Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's time for Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce, who blogs at From This Side of The Pond.  Each week she'll pose some questions for us to answer. What a great way to journal life.

1. Do you have a word for the year (WOTY)? If so, and you'd like to share, please share. I finally decided on my 2024 word. I'm tying it in with last years word. My word for 2024 is NOURISH, and 2023's was SAVOR. I feel like they go hand in hand.  How do you decide on a word? One year I spotted this thing on IG and you stopped a scroll and whatever word it stopped on was your word...it actually resonated with me so I went with it. Sometimes I hear a song. Other times, I just keep hearing or "feeling" a word, so I research it a bit and see if it clicks.  If you don't have a word are you still on the hunt for one for 2024? 

2. January 23rd is National Pie Day...will you celebrate? Probably not. I never seem to know about these National Days until the end of the day...Do you like pie? I do like Pie. What's your favorite? I like savory pies, like quiche, and chicken pot pie. I like apple pie, peach pie, chocolate peanut butter pie. I made a raspberry peach pie once that was so good, and a blackberry apple that was really good too. 

3. Tipping. What are your thoughts, expectations, as to who, when where? I do tip. I tip at restaurants where the server comes to the table. I tip at the coffee shops. I don't really use a lot of services that would require tipping. Do you appreciate a store/restaurant giving a 'suggested amount'? I don't know if I really pay attention. I will almost always do 15-20%. I almost always leave the girls at the coffee shop $1-$2...Have you ever left an extravagant tip? Yes, we have on multiple occasions felt like we wanted to bless our server and we've given them a larger tip. When we were in Mexico recently we had two private services....transport to and from airport and a boat tour, and my hubby tipped them really well. I will say this, when baristas or restaurants are using Square or a thing like that, it automatically does the tip suggestion...they don't really have a choice. At the pumpkin patch, the system does the same thing and we just show the people and say "it's going to ask a few questions". 

4. Share with us one household 'tip' that works for you. Of course, now I can't really think of any at the moment that I feel like is amazing...I'll come back to this one. Well, I suppose I have some but just can't think. I did think of this tip for hard boiled eggs. I have always hated peeling them because I lose so much of the egg when the shell sticks. A few years ago, a friend said they use their instant pot, and it was a game changer. I put the recommended amount of water in (usually 1 c.), then lay the eggs on the rack. Set for 5 minutes, then let release for 5 minutes. When they're done I put them in some ice water, and then in the refrigerator if I'm not using them right away. It's worked great. I have an issue a few times with my fresh eggs I get from people...they'll pop open...someone said they think it's because they have a thinner shell or something...depending on what the chicken eats. 

5. Influencers on social media are people who've built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a particular subject. Do you follow any influencers online? I do follow several people that I would be considered "influencers". Have you made a purchase or tried something new because of that 'influence'? Yes, I have purchased items, researched things, read books that were recommended, tried recipes, been encouraged in many areas of my life through the people I have chosen to follow. If there's one you particularly enjoy tell us who they are and why you enjoy them. I would say most people I follow are joy and encouragement influencers...there are several I really enjoy, but I never know if people will enjoy them as much as I do. Many are on instagram. I follow a few younger mennonite gals who are kind of fun. I love Leanne Miller (she also has a podcast called These are Good Days that I love), Stages of Grey, Grateful and Gray, and Embracing my Gray are all pages I love as well...they are women who have chosen to embrace their silver, even at younger ages. I also follow several cooking and even decor IG accounts as well. The gal I VA for has an IG page that I help manage (Salvage sister and mister) and since I'm an Arbonne Rep, I follow a few pages for that. I follow some "bookstagramers" as well. My FB is mostly friends. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. This week has been back to normal PNW WET weather. No more snow, no more ice in the forecast. Work has been busy as things try to get back to normal. I work for a postal annex and so mail was delayed, packages were delayed being picked up and dropped off...it was a a crazy mess.

I'm finishing this on Wednesday. I had the grandkids over yesterday so today I'm planning to stay home and clean and do a few other things. I was thinking of running into town to look for a few things for my trip to Hawaii in a few weeks, but I think I'll do that next week. Our town has a few little places that maybe I'll check out today when I go to the grocery store. They're more like thrifty boutiques, but often have some cute stuff. 

Tomorrow night (Thursday), I'm going to a book launch in a nearby town. I'm excited. It's a local author and it was supposed to be last week but got canceled because of weather. I'm going with a friend. Friday night I may be helping my daughter at an event she's doing with her coffee cart. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin