Friday, February 20, 2009

the rest of the list

Well, it seems that writing that much about ME wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Still, in an attempt to finish what I have started, I will try to finish my list.

14. I worry.. way too much about everything. I need to let this go. My mom says worry is a lack of faith. Ouch! That is an eye opening statement... I certainly DO trust in God and therefore need not worry. I have that in my heart.. but still I tend to think too much. I am working on it though.

15. Worry's best friend is obsessiveness. I tend to obsess over some things. If I think of something late at night.. I have to get out of bed and go find said item. Since high school my OCD tick has been to check my curling iron (then) flat iron (now) to see if I turned it off. I can't tell you how many times I have come back home or just back into the house to check and make sure that I actually DID turn off the flat iron. I once left for Little Rock and actually had a neighbor come and check to be sure I had turned it off. Those of you who knew me in high school will remember I suffered from this affliction then too and know that my brother John and then boyfriend would actually check (or in retrospect.. at least tell me they checked) to make sure I had indeed unplugged said electrical appliance. ARRRGH. It is exasperating but not something I can help. I feel compelled to check because I am fearful of burning down the house. I once took a personality quiz that said I was obsessive and I spent the rest of the night obsessing about the thought that I was obsessive. Let it go man... let it go.

16. Onions. I love onions and although my Aunt will tell you that I eat them like an apple that is not totally true. I do like them raw but I eat them in layers not just a bite into it like an apple. I also don't consume a whole onion at a time. But.. when I am cooking and chopping them, I do eat them plain. I prefer vidalia's but have been known to eat or at least try just about any variety.
It is a good thing Brian will eat them too...

17. When I was in the 7th grade I got an award for Wood shop and I never even completed a project. I did, however, ace every test. At the end of the year, I got an award (much to my embarrassment!) My brother, who also took the class, did a much better job but had slightly lower test scores and did not get an award.. he should have.

18. In the eighth grade I got an award for "flying" the flight simulator. I lived in Bossier City, Louisiana and Barksdale Air Force Base is right there. People from the base brought a flight simulator around to local jr. high schools and eighth grade students took lessons and got to have a solo flight. I did really well. I even got my picture in the paper.
So there you go.. one award I didn't really deserve and another for a really unusual experience.

19. I believe Love is the answer. I am pretty certain that for most problems, at least where people are concerned, love is the answer. We learn early on that we are to love our neighbors and do unto others.. but to really internalize this so that is IS our nature and not just a platitude is altogether more challenging. (not that scripture is a platitude.. but I think sometimes it gets reduced to just a saying. Its simplicity is downplayed. If we would embrace and truly LOVE our neighbors and DO unto others many wrongs would be righted. ) Love is the answer. Love more.Give more.

Still with me?? You are loyal friends!

20. I was incredibly fertile and I had really EASY labors. I can pop out a baby like nobody's business. Bekah was my longest labor. While I did have some mild pain with early labor it was certainly bearable. I won't tell the whole long story but from the first "hard crunching pain" until she was born was about two hours. With the other three I had NO pains in early labor and didn't feel anything until transition. (I could tell I was having contractions but they didn't hurt at all..) Katie was almost an hour. Noah was about 45 minutes. Caleb was about an hour. I go quick.
I was induced with the boys and even on petocin didn't have any pain until transition. So.. no epidurals for me. Just hard, quick labors. The nurse delivered Katie because she was born in the very early morning and the doctor didn't even have time to get there.

21. I can tie a cherry stem in a knot in my mouth. (no hands) Not a skill I will ever have to use and why I ever tried in the first place??? But there you go.

22. I danced the polka at my wedding. My grandparents once had a polka band. My grandpa played his accordian at our wedding and we danced. They also sang the Daddy's dance song in Germand and English. It is all about how I am grown up now.. but I still love you Daddy. Dad and I both cried.. and danced!

23. I love musicals. I think I have shared this love with my kiddos and now they love them too.

24. I am not a great housekeeper. I do know how to clean and I DO clean... just not often enough. I have too much other stuff I like to do (read and craft) and so.. I clean some... and then do other things (blog). So... if you stop by.. the house may be clean.. or just as likely.. not. Still.. I will push the (crap) out of the way and welcome you in! Love me.. love my mess.. or at least don't mind it too much! You are always welcome at Karptown.

25... Oh my goodness this has been hard. The 25th thing about me???

I believe. I believe that God so loves us that He sent His Son who died on a cross for our sins.
I believe that our time on earth is all a journey back to HIM. We are here to learn. We are here to love. We are here to humble ourselves and serve one another. It isn't always easy. I fail in so many ways everyday and God still loves me. God loves each one of us and made us all unique and precious and wonderful. He has shared in all of our "25 things".

So.. there you go. More than you wanted or needed to know.. but I did it. Whew!
Now I have chores to finish and kids who want the computer.

Friday, February 06, 2009

25 Things about ME?

Okay... my friend over at Griffith Family Life did a post on 25 things about her. This type of list is also going around on facebook. Why 25 things?? My guess is that whoever thought up this list REALLY wanted to get to the self-revealing stuff. *Warning* If you continue to read this you may learn more about me than you really wanted to know, after all, who can list 25 things and not say something a little personal??

Still here??? Okay then, this brings me to my second *WARNING* I may just " get into" writing 25 things about me, after all, who better than me to write about me?? This blog could take on epic proportions. So... if you are sure that you wouldn't rather be doing something else.... checking your couch for spare change?? or folding that basket of mismatched socks that haunts you?? Go grab a cup of coffee... or if you are a self-respecting southerner... a glass of sweet tea and we will continue with 25 things about me. (or more) (hee hee)

1. I WAS a northerner. I lived in Michigan with my parents and two brothers, one older and one younger, until I was twelve. We moved to Louisiana two months before I turned 13. While I remember Michigan, I am a southerner. I enjoy the cold weather for a while but not the 9 months of snow that Michigan offered. I have been south longer (okay MUCH LONGER) than I lived in the north and so I am a southerner NOW.

2. I love to teach. I got my degree in education and most of my masters in early childhood administration. At that point in my life (college )I thought I would teach in public school until I had children and then offer in-home child care in the form of a pre-school program at home while my kids were home. I had no intention of home-educating at all. But... we are and I love it. I wouldn't trade being home with my kids for anything. I love working with them. There are certain challenges with home education (like teaching new content at a new grade level every year) and we constantly are adapting "what works for us" but it is an incredible experience. I love teaching... and I enjoy a classroom setting as well. I love walking into a school.

3. But... when I grow up, I want to be a librarian or an artist. My first dream was to be a teacher and I am. (and I will be for 12 more years). But after that... who knows? If they had offered a masters degree in library science at the university I attended I would have gone that route. As luck would have it... they didn't, so I went with early childhood administration. (Never dreaming that I would indeed be setting up a school in my own home!!)

4. I don't like to drive. I don't. I can easily maneuver around our little town and I am able to drive north , south and west (all on country roads) for about 1/2 an hour but I have only driven in Springdale 4 times in the past 9 1/2 years. I hate traffic. It makes me VERY apprehensive. I am a good driver. I have no tickets and I have never been in an accident while I was driving. Still... I don't like to drive. I have been known to go out of my way so that I only have to make right hand turns. (Not HORRIBLY.. out of my way.. but a little bit)
This is one reason we live where we do. When we first moved here, my parents moved with us, they came and scouted the area. They partially picked our town because it was closer to bigger towns and I could drive here. If I need to go to one of the bigger towns I go with my hubby or my folks. (who said confession is good for the soul?? I feel a bit freakish.. but, pressing on...)

5. I love books. I could easily while away my days curled up with a book. Really... everyday.. it would be no problem. We could live on cereal and salad and I could read. (oh.. we do have an occasional day like this... but not EVERY day.) I am an obsessive reader and read most books in one sitting if possible. I am pretty quick... but not a speed reader. It takes several hours to finish a good book. I did read the 7th Harry Potter book in one day. It took all day and it was like consuming a plate of cookies. I did not retain it... but enjoyed it immensely. (okay, so not exactly like a plate of cookies because I definitely would retain them... right around my backside!! hee hee) I have a bookcase in almost every room in my house and they are all full and many have double stacked books. I keep trying to weed them out... but am not always successful. I have an 1865 copy of a Louisa May Alcott book. I mean.. how incredibly cool is that?

6. I also love paper goods and paper crafting. Brian has always had hobbies: golf, his trumpet, wood working. Not so for me. I always had teaching and the kids. Six years ago I was introduced to stamping and I have become a woman obsessed. I love paper. It truly is my medium. I even have my own room now to store all of my goodies!! I make cards and notebooks and framed art and I LOVE it. I design things in my head while doing dishes and other chores. It truly, truly is so much fun. Plus... I get to share this with my mom and my girls who also enjoy it! Bliss.

7. I do not have a great sense of smell. I can tell WHEN something smells... but I can not always discern if it is a good smell or a bad smell. Many things smell to me like cat pee... (peach candy for example... smells like cat pee to me... eww!)

8.I have a tendency to make a short story long filling you in on all of the details. If you have ever talked to me on the phone you know this to be true. My girls have inherited this trait. We are gifted gabbers.

9. I am afraid of being wrongly imprisoned. Okay... sounds weird I know, but have you ever seen those awful prison shows on t.v.??? Prison is a TERRIFYING place. I am not saying we shouldn't have them... I AM saying I sure don't want to ever go and since I have no plan on ever committing a crime...for me to end up there I would have to be falsely accused thus the fear of being wrongly imprisoned. I am not a tough girl. I am a WIMPY girl. I would not make it. Since she was about 4 Bekah has believed that we can do anything Martha Stewart can do... NOT THIS!

10. Someday I want to learn how to play the guitar and learn to sew better. I would also like to improve my Spanish. (you know... get beyond my colors and numbers, days of the week etc..)
A pottery class would be nice too. I realize that is several things... just count this as things I want to learn...

11. Things I Hate: socks that go missing in the wash, having to say every day "Did you do the......fill in the blank..... chore?", feeling guilty and inadequate (which I do all too often.)

12. Things I LOVE: My family-- hubby, kids, folks... all are precious and good.
So much so that they get their own number.

13. Other things I love: My friends!! books, paper, sweet tea, CHIPS, Michael Buble, lazy days, craft projects, going to plays, spring, fall, holiday decorations, blogging, kids laughing, silliness, and music.

Okay guys... that is it for now. Earlier I couldn't sleep and so came to write this list... now I am yawning so will go close my eyes for just a few more minutes. Pay no attention to the time stamp on this post. I am sure it is much earlier than it says. Stop looking... don't judge!