Wednesday Hodgepodge

  
Once again, Joyce has come up with some challenging but interesting questions for us this week.  And even if you’ve never participated, please join in the fun by clicking on the button above.
 
1. How many times in your life have you moved house?
I’ve never moved a house. 
 
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.  I’ve moved 12 times all told, 3 of which when I was a child.
 
I swore after the 9th move that I would NEVER move again.  I even said something to DH while we were dating.  After we were married, he told me that he almost didn’t ask me to marry him because I had sworn that I would NEVER move again (and the house that DD & I were living in at the time would have been way too small for 3 of us).  Whew!  Good thing he didn’t take me seriously (and I’m not sure he takes me any more seriously now – which is not necessarily a bad thing, as I’m still prone to overexageration! ha!).

2. What subject would you study if you had a year to devote to it?
I would like to take an in-depth Bible study … to really get into the meat of the Word, to better understand the cultural and social setting.

3. What in this world breaks your heart?
Any kind of mistreatment of young children.  It just literally makes me sick to see/hear about how those entrusted to the care of those little ones who cannot care for themselves, cannot defend themselves have abused their authority/responsibility.

4. What is one item that symbolizes the times in which we live? Why?
I believe that the cell phone (especially the smart phone) symbolizes these times.  We are an impatient people … no longer willing to wait until we’re home to get messages or phone calls … and the feeling that we always need to stay connected mechanically robs us of the joy of the moment with face-to-face experiences.

5. Share a favorite bumper sticker or t-shirt slogan.
A few that I thought were funny/cute:

• The trouble with retirement is that there are no paid holidays.
  
• Ever stop to think and forget to start again?
  
• Happiness is being a grandparent.

6. How do you like your spaghetti?
Cooked a little past al dente, with a good meat sauce (with loose Italian sausage) and some mushrooms … plenty of seasoning (basil, garlic, oregano and parmesan).

7. What is one piece of advice you would give a recent, or soon to be recent, graduate?
A couple of pieces of advice (that I had to learn the hard way ) are:

• Learn to live within your means right out of the gate – and understand that means your life likely won’t look like mom & dad’s right away.
  
• Save more – retirement seems like it is so far away, but trust me, it will be here before you realize … and before you’re ready if you don’t start planning now. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I didn’t get to work in the yard yesterday because of the rain (and I’m not sure that the ground will dry out enough for me to work in it today before the next band of rain comes through), so I finished up T#2’s doll quilt. 
 
The matching twin-sized quilt I made for T#2 is my least favorite quilt that I’ve made.  I don’t care for some of the fabrics I selected.  I miscut the strips to make the 9 patch blocks.  I’d never done sashing before, and I think I would have been happier with the sashing had I made it narrower.  But even though it may not be my most favorite, it was still made with lots of love by her Nana.