Tuesday 4

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

I want to wish you a very Happy New Year! 

 

January is named for Janus the two-faced god who looked into the past and future. Some believe he was Noah who may have been worshipped by his progeny. He certainly looked into the pre flood world and the new world.  

The Anglo Saxons called January Wulfsmoanth meaning Month of the Wolf and the Wolf moon appears in January.

January 1, 1892, Ellis Island opened it's doors.  Did any of your relations enter the United States through Ellis Island?  If not, do you know your family's history?

I’m Australian so no, but my dad traced our family tree back many generations, and my eldest daughter has been adding to it.

January’s birth stone is garnet, and the flower is the carnation.  Do you have favorite gemstones or flowers?

Nope don’t have a favourite gemstone but my favourite flower is carnation, particularly pink carnations.

January 6 is Epiphany. Many take that day as the final day of the Christmas celebration and take down their decor. What about you?

Didn’t know that, in the past the decorations would come down around the 30 now some years I take them down on the 27.

There is some scientific evidence that January can set the tone for your entire year. What do you think of this? Do you make resolutions, etc? Do you pick a word of the year or have any traditions like that?

No resolutions can’t see the point never stick to them I have zero follow through. I do pick a word for the year been thinking about what next year’s word will be, still undecided.

Does January set the tone for the year, only if one lets it and I don’t.

 

  

Last hodgepodge of 2025

 

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.

Did you make resolutions or set goals for the year we're waving goodbye? How did that work out for you? Will you set any goals for this new year, new season, or new month? Share one or two if you'd like to share. 

Nope don’t do that as I suck at sticking to things and have bugga all follow through.

When did you have the most fun this year? 

Whenever I am having a play fight with my granddaughter Sam

What's a song or song lyric you'll associate with 2025? Tell us why. 

“Climb This Mountain” — Rob Georg

Written as a Parkinson’s awareness song inspired by the artist’s father.

Best (or a favorite) bite of something delicious you tasted this year?

Can’t think of anything 

What do you want to do more of in the new year? Less of? 

More understanding from my husband and less judging and comments like “I’m telling the truth”

Insert your own random thought here. 

Wishing you a fantastic year ahead in 2026! May the coming months bring you plenty of happiness, good health, and exciting opportunities. Here’s to making unforgettable memories and achieving all your goals. All the best for a brilliant 2026!

 

Share Your World

 

Hi all I am taking part in the Share Your World post which come from here: share-your-world-

Welcome to the last Share Your World of 2025. I hope it has been a good year for you.

Do you stay up to toast in the New Year?

Nope haven’t done that in 20yrs

Have you ever kept any New Year Resolutions made in the past?

Nope I suck at doing so, so stopped making them 30 plus year back.

Do you have any plans for 2026?

No plans for 2026 I just go with the flow of life, which usually involves a lot of rough seas and roads with potholes to cause me strife

 
What was the highlight/s of 2025 for you.

Well after some thought the highlight would include a holiday to Dubbo and Cowra, with problems. Falling over and having to go to the ER with concussion.

Gratitude: 

 

 

Tuesday's 4

 

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

When was the last time you tried something new? 

Trying something new isn’t like me, I am set in my ways and like what I like, maybe a year ago when I decided to give watching YouTube and found I like doing so. 

Who in your family do you compare yourself to?

Compare myself to? I have had to think about this a bit, maybe Sue as but only in a good way, she is the strongest person I know, and I want to have her strength

What lesson in life did you learn the hard way?

Have I learnt and life lessons? I must have but what they are I don’t know

What can you do today that you weren't able to do before?

Damn these questions are difficult for me as I am drawing a blank, I can think of things I can no longer do but anything I can do know that once I couldn’t I don’t know

Getting to know me

 

Here are this week’s getting to know me questions and my answers. These questions are set by Kymber over at https://booomcha.com/

This week’s questions.

What’s your favorite childhood snack that you still secretly eat?

Ice cream with Milo

What’s the most embarrassing song on your playlist?

Don’t have a playlist

If you could live inside any board game, which one would it be?

I had to give this some thought as I don’t play boardgames, so I came up with nothing.

 

 

Monthly Musings

 

Hello friends and happy Thursday. Joining Holly (Pink Lady) and Patty (Good Better Best)  for their Monthly Musings link up today, and mixing in some of our holiday home decor just because. Here are the prompts-

Hi all I have decided to answer these questions.

Easter and Christmas

The Santa Clause, The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol

Can’t think of anything

Sleeping

Don’t do them and I haven’t decided what my word for 2026 will be as yet.

Don’t have one

Christmas lunch at my grandparents

Booking drama

 

This holiday, Tim decided to use Booking.com to book our accommodation, he asked for my input but at the time he was doing it I wasn’t fully with it and found it difficult to concentrate which would be why I didn’t realise that the place in Orange wasn’t suitable for me. It was a hotel not a motel and the place had too many stairs and no lift, when Tim went to check in, he discovered this and had to cancel the booking.

He was told he had to contact Booking.com about getting a

refund, this was easier said than done, Tim couldn’t figure it out on his phone, so we tried to find a phone number to ring but couldn’t, also we ended up spending 2hrs trying to find somewhere else to stay without any luck.

So, he ended up ringing the motel in Cowra and managed to get us another 2 nights at that motel. It was at that motel we got a phone number for Booking.com and when rang them the person we talked to couldn’t find the booking and gave us an email address and said to explain everything in an email. This we did, Tim got a reply with a phone number to ring the number didn’t work, so he sent another email saying this.

They replied with another number, but it was an American number, and we both have insufficient credit to make such a call. So, he sent another email asking again for an Australian number.

So, after we arrived home, Tim tried to ring Booking.com after a while he managed to get to talk to someone who at first wasn’t very helpful but after a while she finally said they would contact the hotel and confirm we didn’t stay there and arrange a refund, we will see.

 

 

 

Tuesday's 4

 

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

The holidays are coming fast!  They are loaded onto the Christmas Express train and there is no stopping them now.

Are you ready for them this year?

Is your tree up? How tall is it? What colour lights? 

Are there lights in the window? On the door?

Yes, I am ready, I only have a small tinsel tree that sits above the TV, we have some coloured lights out the back.

Got a menu for Christmas Eve and Day?

Since I no longer cook, this is not something I worry about

Who is coming for Christmas or who will you visit?

On the 21 I will go to my brothers for a sibling Christmas lunch, on the 23 we are going to my nieces for a Christmas lunch, on the 25 we are not going anywhere our daughter will prepare lunch and bring it to us, then on Boxing Day we will go to our daughters for lunch. So, a full few days.

What is your favorite Christmas memory.?

As a child it was packing stuff in the car and going to my

grandparents’ place for Christmas lunch. Now it is all of the

above.

 

 

 

 

 

A December 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.

need to get done, or that must get done before the year ends? 

I have sat and thought about this, and I can’t think of a damn thing, which is a good thing.

December 17th is National Maple Syrup Day...are you a fan? Do you like maple flavour in other food items such as candy, cookies, donuts, oatmeal, hot toddies, coffee? 

Yes, I do like maple syrup and maple syrup bacon

Time magazine names a person of the year every year.  The tradition started back in 1927 with a 'man of the year' but has since changed to recognize not only an individual, but also to consider the impact of a group, movement, or idea that most influenced the year. The selection is not always someone or something good (think Hitler in 1938 and Stalin twice). 

This year they've named The AI Architects as their 'person of the year'. What say you? Is this a good choice, an obvious choice, a logical choice? Who do you think should have been named person of the year? 

It is for the most part a good thing but there has been some really bad or stupid choices like Hitler, Stalin and anything concerning AI

What's a city, state, or country you've visited that you never care to visit again? Tell us why. 

China, it was a nice experience, but I just can’t seem the point in going back, also feel the same way about Hawaii as I felt like Hawaii is a lot like the Gold Coast in Queensland.

Next Sunday (December 21st) marks the first day of winter (or the opposite if you're living down under). What's one thing you love about this new season? 

Well here in Australia we are in summer and it’s bloody hot, what do I love about summer is air conditioning

Insert your own random thought here. 

“Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.” 

 

 

 

Getting to know you or is it me

Here are this week’s getting to know me questions and my answers. These questions are set by Kymber over at https://booomcha.com/

This week’s questions. If you could be a fly on the wall at any event in history, what would it be?

When my grandfather with a private investigator caught my grandmother in bed with his best friend.

If you had a personal robot, what task would you make it do?

General housework

What’s the worst excuse you’ve ever given to leave a party early?

I don’t attend parties and can’t remember when the last time was.

  

Getting to know you

 

Here are this week’s getting to know me questions and my answers. These questions are set by Kymber over at https://booomcha.com/

This week’s questions.

Would you rather wear bell-bottom pants or sport a mohawk?

Honestly neither but if I had to choose it would be the pants

What was your nickname at school?

Didn’t have one

How do you feel about clowns?

Mostly they don’t bother me, unless they are made up to look scary then I don’t like them

Season's Greatings 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 it mean to have the 'holiday spirit'? On a scale of 1-10 how is yours this year? (10=off the charts, 1=still looking for it)

For me it is the happy feeling I get when I see Christmas stuff in the shops, receiving Christmas cards in the mail on a scale from 1 to 10 I am an 8 right now.

What's your favorite character from a (December) holiday-themed movie, book, or TV special? Tell us why. 

Santa Claus

Do you like gingerbread? Are gingerbread houses part of your holiday tradition? 

Nope I don’t like gingerbread

Much of our vocabulary is determined by where we live or where we grew up. What say you-

sprinkles or jimmies?

lightning bugs or fireflies?

soda or pop? Soft drink

sneakers, trainers, or tennis shoes? Sneakers

sub, hoagie, grinder, or hero? No idea what these are

freeway, highway, or motorway?

frosting or icing?

sauce or gravy? Here they are not the same

Share a favorite holiday memory from your childhood. 

Packing up the car around 10am and going to my grandparents’ place for Christmas lunch

Insert your own random thought here.  

In case you have forgot, today is another chance to rise with purpose, move forward with grace, and remind yourself that even the smallest steps matter. Breathe in courage, exhale doubt, and trust in your journey.

 

 

Tuesday Four

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

Let's be lighthearted today and ask some not so serious questions, shall we?

1. What is the dumbest rule you've ever had to follow?

I have sat here for 10 minutes trying to think of a dumb rule I had to follow, and I am drawing a blank.

2. What is the weirdest or funniest thing a guest ever did/said in your home?

I again can’t think of anything, oh hang on funniest thing would have to be when anyone says they will ask Tim about borrowing money because Tim is a tightass with money.

3. If you had a warning label, what would it say?

Short fuse if lit run

4. What is the first thing you must do in case of a Snoopy/Charlie Brown Apocalypse?  Who is the first person you call for advice when that happens? (Imagine that the characters of Charlie Brown series take over the world! What do you do as your first move? Who would you call for advice on how to live in that world?)

Ok not so easy for me to imagine as I may have heard of Charlie Brown but know bugga all about the characters. That said I would call my granddaughter Sam, no maybe not she would most likely help take over the world, so maybe my daughter Tasha she is a hard ass but no she would deal with Charlie then take over the world herself. So maybe I could call my sister Sue but no she would become overwhelmed and get drunk, maybe my sister Sandy she would be helpful and likes to give advice as she is a bit of a know it all and then she would get drunk. Really, I would have to ring my brother who would be level-headed and supportive before getting drunk. Now you may be thinking what about your husband, he would already be drunk and asleep in front of the telly.