers for Bill and Rebecca. We are in the waiting stage at this point.

Second random thought -- I signed up to graduate (and walk) in May with my associate degree in general studies. My last class began yesterday and is Speech 106, which seems to be more of a communications class. I have talked with Samford University about continuing with them for my bachelor degree. I really wanted a degree from Auburn because Mark and our kids, and several other family members, graduated from Auburn. Auburn doesn't have an online program in anything I need or want at this time. Samford is located here in town and they have an agreement for online students. They will take all of my credits and apply them toward my final goal of a bachelor. They also have a program called liberal studies which is similar to my general studies. It is a broad overview - I will know a little about a lot of things. The "senior citizen" discount that applies to community colleges in Alabama doesn't apply to four year universities. I wish it did. 

First Hodgepodge of 2025

I am joining up with Joyce and friends for the Hodgepodge! I almost missed it this week because I'm on vacation and I literally can't remember which day it is!!

1. Oxford's Word of the year for 2024 is 'brain rot'. Are you familiar with this term? Do you suffer from the condition? Ha! This is a term used to 'capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media'. If you were choosing a word to capture 2024 (for the nation/world, not your own life personally) what word would you choose? I am familiar with brain rot haha! We watch a small amount of TV every night after dinner. We should probably be doing something else. I love to pass the time by scrolling through Facebook and Instagram – also should be doing something else. We actually live busy lives and accomplish a lot on most days and I often need that little bit of down time each night. I’m not sure what word would capture 2024. I imagine it would be like our own life – a mix of several words. For the nation, I hate to say it but I think “too much hatred” would be one phrase. Another phrase would be “times of insanity.”

2. It's National Polar Bear Plunge Day (January 1)...will you be participating in one of these events (or even your own)? How will you spend the first day of this brand new year? Do you have a traditional New Year's Day menu? I will not be doing a Polar Bear Plunge. I guess I could walk two blocks to the neighborhood pool and plunge in . . . but I’m not going to do that! I’m spending part of today typing these answers 😊. Mark is spending part of the day helping his brother move home. He is moving home on hospice. The combo of Parkinson’s and Lymphoma is a b*tch. (forgive me . . .but until you’ve seen the suffering, don’t judge my language.) Bill’s wife has been diagnosed with cancer, too, and it is a very nasty and aggressive kind. We can only guess at what is coming for both of them.

It seems weird to jump from such a serious sentence to my choice of menus for today, but here goes: I have a small ham I will cook. The sides will be black eye peas and greens. We always try to have a pork product, greens, and black eye peas. Last night, I said that it is not superstition, but tradition. Another thing I’ll be doing today is taking a load of “give-aways” to the Salvation Army and I’ll continue to work on cleaning our attic.

3. What's something that brings you joy and how will you do more of it in this new year? We had two friends who are our chosen family and two family members over last night for appetizers and beverages. Being with our friends and family brings us joy. I actually said these words last night: “I think we should be looking for joy and partaking in it when at all possible.” I guess that means we need to be spending more time with our people!

4. Do you struggle with the January blues? What's one thing you can/will do to keep them at bay? I do struggle with “winter blues.” Mark’s momma used to say that in January you’ve spent all of your money on Christmas; you’ve eaten too much fattening food so you need to diet; the days are short and cold . . .I don’t know about you, but those things will bring on the winter blues. I have found that doing for others and staying busy helps me combat the blues.

5. Will you choose your own personal word of the year for 2025? What about a goal, resolution, or maybe even a bucket list? Elaborate as much or as little as you like. Every year I think I will come up with a word and I never do because I can never narrow it down!!! Mark doesn’t usually make resolutions but he told me this morning that his goal for the new year is to not eat anything after dinner each night. I agreed with that goal, so I guess we will stop eating after dinner. We also want to travel some more!!

6. Insert your own random thought here. I tried a new charcuterie board/display last night. I think it turned out really well!!

I bought brown butcher paper and covered both sides of the island. I labeled where everything would go. Phella brought something and so did Susie so I left a spot for their items. When Mark saw how I had labeled everything on the island, he did a quick inventory of our beverages and asked me to make a drink "menu."  I tried out a new recipe for a pinwheel ham and cheese sandwich and the recipe is a keeper. Of course, I made changes to the original recipe.