Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Are you comfortable with silence? If you're home alone, do you like silence or do you need regular background noise? Do you seek out times and places to be silent? What's your favorite place to find silence/be silent?

I have learned to be comfortable with silence. It used to bother me when meeting new people and I didn't know what to say. Any silence was cringe worthy, but thankfully I got over that.

Complete silence is really rare in our house. There's always the fridge running in the background, and now that it's colder the furnace produces a continual noise.

There is a place I love to go to be silent. I don't get to go very often, but if you need a spot to sort out thoughts or simply soak in the beauty of nature and ponder on the greatness of God I know the perfect spot to do that. If I shared my favorite quiet spot others might start seeking it out as well and it wouldn't be quiet any longer.

2. October 28th is National Chocolate Day. Can't let that go by without a mention now, can we? Will you celebrate? How? Let's say you can have one of the following right this very minute... a cup of hot chocolate, a strawberry dipped in chocolate, a bowl of plain chocolate ice cream, or a slice of chocolate pie...what's your pleasure?

Sadly, I won't be celebrating.

If I could have any of the mentioned chocolate options I would go for a strawberry dipped in real milk chocolate, not the disgusting fake stuff that is often found in chocolate fountains.

3. How do you feel about blue jeans? Favorite thing in the world to wear or nope, don't own a single pair? How often do you wear blue jeans in a typical week? Do you own a blue jean jacket?

I'm more of a skirt kind of person.

I also don't own a blue jean jacket.

4. Are you superstitious? If so, in what way?

I am not superstitious at all, which is kind of surprising considering all the superstitions I was surrounded with while growing up.

Back in the day there were several I believed, and one in particular that gave me a bit of grief.

5. If you had to come up with a costume using only things you have on hand right now, what could you come up with?

The possibilities are endless considering all the fabrics and sewing supplies I have available. Since I don't have a lot of time for sewing I would probably just throw on one of my old Amish dresses and call it scary enough.

6. What scares you a little? What do you do when you feel scared?

Other than spiders, mice, and snakes? When I'm home alone in the dark and I hear some odd noises it always bothers me a little. I usually sing How Can I Fear and the truths of those lyrics always help.

7. Perhaps today will be the day I ______________________________.

Finally reach all the goals I set for myself this morning.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Another Christmas pageant practice tonight. I'm trying to think of something I could take along to work on while I wait for Sunbeam. I so detest handwork, but being surrounded by other moms happily crocheting, knitting, embroidery and  even fabric painting makes me think I could be doing something a little more creative with my time there than simply visiting and watching them get something done.

The Clumsies

   This afternoon Rosebud was cringing about a particular clumsy, embarrassing, and yet funny thing that had happened. "I can't believe anyone else ever had to endure all that humiliation," she moaned. Which led to me assuring her, that yes, there are some people who have endured that much and a whole lot more and survived to now be able to laugh about it.
    As a teenager I used to be plagued with a certain talent of executing scenes of spectacular clumsiness.
    Like the time when I was seventeen. Mom and I had been canning peaches. I had just finished getting a new batch into the canner when a van load of visitors drove in.
    "Let them in while I wash my hands," Mom instructed me.
    On my way to the door I scooped up my baby brother. I opened the door to invite them in and as I stepped back I rolled my ankle and sank into a pretzeled heap onto the floor right in front of their politely amused stares.
     I wanted to disappear. I don't remember much of the rest of that day, but that part has been seared into my memory along with many other equally as embarrassing events.
     Things such as the first time I tried making a Thanksgiving meal for LV. Or the time I choked on a piece of lint during a wedding sermon about submissive wives. The first time LV and I had a long buggy ride together, alone, or several years later when I got to meet some of his extended family for the first time.
    Those and many more instances of awkward, cringe worthy clumsiness peppered my teenaged years.
     I'm not sure if hearing about them made Rosebud feel any better, but we both had a good laugh as I reminisced.

Our Afternoon in Post-its

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. October 21, 2015 is Back to the Future Day. Did you see the movie? The sequels? In the second film, Doc takes Marty into the future to prevent Marty's future son from making a mistake. They leave 1985 and land on a 'skyway' on October 21st, 2015. So tell us, what were you doing in the fall of 1985?

I have never seen the movie or any of the sequels

The fall of 1985 was kind of a big deal for me. It was my first year in school. I both loved and hated it. Books and learning were great, but recess and being expected to run and play with all the other children was too much. I became an expert at slipping away and hiding until the bell rang.

2.  If time travel were possible, would you want to go to the future? The past?

I wouldn't want to travel to the future.

The past ..... yes, if it meant there was a way to undo some things.

3. We're not flying cars, but some of the technology imagined in the 80's film has indeed come to pass in real life 2015-flat screen TVs on the wall, tablets, fingerprint recognition, video conferencing, online banking, 3-D movies, motion controlled video games, drone cameras, and smart glasses (Google glass).  Do you worry technology is growing at a rate so fast we'll soon be unable to keep up with it's demands? Do you think the Internet does more harm than good?

I don't spend a lot of time thinking about technology and even less worrying about it.

Whether or not the Internet does more harm than good I think depends a lot on what you do with it. As a family we have benefited from having the Internet.

4. Your favorite dish prepared in a slow-cooker? Your favorite fast food?

It's a toss up between cheesy potatoes and Swedish meatballs.

I mostly use my slow cooker to cook chicken to be used in other things such as chicken and dumplings.

I can't remember the last time we had fast food.
5. No time like the present, down time, face time, pressed for time, in the nick of time, make time, mark time, or just in time...which timely saying most relates to your life right now?

Down time .... what's that? It's been ages since I got to truly experience any down time.

Pressed for time seems to apply best to my life. There is so much I want to get accomplished every day, and there seems to never be enough time to get everything done.

6. Tell us about a place you went as a child or younger person that's no longer there or is now something else. How does that make you feel?

There used to be a little grocery store/ gas station in the middle of our little village. It was run by an old man. He had several rooms in the back where he lived so he was always there to take care of and help anyone that stopped in.

When he passed away his children didn't want to know anything about the store and it got torn down. All that remains at the site is a few trees.

7. Describe your comfort zone.

Home. Or is that too simple?

I'm somewhat of an introvert. I like people, but one on one time is so much better than large groups.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I love waking up to a hard frost. So pretty!

 

 

A Few Things .....

.... I'm thankful for.

• That summer is officially over. I don't do well with heat, so the welcome crisp, cool days of fall are something I really, really enjoy.
• For good friends, they mean more to me than I can tell.
• An alarm clock that actually works. The one I used to detest finally quit working, and after several days of not waking up on time, it's actually nice having a dependable alarm clock again.
• Books. As a family of bookworms, I am so thankful for all the quality books available to read and the authors that have taken the time to write them.
• A son who has bravely stepped up to take care of the mice that had been terrifying his mother.
• Family. I could get all mushy here, but truly I am so grateful every single day for the life I have been allowed to experience with those I love the most. It's not the material things that matter in this life, it's the people. We have experienced, still are experiencing this truth.