December 13 Hodgepodge

This is a hodgepodge of vintage items I turned into a shadow box

It's Wednesday again,  time for the Hodgepodge with Joyce and friends at From This Side of the Pond.  Head on over to get the questions.  Then answer them on your own blog and go back over to Joyce's to link up!   Here are this week's questions:

1. 'Hurry less, worry less'...what's your strategy for making that happen this holiday season? How's it going so far?

I don't know if I really have a strategy, but I do find that I am hurrying less and worrying less ... and getting more done along the way.  I think that God is giving me great wisdom in managing my time and helping me not to stress about what isn't getting done.  I was able to order most Christmas gifts online between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and as a result was able to wrap and ship them to Nevada in a much more timely way than usual.  (My local gifts aren't yet wrapped, but I have nearly all of them.) It really helped, too, to face facts early on and recognize that there would be little to no time for making handcrafted gifts.  That prevented a lot of frustration.

2. Do you have a list of to-dos that need accomplishing in order to prepare your home and/or property for the winter season? What are some of the jobs on your list? Are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you hire someone to accomplish these tasks?

Just a mental list and one that is mostly in my husband's head, not mine.  One major job always on his list is getting wood in the cellar for the winter.  We have a wood furnace (forced hot air) which is our primary heat source and he likes to have enough wood in the cellar to last throughout the winter so that he doesn't have to add wood to the cellar during the winter.  Of course, it depends on how cold the particular winter is.  There have been times when he has transported wood on a plastic sled from the woodpile, across the snowy yard to the cellar window.

Other jobs include straightening things out in the garage (where he has likely used the space to work on other projects), hanging up things like bicycles and kayaks, and generally making space for the vehicles to fit in the garage for the winter.  He accomplishes all of these tasks himself without any help from me, although at times I will help to get the wood into the cellar.

3. According to dietitians surveyed, the most popular health foods for 2018 will be -turmeric, sprouted foods (bean sprouts, breads with sprouted grains, etc), veggies in place of grains, dairy free milk, and pulses (lentils, chickpeas, etc).  What's the first thought that ran through your head when you read this list? Of the foods listed which one might you add to your regular diet? Also, can milk really be dairy free? Is it still milk?

First thought that ran through my head:  I'm really impressed with the health benefits of turmeric, especially its ability to reduce inflammation in the body.   I have recently added it to my diet (my hubby has been taking it for awhile now). 

We eat a lot of legumes already and often do substitute veggies for grains (as in spaghetti squash instead of pasta or "cauliflower rice" instead of rice.  I don't drink milk, and my husband uses both fat-free milk and almond milk. 

I think that "dairy free milk", as used to refer to almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, etc.  is not really a misnomer, for I believe the liquid resulting from any ground nut would be referred to as milk.

4. The Pantone Color of the Year for 2018 is Ultra Violet. According to the Pantone site 'Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking pointing us to the future.' What say you? Do you like the color purple? Did you see the movie or read the book-ha!?  Is purple a color you wear often? Describe for us one purple item in your home without using the word purple.  If you were in charge of such things what color would you select for 2018?

 I have no idea if I agree with the things that Ultra Violet might communicate as a color. I think it's not a favorite color of many adults and that people who tend to wear a lot of purple might possibly be original, creative types.

I do like the color purple but I have not seen the movie or read the book.  Purple is not a color I wear often, but I do have some purple items of clothing -- a  purple turtleneck and a long-sleeve t-shirt.  Oh, and a fleece top which someone passed on to me.  And a pair of purple jeans which I paid $3 for and which I wear mostly around the house.  I did have a gorgeous chenille sweater in purple, but it wore completely out.

I'm not sure that I have a purple item in my home other than the aforementioned articles of clothing.  I have no idea what color I would select for 2018.  I can't imagine being in charge of the Color of the Year or why anyone would even think a color of the year necessary.  But I do find it interesting.

5. Favorite book read this year?

Probably Come Rain or Come Shine, by Jan Karon.  I read it twice.  (And that reminds me, it's time to get out Shepherds Abiding.)  There were also a number of homekeeping books I've read and enjoyed this year.  One of my favorites was Love the Home You Have by Melissa Michaels.  I'm currently reading her Make Room for What You Love, and enjoying that even more.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

So thankful to finally have finished this December sampler.  I completed the stitching a year or two ago (I can't even remember!) and it has taken me this long to figure out how to finish it off.  It's long and skinny and would require custom framing, something I refuse to pay for.  (Regular readers will have perceived that I am not a perfectionist.)  I found a lot of inspiration from my friends Arlene at Nanaland and Sandy at
I Majored in Home Economics, both prolific stitchers who tend to finish projects quite ingeniously.  After seeing a project that Arlene had finished using a clipboard, I made the fortuitous discovery of a legal-size clipboard which worked perfectly for my finish.  I'm pleased with it. 

And so ends another Hodgepodge.  Happy Wednesday!