Thanksgiving Hodgepodge

Sharing Thanksgiving with Joyce via The Hodgepodge.

1. Turkey-love it or leave it?  White meat or dark?  What's your favorite thing to make using leftover turkey?

Turkey is delicious; dark meat only for me.  My boys live for leftover turkey made into turkey salad. We usually never have enough leftovers so we buy an extra turkey just for turkey salad. Really.

2. Gotta burn off all those carbs the day after a holiday feast so which would you rather do-run a 10K or climb a mountain? 

Despite the heights issue, I'd rather climb a mountain. Not only would you feel like you accomplished something, you'd get the reward of the view too!

3.  Do you feel like social networking has made your relationships better or worse?  Explain.

Honestly, I'm not a Facebook fan. I keep threatening to quit, but during Dad's funeral it was such an easy way to share the information with such a large and varied group of friends/family, that I've kept it for that reason alone. I have a twitter account and I believe I looked at it once this year. Do you really want to know what I had for lunch? Didn't think so.

I love blogging, but have settled into what it really means to me. At first I wanted a large following and I wanted it to launch into something. (??)  That mindset left me discontent and unhappy.

Once I realized that my target audience was our family who did not live close I then settled into my true blog identity.  I just want to share my life, grammar mistakes and all, with those I love. When life is busy, I don't blog and I'm ok with the living of it and not sharing. When I have time to connect through blogging, I do.

Because I've adopted this mindset, I've met some wonderful blog friends who check in every so often. I would truly love to meet you all in person, with the hopes that we'd enjoy each other's physical company just as much. I talk about you all with my family and say, "my blog friend..."  Whoever thought that would be a category?

So in answer to the question I think I've navigated social networking in a way that works for me.

4. How do you find and express gratitude for the hard things in your life? 

When going through the hard time, I pray and ask the Lord to reveal Himself and I thank Him for His care. I share the Lord's faithfulness and my stories of tough times with others as the Holy Spirit leads.

5.  In the US, the day after Thanksgiving has been dubbed 'Black Friday'.  Is most of your holiday shopping done live and in person, or is it done more through the magic of the Internet? How do you feel about stores opening at midnight Thanksgiving night? Will you be out amongst the masses on Friday? 

I've shopped on Black Friday once and it was a good experience. I'm not much of a shopper so I don't put a lot of time and energy into doing it.  We make up Christmas lists and share them with grandparents.  I usually shop about three times in December purchasing everyone's gifts at retail stores. If there are requested items from catalogs, I definitely take advantage of shopping online.

6.  Speaking of the color black-which black item in your wardrobe would you say is your favorite?

I have a black sweater that is dressy and comfortable. It's a winter staple.

7.  What do you appreciate about your life today? 

We moved out of the rat race of northern Virginia/DC chaos a little over a year ago and I appreciate the calm peacefulness that comes with living in the country on a farm. It's a dream of many people to live the way I do and I am so thankful for what the Lord has provided. I love our way of life.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

All this talk of purchasing gifts reminded me of something I bought online a few weeks ago.  

My daughter, Ashley, and son-in-law, TJ, moved to CO in July and this will be our first Christmas away from each other. Sad. 

To give Ashley a little taste of home, I purchased the same Advent calendar for her family as the one she had in childhood. I told her not to open it without TJ 'cause I knew there would be lots of crying. There was and TJ was a little confused until she explained. 

Here's a goofy picture taken of her putting the last ornament on our Advent calendar tree in 2010.

Shared memories are sweet; passing them on...priceless.

Hodgepodge 100

See what others are saying for the 100th Hodgepodge over at Joyce's Place!

1. What creeps you out?
Nose pickers, maggots, vomit, and moldy refrigerator finds.

2. What's your least favorite candy?

Those peanut butter chews that come wrapped in orange or black at Halloween. I try one each year wondering if they've gotten any better. Nope.

3. Are you a fan of scary movies?  What's the scariest movie you've ever seen?

Not a fan, really. I once babysat for a family who had HBO and I stayed up until 1am watching Halloween 3 in 3D in a warm house full of open windows. I was freaked out for the entire summer. 

I still don't like to be out at night alone.

4. What part of life confuses you the most?

I don't get how people can deny the existence of God. You may not like the idea, but can you really deny His existence? 

5. Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, poppy...what's your favorite seed?

Sunflower seeds are my favorite, although I like the other choices, as well.

6. Imagine your life ten years from today...what's changed?

Since we're imagining: I've lost 80 lbs., written a book, found time to make money with my favorite hobby, and best of all, have grand babies!

7.  What do you a) love the most and b) like the least about the Hodgepodge? 

I love the friends I've made through the Hodgepodge (and friends to come)!

I don't understand why anyone uses Word Verification anymore. Folks, if you use word verification on your blog, you are turning readers away.  

The spam folder in Blogger works well! It collects all the spam in one place and you can go in and delete in one keystroke. They won't be visible on your site. Please, check it out and turn off Word Verification.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I had two opportunities (a staff meeting and a party) to dress up this Halloween season.) I haven't dressed up for Halloween since college, a very long time ago.  

My girls helped me find a long robe and I bought some pointy ears (that had to be glued on.) I made a pretty funny alien.

Being alien-ated by the girls at the in-home alien spa

I've got my eyes on you

Some co-workers have too much fun

Twins

After explaining that the children of friends of ours are adopted this conversation happened with my youngest daughter at the dinner table.

Tara: "I wondered why their skin is so dark when Mom and Dad aren't dark! I thought maybe their grandmas or grandpas were dark."

Mom: "No, they were adopted from another country."

(There are three children in the family, 2 teenage boys and a 9-year-old girl.)

Tara: "Are they all brothers and sisters?"

Mom: "Well, the boys are twins so, yes, they are brothers, but the girl is not related to them."

Tara: "They're twins?"

Mom: "Yes, Tara. They're identical twins - that's why they look alike."

Tara: "Oh, they're not turtle twins?"

Mom: "What?"

Tara: "They're not turtle twins?"

Mom, laughing, "What's a turtle twin?"

Tara: "You know, they're twins."

Mom: "Do you mean fraternal twins? Ones that don't necessarily look alike?"

Tara: "No, turtle twins. I heard it on tv."

We're all just laughing now.

Tara: "No, really! I did! I think it was on Zack and Cody."

Mom: "Ah, the wisdom of Zack & Cody! Tara, it's called FRATERNAL twins."

Tara: "Well, I like turtle twins better."

This was the springboard for the scientific explanation of egg-splitting and the way we get two kinds of twins.  That edged too closely to a talk about sex for the 19-year-old so thus ended the conversation.

Just another day at the Martens...

The Apple of my eye

I have a new computer! My husband bought me a new MacBook Pro on Saturday night. I'm struggling to "unlearn" PC navigation, but I'm thrilled to have a laptop. Can't tell you how many times I've been jealous of you couch bloggers! Smile.

Anyway, I was fooling around with Photo Booth and thought about how often I don't take pictures of myself. With this application, I can snap a pic of me in all my glory whenever I want. (or turn it on and see how my hair looks - might have done that yesterday while working at church.)

Here I am just a few moments ago, a little wind blown since I had my window down in the car. 

Being quite proud of my picture-taking accomplishment, I showed my son what I had done.

He introduced me to the effects button on Photo Booth...

This is the Comic Book effect.

I sense a new form of entertainment. So glad I can do it from my couch. 

Z - Zillion

Zillion: very large indeterminate number.

Have you ever wondered what came after a trillion (quadrillion...)

You can see the numbers up to 600 zeros here.

Whew, who made up those names?

Anywho...zillion. I love when kids dramatically use that word to describe something.

"Mom, there were a zillion mosquitoes out there!" (probably true)

"When I grow up I'm going to live in a zillion dollar house." (eh, probably not)

"If I sell my pictures I will probably make a zillion dollars." (yea, nope)

Cute!

When I think of zillion, I more often think of

clothes to wash

dishes to clean

chores to be done

papers to file

lessons to teach

and

errands to run

Can you relate?

What zillion things are facing you this week?  Hope it goes well!

I've enjoyed participating in the A-Z Challenge; it's been lots of fun! 

Thanks to all my new followers!! I hope you stay around and enjoy a glimpse into our crazy lives. I love sharing it with you all.

Blessings to you!

X- Xanthemia

Now that we are about to embark upon the tanning season are you ready to face all the fake-n-bakes? Or would that be Fakin' Bakes? Yep, both. (I googled!)

Anywhoo...while I was looking for a cool "X" word to write a clever post about, I came across this word:

xanthemia: excess carotene in the blood stream; can cause the skin to turn a pale yellow-red color.

It reminded me of a past experience.

In his lifetime my father-in-law had suffered with a condition called spastic (or Spasmodic) dysphonia.

Spasmodic dysphonia is a voice disorder characterized by involuntary movements or spasms of one or more muscles of the larynx (vocal folds or voice box) during speech.

In adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD), sudden involuntary muscle movements or spasms cause the vocal folds (or vocal cords) to slam together and stiffen. These spasms make it difficult for the vocal folds to vibrate and produce voice. Words are often cut off or difficult to start because of the muscle spasms. Therefore, speech may be choppy and sound similar to stuttering. The voice of an individual with adductor spasmodic dysphonia is commonly described as strained or strangled and full of effort. Surprisingly, the spasms are usually absent while laughing, speaking at a high pitch, or speaking while singing, but singers can experience a loss of range or the inability to produce certain notes of a scale or with projection. Stress, however, often makes the muscle spasms more severe. (wikipedia)

On several occasions Dad went to see a specialist for this disorder and he had some success in it's treatment.  We were all thrilled that he found someone who could help him speak, especially since my father-in-law was a pastor! His voice was his livelihood.

Usually Dad would travel to see the Doc, but one time he said that the Doc would be stopping by the church (where we all worked) so we would be able to meet him. We were all anxious to thank him for taking such good care of Dad. I'm sure we figured it would be interesting to hear how he had become a specialist in this field.  We looked forward to his arrival.

When the Dr. arrived at the church we met in the auditorium. To our surprise we found a man that looked similar to this one -

Seriously!

Now the man in the picture I believe has a Fakin' Bake (spray on tan, maybe?), but our Dr. was orange because he was a carrot juicing fanatic.  He has what we call Xanthemia!  Literally, the man was orange because he juiced/drank so many carrots over a long period of time that it turned his skin orange.

Needless to say, we wished Dad had warned us. Cause what can you do/say when you are faced with an orange man? I think we mumbled some thanks, but in our minds all we could think was, "This man is ORANGE!" Ca-razy, I tell ya. Ca-razy! (Thanks, Joyce, for the spelling!)

While I like myself some fake tan (the lotion in a bottle kind), I try to take a second look before I go out in public so I don't end up looking like the ORANGE man. If I ever do, I hope someone will do more than mumble thanks my way.  Who knew "X" could stand for orange!

W - What?

Have you seen the email circulating about

How Smart is your right foot?

It goes like this -

This is hysterical. You have to try this. It is absolutely true. I guess there are some things that the brain cannot handle.

This will confuse your mind and you will keep trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but, you can't. It is pre-programmed in your brain!

1. While sitting at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right leg off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction.

I told you so! And there's nothing you can do about it!

(I like random silliness, which is probably why I had each of my family members try this and then laughed at them! I couldn't do it either.)

Secrets Until April

Uh, there's something you should know about me.

I HATE keeping secrets.

I'm terrible at it.

I can keep them, but just barely.

I don't like waiting when I think someone else will enjoy a surprise.

I just want it to happen NOW.

I want to tell them how great it will be, but then...I can't.

Ugh!

I decided that for each corresponding day in March I would prep my April A-Z Challenge posts so I won't be caught off guard next month. Tonight I sat down to plan my "C" posts.

You know, the whole plan ahead thing.

Something else I don't often like to do.

But since I figured I will struggle writing 52 posts in one month (26 each blog), I figured some prior planning would be a good idea. I made a micro-spreadsheet to keep track of what my plans are. I've written down the topic of each post and some details I want to be sure to include. And guess what?

I hate not being able to tell you what I'm planning. It's a secret! Ahhh!
It's killing me and I'm only on "C."

It's going to be a LONG month, I think. :)

Have you joined the Challenge? There's still time!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Lake Superior University has once again published a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen's English in 2012- amazing, baby bump, shared sacrifice, occupy, blowback, man cave, the new normal, pet parent, win the future, trickeration, ginormous, and thank you in advance.

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why?

I love amazing and ginormous; haven't even heard of pet parent, win the future or trickeration - hmm.

"Thank you in advance" should be banished. Don't thank me ahead of time, thank me when you get there or at the time I actually help you out. Don't be lazy. Take the time to thank me when it's appropriate, not in advance. Do we say, "I'm sorry in advance"? No! However, my husband would probably like to use that phrase, at least once a month. Or maybe I should use that one!

2. Are you easily embarrassed?

Uh...I get my phrasing all twisted up. I try to be funny and sometimes it comes out WRONG. That's embarrassing.
Otherwise, I'm good.

3. What is your go-to snack?

I love Dove caramels. They are my therapy.
My go-to snack...maybe popcorn.

4. Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? If not do you have any desire to go? What site/attraction would you most want to see in that city? If you have been, what's your favorite site/attraction?

I live here.
Fave site: Roosevelt memorial at night with the back lit waterfalls.

5. sit ups-planks-lunges-squats...which do you hate the least?

I LOVE sit-ups. Really. It's disturbing.

6. What's a small act of kindness you were shown that you've never forgotten?

I have dreams of someday becoming a speaker. I have a friend, who after hearing me speak wrote me an encouraging note saying something to the effect of "when you're famous, I'll be able to say I knew you when."  I kept the note and it is one of my treasured possessions. Something I'll never forget. Thanks 'fia!

7. Have you ever been a blood donor?

No.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I've rewritten the answer to # 7 several times. Sometimes it gets a little tricky when you deal with personal details on a blog.  Do I mention where I live? Do I reveal medical conditions? Do I share the names/ages of my kids? Do I talk about people I know who live abroad? You really have to remember you're not just writing to close friends/family, but to anyone who has access to the world-wide web.  I try to share information in a general way, enough to share my life, but not enough for you to find out when I'm going on vacation!  Sometimes that means a boring, "No" in answer to your question, but I'm ok with that.

The Wednesday Hodgepodge is a question/answer post hosted by

Joyce From This Side of the Pond. 

Just click the button and join us!

Hush, Little Baby

This is what I'm doing...

This is what I want to be doing...

The sleeplessness has arrived. The anxiety about moving, coupled with the "to do" list running through my head, is hindering my sleep. Feeling rested, I guess, is out for the remainder of the week. My eyes popped open early this morning and I went to bed later than usual last night. Sigh.

The first thing I thought about was, "Can I wash my velvet curtains?" A truly pressing matter. Ha! And no, I can not wash my velvet curtains. Dry clean only. Rats.

So I crept downstairs to the computer, hoping not to wake the dog. I don't want to go outside yet! I made it past her crate and thought I'd tackle some laundry, email and other quiet tasks until the gang starts waking up. Hence, a blog post this morning.

I find it funny that during my "normal" life I can't seem to find the time to sit and write posts, but put me under the gun for a move and I'm sharing everyday. Can we say commiseration?

Maybe I'll be able to squeeze in one of these this afternoon...

Farm Naming Contest

In my last post I announced that we will be moving to the farm. Our family is having fun trying to come up with a name for the farm and we thought we'd invite you to join in the fun!

Feel free to let us know which name you prefer below, OR if you have a name you want to submit and we choose your name for the farm, there will be a surprise gift in it for you!

Our family's ideas:

1) Corner Creek Farm (little boring, but we have a creek that crosses the corner of our property)

2) Scarlett Meadow Farm (submitted by my Dad to go along with our Gone With the Wind themed family)

3) Bonnie Blue Farm (same theme idea)

4) Scarlett Hill Farm (see a trend?)

5) Far Far Away Farm (submitted by daughter Katie)

In the previous post, it was suggested the farm will name itself once we get there by the only commenter, Sweet Tea. She may be right, but we're having fun batting around ideas. Hope you'll join in the fun!

Patriotic Hodgepodge

Thank goodness we have the hodgepodge to get us through hump day! Join us at Joyce's blog for a hodgepodge hop.

1. What makes you stand to your feet and cheer?

Our military!  On the Sunday nearest the 4th of July our church plays the anthems of the 5 branches of service and as they play, members of the military (or a family representative) stand for those who have served or are serving.  I have to sit through the anthems to see everyone represented, but at the end, everyone stands to give one final ovation as thanks for all our service member's sacrifice.  It's my favorite service of the year! Can't wait until Sunday!

2. What's your favorite patriotic song?

The Star Spangled Banner. Love the history. Love the tune. I hope our national anthem never changes. If you haven't been to the Smithsonian to see the flag that flew over Ft. McHenry, I hope you'll get a chance to visit!

3. Do you believe that opposites attract? If you have a significant other are you opposites?

Absolutely. I think it's God's way of iron sharpening iron, both in spouses and in friends. Mark and I are very different in many ways: how we see life, adventures we'd like to take (what? no polar expeditions for you, honey?), interests, food tastes, the list is endless. But, as Joyce, mentioned in her post, we share the same faith, values, and views on family life. The stuff that binds.

4. You're going to get a behind the scenes look someplace...where would you like that someplace to be?

I would like a peek into a national women's conference, like Women of Faith. I think it would be interesting to see what goes into set up, see the man hours put in, be in the green room with the speakers, etc. It's just a world I would find interesting.

5. How far would you have to travel to ride a carousel (merry-go-round)?

I would have to travel a couple of miles to a local park. I've promised the girls I'd take them this summer, but we might wait until their cousins visit so we can enjoy it all together.

I love carosel horses. Maybe it stems back from loving the first movie I ever saw in theaters, Mary Poppins.

6. When was the last time you saw fireworks? What was the occasion? Do you enjoy fireworks?

Do sparklers count? We lit sparklers as my daughter and new son-in-law left their wedding for their honeymoon.

The last 4th of July fireworks I saw in person was two years ago in Washington DC. It's an event not to be missed! I always get misty-eyed when seeing the fireworks over the monuments. I have a very patriotic heart! What a view, huh!

7. Of all the 'beauty products' you own, what item do you consider to be the most overpriced?

I just haven't bought into the over-priced stuff.  Maybe I should...

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Lately, I've been thinking about inspiriation. I hope to do a post later this week on things that inspire me.  I would like to makes some decorating changes and create something crafty and have been looking for inspirationa in all kinds of places.  What inspires you to make a change or create something?

Random Dozen minus # 4

Today I'm joining Linda at 2nd cup of Coffee for the Random Dozen.
1. Is there a word which you initially mispronounced? Were the circumstances in which you made the faux pas embarrassing? By the way, that's not "foax pass." (I know you know that. Just jokin' with ya.)

I grew up in the Midwest where my family called a sundae a "sun-duh" and a soda a "sodie." Upon entering college I quickly changed their pronunciations to fit the norm, but my SoCal husband LOVES to tease me about "sun-duh" every so often.

2. How do you feel about the use of texting shortcuts and trends? (ex: "I've got ur notes. Get them 2 u 2morow.")

I feel gr8! (Got a college kid, remember!)

3. Tell me about your high school senior picture. Please feel free to post.
I came home from school on the afternoon of my senior picture and decided that my bangs were too long so I went into the bathroom and started hacking away. They were a little short, but not catastrophically so. This whole outfit, including necklace, was given to me by the guy I was dating at the time. Sentimental.

5. Share a high school or college homecoming memory.

Our college didn't have homecoming, but we did have formals with banquets and plays/concerts. Those BIG dates were always highlights of the year. Here's a picture of Mark and I looking much younger and thinner than today.

6. Linda at Mocha with Linda wants to know: "Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?"

That's tough. Generally, I prefer sunsets, but I do enjoy watching the sun come up while I'm having devotions on the couch.

7. Lea at Cici's Corner asks, "What is something you have not done that you desire to do?"

Sightseeing in London

8. Carol at Wanderings of an Elusive Mind ponders, "If you could come back [in another life] as an animal, which would it be?"

A cat...always.

9. Joyce from The Other Side of the Pond is curious: "Where were you 10 years ago?" Please feel free to elaborate more than just your physical location.

I had just moved to Northern Virginia where I wasn't sure I wanted to be. I had left a big sprawling ranch-house on the outskirts of Fresno for a very tiny bungalow in suburban Washington DC. We had left our beloved church and dear friends and were just getting settled and trying to figure out how to make friends in this new city. We weren't in "Kansas" anymore!

10. When you are proven to be correct in any contentious discussion, do you gloat?

Who, me? Maybe. Sometimes.

11. What is your favorite food which includes the ingredient "caramel?"

Death by Caramel bars. See recipe here.

12. If you could be part of any fictional family, which family would you choose and why?

Pseudo-fictional: Laura Ingalls family on Little House on the Prairie. Michael Landon was a great dad! How badly I wanted to be in that family!

Random Dozen is Back!

Come join the fun at Lid's 2nd Cup of Coffee. Just cut and paste her questions, share your unique answers and link back to the Random Dozen Meme. It's that simple. You'll have fun, I promise.

1. When was the last time you laughed until you cried?

The last time I laughed until I cried was when I saw this video on my husband's IPhone as we're pulling into church on Sunday morning. What a fun way to start the day!

2. If you found $10 today, what would you do with it?

Tuck it in my wallet and save it for paper, office supplies or chocolate - my splurges. OR, give it to a needy college student - whichever came first.

3. Do you volunteer anywhere?

I've spent the last 3 years setting up a library at church and volunteering as a leader and registrar in my daughters' American Heritage Girl troop.

4. What is your favorite summertime veggie or fruit, and how do you eat it?

Green Beans - Sauteed. See the recipe here.

Love all kinds of fruit - blended in a cold frosty smoothie. See recipe here. And...maybe a cold slice of watermelon. Love that too. (A three for one answer! We like our food around here, what can I say.)

5. Is your social sphere (circle of friends) small, medium or large?

How subjective! At first, I thought, small. My closest friends are limited, but I have a wide range of good friends. So my answer is "just enough for me!" That'll leave you guessing. :)

6. When was the last time you attended a family or school reunion? How did that go?

My kids, mom and I attended a family reunion at the end of June. It was a lot of fun; see this post.

7. When you're feeling blue, what is the best way someone can cheer you up?

Not much. I usually have to find a way out of the blues myself. Flowers and chocolate help.

8. Have you taken a vacation this summer?

We took a trip to clear out Grandma's house. It did not feel like a vacation. My boys went to the Bahamas. I saw the pictures. I'm hanging in there until our annual vacation this fall.

9. What is the most unnecessary item you carry with you all the time?

Gum. I hate gum, but my girls like it.

10. What is the best summer flick you have seen so far?

Despicable Me - loved that movie. (I want a glow-in-the-dark minion!) Need to see Inception.

11. Describe a perfect summer day.

One with air conditioning, a cold glass of lemonade and maybe an old movie or good book. Now, if you asked me to describe a perfect autumn day, I'd have the details. I survive the summer. Be gone, hot weather, be gone!!

12. Please a share a favorite photo from the summer so far!

Peppers at the Farmer's Market. Gorgeous!

Gettin' Stuff Done

Recently my mom shared this passage with me: Luke 1:29-31

(29)As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. (30)Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. (31)So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

Mom then joked, "Simon's mother-in-law probably thought, 'Look at all the things that didn't get done around here while I was down.'" That cracked me up!

Since I've returned home from clearing out my grandmother's house in IL I've thought about her "funny" and how true it was for me while being gone and leaving my husband and two oldest kids at home. They maintained an acceptable level of living, but I've been cleaning and reorganizing to put my house back into order for me. I was ready to tackle some of my own problems in the house after returning. You think about all the junk you're storing that just needs to go.

Thank goodness, it's summer and I have the time to purge, sort and scrub. What projects have you been able to tackle this summer? My list is long (too long to accomplish), but I'm working on it!

Grandma's China in the kitchen cupboards
Clean kitchen
Mountains of laundry
Put Grandma's Christmas acquisitions in storage room
Choose a container and place for Grandma's quilting supplies
Read/Answer/Delete way too much email
Run errands for supplies for boy's trip
Etc...

Thursday Night Guilty Pleasure

I love to watch TV on Thursday night. It's my guilty pleasure.

Last night 3 BIG things happened on the 3 shows I watch:

1) Seth Aaron won! Yay! Project Runway

2) Peter found out he was from the alternate universe. Sad.
(But what a way to find out!) Fringe

3) J.T. got voted off. Serves him right. When will Russell go?
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains

Do you have a night of guilty pleasure? (Keep it clean!) ;)

Just thought I'd share something a little lighter & fun this week!

Random Dozen - back again

Linking up with Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee today. The questions were too good to pass up!

1. Ever had any run-ins with the "library police?"

No, but I have been a significant financial donor. ;)

2. Do you have a special organizational plan and place for wrapping paper, gift bags, etc., or do you just purchase whatever you need as you give gifts?

I have a box in my bedroom closet for bags, ribbons and what-not. I have a sturdy shirt box atop that to hold tissue paper. I usually have what I need.

3. Have you ever been in (first-hand witness) a natural disaster?

Sierra Madre Earthquake, (Los Angeles), June 28, 1991.

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/29/us/quake-kills-2-near-los-angeles-damage-is-moderate.html?pagewanted=1

I had seen tornadoes growing up in IL. We used to see them out our back cellar door while we were seeking safety (think Wizard of Oz) and I saw one trying to cross the IL river while walking home from school one day. I laid down in the ditch and covered my head with my arms until my mother drove by in the car looking for me. By then the tornado had long dissipated in the water. Because of these experiences I thought I could handle natural disasters.

Until that fateful morning...

My hubby & I were living in North County San Diego at the time. I was sound asleep in bed when the earthquake hit. There is nothing like the terror of an earthquake. With a tornado you usually get some warning and can seek shelter. With an earthquake it is thrust upon you unexpectedly (in a dead sleep, that's scary.) I jumped out of bed screaming and went and grabbed my baby from her crib. (She was sound asleep until I entered the room.) With her in arms I ran to the front door. I wanted nothing more than to get out of the house and away from the rolling floors, but I knew you weren't supposed to run outside during an earthquake in case power lines fell. I stood in the front doorway just screaming like a crazy woman. Then it ended.

My husband then saunters (yes, saunters) out of the bedroom and asks, "You all right?" "Really???" is the look he got followed by a "No! I'm not all right."

You see, my husband grew up in San Diego - earthquake territory. He was used to the seismic activity. Once as a teenager there was an earthquake in the early morning hours. Just as he sat up in his bed a clock above his head fell off the wall and landed on his pillow right where he had been sleeping moments before. So the only gut reaction Mark had that day in 1991 was to look up to see if anything was mounted to the wall that could fall on his head. So cool.

I calmed down, turned on the TV to see how other's had fared and we started getting ready for our day. When I went to take clothes out of the dryer an aftershock hit and the dryer started walking toward me. I FLIPPED OUT! Earthquakes were not for me.

I will admit though, a year later we moved to Hollister, CA where the San Andres fault lies. You can drive through town and see full buses with Asian tourists snapping pictures of the wide gaping fault line that runs right through town. The local newspaper would list the tremors for the week that occurred along the fault and we got adept at waking slightly at night noting the time on the clock and then checking the weekly paper when it came out to see which little (2.0) tremors we felt. It became a game of sorts.

That's my natural disaster story!

4. What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?

Oh, so many to choose. I had to google his songs so I would choose the "right" one and I've been sitting here singing Barry every since. LOVE his songs. My fave (which I hate choosing a favorite, Lid), is One Voice. I think it's because I'm a singer. I love the power of a song/someone singing from the heart.

5. What's the best costume you've ever worn?

A Juliette-esque get-up for our Madrigal dinner where I sat perched atop the concealed basketball hoop and performed the "Romeo, Romeo, where art thou..." scene.

6. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?

Dictionary. Generally, know what word I want to use - just gotta make sure it's spelled correctly.

7. What's your favorite breakfast food?

Honestly, a bacon and egg biscuit at McDonalds. I rarely get them, but they are such a treat for me when I do. Weird.

8. Have you ever purchased anything from an infomercial?

No

9. Have you ever crawled through a window?

Many times growing up.

10. Do you believe in love at first sight?

Yes-ish! I had lust at first sight with my first fiance. I saw him across a gym and thought, "I need to date that man!" Then I had been best friends with Mark (who I ended up marrying) and one day when he walked into the main hall at school I turned around and thought, "I can't live without my best friend." I knew I was in love at that moment. So, technically, my examples are not LOVE at FIRST sight, but I believe in those moments that can change your life forever.

11. How man pairs of jeans do you own?

If you can believe this, only two.

12. If someone were going to bake a cake to honor/represent you, what would it be? (Think creatively, like Duff and Crew on "Ace of Cakes.")

I would choose a stack of books cake with the Bible on top. In my stack would be Gone With The Wind, Random Harvest and lots of organizing books. That's me to a "T!"

I may have to try this someday!

Random Dozen Easter & Springtime Fun

1. How do you feel about the marshmallow Easter Peeps?

I think they're gross; my family LOVES them.

2. Chickens are notoriously nervous creatures. When you are nervous, what is the best way to calm down?

Deep breath, say a prayer, and get a hug.

3. People say, "April showers bring May flowers." Do you enjoy Spring rains?

Not really, I love a good late summer thunderstorm more...hazy sky, smell of rain. Love that!

4. When I was randomly flipping through TV channels this week, I saw a show in which tattoo parlor employees received tattoos of a co-worker's face on their bodies. I can't imagine having a portrait of a colleague tattooed on me. But if someone forced you to receive a portrait tattoo (face only) of anyone, who would it be? Why?

I will NEVER get a tattoo, but if I am forced at gunpoint, then I'll take one of my children.

5. Would you rather have a tattoo (any kind) or a nose ring?

Linda, really??!! I'll take a fake tattoo that one of my girls puts on with water. Ha!

6. Do you have any special plans for Easter?

I work at church most of the day. The highlights will be singing resurrection worship songs and seeing my girls dressed in their finest enjoying the day.

7. Cadbury Eggs or Reese Eggs?

Cadbury Creme Eggs and Reese Eggs are both gross, but Cadbury Caramel Eggs...that's a different story! De-lish!

8. What was the last thing/person you took a picture of?

Our sanctuary filled with kids celebrating Palm Sunday. (I need to get some pictures for the week taken!)

9. What book are you reading now, or what was the last one?

The Now Habit by Neil Fiore, Ph.D.

10. What do you think is the most difficult task when it comes to Spring cleaning?

Getting started... (see # 9)

11. How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?

Two.

12. Which color makes you happiest?

For spring...bright pink!

Check out what everyone's sayin' at 2nd Cup of Coffee.

Random Dozen Spring

SouthLakesMom at I Didn't Know That! says:

I am privileged to have the Random Dozen in my neck of the woods this week. Thank you to Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee for trusting me with her 'baby'.

You know the rules -- copy and paste the questions onto your blog. Answer them TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY) on your blog. Link back with Mr. Linky to this blog, and then go visit at least one dozen random players and make nice comments about their answers! Simple...if you don't have a blog, you can cut and paste your answers into the comments below.

The theme is Spring . . . and any other random questions that crept in.

1. What is your favorite sign of Spring?

In D.C. it's Cherry Blossoms and Daffodils...like Barnes & Noble or Lucy & Desi, they just go together!

2. Did you remember to spring forward on March 14? If not, how did it impact your day?

Totally remembered. Tired all day! (and the day after that.)

3. If soil, time, talent and climate were no problem, what vegetable would you plant in a garden this year?

Oh, so many to choose from. I love the smell of onions wafting on the breeze, but I love eating fresh green beans and there's something therapeutic about snapping those beans too.

4. If soil, time, talent and climate were no problem, what fruit would you plant?

If I had how many years to reap a big harvest? I would plant blackberries.

5. What is your least favorite insect?

# 1 - Roaches gross me out, but mosquitoes annoy me. Bugs are not my friends.

6. March 22 was World Water Day. To celebrate, here are some water questions. Do you drink bottled water? If so, what brand?

No, I fill a water bottle with my Britta filtered from the tap.

7. Have you ever been somewhere that it was not safe to drink the local water? If so, how did you handle that?

Yes, we took our own flats of bottled water to drink while on the trip.

BUT I do have a story for you! When we moved from CA to WI for my husband to take some college courses, all four of our family members got very sick when we arrived. We were immediately sick for about 3 days, then went back to eating soup and trying to get our systems back to normal. About 4-5 days later we were all violently ill again. This happened three times!

Finally, I went to a friend who owned a health food store and asked her advice. She said it was the water! In Wisconsin! She said it was so filled with pesticides from farming that our bodies were not used to it. We would drink it, then get sick, stop drinking it/sipping on 7 up or something while sick and get better, then drink it again as we recovered only to fall sick again.

So we banned all local water in our house and immediately recovered. We did have to live there for 18 months so we introduced the contaminated water to our systems through teeth brushing and ice cubes s-l-o-w-l-y and ended up being able to cook and clean with it. I did filter for our drinks, as you can imagine.

8. How many glasses of water do you drink per day? 6-8 every day. Love my water.

9. March 24 is the birthday of Harry Houdini. Have you ever watched a professional magic show? Share.

Yes, we like to attend the resort magic show when we go on vacation to the mountains every Autumn. It's very professional, family-friendly and includes audience participation which makes for great laughs.

10. Have you ever been a participant in a professional magic show (up on stage!)? Nope.

11. March 24 is also the birthday of Steve McQueen and Clyde Barrow. Do you like Westerns or gangster movies? If so, what is your favorite?

Not a fan of gangsters; I often like Westerns. Silverado is my favorite. It's almost in a genre of it's own: Western/Comedy.

12. (Really random) What U.S. state that you've never visited would you like to visit someday?

Alaska. Love the cold. Want to see whales. A cruise, maybe?

Thanks, SouthLakesMom! Good Job!