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Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Sweet Memories



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.  How do you feel about the transition from lazy summer days to a busier fall routine?
 
My routine doesn't change all that much, except for Wednesdays, so my feelings are pretty neutral on it. I take a slightly different route on my morning commute to work that isn't as affected by school bus routes and school zones, but I don't have to allow much more time so that's nice. I have noticed there's definitely more traffic in the morning now that schools are open though. Our church goes back to our weekly Wednesday night activities starting today, so my Wednesdays will be busier and I'll have to consider whether it's better to go straight to church from work sometimes. I like having that weekly dinner with friends as part of my routine, but wish I didn't have to feel like I'm rushing from one thing to another so regularly, so that's why I'm on the fence as far as how I feel about a "busier" fall routine.
 
2. Your favorite cookie?

Favorite mass produced cookie is the Fudgee-O. I'm not aware of anything quite like it made in the US, so it's among the Canadian grocery items we always bring back. Fudgee-O and Canadian Oreos which are different and superior to American Oreos. The Mr Christie brand Maple cookies are superior to similar ones made in the US as well. Canadians do a good job with maple flavoring in general!
a Canadian grocery run from 
years ago

 


Favorite homemade cookie is a lot harder to narrow down! Oatmeal raisin. Maybe an unpopular opinion but I love them. Shortbreads. Peppernuts. White cookies (these are hard to define because the name is really generic. It's a soft cookie similar to a Lofthouse, with a very simple white icing. My Aunt Linda was famous for baking these and peppernuts). Molasses cookies. I could go on and on. I love cookies!


Peppernuts and other Holiday Sweets and Treats on Homeschool Coffee Break @ kympossibleblog.blogspot.com - A collection of some of our favorite recipes for holiday cookies and other seasonal sweet treats!

See my post Holiday Sweets and Treats at Homeschool Coffee Break for my family's Peppernuts recipe.

Holiday Sweets and Treats on Homeschool Coffee Break @ kympossibleblog.blogspot.com - A collection of some of our favorite recipes for holiday cookies and other seasonal sweet treats!


3. What's something you've learned from a culture different than your own?

 Now that I've got cookies on my mind, that's the direction I'm going with this question! I've learned about bread and sweets from other cultures. I'm a picky eater so often ethnic and traditional dishes from other cultures don't strike me as appetizing. But bread, on the other hand . . . bread is pretty universal and while I definitely like some flavors and types better than others, it's a safe bet that I will like bread. So that's my starting point for trying international foods. I also like to try coffees from other cultures. 

I know there are wise and good things I've learned about living well, but I can't come up with something specific enough to describe.

 

 4.  Food critic, film critic, book critic, art critic . . . which hat would you most like to wear? Tell us why.


 Probably a book critic. I could read more if it was my job! Right now I'm just not finding the time to get much reading done and I'm disappointed in myself. But I do think with a little practice I could offer helpful critiques and reviews of books in a few genres, and book critic would be most in my wheelhouse of those choices. I did a lot of product reviews back in the days of my homeschool blog so I would have to revive that reviewer's mindset. I think I could do a decent job as a food critic too, but only if it was limited to the foods that I generally like anyway. My tastes aren't broad enough for me to be really comfortable in that role.

5.  What's a small, random thing from your childhood that you still remember clearly?

 When I was little, my Grandpa had a couple of scrapbook type albums of birds and animals. Sort of like field guides, with a little information about each bird and animal. The pictures were stickers, and I bet they were the kind that you collected at gas stations or something along that line, but I don't know where Grandpa got them. I just remember loving those two albums, especially the one with birds, and studying them whenever I visited my grandparents. 


6. Insert your own random thought here.

Join me in praying for comfort for our sweet hostess Joyce and her family as I just saw on the anchor post that her mother passed away earlier this week. I had already chosen the following for my random thought and it seems more meaningful now. 

RIP Dolly Parton


What sweet memories are you savoring this week? Leave a comment and let me know!



From this Side of the Pond

I host the Wednesday Quotes link-up every other Wednesday. Stop by and share a few thoughts and quotes on the current topic here: WQ - The Value of Rest. I host the Everyday Images photo link-up every other Thursday. And find the Scripture and a Snapshot link-up here every Sunday.



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Simple Meal Planning - Plan to Eat

16 comments:

  1. Hello,
    I am praying with you for Joyce and her family.

    I loved your #5!!!
    Love, Carla

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting the random little details we remember from childhood. :-)
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  2. I really enjoy our mid-week Wednesday evening church service...but suspending that during the summer probably would not hurt my feelings. Just sayin':) Have a good Wednesday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I feel the same way about our Wednesday evening church activities - I love meeting every week, but at the same time, the summer break is really nice.
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  3. A sad week with losing Dolly and hearing of Joyce's earthly loss. I love the simple childhood memory you shared about your time enjoying those books of your grandpa's. Hope you get your busy Wednesdays sorted. Have a great rest of the week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. After the rushing around to get to church tonight, I've decided that I will be better off going to church straight from work on Wednesdays instead of trying to stop at home first.
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  4. Your Wednesdays do sound much busier and those cookies sound so good!
    I have read there is a big difference between bread here in England and over in the US.
    What wonderful memories about your Grandpa's books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't think about the bread being different, but perhaps it is! I love bread so I might have to research that a little!
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  5. My sister lived in Canada for 15 years so I’m familiar with some of the differences you noted. I like Canadian chocolate better than ours! Your memories with your grandparents sound neat :).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Canadian chocolate bars! Maybe that's just because I love the Coffee Crisp bars so much though.
      That was a sweet memory to recall - it took me right back to about 7yo and exactly what Grandma and Grandpa's house smelled and sounded like too. :-)
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  6. I tend to find breads, pastries, and sweets a good "in" for me with other cultural foods as well since I don't have a very cultured palette. We don't have much beyond traditional American or perhaps Italian fare around us so that's mostly all I've ever eaten.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, exactly! Sweets and breads are a "safe" bridge to foods from other cultures for this picky eater. I made myself venture into some international cooking while homeschooling and over the years have found that I like much more from other cultures than I expected.
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  7. Your description of those homemade cookies is making my mouth water! That's a good point about trying different coffees from other cultures; they're probably easy to find without having to find a specific eatery (and hope for the best, lol).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coffee brings the world together, perhaps? I think it's a little less intimidating to try a coffee or similar beverage from another culture at a coffee shop or restaurant or food truck etc because it's a lot less money to spend on something I'm not certain I'll like. I've had some things I thought were okay but don't need to ever order again, and some things I've loved, but I have never regretted ordering and trying an ethnic beverage.
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete
  8. Enjoyed your answers. I love learning about foods from other countries. I'd love to become better at critiquing and reviewing books. It would be kind of fun to take a literature class. Yes, my dad had field guides and I LOVED them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved researching foods and recipes from other countries and cultures that we could incorporate into our homeschool studies from time to time.
      I actually taught literature classes for a couple years at our co-op tutorial and really enjoyed talking about books and stories with high school kids. Teaching it did help me personally with identifying what I like and don't like about different writing styles, though I do find it uncomfortable to give a negative review. When my honest review required me to say what I didn't like, I tried very hard to do it with kindness.
      Bird field guides remain one of my favorite types of non-fiction :-D
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Delete

I love comments! Keep the conversation going over a virtual cup of coffee.