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.