Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Here we are entering the last month of the year 2020. 2020!! Every year The Oxford English Dictionary publishing team chooses a word that captures the general mood of the year we're leaving behind, or the one word that will leave a lasting impact on the world at large. This year they needed sixteen words in order to cover the whole enchilada. 

While two of the other major dictionaries selected pandemic as their word of the year, Oxford came up with a long list including-bushfire, impeachment, acquittal, coronavirus, COVID-19, lockdown, social distancing, reopening, Black Lives Matter, Cancel Culture, BIPOC, mail-in, belarusian, moonshot, net zero (read more about each word here)

Of the words listed which ONE would you say should be in the number 1 spot? Which word/phrase on this list would you be happy to never hear again? 

Several of these I have not heard.  I'd go with pandemic for the number 1 spot.  
I would be okay with not hearing "Black Lives Matter." I'm not sure that concept now means what it was originally intended to mean.  That's just my take on what I've seen and heard.   

2. What one word from your own list of words describing this year sums up/best reflects your 2020? Tell us why. 

It's a phrase we have said over and over (and over and over).  "I don't understand."  I remember saying this in the camper when we were at the state park during spring break and they said we weren't coming back to school until Wednesday the next week.  They they changed it to a couple weeks and then it got changed to the rest of the school year.  We have said "I don't understand" about so many different things this year....the election, the virus, family situations.  

In my mind I don't understand so many things but I do have comfort in the fact I don't have to know it all or have everything figured out.  That has been a big lesson for me this year.  

3. Do you like peppermint? Peppermint mocha, a candy cane, peppermint bark, peppermint tea, York Peppermint Pattie, peppermint ice cream...of the peppermint treats listed, which one is your favorite? Will you bake anything featuring peppermint this holiday season? 

I like peppermint. I like to get them in my Sonic bag! My favorite thing is at least once in the season to get the chocolate chip peppermint shake from Chick fil a.

image via Chick fil a

I can't think of anything I would bake that included peppermint this holiday season.  

4. Besides Christmas, what do you associate the color red with? How about the color green? 

I associate hearts and Valentine's Day with the color red.   For the color green I think of grass or leaves.

5. Is your tree up? Real or artificial? Is your house decorated? Is your shopping done? Started? Wrapped? On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being Scrooge-like and 10 being Buddy the Elf, how's your Christmas spirit? 

No we do not have our tree yet.  We get a real tree.  It was a tradition we did when I was a little girl.  I've thought about getting an artificial one but we haven't yet.  The house is not decorated yet.  We got some of the decorations out of the shed.  Titus was very excited to put the blow ups in the yard!  

I have done quite a bit of my shopping.  Nothing is wrapped yet.  I love having the packages coming to the door from my onilne orders.  

I did not feel very festive for a while but I am more now.  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I was very excited and thankful that I got to go help 2 days at the school this week.  The kindergarteners do Christmas shirts every year. From what I've heard it is usually a volunteer sitting in the hall and letting the child pick the 3 sponges they want on the shirt.  This year we could not be with the kids.  The teachers had made a list of the 3 sponges each child chose. They got special approval for a separate gym to be reserved for us to be.  We got all the shirts done and it was so fun.  We did sponge paint first and then went back after it dried and added Slick paint.  

And another fun memory that came up yesterday in my Facebook was that in 2009 I was heading to school to help kindergarteners make Christmas ornaments.  The kids got to come then and I had a picture of Caleb doing his ornament.  It was fun to see that memory on the same day I went to Titus' school. 

Also, there is a giveaway for a free personalized journal at this link.  It would make a nice gift for yourself or Christmas!

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany