an ABC Meme

 I saw this MEME posted by Sometimes Saintly Nick.  As Nick also said, I’m not tagging anyone, but you are welcome to  play along.  If you do decide to play, please kindly let me know so that I may have a peek into your life as you are about to peek into mine.

A. Attached or Single: I am very much attached to the man I married more than 20 years ago.

B. Best Friend: I have a handful of wonderful female friends, but the friend I live with —my husband— is the obvious choice for my best friend.

C. Cake or Pie: Pie…unless it’s Cheesecake!

D. Day of Choice: Sunday—both as a family day and a day of worship

E. Essential item: water! 

G. Gummi Bears or Worms: Gummi bears make better ammunition, especially in high school German class

H. Hometown: the one I grew up in?  Everett, Washington

I. Indulgence: Ice cream, the ultimate comfort food

J. January or July: January – it’s my birth month, I enjoy winter, and I hate being hot

K. Kids: 4 sons

L. Life is incomplete without: Jesus

M: Marriage date: March 5th, 1988

N. Number of Siblings: 1 sister, 2 brothers

O. Oranges or Apples: Apples (I am from Washington, after all!)

P. Phobias or Fears: fear of something terrible happening to my husband or children

Q. Quote: Mrs. G Repent!  Give up your secret boyfriends ~ as seen on Mrs. G’s blog

R. Reason to Smile: humor at our supper table

S. Season: Autumn – I love the smells and the colors, and the blessed coolness after the heat of summer!

T. Tag: Anyone who wants to play this game.

U. Unknown fact about me: I enjoyed running 5k’s and 10k’s, back in 1993 & 1994

V. Veggies or fruit: Fruit—I am addicted to sugar—but actually I enjoy a nice green salad with dried cranberries & almonds, or mandarin oranges & almonds

W. Worst habit: I get sidetracked easily and suddenly the day is gone…with little to show for it.  {Okay, this is NOT my worst habit, but my worst habit is one that I am not prepared to share it with anyone else.} 

X. X Ray or ultrasound: Plenty of ultrasounds – I have had 4 babies! 

Y. Your favorite food: Anything made by my friend Karen; she’s a WONDERFUL cook!

Z. Zodiac: Capricorn

Earth Hour 2008

I saw this article which raised the question of, “Did it matter?” 

Personally, we did not participate last night.  It wasn’t because we didn’t think it mattered; it was because we are in the middle of March Madness and 6 out of 10 people in my house were glued to the TV watching basketball!  However, I think I want to start a weekly Earth Hour in our house.  I’ll have to figure out a good night to do this…perhaps on Sunday evenings (after MM is over, of course!) which will give us a nice quiet hour together by candlelight to discuss and prepare for the week ahead. 

So, did you participate?  Do you think it mattered?  Let me know what you think!

Birthday greetings!

Please go show some bloggy love to Jenn the birthday girl. 

Family Blessing

News Flash:  I love the cast of characters that I call my family.    
Okay, so that is probably not a surprise, but I think it is newsworthy.  So many families must “reconfigure” – sometimes multiple times – due to not being able to get along.  For whatever reason,  we are not a normal typical family.  SuperDad is the breadwinner; I’m the breadmaker.  We’ve been married for 20 years, and we still like each other!  And we are managing to feed, clothe, and raise 4 young pups men on a single salary. 

Kennel up, boys!

But I’m also talking about extended family (granted, it is easier to love some folks from afar). 
While my side of the family tree attempts to put the fun back into dysfunctional (my apologies to Jenn); SuperDad’s side of the tree is pretty much just FUN. 

As of 1:15AM this morning, we’ve increased the numbers around our dinner table to 10!
Yep, we have the blessing of 4 visiting family members who come from far away…

Of course, they don’t really come from Veggie Town, and only 4 of them are currently visiting… not the whole kit-and-kaboodle!  But we are so happy they are here! 

WWC #28: Junk and Treasure (or is it treasured junk?)

I’m a mom, and if I bought my kids happy meals at McD’s, I’d have a whole lotta JUNK to photograph.  But I don’t buy happy meals.  I buy them double cheeseburgers off the dollar menu.  When I have to.  Mostly, I brainwash them to believe that McD’s is at the bottom of the Hamburger Hierarchy.

Side note:  Last week we went through the BK drive-thru and ordered 12 Whopper, Jr.’s; however, I did not take a picture of our junk food, so you will be spared from THAT today… at least here in my little world…

But on to this week’s challenge…

When we moved into our current house, we found a bathtub and a sink in the basement storage room.  This room was supposedly roughed-in for a bath.  Apparently, some people have different ideas about what “roughed-in” means, so we don’t have a basement bathroom yet.  The sink is too big for our purposes, and 8 months later I’m STILL trying to get rid of it.  (pssssst….wanna free sink?)
One woman’s junk is another’s treasure ….I hope!

SnakeMaster knows how to make TREASURE from JUNK! 

 
Five of my greatest treasures. 
 

Want to play along?  Learn about  WWC,  and visit Tink over at Pickled Beef.

WWC #27: Domestic and Foreign

 
I know I’m a week late, but I can’t help myself; I’ve just got to play along! 
(To learn more about WWC, visit Tink the Tennesee Traveler)

 This week  Last week the words were DOMESTIC and FOREIGN. 

What I should be putting to use right now…because you know I’m oh-so-domestic! *snort*

I drive a foreign car.  A rather dirty foreign car. 

As proof that I am rather normal (if not unique, at least I can be normal, right?), the first ideas that floated to the surface of my subconcious were cars & beer.  Not together, of course!  Never together.    Unless you’re having the O’Doul’s. 

Oh, And that chocolate lager?  MINE!  Superdad gets the Guinness.  Anyone want a BeWe? 

Addictive Personality

I truly enjoy getting to know each of you by reading your current postings, and occasionally your older posts as well.   Some of you have become friends that I like “speaking” with on a daily basis…or as often as you post something new!  On those inevitable gray days of winter, you have brought smiles to my face, along with the occasional chuckle, snort, LOL and even a few FOTCL (Fall Off The Chair Laughing). 

Back when I first started lurking, I spent 2 whole days reading ALL of Susie’s posts …and there were nearly 3 years worth of those wonderful gems!  I still consider it time well spent. 

There are days when I have spent most of my time in front of the computer — and no, I’m not being paid for it! — meeting new people, stretching my mind and practicing tolerance and compassion. 

Of course, I can’t do that every day, and I don’t.  Really.  But I am finding that my hobbies have been set aside (with one delightful exception — thank you, Tink, for rekindling my love of photography!), my housework neglected, my gym membership unused.

  
So I think it is time for a little break.

I’ll still check in occasionally, especially with a few folks of whom I’ve become particularly fond, but I need to take a couple of weeks to focus on making my house a HOME and bring some balance back into my life.  Moderation in everything, including moderation.   

WWC: Ceramic, Paper

The Weekly Words Challenge (compliments of Tink at Pickled Beef) was to photograph and/or photographically interpret CERAMIC and PAPER. 
I’m trying out some different settings on my camera, hoping to find a happy balance between fitting “enough” photos on my memory card and getting quality photographs.  Also, I had a bit of trouble getting motivated–perhaps because I am so tired today–so this is the best I could manage:

(above)  CERAMIC decorations out for St. Patrick’s Day and Easter
(below) CERAMIC cross in Polish Pottery

 
I have a love/hate relationship with my CERAMIC cooktop.  

(above)  Ivy WallPAPER
(below) simple PAPER cards

Yes, we are cheap thrifty.  No, you do not get to read the original from-the-heart messages on the inside.  Yes, we put Hallmark to shame. 

stupid me

so sleepy this morning
why oh why did i stay up reading a book start to finish
my head hurts my body aches in this long day ahead

I am so sleepy
Why did I read all night long?
Now I pay the price

No matter what style, ee cummings or Haiku, the title remains the same…
 

20 years and counting

A friend put this together for me last Friday.  She is so creative!
There are 20 tulips (one for each year), 4 brown twig accents (one for each child), and 2 silver accents twisted together (one my dh and one for me).    It was much fresher over the weekend (I should have taken a photograph then) but it doesn’t really matter.  We aren’t as young as we once were either! 

Today SuperDad and I celebrate 20 years of marriage. 
Actually, since it is the middle of a work week, there won’t be any traditional celebrating going on.  I have a meeting tonight and he’ll be asleep before I get home. Maybe I’ll make a nice dinner or maybe it will just be tacos.  Still, regardless of our busy lives, it is a day to celebrate and I surely do love that man!