Tag...you're it!

Leigh Ann from Living to learn and learning to live tagged me along with this award...

Thank you, Leigh Ann! (and to think it even has some of my favorite colors and everything!) :)

Here are the rules:

• Mention the blog that gave it to you and comment on their blog to let them know you've posted your award
• Publish these rules
• Share 6 values that are important to you and 6 things you do not support
• Grant the prize to 6 people

6 Things I Value:

It almost goes without saying that I value my relationship with Jesus above all else.
And my family is what I hold dear above all on this earth.
Followed by true friendship- something sometimes hard to come by but so worth treasuring.

So, I'm going to jump ahead to lesser things on my list...

1) A nice, tall pumpkin latte just as the first leaves begin to turn color.

2) Time alone to read a really good book. (Currently reading the book I won over at Jill, Inc called "A mile in my Flip Flops"- about a single gal who's addicted to watching HGTV and decides to try flipping a house. I am so enjoying this light read!)

3) Vegging out occasionally with an old movie...or HGTV

4) Listening to romantic music, alone with my husband (it doesn't happen that often with the business of life, but when it does, it rates right up there- yes, even higher than the pumpkin latte.)

5) Being able to be home with my children during the day - and more precisely, to home school them. Although it has it's challenges like any job, it is truly one of the things that gratifies me the most and that I'm thankful for.

6) Last but not least...(well, alright, I guess it is least...)
Chocolate anything.

6 Things I do not support:

1) Any bug or insect's right to take up residence in my home.

2) The way that gravity is not a gal's best friend.

3) Surprise crumbs on the sheets when I get into bed. (It's not always hubby...sometimes little munchkins were there...)

4) People who use foul language in public places. (Especially where there are little ears!)

5) Having "alternative lifestyles" popping up more and more on channels like my HGTV

6) And finally, (sorry to any friends on the "left")
I do not support the Democratic candidate.

Now, I have to award and tag 6 people. It's hard to keep track of who has done this one, so if I tag you and you already did this, just be glad you're oh so popular.

So...

Dawn at Dawn Writes.

Michelle at Big Blueberry Eyes.

Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

Susan at Learning for a Lifetime.

Mary at Mary's Writing Nook.

Lisa at A Place to Land.

I know sometimes tags are hard to find time to do, but if you accept this award which you all deserve, then let me know so I can come read your answers!

And speaking of Michelle, whom I listed, I was lucky enough to win a sweet Precious Moments figurine from her. It's so adorable- thank you again, Michelle!

She also tucked in a surprise chapter book for my girls called "Precious Girls Club" and I just finished reading it to them last night. They were entranced and didn't want it to end!

They even a new website that I thought a few you others with girls under ten might be interested in...they are still working on it, but you can still go by to play games, print out coloring sheets, ect.

OK, I just looked at my calendar and realized that it's the first day of FALL!
This northern gal can't really say it like they do in the south, but...

Seven Weird Things....Not!

*Brag alert* *Brag alert*

Before we proceed to my "sort of strange meme", please indulge this mommy a little brag time. I just have to...because...well, I'm a mommy and that's what we do sometimes.

Last week, I mentioned that my youngest was graduating from "Cubbies" in the Awana program...(even though it seems it hasn't been that long at all since she was out of diapers...*sigh*)
This past Wednesday it was my oldest's turn in the spotlight as she graduated from Sparks.

For those of you who may not be familiar- from Sparks on, children go through their club books by memorizing lots of scripture and accomplishing other Bible-related projects. Those little girls and boys really work at those verses, let me tell you!

And for finishing all three books in her two years, my daughter stood up with a few others, and received this special Spark plaque up on stage:

Not everyone accomplishes this goal...so we were more than a little proud of her!

And I earned something, too...see that blue piece peeking out? My very own bumper sticker, thank you very much.

"My child earned a Sparks award and I helped."

(You might remember that at the Cubbies awards the week before, my camera batteries died...this time I did one better and completely left my camera at home!
But it didn't bother her- she just gladly posed for me when we got back!)

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Now, onto a completely different subject...

Barb recently tagged me for the 7 weird things meme...but honestly, the pressure is on. Because awhile back, I was tagged by someone else for 9 weird things and I think it was Barb who commented that I just wasn't weird enough.
And now I have to think up seven more? Oh, Barb, I just don't think I can do it!
Oh, the pressure!

Actually...how 'bout FIVE. FIVE semi-weird Facts.
I mean, when you're as perfectly normal as I am, it's all you can ask...;)

OK....here goes...

1) When I'm at home, I almost always have to have the TV on to go to sleep by.
No, I'm not that addicted to TV in general (OK, I use to be addicted, but not any more, honest!)
But this habit of falling asleep to the TV I can blame on my dear hubby, who conditioned to me to his acquired habit. We simply set the TV timer and blissfully drift off to dreamland.
If he has gone to bed first (as is often the case, since he wakes up so much earlier than I do) I simply pry the remote from his hand on entering the bedroom (amazing how firm his grip is while sleeping!) and turn it from his Fox News... to HGTV , Turner Classic Movies or maybe a little of The Learning Channel.
Ahhh...so relaxing...

2) I am completely afraid of those huge mosquito things, which I have always called "flying spiders". I remember just losing it as a child whenever one would be in the same room with me. Or am I thinking of two days ago...? Not sure.
All I know is, to this day, if one is in my bedroom when I'm trying to go to sleep, even an old Cary Grant movie isn't going to calm me down unless hubby does away with it.

3) I was the quintessential late bloomer.
I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 21. Didn't start drive until I was 20. Didn't really start to date until I was 18. And of course, didn't get married until I was 32!

Now that we have two daughters, my hubby likes all of the above age limits a lot and think they should be written into our family bi-laws.

4) I don't care for potato chips. No, I really don't. Especially those plain ones without ridges. If they are thick and ridgy, though, and there's some good dip to bury it in, then I'll eat a few at your party.
Otherwise, I'd rather eat the raw broccoli.

And 5)....drum roll, please...

I don't own an ipod!!!

There you have it. Five just-sort-of-strange facts about me. I know they aren't earth-shatteringly weird...nothing for Ripley's Believe it or not. But I'm certainly not going to post pictures of my eleven toes for all the world to see...heehee

And since I'm such a nice gal, I will tag any of you who can't think of seven or nine or 30 totally weird and wacky things -and you, too, can just do just FIVE SEMI-WEIRD FACTS, too!

Now, I'm off because it's way past my bedtime and unless there's a good old movie on, I'll be stuck floating off to dreamland with an infomercial on removing unwanted facial hair.

Fashion Don'ts...

Today I'm participating once again in Let's Get Real Monday. This week's theme is...The Outfit! But I should call this..."Please Be Kind since I'm being Brave Monday."

Also...at the end, I will have my list of randomized questions for four brave souls...(and you know who you are, Ladies!)

I was going through my old photos, looking for all those "fashion statement"...you know, those outfits that looking back, "you wonder what was I thinking?"
Well, I'm happy to say that I found a few.

But this first one...it's kind of near and dear to my heart. It's Easter and my dad took several pictures of all of us before leaving for church. This is one of them...and I just love it. It's just that...well, my little coat is a tad too big.
Even my sweet mom has always said I was basically swimming in it. I'm not sure where or why I have it, unless it was given to me. But in spite of this, these Easter pictures always make me smile...and don't you love those little shoes?


The next one...well, let's just fast-forward quite a few years, OK? Now I'm seventeen, and giving preppy a run for it's money that year... although you can't see the whole ensemble, I do seem quite put together, don't you think? Such coiffed hair. Even have a nifty stick pin in the lapel. They were all the rage for that right blend of elegance and preppy. It's unbelievable I had no interest in secretarial work back then...


And a few years later, I am given this black blouse. The kind that I normally would never wear, given my bent towards either preppy or at least, simple and youngish looks. But since I tended to look a bit younger than I was anyway... and since I was silly enough to think this was bad thing back then...I decided to break trend and go sophisticated. Not sure at all where I was going on this particular evening...but I remember I was so excited about my hair being French braided, giving me that certain je ne sais quoi ...

Or maybe more like French dance hall girl. Ooh-la-la!

OK...there are just a few of my fashion statements (or should we say question marks) over the years. There's more...but these were all I could dig up at such short notice!

For more fashion diva pictures, check out I have to Say and follow the links!

*Edited to fix an after midnight type-o...and to say that I have a feeling there are so many "fashion statements" hidden in some of your boxes of old photos that we in blogland will never get to see...too bad...I would love you all to share in the humiliation fun!
And to think I didn't even show all the ones with my big hair and baggy shirts over the leggings...Is it wrong to miss those fashion days just a little???
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Alright, you brave friends whom volunteered to be randomized...are you ready? And like the friends who randomized me, I am going to give you all the same questions, just because I think it's fun to read all the different answers.

Plus, it's past midnight right now, so if I gave you each different questions, I might as well stay up until breakfast. And as much as I love you all and blogging...well, there is a limit.

So Tricia, Groovyoldlady, Susie, "The Woman"...(and if there's anyone I'm leaving out, please let me know!)...here are your 5 questions: (drum roll please...)

1) If you could suddenly be transported into an old movie (as in 1965 or earlier) which movie would that be and why?

2)You're given plane tickets and told that you can pick any place to fly to. The catch is that you have to go completely by yourself and stay a month. Where's your destination?

3)Name one favorite childhood friend...and a memory to go with it.

4)Speaking of childhood, is there something special you have hung on to from this time...a toy... a stuffed animal...special book? If so, why is this item special to you?

And last but not least...
5)You have just been informed that a Duke and his wife from a foreign country that you've barely heard of are visiting the United States and have picked your house at random to stop in for tea. They will be arriving in fifteen minutes.

What are the first five things you frantically do:

Good luck, Ladies! I am looking forward to all of you answers!

Now, I am tucking myself into bed at last. Hubby and I did celebrate a quiet desert at a restaurant this evening in honor of our anniversary. It was so nice, even though it was brief...because my poor sweetie has an awful bug! He promised to go to the doctor tomorrow...
And I'm praying the girls and I don't catch it! But all in all, it was a restful weekend for all of us...I even had a nap! (No wonder I'm up past my bedtime!)

Blessings!

Randomized ... Part 2

I was randomized not once...but twice this past week! Here's my second list of questions, written by one of my great new friends, Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee. I was a little nervous about the kinds of questions Linda would come up with...she's so smart and sassy and all. But these were do-able. And after admitting in my last randomization the milking dog incident, I figure I have nothing left to hide.

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1. What is one thing you'd like to do but do not have the courage to do? And why don't you do it? What's the worst that could happen, anyway??

Since I've always been a writer-wannabe (as in stories) I guess finally finishing the novel that I stopped writing when I was nearly done would be the answer. I blame time as a factor...yet I have time for blogging, don't I? So maybe I need to just dive in and finish it. Then start sending it off. And the worst that could happen....?

Big Fat Rejection!!!

OK... I think the regret of not ever finishing it and sending it off would outweigh any rejection. So this question was actually very good for me! (Thank you, Linda!)

2. Describe your worst date. Did your poor fellow know it was your worst date? What did you learn about yourself from this experience?

They are all a blur, actually. One that comes to mind isn't very dramatic...just awful in that "will it ever end?" kind of way. Kind of the opposite of a wonderful date when "time stands still".
He was someone that a friend or relative tried relentlessly to fix me up with. And I knew he was not the kind of person I could ever be remotely interested in. He wasn't a bad person at all, just not the guy I wanted to hang out with...nor be the father of my children.
I gave in to whoever was pestering me (as I said, it's all a blur...I must have blocked it all out)
For the "date" we didn't even go anywhere. He came to my house. (Or actually my mom's house, where I was living.) It was a less than exciting evening.

We watched a movie on my VCR.
He talked on and on about his favorite sports, tractor-pulling and monster truck shows.
I kept watching the clock and smiling politely.

Yes, I think he had a clue that I wasn't interested when he asked me out as he was leaving and I told him that I'd rather "just be friends".

I later heard he got married even before I did, to some nice girl who loves seeing huge trucks mash over little ones every single Saturday night.
(There are certainly worse ways to spend an evening...but for me, well...it's just hard to think of what they would be...)

So glad I finally found my Mr. Right and he took me out of circulation! (Tomorrow's our 12th anniversary...Love you, Sweetie!)

3. You are at a nationally televised Presidential White House press conference as part of the press corps. President Bush calls on you because you are waving your hand around like a wild woman. You stand, but suddenly, your heart races, your mouth dries, and you're seeing stars. You can't remember your brilliant question or utter a single syllable. The only thing you are able to do is sing. Remaining silent is not an option. What will you sing and why?

It might have to be the funny song my husband found on the computer soon after he was elected...(and yes, we voted for him!)
It's to the tune of the rap song, "Who let the dogs out?"

"Who's in the White House....Bush! Bush! Bush!"

4. If you were named "Supreme Blogging Commander of the Official World Wide Webbings of Intranets" or some such other prestigious title, what is the first rule you would lay down as non-negotiable?

No foul language and lurkers are required to actually reply...even if it's just by typing a little smiley face. :)

5. What's your favorite color? NOT!!! Instead: You are hiring someone for a position in your company. Never mind which position. It's just your job to hire the best candidate and then tell your superior why you chose that person. If you choose unwisely, you get fired. The pressure is on. Which one will you choose?

A. Candidate A brought her Ipod and said she could listen to you and the music at the same time.

B. Candidate B challenged you to an arm wrestling match.

C. Candidate C threw up on your desk and immediately started asking questions about the job, like nothing had happened.

D. Candidate D stated that if he were hired, he would demonstrate his loyalty by having your corporate logo tattooed on his forearm.

So which one is it? Why?

OK, C is just yucky...I know they couldn't help it but I would be too grossed out and too bewildered over their lack of proper embarrassment. Not quite human, there...
I'd have to go with Candidate D. Nothing like team spirit!

OK...this was fun! My second one I did this week, and not so painful, after all!

Only two people took me up on my last offer for me to "randomize" them...so this is your last chance...any more takers? I'll be putting my questions together this weekend and posting them soon!

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We're having a lazy day today. My sweet husband is sick with some kind of bug, and the girls are wore out from their busy week...and it's raining.
I'm hoping my sweetie will feel better tomorrow for our anniversary...poor baby!
I'm so behind in reading all of your posts, and hope to catch up off and on today...

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Thinking Awards and other nice things...

In spite of a few minor set-backs in my little life this week (see post below) I have also had some nice surprises along the way, too.

First of all, I found out that I had been tagged for the thinking blogger award by my good friend, Susie. I just love her....and she said such very sweet things about me in this post.

I must say that it's always nice to be recognized for putting thought and sometimes our very hearts into a post. Not that every post is this way, but some are for me. I wish I could say they all trickled effortlessly from my fingertips to the keyboard, but some posts actually make me feel exhausted by the time I hit "publish" and I'm ready for a nice soak in the tub.
So many of you also put so much thought into your wonderful posts- and therefore, it's truly hard for me to pick just five other bloggers to award this to, in return.
Because that's what we are suppose to do...nominate five other bloggers and "pay it forward".

So...although this is nearly impossible and I want to name 50 instead...here's just five:

1) E-mom at Chrysalis
She has written some incredible "thinking" posts about so many topics. She has an endless supply of references and quotes, Scriptures for the topic, and fun pictures, too...I can honestly say that not only am I blessed whenever I stop by, I usually learn something, too!

2) Joyful Woman
She is a superb writer (a published one, at that) and has written so many posts that have caused me to think. She can be at times witty, poignant or inspirational...and if anyone deserves the Thinking Award, she is definitely one!

3) Susan at Learning for a Lifetime
I just met her through the Ultimate Blog Party and I just love how she speaks from her heart. She seems to have such a wise and caring heart, and I've been blessed each time I stop by!

4) Chris at Come to the Table
Another new blog friend, and she is even newer to me! But her posts also speak eloquently from the heart as she writes about parenting and growing in Christ.

5) Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee
Yet another new friend whom I met at that cool blogging party!
She is not only my exact age (we're starting a 40's club for this awkward, wonderful stage of life!) but she has an incredible talent for getting her point across by lacing it with humor. I just love her style!

So, there are my picks...and let me tell you, it was tough! Just know, if I read your blog at all, that means there is something about it- or you- I really, really like a lot!



The other nice surprise this week was finding a box on my doorstep. You see, I won Pea's One World HeART giveaway and my prize finally arrived!

I hurried and opened my box...

Isn't that cute? And then I lifted the lid...


I oohed and ahhhed... isn't this so incredibly beautiful? And to think it has chocolates inside, too...


And then I gave it a place of honor on my island counter, complete with petals from my camellia bush!
Thank you again, Pea!

And as for my previous post, let me just thank each of you who gave your own personal thoughts on the aging process and the "40's" in particular. It so helps to get those other perspectives- both those that are a bit more positive than my own at the moment...and those that can also relate. And those that are a little of both!

Oh, and yes, Mom...I know. Eye doctor and reading glasses soon...promise!
(Funny how moms are still your moms no matter how old both of you get!)

I won't be posting again for a few days, but will be around to read your posts when I can. My husband has a couple days off and we're all heading to the mountain before the snow melts. I promise to bring my camera!

God bless and have a wonderful weekend!

Archiving we will go...

Well, I did it! I switched over and survived "the change". No, not the one I referred to in my last post...but the "New Blogger" version...which so far, turned most of my commentors into annonomous and gave me a headache trying to reply tonight. So...it gets better, right?

I saw this at Barb's and thought it looked like a fun way to try out my new version...



The object is to archive our posts to come up with something to fit into each catagory. So here goes...

Funny
In the heat of the moment- and the summer- I typed out this little experience...
Yard Sales and Marriage- like Oil and Water

Serious

Last summer, I posted about something that God was teaching me, first hand...

Reluctant Instrument

and the Ugly...

Well...more like just disgusting...I guess it could have been put in the "funny" catagory, but I think Ugly suits it best, don't you?

Breakfast Time

And then there's the
All About Me

Really, this is hard, without going to the 100th post edition. But I after searching around (and given that's now midnight) all I could find is:

The Flying Pizza Meme
(Perhaps there were more meaningful hidden in the archives somewhere, but at least this gives a glimpse of me!)

This was a fun meme to do, actually...it just took some work. But it's amazing when you start to see all of the posts you've created over time...and to begin to actually visit a few again.
So, I tag each and every one of you who wants to do this one!
In the meantime, I'm going to try to catch up with many of you tomorrow.
Nighty-night!