Just some more hodgepodge

 

Here I am doing another hodgepodge which is brought to you by Joyce over at http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/

Here are this week’s questions.

What does patriotism mean to you? 

Simple being proud of your country, it isn’t something I feel the need to in your face.

2. September-October-November...your favorite fall month? Tell us why. If you live in the southern hemisphere, use these months but sub spring for the word fall. 

I love that the weather is warming up and generally the days are neither cold nor hot, although this spring we are having a lot of hot like summer days.

3. A song you love with the word thanks (or some form of that word) in the title or lyrics?

Thank God I’m a country boy by John Denver, love that song

4. November is National Peanut Butter Month. Are you a fan? What's the last peanut butter bite you had? Fill in the blank: peanut butter and _____________________ . 

Oh, and you can't say jelly. 

Peanut butter and nothing except some butter on the bread or crumpet first. Yes, I am a fan of peanut butter.

5. This week's gratitude question-What event from this past year are you most grateful for? 

I have thought about this, and I can’t think of a single event, there have been many little things I have been grateful for during the year.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The time often comes when someone starts to realise what true happiness is and it’s not the size of your house, or how new your car is, or how successful other people think you are.

Instead, happiness is often being thankful for the little things in life, things like the feel of a breeze against your body or the way clean sheets feel. Seeing or hearing from someone important to you or the way your pet reacts when you return home.

 

Stealing Sunday

 

Welcome to Sunday Stealing, 

Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. This is what I have for this week. I found the over here. ?ttps://lemonscottage.blogspot.com/2025/11/sundays-monday-morning-meme.html

This week, we're stealing from Jess Riley Writes. She puts a unique spin on the "desert island" concept by allowing us three choices in three categories.

The Desert Island Meme

You're stranded alone on a desert island ...

1) Which three BOOKS could you read over and over again?

• Any of the Spenser series by Robert Parker
• Anything by Dick Francis
• Anything by Arthur Upfield

2) Which three MOVIES could you watch over and over again?

• The Santa Clause
• Die Hard
• Anything with Clint Eastwood in it
• 3) Which three SONGS could you listen to over and over again?  

• Anything by the Monkees
• Anything by Nickleback
• Anything by Dr Hook

 

Tuesday 4 on Tuesday don't faint

 

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4, who can be found here: https://lemonscottage.blogspot.com/

What kind of weather and temperatures make you feel most comfortable, most healthy?

I like it when it’s not real cold or real hot, I do prefer it to be warm over cold.

Do you like the colours associated with Autumn. Clothing wise do they look good on you?

I had to think about what are autumn colours for a moment then asked Google because my brain couldn’t come up with anything, anyway yeah, I like reds and orange and yellow and yeah, I do feel I look good in such colours, not so keen on brown though.

Would you rather: … 

get lost in a corn maze or go on a hayride? Hayride

• visit an apple orchard or a pumpkin patch? Apple orchard
• eat a caramel apple or a candy apple?  Caramel apple
• have some cinnamon buns or Pumpkin muffins? Cinnamon buns

There are 7,500 varieties of apple.  What is your favourite, and do you regularly eat apples? What fruits do you keep on hand?

Pink lady apples are my favourite, I usually have apples and mandarins

 

 

A Thankful Hodgepodge

 

Here I am doing another hodgepodge which is brought to you by Joyce over at http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/

Here are this week’s questions.

Besides Thanksgiving, something on your November calendar you're looking forward to? 

Well, I don’t even have Thanksgiving, but I do have my birthday on the 16^th and on the 14^th I am booked into get my train tattoo.

Dictionary. com's word of the year is '6-7'. Huh? 

Is it even a word??? I had to consult the internet to find out it's meaning because apparently, I'm old and this particular slang is not part of my vocabulary. Is it part of yours? According to the article I read, it's a viral term, more of an inside joke with an unclear meaning driven by social media.

What do you think? 

Never heard of this so-called word, sounds odd to me

Dictionary. com says it's selection each year is a 'linguistic time capsule reflecting social trends and events, but they also admitted to being confused by '6-7'. Some say it means so-so and is sometimes accompanied by the up and down hand motion we associate with the phrase so-so.

What word do you think would have made a better choice? 

I have no idea

What's a food, trend, activity, or thing people love but you think is just so-so? 

Carrot cake or Black Forest cake

Are you a tea drinker? Hot or cold? How do you like yours and at what time of day? Do you like flavoured teas or teas billed as calming, energizing, healing, etc? 

Nope don’t like tea

5. The November Hodgepodge has always included a weekly gratitude question. Here's the question for today-what are three things that make your heart sing? 

Seeing my grandchildren happy

Being home alone

Feeling like me and not a disabled version of me

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Today’s random thought is this quote from Nick Ortner

Look up and you’ll see the sky.
Look down and you’ll see the ground.
Look for anger, you’ll find it.
Look for joy, there it is.
Look for fear, find it staring back at you.
Look for hope, and feel its warm embrace.
You decide where to look.
Where are you going to look today?”
– Nick Ortner

 

 

 

Tuesday's 4

 

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4, who can be found here: https://lemonscottage.blogspot.com/

1. Do you play a musical instrument? 

No I do not

2. Have you taken music lessons? What kind. If not, is there one you might enjoy learning. It is never too late to start.  You might be surprised at how accomplished it will make you feel.

As a teenager I tried to learn to play the guitar, but I couldn’t get the hang of it

3. Is there music in your home as background to your day's activities or do you have music playing in your car, etc.? If so, what kind of music do you enjoy hearing?
What kind of music do you NOT like?

Hope nothing playing in the background or in the car, I like most music, not a fan of heavy mental or techno music

4.  Do you have a favorite composer or genre of music that you like most? Maybe you like several. Please share with us your thoughts?

I can’t think of a favourite composer, I really like rock and roll as well as country music

Stealing Sunday on Monday

 

 

Welcome to Sunday Stealing, 

Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. This is what I have for this week. I found the over here. ?ttps://lemonscottage.blogspot.com/2025/11/sundays-monday-morning-meme.html

 

1. What was the last thing you laughed at?

Something my sister sent that she found of Facebook

2. Who among your friends/family "gets" your sense of humour?

My youngest daughter and my granddaughter Sam, also my sister Sue

3. What jewellery are you wearing at this moment?

My rainbow sleepers

4. If you could offer one bit of etiquette that everyone should follow while dining out, what would it be?

Don’t get drunk and embarrass yourself and those with you

5. What's the first thing a guest would notice when they walked through your front door?

The photos on my walls

Friday's Fave Five

 

Thanks to Susanne who reminds us each week to look back and find the things we need to be thankful for.  Join in here.

Ok my first time joining in here, what have I been thankful for this last week let me think.

Ok first up not having ingrown toenails like my sister Sue has and needing anaesthetic to have it dug out.

Not having thumbs that look like big toes, these are called brachydactyly type D my sister Sue has these types of thumbs.

Having my sister Sue in my life, she is my rock.

Not falling over.

Tuesday 4

 

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4, who can be found here: https://lemonscottage.blogspot.com/

Do storms frighten you or make you cautious?

Yes, some storms do scare me, but generally they don’t

2. What is the worst weather you can remember?

Had to think about this, what sticks in my head was a bad storm when I was a child and my mum had to ring the ambos as my sister Jeannie was having a terrible asthma attack and had to go to hospital, the wind was so strong mum said it made the ambulance rock. I remember the windows in the house rattle.

3.Are you in a personal storm right now and do you need our prayers to help you through it?  I think many bloggers are prayer warriors indeed.

I believe in the power of pray and personally I am struggling at the moment with dyskinesia because of having Parkinson’s.

4.  What is the best advice you can give to others about weathering storms of any kind.

Stay inside out of the storm, have candles or torches ready, and just stay calm.

 

A bit of hodgepodge

 

Here I am doing another hodgepodge which is brought to you by Joyce over at http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/

Here are this week’s questions.

Are you a risk taker? To what degree? 

No bloody way do I take risks

What's your favorite candy? Would you say you have a sweet tooth? 

Liquorice allsorts or chocolate and yeah, I have a sweet tooth

Somewhere you've been recently that had you feeling 'like a kid in a candy store'? 

A Christmas store with all sorts of Christmas decorations

What do you think is the most effective way to make a positive change in the world? 

Kindness and compassion

Do you like surprises? 

Sometimes but mostly not so much

Insert your own random thought here.  

Remember there is only one you, there may be many sides to you as well as many layers but at the core there is you and you are unique. Embrace who you are, remember you matter, smile and laugh when you can, if life feels hard have a good cry and mediate.  Then remind yourself that you are unique and that makes you who you are, if you feel inclined to ask God to help you accept that you are important and you matter.

 

 

Stealing Sunday

 

Here are some questions I found over here.

Welcome to Sunday Stealing, 

Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. This is what I have for this week.

We found this one at CreativeGene, who stole it from someone named "Randy" because "it looks like fun." Let's see if you agree.

Four 5's

FIVE things on my to-do list:

1. See my podiatrist

2. Try and have a daily nap

3. Sort through my Christmas cards

4. Clean the windows

5. I have nothing else

FIVE snacks I enjoy:

1. Kettle sea salt chips

2. Liquorice allsorts

3. Ice cream

4. Cheese and crackers

5. Corn chips

FIVE places I have lived:

1. Gateshead, NSW, Australia

2. Warners Bay, NSW, Australia

3. Haven’t lived anywhere else 

FIVE jobs I have held:

1. Office cleaner

2. Typist in some office

3. Mother

4. Grandmother

 

We're Family

 This is a slightly altered poem by Carol Thomas, called I’m So Glad We’re Family

Family is a feeling of forever, without having to say the words.

It’s a feeling of love without needing to explain why.

It lives in the deepest places of the heart where memories are kept, where laughter is free and unspoken and never broken.

Nothing could make me feel better than having you as a sibling. I know you will always be there for me when needed, loving and supporting me.

We have a connection between us that nothing can ever change, I love that we are family because you all are wonderful and will always hold a special place in my heart.

An orange hodegpodge

 

Here I am doing another hodgepodge which is brought to you by Joyce over at http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/

Here are this week’s questions.

What do you like most about your family? 

How close knit we are and that we are supportive of each other

What's something nice that's happened to you recently? 

I can’t think of anything

Do you like the colour orange? Besides a pumpkin and an actual orange, what's something orange you love?

Yes, I like the colour orange, and I like mandarins

What's something you have now you couldn't have imagined having five years ago? How does that make you feel? What's possible now because of it? 

Parkinson's disease, I hate it, very little

Let's wrap this one up with an October this or that...

• pumpkin bread or apple cider donut Donut
• cozy sweater or cozy hoodie Sweater
• apple picking or pumpkin picking Neither
• scary movie or Hallmark movie Hallmark movie
• hay ride or corn maze Hay ride
• twinkle lights or candles Twinkle lights
• autumn hike or autumn bonfire Bonfire

Insert your own random thought here. 

This weeks random thought is a quote from Tasha Conhran.

“Spend time thinking about what matters to you and what you find to be meaningful. Invest in those things. It’s wonderful when you can live your life in accordance with your own values rather than what other people tell you what you should want. Leave everything else behind because it really doesn’t matter if it doesn’t bring you joy.”

-Tasha Cochran 

 

Tuesday 4

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4, who can be found here: https://lemonscottage.blogspot.com/

Does your life go along in the same way all year or do things change with the seasons?

Things go along the same way all year round.

Do you have a favorite meal on the chilly night?

Not really, maybe creamy chicken soup

Do you have a snack while you watch TV or read?

Often it will be ice cream but at other times it would be chocolate

Do you have a fireplace in your home?

Nope 

Tuesday's four on Tuesday

 

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4, who can be found here: https://lemonscottage.blogspot.com/

This week we are thinking about reading.

How do you relax in the evening after dinner?

The same way I relax during the day, I put my feet up and watch TV.

Do you read in bed? What kind of books do you read?

Nope never have read in bed, I like historical fiction, stories about real people and events.

Do you have a list of books you look forward to reading?

Nope

What is the best book you've ever read and why? 

I can’t think of anything I would call the best book I have ever read, there have been many good books over the years.

How about the worst book you feel you wasted time reading?

If I read a terrible book, I do not remember what it was mostly likely because it was terrible.

A nutty hodgepodge

 

Here I am doing another hodgepodge which is brought to you by Joyce over at http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/

Here are this week’s questions.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.' How does this saying ring true in your own family, either the one you grew up in or the one you made? 

Well I think the fact that all my siblings as well as myself are a lot like our parents says that the apple really did stay close to the tree. I have been told by my siblings that I’m so much like mum many times over the years.

Something you're nuts about these days. I cannot think of anything that I’m nuts about at the moment.

How about something that's driving you nuts?

Tim drives me nuts often, it’s a good thing I love him so much. 

What does abundance mean to you? 

Well since abundance means to have plenty of my answer would be frustration, I have a lot of that.

Caramel apple-caramel cake-caramel corn-caramel sundae-caramel macchiatto...what's your caramel treat of choice? 

Easy a caramel slice or a caramel tart

What's a childhood memory that always comes to mind as the leaves start to fall? 

Can’t think of anything

Insert. your own random thought here. 

This week’s random thought is the quote by Sangeeta Rana

“Your beauty is not because of your external appearance. It’s mostly because of the way you think, the way you see, and the kind of feelings you have in your heart. Beauty has very little to do with how you look. It has everything to do with how you are, and how you make others feel.”

 

Stole on Sunday posted on Tuesday

 

Here are some questions I found over here.

https://sundaystealing.blogspot.com

Welcome to Sunday Stealing, 

Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. This is what I have for this week.

During September, did you ...

Drink alcohol?

Yes, I did but not a lot a couple of cans of Southern Comfort and Cola

Try a new recipe?  

Nope, don’t cook any more

Go shopping with friends?

Yes, I go shopping with Sue two or three times a month

Eat an entire box of cookies by yourself? 

Nope don’t eat much to start with and wouldn’t eat a whole box or packet on my own.

Dye your hair?   

Nope those days are long gone

 

Hodgepodge at the start of spring

 

Here I am doing another hodgepodge which is brought to you by Joyce over at http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/

Here are this week’s questions.

What's your favorite fall scent? Would we find this in or around your home right now? 

Nothing as it is spring here

October is Country Music Month...are you a fan of country music? Do you have a favorite country artist? Ever been to Nashville? In terms of lifestyle are you more country mouse or city mouse? 

Love country music but can’t think of a favourite artist

How about 'country cooking'? (loosely defined as rich flavours, familiar foods, large portions, often fried, and often associated with the southern region of the US of A)? 

chicken and dumplings-fried chicken-shrimp and grits-biscuits and gravy-mac and cheese-fried green tomatoes-cornbread-collard or turnip greens-deviled eggs-'barbecue'-gumbo-banana pudding 

Which of the foods listed is your favorite? Any on the list you haven't tried or would say a firm no thank you to if offered?

I don’t know anything about country cooking

What's something that always has a positive impact on your mood? 

Seeing my grandchildren and spending time with family

As we say so long to September share a noun, a verb, and an adjective that tells us something about how that month looked for you. 

Fast, one moment it was starting the next it’s over

Insert your own random thought here. 

Remember life doesn't always go the way we plan, but that doesn't mean there aren't opportunities waiting for you. Sometimes, a detour is just a sign that something better is waiting for you in an unexpected place.

Unless that detour leads you straight down a dead end road into the ocean.

 

  

Tuesday's Four

 

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4, who can be found here: https://lemonscottage.blogspot.com/

This week we are thinking about the subject of Hollywood, it's 'stars', its products and it's effect on the world?

Which of the big movie stars of the past were your favourites? 

Jimmy Stewart, first name that popped into my head

What movie is the funniest you've seen?

Mr Hobbs takes a vacation

How about the most romantic?

Can’t think of one

Do you watch the Oscars or the Emmy Awards shows? 

No

Some movies, plays had a big impact on people.  Orson Welles radio performance of War of the Worlds was broadcast on Halloween 1938 and people, causing panic and widespread hysteria especially in the Grover's Mill area of New Jersey where the "invasion" took place.

Is there a movie that you were greatly influenced or affected by hopefully in a good way?

Not that I can think of

 

Stole on Sunday posted on Tuesday

 

Here are some questions I found over here.

https://sundaystealing.blogspot.com

Welcome to Sunday Stealing, 

Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. This is what I have for this week.

You can build a dream house anywhere in the world. Where would it be located?

On a small, isolated island, with only close family nearby

Have you ever taken a photo in a photo booth?

Nope can’t remember doing that.

What's your favorite kind of mustard (dijon, spicy brown, bright yellow)?

The only mustard I like is honey mustard

What did you do on New Year's Eve?

I stayed home and went to bed early

Did your parents ever share memories of their high school days?

I know nothing about dad’s days at high school, I know mum went to Belmont High and she hated it, she said there were too many students, and she felt out of place.

What's the most famous thing to happen in your home town?

In the town of Gateshead, nothing

Did you ever have a MySpace page?

Yes, I did

Will you eat a cookie today?

Nope, no cookies today.

Who is the last person you spoke to – not texted with – on the phone?

My middle daughter an hour ago

Do you play poker?

Nope