Currently Hodgepodging-- January 2026

It's the first Wednesday of the month and time for Currently with Amy. We'll be talking about what we're loving, resolving, planning, eating/drinking, and watching/reading.

Loving: We had an early birthday celebration for Alec while he was home on break; his birthday is later this month but as of right now he's not planning on coming again until spring break in March. It was great to get together with the grandparents and celebrate. 

We bought new dinner plates and bowls last month and I am LOVING them!  

Resolving: To cut sugar and white/bad carbs out of my diet-- 90% of the time. I won't cut out whole grains or potatoes though but I do want to cut back on them. 

Planning: I'm not really planning anything right now. With the holidays and birthday celebrations behind us and no trips coming up for another couple of months I'm just enjoying the everyday right now. 

Eating/drinking: I am drinking water; it's the only thing I ever drink unless I'm on vacation in a "southern" place that offers sweet tea. 

I'm definitely trying to eat healthier meals like this tofu & shrimp stir-fry over cauliflower rice (yes, it's the same meal shown above just zoomed in on the food). After so much junk food during the Christmas/New Year holidays I'm craving all the lean protein, vegetable packed dishes. 

veggie omelet 

Or this pot roast with mushrooms/onions, asparagus and whipped cauliflower.

Fish with green beans and cauliflower

For breakfast or lunch I often have 1/2 cup berries with yogurt, chia seeds, and either pecans or raw almonds. 

Watching/reading: I've always got several books going off the top of my head I'm currently reading The Au Pair Affair, How to Winter, The Lost Apothecary, and I just finished The Lions of 5th Avenue, The Night in Question, Good Grief, & Fangirl Down. I've definitely started January with a bang!  

I've been watching My Lotto Dream Home-- a series I started years ago but never kept up with so I have lots of back seasons to catch up on.  

I've watched season one of All's Fair on Hulu and really enjoyed these strong female lawyers. 

 Season 2 of The Pitt starts tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited! 

I also really enjoyed Regretting You on Prime; it's based on a Colleen Hoover book I read years and years ago.

 And since it's Wednesday it's also time for Hodgepodge Wednesdays with Joyce! 

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2025?  

Cultured (we saw more plays and things than in any other year I can remember), 

 Breathtaking (mostly in reference to our Glacier NP trip, but other moments were worthy of this moniker as well)

 

 Well-read. 

2. I ask this question every January, and I always get comments about how we shouldn't be banning words. This is fun and games so just play along : ) 

Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse, or just general uselessness (go here to read about how the words are chosen). Here's the list for 2026- 

67 • demure • cooked • massive • incentivize • full stop • perfect • gift/gifted  • my bad • reach out 

Which one (if any) do you use most often? Which one of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word you think should have made the list? 

I definitely used cooked most often in a "I cooked dinner" kind of way since I always seem to be either cooking or baking but not in a slang way. I haven't used my bad since I was in college/high school and Clueless had just come out. 

I don't think I'd care about any of these getting banned or not but probably 6 7 since I hear it's not even a word... but I've never heard anyone utter in real life anyway. I always think EPIC should make the list... gosh it is still SO overused. 

3. What are your nightly rituals? Is that different from your 'ideal' nightly ritual? If so what's your ideal?

I don't really have nightly rituals: I eat dinner, take a shower, brush my teeth, and either read or watch TV until bed. Then I just climb into bed. 

4. January 6th is/was National Bean Day. Do you like beans? Which one is your favorite? Last thing you ate made with beans? 

I do not like beans and I can't remember the last time I ate beans... I will eat hummus occasionally so I guess.. chickpeas are my favorite beans.

5. Are you easily embarrassed? Elaborate. 

I honestly had no idea how to answer this when my youngest pointed out that I'm not around people enough to put myself in a position to be embarrassed! LOL. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My husband was telling me about the new washer/dryer in one unit that someone at his work recently bought. It takes them just under 4 hours for 1 load of laundry to be washed and then dried. All I could think was that I wouldn't be able to wash one load while the other was drying. It happened to be a day I had washed bedding as well so I had washed 5 or 6 loads of laundry that day between bedding and clothing-- I literally could NOT have done that with an in 1 unit. BUT I could see using one if it had existed years and years ago when it was just the two of us in a tiny apartment... Do any of you own one or know someone that does? 

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