Mastering the Hodgepodge!

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Thanks for joining me here every Wednesday!  
If you'd like even more fun, hop on over to Joyce's blog and join in on the fun!  

And now, without further ado, lets Hodgepodge!

1. My (Joyce's) daughter earned her Master's Degree this past weekend...what's something you've 'mastered' in recent weeks or months?

First of all, congrats to Joyce's daughter!  What an amazing accomplishment!  As for me... I can't think of anything new that I've "mastered" in the past few weeks or months, but in general I can make a great quiche, host guests in my home at a moment's notice, make killer brownies, come up with new ideas for church childrens' programs, hold a tune, and keep my home relatively intact and the children fed, clothed, and healthy!  :-)

2. What song most reminds you of your childhood?

I loved this show when I was a little girl, and I loved the books too.  I'll admit, my heart hurts a little that my daughter does not enjoy them as much as I did.  Sigh.

3. What do you think about single gender groups and/or events? Should everygroup/event be open to both genders?  If not, what sort of exceptions do you think are appropriate? 



Oh geez, what a complex question... ummm... I'll come back to it.

Oh dear... just posted the blog, then came back and realized I never came back to it!  Glad I realized that now!  So, I'm fine with single gender events, especially in the child and teen years.  Boys and girls are built differently, have different skill sets, and are just wired different - it's good for kids to learn these things together as well as apart.

4. What's your favorite spice? Your favorite dish containing your favorite spice?

I keep going between my favorite cooking spice, and my favorite baking spice.  For cooking, my favorite spice is cumin - and my favorite recipe is my crockpot chicken tortilla soup that has cumin in it.  YUM!  My favorite baking spice is cinnamon.  And my favorite recipe is the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon roll recipe... oh yummy!

5.  I saw this question on Marla's facebook page and asked if I could 
steal borrow it for the Hodgepodge...thanks Marla!  

Chevron patterns are everywhere!  Do you like it or think its just a little too much? Do you own anything 'chevron'? 

I do like the chevron pattern, but sheesh, it really is everywhere!  I don't own anything "chevron" - and I fear the minute I do purchase something, it'll go out of style and everyone will look at me sadly and say "Oh, she's so 2013..." ;-)
6.  What's something you disliked as a child, but can fully appreciate now?


Guacamole.

7. What can irritate you very quickly?

Incompetence.  Poor customer service.  People who don't take their screaming child out of a movie theater (or church service).  Getting the shopping cart with the one wonky squeaky wheel.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Many of my friends have kids starting school this week, and teachers going back or getting ready to get back.  And while we have another few weeks to go still, here is a prayer for the new teacher in your child's life  (and thanks to "my Martha" for sharing this with me!):

Pray for the teacher as she looks at her summer to-do list; she might not've had a vacation or success in taking care of needs.  Pray for the teacher as she needs to be refreshed and healthy; her summer may have included loss, grief, disappointment, or trial.  Pray for the teacher as she has concerns about how her relationships will change with the school year starting; daycare, marriage, family, needy children.  Pray for the teacher as she gets her classroom ready; she may have had to move rooms, may not have supplies yet, or might have other issues to address.  Pray for the teacher as she attends staff development and meetings; she may have requirements to meet or assignments to finish.  Pray for the teacher as she re-connects with fellow staff and faculty; some relationships might be challenging.  Pray for the teacher as she sorts through curriculum; a change in grade level, publisher, or requirements can be difficult.  Pray for the teacher as she begins to do her planning; teachers have so much to pack in and the unexpected always enters in.Pray for the teacher as she meets a whole new group of parents; parent relationships are crucial to the success of students and teachers.  Every teacher is a real person who goes to the grocery store, does laundry, has dinner with friends, cries, hurts, and worries.  She needs the Kleenex and the hand sanitizer, but most of all, she needs your prayers.  


I also made a "Welcome to School" kit for my son's teacher last year (long story short, the poor woman had gotten the job the day before school started, after having the stomach flu, and her divorce was finalized the first week of school)  So I figured she needed a pick-me-up basket of encouragement!  But this would be a perfect gift for any teacher... a cute basket filled with note paper, cute pens, chocolate, coffee, hand sanitizer, lotion, a clipboard, etc.  I honestly don't remember everything I put in there - but it was fun to do, and she loved it - especially after the week she had had!  :-)