Wednesday Hodgepodge

Joyce reminded us that there are just 4 Hodgepodges left before Christmas … somehow I thought that with Thanksgiving coming so early this year, we’d have a longer stretch of time before Christmas.  Obviously not!  But it’s ok … I’ve got almost all my gifts ordered … just need to get something for my youngest sister and for DD.  

1.  With that being said I think I need to dive right in to some Christmas related questions, don't you? Which do you prefer-pretty gift wrap with a bow or a pretty gift bag with/without a bow?  What percentage of your holiday gifts are currently (as in right this very minute) wrapped in some form or fashion?
Under the tree, a pretty box with gift wrap and a bow just looks so pretty, so Christmas-y.  But truth be told, I’m not too particular about how my my gifts are packaged.   

And none of the gifts that I’m giving are wrapped … only 1 gift is actually in my possession, and it’s still sitting unopened in the original shipping packaging. 

2.  What is one item on your Christmas list this year?
Honestly, I don’t have a Christmas list this year.  I have everything I need and so much more.  I’ve asked DD and DH to use the money that they’d spend on a gift to help someone who is in need. 

3.  What makes a home?
Love makes a house a home.  However, our house isn’t our home without our stuff … not the furniture, but the keepsakes and mementos that we’ve accumulated over the years, items that are reflections of who we are … the sea shells we’ve collected on our trips to the beach, the counted cross stitch pieces I’ve framed, the night light that my grandma handed down to my mom who handed it down to me, etc.  Those things help transform our house into our home. 

4.  Motown founder Berry Gordy celebrates his birthday on Hodgepodge Day-November 28th. Are you a fan of the Motown sound?  If so, who's your favorite Motown artist and/or song? Here's a list in case you're stuck.
Oh, how I love me some Motown.  In high school, my sister loved the Beatles … I loved Motown.  If I had to choose, I think I’d choose the Four Tops as my favorite artist/group, although I’d have to list the Temptations as an incredibly close second.  To me, the song My Girl by the Temptations just epitomizes the whole concept of the Motown Sound.  The choreography, the lyrics, the rhythm ... classic.

5.  Red or green-which one is more prevalent in your closet?
Red.  I have to admit that I like red better to begin with, but the fact that my favorite baseball team is the Cardinals guarantees that there will always be several red items in my closet. 

6.  True or false-bacon makes it better? If you answered true, what's your favorite dish made with bacon?
I don’t eat a lot of bacon, but there are a lot of things that can be perked up or improved by the addition of bits of bacon – green beans, baked beans, tortellini salad, broccoli salad, tossed salad, breakfast casserole, roasted veggies.  Now I’m hungry for some bacon! 

7.  Share a favorite holiday memory.
When I was growing up, we always opened our gifts on Christmas Eve.  I remember that after we were done cleaning up after dinner, my dad would take us downstairs to play in the basement.  After a time, we’d hear sleigh bells … which of course meant that Santa was here!  And a little later, my mom would run downstairs to tell us that Santa had come.  Looking back  now, it should have been obvious … if Santa wouldn’t come until we were downstairs (out of sight), why did he always come when my mom was still upstairs?  I don’t remember asking why.  Maybe I did and just don’t remember.  Maybe I was naïve.  Or maybe I just wanted to believe. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Monday night the Ts came over for a sleepover at Nana’s … mama was working the Scholastic Book Fair bright and early Tuesday morning – for free books!  We met DSIL at the pediatrician’s office (re-check on T#1’s mono and OV for T#2 whose rash has spread from her chest to much of her torso).  After we had lunch, we drove up to the Book Fair where we had a brief visit with mama and picked out some books … a few for them to add to their library at home and a few to add to the library at Nana’s.  Needless to say, it was another exhausting day ... but one that made my heart just so full.  I wouldn't have traded it for anything.

There’s nothing on today’s schedule, which means a lazy day here at Chez Nana.  That doesn’t mean that there’s not plenty that needs to be done here around the house, but it does mean that we can take our time, get to them whenever we’re ready … and that there’s also time to perhaps get in some work on my quilt and to watch last night’s NCIS.