January 24 Hodgepodge

Another Wednesday!  Where does the time go?  Regardless, Wednesday means it's time for the Hodgepodge with Joyce and friends at From This Side of the Pond.  Head on over to get the questions; answer them on your own blog.  Then head back over to Joyce's to link up!   Here are this week's questions:

1. January 24th is National Compliment Day. Is it easy or not so easy for you to accept a compliment? Share a recent compliment you've given or received.

I don't find it difficult to accept a compliment, because I do understand that anything I'm likely to be complimented for is only by the grace of God.  Depending on the nature of the compliment I can usually say "thank you" with a smile, or simply say, "praise the Lord" or other words that deflect the praise to Him.

A recent compliment I've received: we had guests over for supper Monday evening and they said the meal was awesome.  It was simple: chicken pot pie, buttercup squash, and cranberry sauce, but was planned and prepared with them and their young children in mind.  An easy way to respond: "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

2. Ten little things you are loving right now.

* little white lights on a dreary day
* a warm cozy house
* seeing ice form on twigs, leaves and evergreen needles -- so pretty
* butternut squash soup
* simple winter decorating
* finding time to do a little work on a cross stitch UFO almost every evening
* seeing the daylight extend a little bit each afternoon
* browsing through a 1953 New Hampshire Profiles magazine and enjoying the vintage ads
* the occasional nap
* days when I can't go out due to snow or ice

3. Would people describe you as a positive person? Do you see yourself that way? I read here  a list/description of eight things positive people do differently-

Positive people find something to look forward to every day, they celebrate the small stuff, they're kind, they stay busy, accept responsibility for their actions, forgive themselves, know when to move on, and resist comparisons

Which action on the list would you say you do regularly? Which action could you add to your life to give you a more positive outlook? If you're a positive person, what's something you do regularly that's not on the list?

I think in general I'm a positive person and I think most people who know me would describe me that way, although of course I have negative moments like anyone else.  I regularly do most of the actions on that list.  I can only see two that I don't do as well with.  I'm not always as kind as I could be.  And occasionally I do find myself making comparisons.  No doubt making changes in those two areas would be helpful.

4. Homemade chicken soup, beef stew, or a bowl of chili...what's your pleasure on a cold winter's day?

Good question.  We like a lot of different soups.  Of the three listed, I would pick homemade chicken soup, I guess.

The photo above, though, is the Best-of-the-Best White Chili I recently took to a get-together.  It's pretty comforting on a cold winter day, too.

And if you like soup or crave it on a cold day, do click on the "soups" link in the label cloud at right.  There are loads of good soup recipes here.

5. The best part of my day is....

That's a hard choice.  I think I really have two best parts to my days.  First of all, my quiet time in God's Word and in prayer is the important part, the part the sets the tone for the day and gets me off to the best possible start.  And then of course there is the time of day when my hubby gets home from work (he is usually gone 12-13 hours) and we get to reconnect over a meal and catch up with one another.

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 
I'm just starting to realize how tiring the past few days have been.  Lots of cleaning (at both home and church), cooking, and ministry left me far more drained than I had thought.  Two naps (I was writing this on Tuesday) didn't begin to touch the tiredness.  A good night's rest Tuesday night and a somewhat low-key day on Wednesday should help.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!