the Wednesday hodgepodge

 

Happy Hodgepodge day, friends! I'm here again with Joyce today for her weekly hodgepodge. I'll jump right in! 

1. June 10th is National Herbs & Spices Day. Besides salt and pepper, what herb or spice container do you reach for more often? Is there a spice you truly dislike? What's a recent dish you made that calls for something more than salt and pepper? I love the Everything Bagel spice blend, and when I have some on hand, I put it on literally everything just about. Additionally, I use garlic powder a lot. The only spice I dislike is curry, or maybe it's that I just like it in very small amounts. I made a Paula Deen dish one time called Chicken Divan, and it called for way too much curry powder! I never made it again, but I should have tried it with less of that. I didn't make this, but last week Jonah made homemade shrimp alfredo, and it called for garlic powder. I think the last thing I "made" was the Greek bowl from Amy; it called for Greek seasoning. 

Here's another Hodgepodge post that I talked about this dish. 

2. It's been said that "variety is the spice of life"...in what way is this true for you? Elaborate. I'm going to use this to talk about music again. All of you know that I'm in a season of not being able to read a lot or even watch TV/ movies; on the days when I'm home and this is the case, I have music playing. I have mentioned this here before, but in case anyone new is here reading, I'll elaborate again. 

I listen to different music at differing times of days, or depending on my mood. I like to listen to worship/Christian music in the mornings while I'm up early and when I'm getting dressed. I do this at work, as well! In the afternoons, I like something like Meghan Trainor or Maroon Five or any of the thousand playlists I've created on Spotify. In the evenings, I like something a little more chill, so I may listen to Ben Rector or Old Dominion or some older music. Right now I'm listening to a lot of Treaty Oak Revival music since I'm seeing them in concert Saturday night with J and his sons. I'm really excited about going to see them with him, because they're his favorite band right now. We're going to see Old Dominion this month, too, at the end of June. Who am I??? I have3n't attended concerts in years, and all of a sudden, I can't get enough.  

Here's my Spotify profile if you want to follow me there, but don't judge me by some of the songs/lyrics you'll see. I have happy, sad, angry, and chill playlists for all of the moods I might go through. I love the different varieties of music that I listen to on a daily basis! Because it's all I do consistently at the moment, this is something small that spices up my life. 

3. What's something in your life that adds spice (excitement, intensity) even if it also comes with challenge or unpredictability? Right now, Stella is the something that adds extra spice to my life. I'm trying to like her more and have been focusing on not being mad at her when she acts like a puppy. The timing of her coming to live here wasn't the greatest, but she's making small improvements each day. 

She cute. 

4. If you could master one skill or hobby, what would it be and why? I wish I could play the piano! Maybe I should try to learn, since I have a piano. I'd love to be able to sit and play without giving it a thought. I would love to play music that I can worship to; I love just sitting and playing the songs I do know how to play from muscle memory of taking lessons for a year while I was young. I think I'd enjoy this because it would feel therapeutic. 

5. We're halfway through the year (!!!)...what's one book, movie, or activity you've loved this year that you would recommend to others? I'll go with an activity here since 2025 isn't my year to read and watch things. I tried going back to look at my bookish posts this year, and the only one I could find before last week was in January, which means I've only written two posts for reading out of the six months we've seen thus far in 2025. I've loved several activities this year that I'd highly recommend: walking with a friend, walking outside, listening to music with people you care about, being with friends as often as possible, journaling everything, and watching endless reels and videos on TikTok. That's how I fall asleep most night, either by watching videos on my phone or by talking on the phone. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. My random thought for this week is another song! This one is called Higher Than I, and it's by Sons of Sunday. 

Thanks for being here to read my blog today, friends! Do you have anything fun planned today? I am working today and then I have plans later in the day. I'd love to hear from you! I'll see you back here tomorrow. Love to all! 

P.S. I will now be deleting any snarky anonymous comments, so if you're one to comment under that disguise, please tell me who you are. Thanks in advance. (I updated this since someone just said something pretty rude here. Stop being a coward who hides behind a screen!)

Jenn ❤️

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