"Here She Is...Miss Hodgepodge!"

Hehehe... what a fun theme for this week's hodgepodge... you'll see why when you see the questions.  Please leave me a comment at the end (you know my "love language" is words, right?  I'm pathetic, really... )  And feel free to join Joyce in on the weekly Hodgepodge questions!  Her site is here!

On to this week's questions - these are fun ones!

1. A new Miss America was crowned on Saturday night-did you watch? If you were a contestant what would your talent be?

Um, no I did not watch, but I do have it recorded - only because I am co-hosting a Murder Mystery party in February that is based on the Miss America pageant - called "Killing for the Crown" - It should be a LOT of fun!  So I recorded the Miss America pageant so that I could get decoration and dress ideas... I think I shall pass on the swimsuit competition...

And if I were a contestant (HA!) my talent would be managing my busy household of 3 kids, a husband with erratic work hours, a cat we are cat-sitting, the mountains of laundry, the endless grocery shopping (mostly to fill the empty vessel that is my growing teen boy), get music lessons completed, sports requirements met, scouting responsibilities scheduled, and church praise team practice met.  Whew!

2. Do you have houseplants? Real or fake?

I do, and I'm pretty proud of it.  It is real, and it is called a "Prayer plant" - I'm sure it has some other exotic scientific name, or even another common household name, but when my friend Christina gave it to me years ago (like, 14 years ago!) that is what she called it, so there you go!  When it is needing water, it lifts its leaves up straight, and then drops them when it doesn't.  How great is that - a plant that not only TELLS you when it needs water, but is a daily reminder of our need to be in prayer!  And the only reason why that plant is still alive is because of its ability to tell me it needs water... I'm just sayin...

I do also have a couple of fake ivy plants above the cabinets in my laundry room, and a garland of grapevines above my kitchen cabinets.  They do not ever need water, so they survive quite well.  :-)

3. When you were in school did you speak up or were you more of the hide your face, avoid eye contact, and pray the teacher didn't call on you type of student?

Oh, definitely the Hide-your-face, please don't see me type.  Now, though, I would definitely speak up... I've come a LONG way!

4. Next Monday marks the Chinese New Year...what do you order when someone suggests Chinese food?

I love a good spring roll!  Also, cashew shrimp.  Yum!!

5. How would you define a miracle? What would it take for you to consider something a miracle?

A miracle is when all indicators point towards something happen, and then the inexplicable happens - cancer that has spread is suddenly all gone.  The car crash that seems imminent suddenly doesn't happen.  Etc.

6. What's your favorite Disney song? If you're stuck you'll find a list here

Baby Mine from Dumbo.  There was one point in my pregnancy with Middle C where the doctors were concerned for her growth because I was so little with her - that night I lay on our couch, feeling so helpless, so scared, and this is the song I sang to my sweet baby girl...  "Baby Mine, rest your head close to my heart, never to part, Baby your mine"

7. I should have _____________ yesterday.

Stayed in bed!  Suffice it to say, it was a bizarre day where the only thing that went right was my prayer and Bible study time - praise God for that, because without it... the sad news about a relative, the running out of milk at 6 am and having to run to the store because I was already in the middle of a recipe, the scrounging around for a school folder for my Big C 3 minutes before he was to be on the bus, the website I worked on for 45 minutes crashing and losing all my data, and then locking my purse/keys/phone in my car before I left to get the kids from school, my Big C coming home with pink eye, and my hubs having a rough day at work... may have all been a bit overwhelming!  What a day!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Please pray for my mother-in-law, Donna.  Yesterday she found out that her retina had detached again - she already had surgery for this back in October (read about it on my random thought here)

So she is going back into surgery today.  She also has another major surgery planned for Feb 8 for another issue that is causing her great discomfort.  She has had 5 surgeries in the last year, lost her mother, and was a HUGE support to us while my hubs was deployed last year.  Please pray for complete healing for her, both physically and emotionally, as she is just. exhausted.  And our hearts hurt for her...

Thank you.