101 Things About Me (make that 75)

1. I believe our purpose here on Earth is to love and serve the Lord... by loving and serving one another.
2. I am conservative in my political views.
3. I can tie a cherry stem in a knot..... in my mouth... no hands.
4. I have seen Barry Manilow in concert... twice!
5. I have also seen Randy Travis, The Judds, Styx, ACDC, Ozzy Ozbourn, Journey, Cheap Trick, Night Ranger, Huey Lewis and the News, Alabama, Amy Grant, George Carlin, and Doc Severnson and the Tonight Show Band. (There may be a few I forgot.)
6. My Grandfather had a polka band... and I can play the accordian. (So can my mother and my son.)
7. I like baseball movies.
8. I love to read. Historical fiction is my favorite genre.
9. I twirled flag in high school and college.
10. I absolutely LOVE blue glass canning jars. (the old ones.) It really is sort of a sickness.. I am obsessed.
11. I learned how to make a great biscuit this year.
12. I can also play the piano (a teeny bit... and I played the saxophone in high school and college... though not very well.)
13. I organize my closet by color... rainbow order usually with brown, black and white at the end. Brian would not let me do this with his clothes.
14. I have four children who I love and adore... and they think I am a door too!
15. I married a younger man... Brian is one month younger than I am.
16. The best sound in the world is my kids laughing.
17. Country Living is my favorite magazine.... I loved Cottage Living too... but they don't publish it anymore.
18. I was born in Wyoming and lived in Northern Michigan until I was 12.
19. I lived in Louisiana for 11 years... then Florida for 6... we have been just over 13.
19. I consider myself a Southerner.
20. I love sweet tea.
21. When I talk to my friends from Southern Arkansas and Louisiana... my accent comes back.
(Brian.. and the kids can always tell when I have talked to someone who lives further south.)
22. I majored in Education and taught public school for 3 years.
23. I was a waitress for 2 months.
24. I worked at a racetrack. I was an usherette and I seated people.
25. I enjoy paper crafts. I make cards and decorate notebooks and do some framed projects too.
26. I wish I were a better writer. My thoughts sound so good in my head... but when I write them down... not so much.
27. I wish I liked to exercise... but.....again... not so much.
28. When I was in PE I was the last one picked and the first one out. I am not athletically inclined!
29. I DO like to eat.
30. I make a lot of lists... and schedules. I usually do get to my lists... but the schedules rarely work out as planned. Both Brian and Bekah have kindly suggested I just use the schedules and lists I have already made instead of making new ones.
31. I worry too much about what other people think.
32. I am often afraid that I have unintentionally offended someone.
33. I generally feel like I haven't accomplished enough. (my kids feel this now too.. so I am trying hard to change the verbage I use.)
34. I talk to my parents every day... (to my Mom more than once a day usually.)
35.  I LOVE to hear kids sing... but it also makes me cry.
36.  I  read relatively fast... but Bekah reads faster... and retains more.
37.  I read the 7th Harry Potter book in one day.
38.  I Saran Wrapped Brian's car once when we were in college.
39.  I am not a good singer... but I like to sing.
40.  When Brian is out of town I stay up way too late...waaaay too late.  I don't plan too... I just do.  The house is lonely without him even though other people are here.
41.  Brian thinks I have some OCD tendencies... he says they're cute.  Am I obsessing if I wonder what they are?  ;)
42.  I know what they are... they are slightly obsessive but not in an annoying way.. I hope.
43. I played a fork and a villager in Beauty and the Beast.
44. I played the wife of an efficiency expert in Cheaper by the Dozen.  If you know Brian at all you will know I wasn't acting.  If you saw the play you know Katie played  (one of ) my daughters.  (again not acting!)
45. I like to sing Karaoke.. but not in public.  My brother and sister-in-law have a pretty impressive set-up and we sing whenever we are together.
46.  I grew up swimming in Lake Huron.. one of the Great Lakes.  It was very cold.
47.  I was born on the cusp of the Zodiac table and so "my sign" varies sometimes depending on which chart you read.  Brian was born on the cusp too.. so we never know who we are!
48.  I don't believe at all in the Zodiac thing.. but most people have at least looked up their sign.
49.  Homemade toffee is probably my favorite homemade treat.  My friend Sam makes it at Christmas.  I learned how to make it too and I won't tell how much of it I can eat myself.  I will tell you I only make it once a year.
50.  I have talked about losing 20 pounds for about 10 years (no coincidence this is also the age of my youngest)  Perhaps this is the year I do it.
51.  I like to watch British period movies on t.v. (netflix)
52.  The girls and I have watched MANY (most?) of the versions of Pride and Prejudice.. including the Bali-wood one.
53.  I love the Anne of Green Gables series.
54.  I am quite compulsive about reading and have been know to read a book in one sitting.. but then again I stay up too late.
55.  The week before Noah was born I read a book every night.  I was in pain-free early labor and could not sleep.
56.  Not to share too much... but I had very easy, short deliveries for all of my children.
57.  My biggest baby weighed almost 10 pounds. (guess which one?)
58. I am not at all sure that there are 101 things about me worth sharing...... hhrrmmmm
59.  I am blessed with good friends.
60.  I think I am a good friend.  I try to be.
61.  I love babies.  Truly.  Love to kiss their smooshy faces.  I once kissed Katie to sleep when she was a baby.
62.  My mom and I often trade around things in our homes... curtains... linens.. things like that.  We like the change.
63.  I really like teaching.  I love history and literature the best.  I love maps.
64.  I homeschool my children... don't think I said that yet.  Bekah graduated last year and is in college. So.. yeah me!  My first graduate.
65.  I also teach Sunday School.
66.  I spent this past summer as a children's librarian at our local library.
67.  I had 3 chickens.. and they were beautiful before they met an untimely death... my previous flock of four chickens were massacred in their coop.  Tragedy.. but I plan to try again.
68.  I would like to be a gardener...at least in theory... but guess what people?  It is a lot of work.
69.  I spend too much time doing other things... and my house gets pretty dusty.. I am trying to vacuum more though.
70.  I like old stuff.. vintage... think.. 1940's or 50's.  Especially for the kitchen.
71.   I watch too much t.v.  my latest nemesis Downton Abbey
72.  I like to go Christmas Caroling... when it is cold... door to door.
73.  Last year for Halloween I dressed up like a man.  I darkened my eyebrows and used brown eye shadow for whiskers.  People I know didn't recognize me.  I sort of looked like my Uncle Chris.
74.  I am only the 3rd generation born in America on my mom's side of the family.
75.  My dad's side of the family is Polish.

Hello again, my friend.

Just returned from book-club at our local library.  Mom and I have been attending off and on for years.  We are "original" members.  I haven't read every selection they have picked but I have read many and a few I would not have read otherwise.  I  enjoy the discussion.  I believe that book-club has helped in my discussions with the kids about their books.  I love peeling back the layers.. starting with basic plot-lines and moving on into character analysis.  Does this character ring true?  Would she really do that?  Would he?  What about the ending?   Plausible?  too neat?  I often find that I have more to say after I have driven home.  Many times I have made that last minute call back to Mom to say just one more thing about the book.

We are critical.  We dissect.  I love it.   It is enjoyable to come together with others who share my love of books and to talk and laugh and think.  Funny that I find it quite challenging to even put together a few carefully worded paragraphs for this blog.  Perhaps with practice, I will improve.  Until then, I plan to keep reading, and laughing, and learning, and thinking as I continue to read good books.

Success??

Have you ever used fadge in a sentence?  It makes me think of fudge but it has actually quite a different meaning.  It can mean to agree or a package of wool in a wool-bale that weighs a specified amount.. or in the quote I am referring to: succeed.  "How will this fadge?"

 Perhaps a good quote for this attempt at blogging.  It has been awhile since I was last here.  I have spent some time on Pinterest of late.  I must say I do enjoy scrolling through the pictures but it is far too easy to spend my time looking at what I might do rather than doing what I should do.

A friend mentioned that I haven't been here in a while and so I thought perhaps I would drop by and spruce up the place with a new skin and header.  (It is so much easier to do now than when I first started.) Brush out the cobwebs of my brain perhaps and try again to put thoughts on virtual paper.

Alas, now that I have started it is quite late and I do have much to do tomorrow.  Still I have a few thoughts mulling around and so I hope to be back soon.

So... it's been a while

Every now and then I look at this blog and I think... hhhmmm .... maybe I should post something. Then I think...... hhhmmmm .... who would want to read it... but is that really the point? I am not sure. The very act of putting thoughts on paper is cathartic and should in and of itself be enough. I read a few blogs..... some about crafts, some about decorating, some about religion, some about home school. There are a lot of women out there with a lot to say. The "popular" bloggers are just ordinary women... not unlike myself. Perhaps they are better at putting thought to paper.... but they are still just regular gals.... with families and husbands... trying to get things done.

I really like the creative aspect of the blog.... the layout and design. I would love to be able to do that... actually write code. Bekah figured out how to make her own background. Pretty incredible. She edits my header photos for me too. So... perhaps I will once again start writing out here. I had a friend tell me how to "get" readers. I am not sure I will do that.. at least not yet. I may just get my feet wet again.

So for now... I am looking forward to summer. Working on my house... and perhaps the creative endeavor of this blog. We will see how it goes!

Just the facts Ma'am

So... Brian is going to China.. again! He leaves tomorrow and will be gone for two weeks. He will then come home for a few (4) days and then leave for Vegas. ARGH
He hasn't had to travel since November so I really can't complain (much) but I do miss him so when he is gone!

In other news... we are working, working, working on Prom. AND we aren't finished yet. Need more fish.. gotta order the candy molds.. etc.. etc.. etc.. But.. I think I might actually pull the whole thing off!!

I was sick this week, now Noah and Katie have it. A real head cold and congestion thing with a low fever. Just sick enough to make you tired and it is a bit hard to breathe!! So.. trying to come back from that.

The kids had their play on Saturday night last... it was great! I will post a picture or two soon.
Okay.. I have work so must jet. I really DO want to post more often.. hrm.. gotta make better choices you know!

He is Risen

Don't you feel sort of renewed?! He is RISEN!! Spring is here.

I was going to blog last week about Holy Week but I wasn't able to articulate exactly what I was feeling. Suffice it to say we had a very reflective and prayer filled Holy Week and now we can rejoice!! Easter is such a wonderful celebration. We had a lovely day and I hope you did too!!

What we do in our spare time!

Good morning! I want to write a longer post.. I have more pictures to put up too... in the mean time you can feast your eyes on this group of out-laws... beware... they look like a tough bunch!
By the way... at least on my computer.. if you click on the image you can see an enlarged version.

Hi there!

First off.... how much do you love my new blog background?? Pretty darn cute eh?? And the header.... thanks to Prima Donna for helping me out with that one. She fixed me up pretty well.

I haven't written lately... but we finished up the play. It went rather well and thanks to any of you who came out and saw us. Sunshine was fabulous!! We then had a lovely week in Branson right after the play closed with my folks. Saw several shows and other attractions. It was very enjoyable and we are now getting back to normal as it were.. whatever normal really is!

School is going okay and I am planning a housewide purge of all of the things that we are storing and not using. Perhaps we will have a garage sale??? Maybe... or just one big donation to goodwill!!

I am EXTREMELY upset about the passage of the health care bill. I will comment more later after I have had time to think out what I really want to say about that... while we as Americans can still freely express what we think about that. hhrmm

Had a lovely visit with a friend on Saturday and we went to a flea market.. my FAVORITE place to shop. Got a few treasures. Drooled and dreamed over many more. Found a turquoise and red bait bucket that I LOVED.. but couldn't think of a practical use for it.. so had to leave it there.
Sigh...

Now I am just rambling and so should go. In order to "keep" readers I am supposed to have a purpose for my blog... if I knew what my purpose was... well then.. I would be doing that and not sitting here... hehe Just kidding.

I will try to ponder a more thought out post for you soon. (dear reader)
Good Night!