Hodge Podge

Joyce is back at writing the Hodgepodge questions this week which we all appreciate! You can copy the questions and answer on your own blog and link up here or you can answer in the comments below. 

1. When it comes to gift giving are you more of a 'create something from scratch' or a 'buy something in a shop' kind of giver? Tell about a favorite homemade gift you've given or one you've received. I used to enjoy making handmade gifts. I have found that some people don't appreciate a handmade gift. I crossstitched a poem for my in-laws when we were newlyweds and I crossstitched some ducks (like Mallards) for Mark when we were dating. Mark's aunt Margaret made stockings for all of the children in our family. My husband and his first cousins equal 12. She made stockings for the children of all of those 12. Actually, my sister-in-law and I finished two of them because Aunt Margaret had died. I'm not sure if we did one for the youngest niece or not. That is going to bug me.

2. Do you have the 'gift of gab'? Is that a blessing or a curse? Yes, I can talk to just about anyone. My husband truly has the gift of gab and now he has visited the Blarney Stone so he has it double. When I was younger, it was often a curse because I would make straight A's plus a C in conduct because I couldn't keep my mouth closed. It would make my daddy so mad. As I've aged, I can keep my mouth shut most of the time when needed but I can still talk and laugh with the best of them!

3. What's something you have going on that you need/want to 'wrap up' this month? I don't have a good answer for this question. We will "wrap up" our Tuesday night group for the year after our Christmas party two weeks from tonight. I'm going to take 3 weeks off before we start again. I need to "wrap up" regarding Christmas gifts. I haven't even started my shopping.

4. A food you love that is 'wrapped' in some way? I almost just typed bacon. Anything wrapped in bacon is good. Have you had bacon wrapped green beans? Yum! If I still ate sweets, I might say a Reese tree. That peanut butter is certainly wrapped in chocolate and that was one of my all time favorite sweets. I love a good roll up or a good pita pocket sandwich and those are both sort of wrapped up.

5. December is upon us...share something here (quote, verse, poem, song lyric, your own thoughts) related to the word hope.  One year, I used Romans 15:13 on our Christmas cards -- May the God of hope fill you with all hope and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

6. Insert your own random thought here. I work on a church staff - remember? We had a meeting today mapping out from now through Easter. It sometimes takes my breath away. Everyone else wants to celebrate from now until Christmas but I don't begin Christmas until we go to the candlelight service on Christmas Eve and then I'm ready to celebrate. Does that even make sense?