Wednesday Hodgepodge - Tips To Share

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A hodgepodge is a jumble or assortment of things that might not appear to belong together. Joyce at From This Side of the Pond hosts a weekly link-up called Wednesday Hodgepodge that is a little collection of questions for bloggers to answer just for fun and to get to know each other. I always look forward to chatting with friends over coffee, so pour a cup of your favorite and let's visit for a few minutes!

Here are this week's questions - and my answers - for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. Do you have a word for the year (WOTY)? If so, and you'd like to share, please share. How do you decide on a word? If you don't have a word are still on the hunt for one for 2024?

I do have a WOTY, and it is Rhythm. When I do a WOTY, I try to choose something that I feel describes an overall need I have to focus on in order to do life better. I chose Rhythm for 2024 because I realized I'd need to adjust my routines and time management (which I'm lousy at anyway) to accommodate my new work schedule, and I couldn't be striving or fighting all the time - I need to establish a healthy, balanced rhythm to my days and weeks. And additionally, in the last part of 2023, I felt like God had really been speaking to me about the subject of Sabbath, and that he was inviting me to be more intentional about practicing and celebrating a Sabbath rhythm in my life. My WOTY post is here if you want to know more about it: WQ - Rhythm Inspires

 

 

2. January 23rd is National Pie Day . . . will you celebrate? Do you like pie? What's your favorite? 

 

I didn't have any pie on the 23rd and now I'm disappointed that I missed my chance! Although I wouldn't have been able to chew it anyway. But for years I've been celebrating Pi Day on March 14th because I love pie but don't often bake it myself. Pi Day was my excuse to make my favorite meat pie for dinner, and bake up some dessert pies as well. My favorite main dish pie is French-Canadian Tourtiere, closely followed by Greek Chicken and Feta Pie. My favorite dessert pies are Pasta Frola (a Paraguayan Guava Jelly pie), Pumpkin, Cherry, and Rhubarb. And I love all the custard pies!

My recipes for Tourtiere, Chicken and Feta Pie, and Pasta Frola are included in this Homeschool Coffee Break post from March 2017: Favorite Pi(e) Recipes for Pi Day

3. Tipping. What are your thoughts, expectations, as to who, when, where? Do you appreciate a store/restaurant giving a 'suggested amount'? Have you ever left an extravagant tip?

 We always tip at sit-down restaurants, and try to lean to the generous side. I do not consider it necessary to tip at self-service places like a coffee shop where you order at the counter and wait for them to hand you your drink. I have sometimes tipped at those kinds of places but it's not my usual practice. I usually get my hair done by a friend rather than at a salon, and honestly I have no idea what is standard for tipping a hairstylist. If someone wants to tell me in the comments, I'll tuck that info away for when I need it. I do like when the restaurant check comes with the percentage tips printed on the bottom of it because it saves me doing math! I don't remember a specific occasion when I gave a tip that was not just generous but truly extravagant, but I can think of some times when I've been with a large group at a restaurant where we all pitched in to leave a way above and beyond tip for the servers, even though the tip was automatically included on our check. 

4. Share with us one household 'tip' that works for you.

 One 'tip' that I'm trying to bring back into my regular practice that worked for me years ago was to have a little list of chores that could be done in just a couple of minutes so that instead of letting things pile up, I could make use of the time I was on hold on the phone, had a few minutes while waiting for dinner to come out of the oven, and that sort of thing. Or jobs that didn't require thinking, so I could do them while I was on the phone. I even timed some of those jobs! So it's not unusually wise but basically the "Clean as you go" idea. It takes only a few seconds to wipe down the sink or the bathroom mirror, or even give the toilet a quick swish with the brush, so why not do that more often instead of having to spend a half hour or more scrubbing the whole bathroom? Also a rhythm I need to establish . . .

5. Influencers on social media are people who've built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a particular subject. Do you follow any influencers online? Have you made a purchase or tried something new because of that 'influence'? If there's one you particularly enjoy tell us who they are and why you enjoy them.

 

I don't follow any influencers in particular, not actively. I can think of one influencer I subscribe to on YouTube: Pretty Over Fifty and have tried some of her skincare and makeup tips, but haven't purchased anything, I don't believe. I haven't watched her stuff for a long time, but now that I've been reminded of it, maybe I'll have a look! I like her because she's pretty down-to-earth with makeup, skincare, and fashion advice, even though she obviously has WAY more time and money to spend on her face! And she seems so likeable, like someone I'd enjoy having coffee with sometime.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I mentioned not being able to chew - I had my dental post implant on Tuesday. It went well, and there was only one failed stick before they got the IV needle into me so that's a win! I haven't felt too much pain - trying to stay on top of that! - but half my face is still numb! And I guess I'll be sticking to softer and easier to chew foods for the next little while. 

Got any time management or other tips to share? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm sharing in this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.

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