Pondering With A Purpose

Thursday means it's time for Brenda's Pondering with a Purpose.

Her rules are really easy:

1. Grab the Pondering with a Purpose Badge (in her sidebar)
2. Look at the week's prompt
3. Post something on your blog that relates to the prompt - it can be a story, a poem, a picture -- anything you want it to be.
4. Go back here and add the URL from your post to the linky list on Brenda's.
5. Go check out the other bloggers who have added their links to the list.
6. AND most of all.... Have fun!

So this week the subject is:  Pondering

I've been doing a lot of thinking - pondering - about how lucky I truly am. At this time of the year, it's easy to get a little depressed about little things - for instance:
I'm broke!
There doesn't seem to be many presents under the tree yet.
I haven't seen my son in 2 years!
I miss the days when me and my bf would make Christmas candy all day long.

Then I think -
Who isn't broke at Christmas?
So I need to do some more shopping and I may have to get a little creative.
Bummer - but maybe this year - and a grandbaby too! - at least he's in a relatively safe place - there's a lot worse places the military could send him.
So start making candy - it may be too far to drive to her house to do it but I can do it by myself and maybe drive over next weekend and take her some!

Anyway - I've been "pondering" a lot about the homeless and the work that Brenda does. When I think of people living on the streets it makes my problems seem so trivial. I actually have it pretty good. Thanks Brenda for helping me to see that!

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch #20

 Time to go over to Patrice's at Everyday Ruralty for our weekly chat!

1. Have you ever had a blog slump?
2. What's your favorite way to serve hot chocolate (cocoa)? Marshmallows on top? Whipped Cream? A cinnamon stick?
3. How do you handle it when you see someone you think you know, but cannot place? Do you approach them and ask, shy away, or just go home and hope you don't think of it at 2am?
4. What was your position in your family? Were you the oldest, a middle child, the youngest or an only child?
5. How do you handle accumulated possessions (stuff)? Are you a pack-rat, a minimalist, or somewhere in between?

My answers:

1. Yep! Pretty much the whole year of 2010! Was all caught up with a new job.
2. I like hot chocolate but I don't love it. Usually if I do drink it, it will be mixed with my coffee!
3. I usually just ask them. A lot of the time they turn out to be people I have worked with in the past.
4. I was the baby of the family.
5. I'm not a pac-rat but definitely not a minimalist so I guess I'm somewhere in between. I have a friend that I would describe as a "semi-hoarder" - I honestly don't know how anyone could live like that. I would describe my house as being "lived in" but I can't handle things being out of place for long. How do people ever find anything when it's piled all over?

Hodgepodge Volume 56

Grandma Got Run Over by the Hodgepodge-Volume 56

Wednesday again - time to hop over to Joyce's at From this Side of the Pond for the weekly hodgepodge.

1. Will you be hosting any house guests between now and the end of December? Does that thought make you happy or crazy? Do you do anything special to make your house guests feel welcome? How long should a guest stay?

No guests this year :( - would love for my son and DIL to be able to be home but that's just not possible. Do I do anything special? Nope - anyone that would be a guest at my house knows me pretty well and knows they are welcome. How long should they stay - as long as they want to!

2. Walter Elias Disney was born this week back in (Dec 5) 1905...what's your all time favorite Disney movie? Here's a list in case you're struggling...and yes, you have to pick one.

The Santa Clause - it came out the year my daughter was born and we watch it every year!

3. What's the last thing you purchased that you realized was a mistake after the fact?

I can't really think of any right now.

4. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done online?

Probably about half.

5. Amaryllis...snowdrop...poinsettia...your favorite winter blossom?

Don't know what Amaryllis or snowdrops look like so I guess it would be poinsettia.

6. What is one thing on your personal wish list this year? I think we all want peace on earth so let's make this an actual item.

An e-reader.

7. If you could only use one word today what would it be?

Determination - I could really use some right now.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Does anyone else get annoyed by the "voluntary" surveys that we are asked to fill out by employers and government agencies - just how much information do they need and what do they do with it?

Christmas Dress Challenge

Christmas Dress Challenge

Last week's wt.      161.0
This week's wt.      159.8
Difference                -1.2

Barely! But I'M IN THE 150'S!!!!!!!!

Meet Me on Monday

Today I am joining Meet Me on Monday for the first time. Java over at Never Growing Old hosts this each week and it looks like a good spot to meet and get to know more people.




<center><a href="http://nevergrowingold.blogspot.com/search/label/Meet%20Me%20On%20Monday"><img border="0" src="http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee487/nevergrowingold/MeetMonday-1.jpg" /></a></center>

Questions:

1.  Monday's are _________?
2.  What is your favorite kind of milkshake?
3.  What monthly bill do you most dislike paying? 
4.  How many email addresses do you use on a regular basis?
5.  What color lights are on your Christmas Tree?

My Answers:

1.  Monday's are always kind of crazy. It is the first workday of the week and usually the busiest; it's also the day I have VFW meetings at least twice a month. On those nights, I usually don't get home till almost 10 p.m.
2.  Why chocolate of course! I truly believe that chocolate makes everything better-except our waistlines.
3.  The cable/internet/phone. I have DSL but have to have a land line phone  to get it. Can't tell you how much it annoys me to have a phone sitting there that is never used - can't even call out on it.
4. Well there's the work e-mail, the facebook e-mail, the blogging e-mail, and another one I had to set up for a class project - that's 4.
5.  Multi colored. I have used all blue lights in the past when I decorated the tree with all crocheted ornaments. The blue lights and white ornaments were really pretty together but I think the multi colored looks more like Christmas.