Monday Mish Mash...

...in point form.

-youngest daughter (15) attended a huge youth conference out of town on the weekend

-she arrived home at 1:45 a.m.

-last night

-I still had to get up at 6:30 a.m. for work

-hence the point form

-my brain, it's a bit sluggish

-whole sentences, not happening

-or proper punctuation

-the girl, she is still sleeping

-I spent the weekend covering my flowers with sheets and buckets

-because it was barely 1* above freezing at night

-and it snowed

-yes, you read that correctly

-I want spring

-and sun

-and some warmth

-my brain is also "Lost-ified"

-watched 10 episodes of Lost season 1

-it's all Linda's fault

-she's a Lostie, or whatever you call them folks

-she even had a party

-I'm a little behind on the whole Lost craze

-I didn't get the cleaning done on the weekend

-oh well

-wish our long weekend (last week) was this weekend

-how was your weekend

Friday's Fave Five #90

*Updated below*
Welcome to Friday's Fave Five. Please join us in looking for our favorite moments and blessings from our weeks. Your can get more details here if you are new. Then just join right in and link up.

1. This video:



2. American Idol Finale. What a great couple of hours of music. And how much fun to see all the winners from over the years. Hubby and I were cracking up over how much older the featured top bands and singers had gotten , such as Alice Cooper, Hall & Oates, Bee Gees, and Michael McDonald that were singing their big hits mostly from the '70's. Until we realized, hey. they were from our era. Suddenly we felt really old. LOL.

3. Friends who are there for you, ready with the chip and dip, a movie and a sympathetic ear when you need them. Over the years I've come to really value true friendships, the deep ones, not surface shallow ones. But ones where you are there for each other even if you are not able to see each other regularly, the kind where there is a non-judgemental shoulder to cry on yet words of truth may be spoken in love. I have a couple of friends like that and they are better than gold.

4. Funny things kids say. This week it just seems that my dayhome kids are were on a roll with one liners. Little kids crack me right up with some of the things they say.

5. French fries. Burger King french fries to be exact. Sorry McD fans but I love the BK ones better. :v)

*Update*: Okay, so now that I have a wonderful little debate on who has the better fries going in the comment section, I am so going to throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing, and change my answer. Just because I'm a woman. And I can. And it's my blog. LOL. I totally forgot about Costco's food court fries. Now they put McD and BK to shame! How could I ever forget about Costco's fries. Dipped in mayo. There you go, now keep debating away! :v)

Oh and by the way, I don't eat fries often, but it doesn't mean I don't dream about crave them. It's a rare treat. Hmmm, I mentioned chips and dip too, didn't I? It's looking like I have an obsession with the fried potato in any form, doesn't it? Oh dear. That is not good news for my hips.

What were your favorite things from your week? Join us in looking for those blessings whether they be obvious or ones you have to look for. Let's find them and share them.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Random Dozen

It's Random Dozen time. Join us over at Linda's, who's in Lost withdrawl, and have some fun answer her questions. Her questions for this week are here.

1. Would you rather host a party or simply attend a party? A combination of both. I love to host dinners but I don't go as all out with decorations as Linda did with her Lost party. Oh my word, she was creative. Now that kind of party I love to attend. :v)

2. Tell us about the most memorable party you've been to. The one where I met my hubby. 'Nuff said.

3. What is one thing you hope for in the after-life? With Jesus, the hope of going to heaven is a promise and certainity for those who believe and may I say I can hardly wait to meet Him face to face. So I think I would say I hope to see all people I've known and all my family, including those I have only met once, there along with me.

4. What do you enjoy most about sunshine? That I don't have to get up in the dark and the warmth, shedding those big winter clothes.

5. When you attend a bridal/baby shower, do you prefer to bring your own gift or chip in with others to buy a larger gift? I prefer to bring my own gift. Do I have to say why? Okay. It's because I live on a budget. And if I know a shower is coming up, I scour certain stores for great sales and I can usually come up with a really great gift relatively inexpensively whereas with a chip in a certain amount of dollars is expected to be thrown in. There now you know about my frugal side.

6. Would you rather have a FREE week of having your house cleaned or all of your meals cooked for you and your family? Definitely having my house cleaned! Are you offering, Lidna? I'll let you choose the week and keep the coffee pot on!

7. What song describes your mood today? Oh dear, Lidna, you always stump me on the song questions because I'm just not that into knowing names of songs anymore. I don't know, is there a song out there that talks about wanting to be on a beach somewhere doing nothing or hiking a mountain trail instead of working?

8. What is something you received for your own bridal shower/wedding that you still own or use? (If you are not married, feel free to sub a gift you received a long time ago.) LOL. I still have the Tupperware devilled egg container that, yes, I still actually use once in a while in spite of it's horribly ugly color. LOL.


9. Your favorite flavor of ice cream is? I love coffee flavors, but I also like banana fudge or chocolate chip mint.

10. When was the last time you felt "tested?" Story of my life this last 9 months.

11. "[Fill in the blank] is a food that once I start eating I find really hard to stop." Potato chips! Cows caramel candy! Popcorn! Caesar Salad! The list could go on and on! Which is why my body is in the state that it is in today.

12. "-----" is the best motivation. Encouragement and mercy.

Monday Mish Mash & The Week in Words

It's a long weekend for us Canadians. Yipee! Is it for you guys too? It's funny about long weekends. I always have these visions of doing absolutely nothing. But somehow it never works that way. It seems I have hit the floor running every weekend for the last I don't know how many weeks and I thought finally I would have a Saturday with nothing to do. But as the month progressed appointments were scheduled into this Saturday too. Sigh. Between a hair cut, which was earlier, so there went sitting around in housecoat with coffee and book in hand, and appointments with the grad photographer and grocery shopping and blah, blah, blah, my Saturday totally got away on me.

Finally, I said "Stop the bus" and I phoned my friend and we had what we call a Girl's chip and dip night. These nights involve a movie or two, usually a Starbuck's coffee, lots of much needed conversation and of course chips and dip. Onion for her, herb and spice for me. I am so thankful for a friend that I can do this with. We feel free with each other that when either of us needs a night like this we are there for each other and find somewhere in the weekend to do it.

Sunday was church, more running around and I finally got around to trimming the cedar bushes at the side of the house. By the time I was done my back and shoulders were aching from holding the darn trimmer at should level so I just walked away from the clean up. So guess what's waiting for me today? Sigh. And all the flowers are finally going to be planted today, I think, I hope. It looks like the nights for the rest of the week will not dip to freezing so I'm getting it done.

And hopefully somewhere in there is my book and some fresh, hot coffee.

So before I get the shovels out here's the Week in Words.

Barbara at Stray Thoughts hosts a weekly meme where we share our favorite quotes from our reading over the previous week. It can be anything that spoke to us, challenged us, made us laugh or cry but it has to come from reading. Join us and share your quotes from the week.

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you're saying".

Ralph Waldo Emerson

From a new blog I have found as I was going through some of the archives

Wow, so convicting.

Have a happy Monday everyone!

Friday's Fave Five #89

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five. Join us for looking back over our weeks and finding our five favorite things. If you need details take a peek here first and then just join on in! This look back over the week looking for the good things is all at once hard for me this week but also exactly what I need. It's a good habit to look for the good things of life, those things, those people, those moments that God has blessed us with.

1. 3 lbs. lost in spite of the fact that my sad week culminated in a total no-control, no-holds barred pig out the other night. I'm an emotional eater and have totally fought that all my life. I did pretty good this past couple of weeks, really trying hard not to find the happy in the food, but Wednesday night I just gave in to it. But when I weighed Thursday morning, imagine my surprise when there was 3 lbs. missing. Now that made me happy! So please don't rain on my parade and give me some reasonable explanation. Just work with me on this one. LOL.

2. K. being chosen valedictorian. As you may or may not know, my oldest daughter, K., has been away at bible school for the past two years. It's a very, very small church affiliated bible school but she has done this Mom and Dad very proud over the last couple of years. It's been very exciting seeing her grow and get grounded in the Word of God and to see her mature and develop her own faith. We've seen her challenged and excited as they've done some mission trips and watched her take on her studies with great passion. The students have chosen her to be the valedictorian for the end of the year banquet. We're very proud of her. Congratulations, K.!

3. Getting the grill fired up for the first time. I finally got the bbq going this last week and have used it twice already. I love bbq'd food. And this year I'm determined to give a lot more recipes with grilled veggies a try. I've got corn in my fridge awaiting it's turn.

4. Roasted Asparagus. Fresh asparagus, extravirgin olive oil, a dash of salt, fresh ground pepper, a couple pinches of italian seasoning and freshly shredded parmesan cheese (not the powdered stuff but the real shredded stuff in the deli department). Bake in a single layer on a baking sheet at 425*F for 10 minutes. My mouth waters as I think of it.

5. It's Friday, the start to a long weekend. I'm so looking forward to this weekend. I have great plans for a late start, a housecoat, a coffee and some blog and book reading. I think a haircut is in there somewhere too, and maybe if the weather cooperates a bbq. If not, I have a pack of ribs in the freezer that will do just dandy in the crockpot. Rain or shine I'm going to enjoy every moment of the weekend.

So what are your favorite moments that blessed you and lifted your spirit this week? If you do a post, please link up and then enjoy visiting the other participants.

What Kind of Book Am I?

Saw this over at Barbara's and tucked it away for one of those day's when I didn't have a thought in my head to write about. Well, today's one of them days. LOL. For once it turned out pretty darn close and realistic fiction just happens to be my favorite genre too. So there ya go. Fascinating stuff here at Living To Tell.

You Are Realistic Fiction

You are an outgoing person and very interested in others. You have many relationships that are important to you. You are always willing to lend an ear to a friend with a problem. And you're even pretty good at giving advice! Some may accuse you of loving drama, but you just seem to find yourself in the middle of it. You are a true people person. You find the lives of others to be fascinating. You're up for hearing anyone's life story.

What Kind of Book Are You?

So tell me in the comments, what kind of book did you turn out to be and what is your favorite genre of book?

Random Dozen

Today's Random Dozen is all about the "one". If you'd like to join in or read other's answers then visit our lovely hostess, Linda, at 2nd Cup of Coffee.

1. What is one really fast, know-by-heart "go-to" meal to fix in a pinch? Other than Pizza 73, you mean?

Paprikash Krupmpli (Paprika Potatoes)

- 1 sausage ring, sliced in bite sized pieces ( I usually use Ukranian sausage, but any good sausage works, like garlic, keilbassa, even a package of hot dogs if that's all you have)
-enough potatoes to satisfy your family, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
-1 medium onion, chopped
-1 green pepper, seeded and diced
-1 - 2 Tbsp. sweet paprika
-1 Tbsp oil

In a large sauce pot or small dutch oven, heat oil. Cook sliced sausage and onion until onion is almost tender, stirring so that the meat doesn't burn. Add green pepper and continue cooking stirring occasionally until onion is transparent and tender. Add potatoes and paprika and stir. Add enough water to just barely cover the potatoes. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until potatoes are done. About 3/4 of the way through the cooking you can give a little taste to the dish and add salt to taste at this point. Adding it earlier will make the dish too salty as the sausage will release some salt as it cooks. Serve with fresh bread. My kids like to mash their potatoes in their dishes so that it absorbs the sauce, my hubby likes to leave his chunky. This dish usually takes me 20 minutes tops.

2. What is one item you won't leave home without. (Purse and license do not count.) My cell phone.

3. Where is one place you never tire of visiting? Locally, the river bottom or lake.

4. Share one factoid of your family's history. My parents came to Canada during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Something I didn't know about until recently was that they were dodging bullets as they escaped. UPDATE: Well, I just looked up the word factiod and it doesn't mean what I thought which I thought was a fancy way of saying "fact". It actually means "something resembling a fact, unverified, often invented, information given credibility because of repetition. Now that just changes the whole picture, now, doesn't it? Because what I mentioned as my factoid is, in fact, a fact. I have no idea about a factoid and my family history. So there ya go, thanks to Linda, I just learned the real meaning of a word today.

5. Complete this sentence: "Once upon a time I ...." I wanted to be a nun. In grade 5 I think. Yeah, really. One of my favorite teachers was nun. That very quickly changed to stewardess when I found out I'd have to hack off my hair for under the habit.

6. If you could win a one year's supply of anything, what would it be? Gas, please. Or groceries. Groceries would be good. Barring those two? Starbucks. A year of Starbucks sounds pretty good to me!

7. "One quirky thing you may not know about me is ...." I like a cool pillow to sleep so I'll flip it over all night. When I first lay down I always, always flip my pillow over immediately from top to bottom. I don't know why.

8. You have one dollar in your pocket. What will you buy? One dollar? Can anything be bought for a dollar anymore? Hmmm. Probably a bag of Miss Vickie's. And probably the Lime and Black Pepper or the Sweet Chili and Sour Cream flavor.

9. "One thing that always makes me laugh is ...." I'm having a sad week this week so you know, I'm really having a hard time coming up with something for this. Now isn't that sad?

10. What is one thing you could do today to help yourself reach a personal goal? Uhm, probably setting a personal goal.

11. What is one thing you could do today to bless someone else? Going and visiting my former neighbor who now lives in as assisted care home.

12. What is one thing you're looking forward to soon? The long weekend and getting the remainder of my flowers planted.

Guess what I'm doing today?

I'll give you a hint.


No I'm not digging graves. I give you another hint, but this is the last one:

Now do you know?

Monday Mish Mash

It's Monday. And it's a beautiful spring day. It's actually going to be really warm here today and all week. Yay. Some nice heat and sunshine is due us. And I'm going to enjoy every moment of it. We started off soaking in the sun at the lake on Saturday evening. The majority of Saturday was taken up with the dress rehearsal and the Spring Concert for T's youth orchestra. The kid's did great and I love listening to an afternoon of great strings orchestra. But it did make us antsy to get out in the sun after being inside all morning and afternoon. So as soon as we finished dinner we grabbed the Furry Wonder, also known as the dog, and headed to the lake for a walk.
Mr. & Mrs. Mallard gave us a nice pose in spite of the Furry Wonder prancing around the shore.
As did this guy, though he was keeping a firm eye on me and what I was up to.


Then we found this strange duck along the shore. Never seen this kind around the lake before. We're not quite sure if she was signaling others of it's kind or trying to get us to see something.

You just never know what you will find on a nice spring walk around the lake.

Book Tour ~ Indivisible

"Indivisible" by Kristen Heitzmann

Publisher's Summary:

An inseparable bond.
An insatiable force.

Battling his own personal demons, Police Chief Jonah Westfall knows the dark side of life and has committed himself to eradicating it. When a pair of raccoons are found mutilated in Redford, Colorado, Jonah investigates the gruesome act, knowing the strange event could escalate and destroy the tranquility of his small mountain town. With a rising drug threat and never-ending conflict with Tia Manning, a formidable childhood friend with whom he has more than a passing history, Jonah fights for answers—and his fragile sobriety.

But he can’t penetrate every wound or secret—especially one fueled by a love and guilt teetering on madness.

From best-selling author Kristen Heitzmann comes a spellbinding tale of severed connections and the consequences of life lived alone.

Audio Interview with Kristen Heitzmann about the book is here.

My Thoughts:
Unfortunately, I did not receive this book until the day before the blog tour ended so I've only been able to get a few chapters in. I don't really feel at this point I have anything to say other than it does start off mysterious in every way. But if you would like you can go here to download the first chapter. The only thing I would caution is if you are very sensitive to animals getting hurt, it might be uneasy for you to read parts.

Thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing this book for review.
You can purchase "Indivisible" here.

Friday's Fave Five #88

Welcome, welcome, welcome. It's Friday so that means it's time to look over your week and find those five things that stood out to you as a favorite. If you need the details you can go here, then come on back and join in!

1. Saying "Farewell" to grade 12.


How on earth do they grow up so darn fast? But it was with much pride and joy we watched our second child, the only son, receive his diploma. Doesn't he look handsome in his graduation duds? Congrats, J.!

2. Mother's Day. Hubby and I are pretty blessed in that we still have both our Mom's around to honor on this day. What a joy to have a special dinner with the both of them. The only thing that could have made it more perfect was having K. home but alas, it couldn't happen.

3. Sunshine and warmth. After weeks of extreme wind, snow/rain and greyness, yesterday and today were darn right beautiful. A few grey clouds dotting the blue sky but warm sunshine definitely winning out. I even had to put sunscreen on the younger toddlers. Ahhhhh.

By the way, did you know there is two different ways to spell grey? There is grey and gray. The UK version is grey whereas in parts of the states it is gray. Being from Canada, we adopt the UK's version and spell it grey. How do you spell it?

4. Reading. I've finished another book. I can't believe how fast I'm reading this year so far. I have finished 19 books this year. Definitely a record for me. You can see what I've read so far here. I think I just happen to be hitting on some great reads this year and so it's easy to go through them. I now I can hardly wait to get to this book that I received for Mother's Day. I just have to get through some review books and I'm determined to get through my Spring Reading Thing list and then this will be my summer read.

5. Renee's Tangerine and Lime Dressing. Oh my word, this stuff is so fresh and light and good! I made a salad of spinach leaves, thin sliced onions and chunky walnut meats and yum, yum, yum.

What were your favorites from the week? Join us to celebrate those good blessings from the last week.

The Mouth; it is Watering

Whew, it has been a hectic week! And it didn't help that I was totally immersed in this book and could. not. put. it. down! You can see my review of it here. Just scroll down to #19. I've had some really great reads this year. But it does make for crunched time because I'm getting so caught up in the stories, I just want to keep reading and the chores, well, they don't leave just because I'm ignoring them. And funny, but neither do hungry family, I notice.

This week so far, suppers have been pretty easy. Sunday was Mother's Day so I didn't cook then and Monday I roasted a whole chicken. I decided to shred it and used half to make quesadillas that night and used the other half for a chicken, spinach pasta (whole wheat gemmeli) dish. And tonight I'm making one of my favorite ever pasta dishes. It's sooo easy and soooo good! I use linguine in this dish because it's my favorite. I love the texture and "bite" of linguine but you can use angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti if you prefer.


SHRIMP AND BASIL LINGUINE (4-5 servings)

-1/4 c olive oil, divided
-1 1/2( 8 oz.) pkg. linguine
-1 lrg. clove garlic, chopped or crushed
-1 lb. bag lrg. frozen cleaned shrimp (thaw in the fridge for a few hours before)
-2 28 oz. cans Italian style diced tomatoes or 2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes plus 1 tsp. oregano or italian herb mix
-1/4 dry white wine (or apple juice and/or gingerale + 1 Tbsp. vinegar if you don't cook with wine)
-1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
-fresh ground pepper to taste
-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tsp. dried sweet basil
-1 cup frozen baby sweet peas
-3 Tbsp grated parmesan (fresh grated is best is possible)

Cook pasta in boiling water with 1 Tbsp of the oil until al dente. Drain well.

Drain the canned tomatoes well.

Heat remaining olive oil in a 10 inch sauce skillet. Cook garlic, stirring constantly, until tender. You do NOT want burnt or dark brown garlic as it gets bitter. This will be very quick. Add the thawed shrimp and cook for 3 - 5 minutes. Remove shrimp to bowl and set aside.

Stir drained tomatoes, parsley, pepper and basil into skillet. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half, about 8 - 12 minutes. A couple minutes before done throw in the frozen peas. Add shrimp and heat through. Toss with the pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan before serving.

The Week in Words

The Week in Words meme has a new home and it's with Barbara at Stray Thoughts. I know Barbara will enjoy hosting this weekly and will do a fantastic job as she is a huge lover of quotes. Please pop over there and join in sharing your favorite quotes from what you've read in the last week.

Here are the one's that struck me from my readings over the last two weeks (because I missed the one before).

1.

"Life experience would be a great thing to have if you didn't have to experience it first."

quoted by the character Ethan in "the Right Call"
by Kathy Herman
pg. 208

Well, isn't that the truth. LOL.

2.

"Everyone's trying to make me out to be a hero or something. I'm not. I just wanted to do the right thing. I mean, if right is right, it's right all the time, not just when it's convenient."

Ethan again in "the Right Call".
pg. 372

'Nuff said!

3.

"Manners always provide the automatic, the healthy, the kindly, the later-to-be-welcomed restraint. They make it possible to resume the conversation. They allow for the possibility of a civilized exchange of views rather than a childish airing of sentiment. They allow for the fact that what you think first thing in the grumpy and uncaffeinated morning may not be quite the same as what you think an hour later."

Why Manners Matter - The Case for Civilized Behavior in a Barbarous World by Lucinda Holdforth pg. 83

Oh, how I agree. My Mom always tried to teach me by remembering my manners, I am saved so many times from blowing my top at something and then regretting it later and it allows me to think how to convey something without losing my cool. I'm still however, working this out on a regular basis. LOL.

Friday's Fave Five #87

Hello everyone. Welcome to Friday's Fave Five. Join me in taking a look back over our weeks, reflecting on the good and on the blessings and find your five favorites. If you need details you can take a minute and go here and then just join in.


1. This Book. I know I mentioned it yesterday, but it really does have to make my favorites list for the week. I am having trouble putting into words how much I loved this book. It grabbed me from the very first page and didn't let go until the end. The characters were so rich and the emotions it brought out so real. I've really liked the movies Michael Landon jr. has directed and now I love him as an author. Such a good story.


2. Strawberries. One of the ladies in study group brought the most delicious, juicy strawberries. I don't know where they were from, certainly not around here, it hasn't been warm enough, but they were awesome. I love strawberries. Any which way is fine with me. I love them plain, in jam, in sauces, with ice cream or whipped cream and even just half and half cream. But my favorite way? Well, take a lovely whole strawberry, then dip it in sour cream. And it doesn't end there. Now dip it into brown sugar. Oh my word. My mouth waters just thinking of it. The flavors and textures are so complimentary. The sweet & tart of the strawberry, the sour creaminess of the sour cream and the crunch and caramel of the brown sugar. Definitely not low cal, that's for sure, but for a treat, incredible. You can always slice the berries and mix with the sour cream and brown sugar but it doesn't give you the same "mouth feel" as biting through the sugar and then cream and then the berry. Oh my. I have to go buy some strawberries TODAY!



3. Again something I mentioned earlier in the week but the tulips from my Mom's garden that she cut and gave me. My favorite flowers along with peonies. And they are still standing straight and tall and beautiful! In fact, if it's possible, they look even better now, 3 days later than they do in this picture. A splash of spring and color on my mantle!


4. Survivor 2o. Okay, I admit, I like Survivor. Most of the time. Some seasons I've turned it right off. But this season? There are so many twists and turns one can hardly keep up. Some of them have left me laughing right out loud.


5. Family Dinners where all those still at home are present. It struck me tonight what a blessing this is. In this day and age, where shift work prevails and after school activities and evening commitments keep families from eating dinners together we have been blessed that for the most part, we eat most dinners together. I hope it continues on that way. I love all of us sharing the main meal.

What were your favorites this week. Please join us in reflecting back over your week by doing a post and signing on to the Mr. Linky.

A Couple of Observations

My 15 year old's comment after I told her to make sure she dresses warm with socks and good shoes 'cause there were inches of snow on the ground:

"That's just rude!"

I agree, girly, I agree.

-----------------

So the big news in Alberta is the 32 year old fella who got laid off a couple of weeks ago, went and bought a lotto ticket to try and win a little something to help him through. Well, the winners were announced and I'd say the 41.7 million dollars should help him squeak by quite nicely.

I could use a little something myself. My chances however, I'm told, are pretty much zip. They tell me I have to buy a ticket to win. Well, geez.

------------------

I finished this book yesterday. Oh. my. word. What a great story. Talk about pulling on every emotion. I can hardly wait to get his other book. If you want to see my review, it's on my book blog "For the Love of Reading". Just scroll on down to #17. I can't believe I've already read 17 books this year. I seem to be landing on some really great stories that I just can't put down. I've even finished a few non-fiction books. Which, let me tell you, is a miracle. I've found a couple new favorite authors, too. Reading is my passion. Now to just figure out a way I could get paid for it. :v)

Random Dozen

It's Wednesday so that means it's the day we all get together and join our lovely hostess, Linda from 2nd Cup of Coffee, and answer her questions of the week. Join us for some random fun.

1. What was the last thing about which you procrastinated? Oh my. This is one of my issues. I am a huge procrastinator. What haven't I procrastinated? Ok. Let's see. I'm supposed to be writing a blurp about the area I am in charge of at church. And it's pretty self explanatory so I don't quite know what to write, so I've been putting it off for weeks and pretending I never did see the email asking us to do that. I know. I'm bad.

2. How long does it take you to fall asleep, and do you sleep through the night? I'm usually a quick faller asleeper. That is unless someone slips me a caffeinated coffee too late in the day. But even when I'm worried about something I can usually get to sleep pretty quick. And I usually sleep through the night unless the dog is hogging my side of the bed or someone opened the heating vents in the room. (I like my room on the cold side).

3. Which decade would you choose to exemplify your favorite fashion styles? Oh Lidna, fashion and I, well we just never seemed to connect. I have no idea how to answer this one. As long as something looks good, fits great and gives me confidence, I'm good.

4. What is your personal best dish to feed a crowd? Bbq Beef on big fresh buns. Throw in homemade potato salad and fresh veggies and dip. Easy and yummy.

5. Are you an impulse shopper? What was the last thing you bought on impulse? Depends on my mood. Last thing I bought on impulse was Dead Sea minerals exfoliating face mask. Now I'm looking at the dark brown muck in the jar and wondering whatever possessed me. Oh yeah, it said my skin would be lovely and nourished. Well, we'll see I guess.

6. What is one wish you have for your own funeral? I've never really thought about it. I think I would like the gospel expressed somehow in it.

7. If it's true that joy is in found in the simple things in life, what does your joy look like today? Today my joy would be bright and cheery and red and would look like almost a dozen red tulips sitting pretty on my mantle.

8. What is your favorite type of bread? Homemade. Warm with real butter melting on it.

9. What trait do you fear developing the most? (Laziness, greediness, grumpiness, etc.) Well seeing as I already have a handle on procrastination, I think it would be cynicism. I don't want to become an old, cynical, unhappy person finding no joy in anything.

10. What trait would you like most to develop? I would like to be more even tempered. I would like to genuinely listen to people better.

11. Which room in your house best reflects your personality? Why? I don't know. Maybe my living room. I like to think it's homey and inviting and comfortable. I hope I make people feel at home and comfortable and invited. It's got my personal touches of things I love like pictures of my family, little birds and books. It's neutral with splashes of color here and there. I think my personality is sort of like that.

12. How do you maintain balance in your life regarding, work, family, church, other organizations and activities, and blogging? I'm probably never perfectly balanced. I usually find I performing a fine juggling act. Over the years I have learned to say no. Which was a huge thing for me. But even now, I have to constantly re-evaluate and take a look at what is going on and readjust. I have to constantly ask myself what are my priorities and shuffle things.

Whew, some of those were hard. Who'd of thought I'd get hung up on fashion and home style questions. Oh, yeah, me. I totally could have predicted that.

The Weather it Continues

Today is grey and blustery with the skies opening up on us. With rain this time, not snow. Which is a. good. thing. Rain is good. The ground is drinking it up thirstily, (is that even a word? my spell check passed it so I guess it is.) and grass is starting to take on a nice green. The hundred km an hour winds (60mph) that brought them though, not so much fun. I could live without that. But as long as the buds continue on sprouting I guess I'll put up with even that.


This kind of weather always makes me want to find my book, my reading wrap, and my nice cup of coffee. (And I am reading a really, really good book btw. " The Silent Gift." See my sidebar. Have to tear myself away from it.) But I don't think the kids would be thrilled with a day like that so we will be making Mother's Day cards and gifts instead. If I didn't think I'd lose one of them to the wind we'd go jump in a few puddles. But I don't think I'll risk that. Might be hard to explain to their parents.

So lot's of coloring, painting, glue and sparkles are in my immediate future. Hopefully, I'll be able to resurface to that book and wrap tonight. I might even turn on the electric fireplace. Yup, when I get cozy, it's no holds barred.