the Wednesday hodgepodge

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm here with Joyce again today for the weekly hodgepodge...this is a post that I dearly love; thank you, Joyce, for your inspiring and thought provoking questions each and every week! I'll jump right in!

1. I live in the south, so we're only talking about the weather right now. Give a weather report from where you live. Does the kind of weather you're having today affect your mood in some way? I laughed at this question, because so far this week it's basically all I've talked about on my own blog. In case you've missed those posts, just know that it's icy here. I had very little snow, but mostly ice since it was a wintry mix that fell for more than 24 hours. 

Jonah hasn't stopped! He's helped so many people around town; he helped at least six stranded vehicle/motorists on Monday alone. At one point, he stopped to help a police officer who was stuck; Jonah asked that they remember who he was at that moment in case they bust him for driving too fast again. This made me laugh.

The other image is the view from my front porch. I think I took that on Sunday? I can't remember, the days are all running together!

The weather is greatly affecting me; school was closed Monday and Tuesday so far (I'm writing this on Tuesday morning), but if we go at all this week, it'll be a miracle. There is so much ice on every surface, friends! We just aren't equipped to handle it like the northern states.

2. Avocados, kale, and cottage cheese have all had their moment to shine. This year, 2026, brings us the year of cabbage. Is this a vegetable you like? If so, share a favorite dish that has cabbage as an ingredient. I like cabbage, but it's not something I make regularly. My complaint with this vegetable is the smell that emits from it as you cook. I grew up eating something called cabbage soup; it's basically a vegetable stew with more cabbage in it than anything else. It's a tomato based soup. In my early years of marriage, I made something called "cabbage and big dogs" that my ex-husband loved. It was basically just cabbage cooked in a chicken broth based soup with big chunks of smoked sausage in it as well. It really was/is delicious; I'd make cornbread to go along with it as a side. 

These aren't soups that contain cabbage, but they're both delicious and beautiful.

3. Was a Cabbage Patch Doll a part of your childhood? Or maybe your children's childhood? What's a toy trend from your childhood you remember wanting for your own? I loved my Cabbage Patch doll(s)! I can look at a picture and remember how the dolls smelled. I think they're creepy looking now that I'm an adult, but I sure did love them when I was a little girl. I loved Care Bears as a little girl; imagine my delight when they became popular again when Jonah and Noah were little! 

I love these pictures of the boys when they were little; Jonah and Noah enjoyed playing with their stuffed Care Bears from ages 1-3. They were 4 in this pic directly above; the one of the four of them was taken in Nashville. They would have been ages 5, 8, and 9. Time flies, friends.

4. Something you've spent a lot of time doing lately? I've spent a lot of time talking on the phone! As I write this, I'm talking to Amy on the phone. I've talked to my Mom a lot, my sisters, Marilyn, Missy, Amy (as I mentioned), and my sons. Well, that's not entirely true; I've texted with them and I've seen Graham twice. 

I made bread recently, and that took a while.

5. Somehow it's the last week of January...sum up your month in just three sentences. 

— 1. This month brought about some unexpected things (a new puppy for Chris, flu A, and a ton of ice).

— 2. This month I remembered how much I love young people!

This is one of Jonah's best friends; Olivia came over on Saturday. She and I spent a good bit catching up on all of life, since I don't see her often enough. 

—3.  This was the month that I started to love to read again! Stay tuned for a bookish blog post next week. 

A bonus to being stuck at home while I was recovering from flu A was being able to clean out/organize my closet. I'm still loving and enjoying this space daily! I go in there to get dressed and undressed each day; doing this makes me hang things up immediately.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Since it's all things snow/ice around here this week, here's an old favorite song that I always share this time of year. This is Snow, by Audrey Assad.

Here's another song I stumbled upon yesterday in the early morning hours. This one is called The Lord Will Provide, by Passion and Landon Wolfe. I love the lyrics, so maybe read them as you listen to this song or pay attention. I really love it when songs are taken straight from Scripture; this song contains a few of my favorite passages from the New Testament. The song is reminding me that everything I need, the Lord has it in His hands and He will continue to be my Provider. I needed this reminder myself yesterday, maybe someone else needs it as well. 

What say you? I can't wait to read your answers! Thanks for being here to read my blog, friends. I'll see you back here tomorrow. Love to all!

Jenn (and Stella & Chloe, who are loving this white stuff)