Nearly Santa Time Hodge Podge

Well my slacker self is back to participate in the weekly Hodge Podge.  I feel like I have been on fast forward the last few months and things are just busy and time if flying by.  One of the biggest things lately has been being room mom for my oldest son's class...it is no joke.  If someone tells you it is easy they are lying and you should run the other way - fast.  Just kidding...kinda.  It is great to be able to help but it is a lot and I wonder if part of that is because this is my first experience with it or if I just am doing too much.  Either way it is kicking my butt along with Christmas.  I seriously can't comprehend that Christmas is days away... days... I really could use about two months to prep.  Anywho enough with the rambling and on to this weeks questions.  Joyce at From This Side of The Pond has great questions each week so play along!

1. Are you cooking Christmas dinner? How many will be round your table this year? What are we having?


I actually just thought about Christmas dinner yesterday and luckily for me my husband thought of it also and went to the store on his way home and bought a ham.  I am glad there were some left.
I think I will also make mashed potatoes and green beans, salad and have some type of fruit.  It will be low key it will just be the five of us this year.


2. What is one must-have Christmas cookie in your house?


Sugar cookies.  I would show you a picture of the ones I made but I actually ate them all so I have to make more today for my family.  I wish I was joking but I am not.


3. Santa likes a glass of milk with his cookies-do you? What kind of milk is on tap at your house-skim, almond, soy, full fat (Gasp!)

I like milk with chocolate things..i.e: chocolate cake, brownies, etc.  We have rice, soy and 2% cow milk currently.  My son is allergic to dairy so he drinks rice but I keep soy on hand because when you are cooking with it I find that soy works better for some things than rice milk does.

4. Time magazine recently named its Person of the Year for 2011. This is the person the editors believe has had the greatest impact, for better or worse, in the past year. This year they chose 'The Protester'. Your thoughts? Who would you name person of the year for 2011?


I am not sure about the whole "The Protester" being person of the year.  I will have to think more about that.  One person I read about this year that I found to be amazing is Leymah Gbowee.  She had a horrible life & she dreamed of peace and is making it happen in remarkable ways.  She is the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and is amazing.  I urge you to take a few minutes to read about her and what she had done. 

5. December 21st is National Flashlight Day...when was the last time you needed a flashlight? Did you know right where to find one?


I needed a flashlight about a week ago and I did know right where to find one and even better it did have batteries in it.  
Last night though the boys made a "fort" under our dining room table with blankets and they wanted a light and so we gave them a small desk lamp.  Of course my 2 1/2 year old grabbed it and burned his finger so I was really really really wishing we had bought this toy lantern we saw over the weekend.   I kept thinking it would be great to have and yet I didn't buy it.  Lesson learned.  Buy the kid lantern and do not put lamps in easy reach of two year old.  


6. candy canes...yum or yuck?
I am not a huge fan and I am not sure why.  I love peppermint bark and other things with peppermint in it but I don't like candy canes.  Maybe I just prefer smaller doses.


7. What Christmas carol lyric means the most to you?


Well in the past when my husband was deployed I could NOT listen to I'll Be Home For Christmas without crying.  But I would say the two biggest songs that impact me would be "Mary Did you Know?" and "O Holy  Night"


In Mary Did You Know I think it is powerful for obvious reasons but I love the line "Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?"  That really hits me as a mom of three young boys because they did change me in the second they came into this world and for the better.


In O Holy Night I  love this part:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. 

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born; 

Okay and I found one more that is great... {I know Joyce said one but I can't pick}

Said the king to the people everywhere

Listen to what I say

Pray for peace people everywhere

Listen to what I say

The child, the child

Sleeping in the night

He will bring us goodness and light

He will bring us goodness and light

8. Insert your own random thought here.


I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  I hope you get to celebrate with family and lots of laughter and that you get a good start on your resolutions or goals for next year!