Thanksgiving Hodgepodge

Sharing Thanksgiving with Joyce via The Hodgepodge.

1. Turkey-love it or leave it?  White meat or dark?  What's your favorite thing to make using leftover turkey?

Turkey is delicious; dark meat only for me.  My boys live for leftover turkey made into turkey salad. We usually never have enough leftovers so we buy an extra turkey just for turkey salad. Really.

2. Gotta burn off all those carbs the day after a holiday feast so which would you rather do-run a 10K or climb a mountain? 

Despite the heights issue, I'd rather climb a mountain. Not only would you feel like you accomplished something, you'd get the reward of the view too!

3.  Do you feel like social networking has made your relationships better or worse?  Explain.

Honestly, I'm not a Facebook fan. I keep threatening to quit, but during Dad's funeral it was such an easy way to share the information with such a large and varied group of friends/family, that I've kept it for that reason alone. I have a twitter account and I believe I looked at it once this year. Do you really want to know what I had for lunch? Didn't think so.

I love blogging, but have settled into what it really means to me. At first I wanted a large following and I wanted it to launch into something. (??)  That mindset left me discontent and unhappy.

Once I realized that my target audience was our family who did not live close I then settled into my true blog identity.  I just want to share my life, grammar mistakes and all, with those I love. When life is busy, I don't blog and I'm ok with the living of it and not sharing. When I have time to connect through blogging, I do.

Because I've adopted this mindset, I've met some wonderful blog friends who check in every so often. I would truly love to meet you all in person, with the hopes that we'd enjoy each other's physical company just as much. I talk about you all with my family and say, "my blog friend..."  Whoever thought that would be a category?

So in answer to the question I think I've navigated social networking in a way that works for me.

4. How do you find and express gratitude for the hard things in your life? 

When going through the hard time, I pray and ask the Lord to reveal Himself and I thank Him for His care. I share the Lord's faithfulness and my stories of tough times with others as the Holy Spirit leads.

5.  In the US, the day after Thanksgiving has been dubbed 'Black Friday'.  Is most of your holiday shopping done live and in person, or is it done more through the magic of the Internet? How do you feel about stores opening at midnight Thanksgiving night? Will you be out amongst the masses on Friday? 

I've shopped on Black Friday once and it was a good experience. I'm not much of a shopper so I don't put a lot of time and energy into doing it.  We make up Christmas lists and share them with grandparents.  I usually shop about three times in December purchasing everyone's gifts at retail stores. If there are requested items from catalogs, I definitely take advantage of shopping online.

6.  Speaking of the color black-which black item in your wardrobe would you say is your favorite?

I have a black sweater that is dressy and comfortable. It's a winter staple.

7.  What do you appreciate about your life today? 

We moved out of the rat race of northern Virginia/DC chaos a little over a year ago and I appreciate the calm peacefulness that comes with living in the country on a farm. It's a dream of many people to live the way I do and I am so thankful for what the Lord has provided. I love our way of life.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

All this talk of purchasing gifts reminded me of something I bought online a few weeks ago.  

My daughter, Ashley, and son-in-law, TJ, moved to CO in July and this will be our first Christmas away from each other. Sad. 

To give Ashley a little taste of home, I purchased the same Advent calendar for her family as the one she had in childhood. I told her not to open it without TJ 'cause I knew there would be lots of crying. There was and TJ was a little confused until she explained. 

Here's a goofy picture taken of her putting the last ornament on our Advent calendar tree in 2010.

Shared memories are sweet; passing them on...priceless.