New Year, New Hodgepodge

It's Hodgepodge day! Head on over to my mom's blog to join in on the fun or check out other people's responses. 

1. Share one happy moment/memory from the holiday season. 

I wrote a whole blog post about our holiday here where you can check out all of our happy memories but for today, if I'm just picking one I think I will go with mini golfing on a cold rainy day with my family. It doesn't sound all that happy what with the cold and the rain but it was such a fun afternoon spent with the people I love. 

2. Let's be reasonable with our expectations going into this new year, k? What is one thing you'd like to accomplish/improve/complete/do in 2022? 

Let me start by saying that I completed a new years resolution for the first time ever I'm pretty sure. In 2021 I decided I was going to read through the Bible in a year using The Bible Recap plan. I have attempted to read the whole bible in a year many times- at least 4 if not many more than that. But usually I get stuck around Leviticus, Numbers etc. But not this year! I made it all the way through and finished right on time on December 31st and it is something I am oh so proud of! So if your answer to this questions was to read the bible in a year I highly recommend you head over to this site- it links the plan they use (a chronological plan) and also gives you the info on the daily podcast that goes along with the reading. That's where the recap comes in. Tara-Leigh Cobble "recaps" that days reading for you- it isn't a devotional, it is a true recap of what you read and it helps clarify so many things. I'm working through it again this year but I added in the optional daily study guide to go a bit deeper.

Off of my rabbit trail, back on the main path, this year something I want to accomplish/improve is my writing! I want to take a writing course or two- nothing fancy but something through masterclass probably and get into a better habit of writing regularly. And I'm not speaking solely of my blog, which I do enjoy writing on, but other types of writing as well that will probably never see the light of day except on my own computer or journal. I'm ok with that though :) 

3. Every January 1st (since 1976) Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse or just general uselessness (go here to read more about how the words are chosen). Here are the words/phrases they'd like to see banished in 2022-

wait, what?-no worries-at the end of the day-that being said-asking for a friend-circle back-deep dive-a new normal-you're on mute-supply chain

Which of these words/phrases do you use regularly? 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? 

Hm of these words/phrases I say "wait, what?" fairly regularly and don't see that stopping anytime soon and I also frequently use the expression no worries. While teaching I found myself saying you're on mute far more than I'd like although these days I spend far less time on google meet/zoom.

If I were picking one I'd like to see go I'd love to be done with "new normal". And if I were adding one, as a teacher if I never heard the words synchronous/asynchronous again I'd be alright with it. 

4. Best thing you ate in the month of December? 

Oh boy, I ate a lot of delicious things in the month of December so it is difficult to choose. We were fed like kings when visiting our families- prime rib (twice!), brisket, lobster all the things. I also ate a lot of Christmas cookies and treats and I would probably have to say that the treats are my favorite- white chocolate peppermint bark is something I only eat at the holidays and I just love it! 

5. January 5th is National Bird Day. Are you a bird lover? What's your favorite bird to see in the wild? Choose a phrase from the list that follows and tell us how it relates to your life currently...eat like a bird, bird's eye view, early bird, bird-brained, free as a bird, a little bird told me, or kill two birds with one stone.

Hm, I guess I'm a bird lover in the sense that I enjoy seeing birds from afar like a heron on my parents dock, or a hawk sitting on a telephone wire. I enjoy seeing the exotic birds at the zoo as well. But in terms of up close and personal with birds that would be a no, I'm actually a bit afraid of birds. I was once tasked with feeding my parents blue birds that were living in their bird house for a week while they were away and was NOT a fan.

Of the phrases listed I can assure you eat like a bird does NOT apply to me right now, I pretty much finish a meal and decide what I'll be eating next as soon as I'm done. I think perhaps I'd have to say bird-brained. While I feel that I am an intelligent person pregnancy has made me a bit "bird brained".  I left my car running when I went into Lowes a few weeks ago- keys in the ignition and all. Don't worry, I realized my error when I was in the doorway and trying to lock my car with non-existent keys. I've become very forgetful in general so I think that phrase suits me best for now. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I made this for dinner the other night, it's a favorite of ours and I've made it several times. I found it on pinterest so I linked it for you here. Her pictures are much prettier than the one I took also. They are delicious and easy and pretty healthy. It comes together in about 30 minutes and mostly in one pot (plus a sheet pan) so it's super easy clean up too! Two things that are high on my list these days, relatively quick and not too many dishes to do. Her recipe is an instantpot recipe, which I do own so I use it when I make these, but you could definitely do it without. She offers a suggestion for using the slow cooker or honestly you could just use a rotisserie chicken too. I do make a few changes when I make it- I don't use whole 30 BBQ sauce as she suggests although I'm sure it would be healthier that way. I also don't make my own pickles- we always have a surplus of pickles in our home so I just use what I have. Seriously, I think we have 4 different types of pickles right now. I also use less mayo and more vinegar in my coleslaw because hubby isn't a fan of mayo based slaws.  Check out her recipe and enjoy!