My Hodgepodge

I really enjoy reading various blogs. I love when I am visiting a blog, and they have a list of their favorites on a sidebar, occasionally I find someone new that I want to follow. With the cold temperatures right now, puppy and I are spending a little more time than usual snuggling together under a warm blanket, reading. I have found quite a few new blogs recently, which have encouraged me to think a little more.   I like it.  Sometimes I think I am just going through the motions with schoolwork, not really thinking about things that I can apply to my life right now.  I used to write the Simple Woman's Daybook prompts in the past, but I am ready for some new thoughts to ponder.  Joyce, whose blog From This Side of the Pond has some fun questions, which she calls Wednesday Hodgepodge. Yep, I know it's not Wednesday, but I just found this, so I thought I would give these a shot this week.


1. It's that time of year again...time for Lake Superior University to present a list of words (or phrases) they'd like to see banished (for over-use, mis-use, or genera uselessness) in 2018. You can read more about the decision making process and word meaning here, but this year's top vote getters are-

unpack, dish (as in dish out the latest rumor), pre-owned, onboarding/offboarding, nothingburger, let that sink in, let me ask you this, impactful, Cofefe, drill down, fake news, hot water heater (hot water doesn't need to be heated), and gig economy

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?

There are several words on this list that I have never heard such as nothingburger and Cofefe. It's hard to say I would eliminate something I have never heard-although spell check on my laptop tried to autocorrect Cofefe into Coffee! If I could choose, I would get rid of impactful. I am bothered by poor grammar, and this just sounds awful to me!  There is a word that I hear misused ALL. THE. TIME. But it is a word that we cannot get rid of, "seen".  When I hear someone say, or type! that they just 'seen' something, that is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. Doesn't anyone know how to say they 'saw' something!


2. What's something you need to get rid of in the new year?

Unfinished projects.  I love crafting of various sorts, but I seem to start things, and never get them done. I have quilts, cross-stitching, painted rocks, and the list goes on. I either need to finish, or dispose of some of these projects that are cluttering my closets.

3. Where do you feel stuck?

I feel stuck in my career.  I am a nurse, currently unemployed. This is by choice at the moment, as I am pushing through the last semester to finish my BSN.  I want to work, make use of the education I have worked so hard for. At the same time, I don't want to go back to the constant struggle of punching a time clock, working every other weekend, being on call all the time. I want a job that will make a difference, but I don't want to go back into a leadership position.  I loved, loved being a hospice nurse, hated being a Director of Nursing.  I have always wanted to teach, but that would require going back to school for my Masters, ugh.  I am just stuck.  First step to get out of this feeling, is finish the classes I am in. My semester ends in March, it's almost over!

4. January is National Soup Month. When did you last have a bowl of soup? Was it made from scratch or from a can? Your favorite canned soup? Your favorite soup to make from scratch on a cold winter's day?

This week, I made ham and bean soup.  We had an eleven pound ham for Christmas dinner, and there was a big bone, with a lot of ham left on it. I put the bone in the slow cooker with a bag of northern beans, a whole onion cut up, and let it simmer for the day. It smelled heavenly!  We ate soup with some cornbread and a salad. It was perfect this week. I remember my grandma in Tennessee making ham and bean soup with cornbread, makes me smile. I eat canned soup for lunch pretty often, since I am home by myself during the day. When I was in the car all day seeing patients, I even ate soup from the can, cold. I prefer split pea and ham soup, or clam chowder, I could eat them every day and be perfectly happy.


5. Tell us one thing you're looking forward to in 2018.

Hubby and I are planning to do some traveling this year, and I am looking forward to finally making use of our RV.  Three years ago, we downsized from the big 40foot with all the slide-outs, to a smaller one, it can even fit through a drive through!  I have only used this RV with hubby twice, once right after my dad died and I needed to get away to nature, the other time last year when we took dear granddaughter to Santa Claus Indiana.  We take our first adventure next month.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It's cold right now. We had -21 degrees Tuesday morning.  Some areas of the country are experiencing weather they just aren't used to; snow, frigid temps or winter hurricanes. But here in Indiana, we get snow, the temperatures get cold. I like winter. I have lived in Texas where it was warm for Christmas, and I hated it.  I like bundling up in sweaters and blankets, drinking hot tea.  I like watching the snow glisten in the sun. And I really like walking outside when it's cold. There's not a lot of traffic, not a lot of dogs out barking at me. It's peaceful.  My family tells me I only like the winter because I am not working, do not have to leave the house every day, but truth is, I have done it.  I lived out of my car every day as a hospice nurse, driving through the snowstorms, bundling up because the car heater didn't have time to warm up between patients.  I loved the winter then too.  I am mindful that not everyone tolerates the cold as well as I do.  We have brought the outside pets in with us this week, and thankfully it will warm up this weekend and they can go back outside.   I am sorry for those of you that do not appreciate this season as much as I do, but today, it makes me happy.



On that note, I think I will bundle up and take a walk.  Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day!