Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
- Cuisinart Bread Maker
- Electric Skillet
- Fossil Watch
- Rotiserie (set it, and forget it!!!)
- Perfume - Clinique Happy

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
- A hand-stamped necklace from Lisa Leanord Designs (for me)
- For my son: a reversible satin superhero cape with Spiderman and Superman for my son!!! Can't wait for him to open it!!

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
- Stained glass making - I'd love to make a stained glass cross
- A Recipe Book from Tastebook so I can pass it down to my son when he gets married.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
- A set of drums!

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
- Anything spiderman

6. What is your favorite holiday food?
- Christmas cookies!!! Especially Russian Tea Cakes! mmmmmm.....

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
- Homemade gift-card holders from felt.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
- Oldie movies would be Holiday Inn or White Christmas
- New movie would be Last Holiday

9. Favorite holiday song?
- O Holy Night

10. Favorite holiday pastime?
- I love watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel. As many as possible!

In order to enter this contest, you need to complete this meme, tag some friends, then EMAIL: info@todaysmama.com WITH WISH LIST IN THE SUBJECT with a link to your post TO ENTER TO WIN.


You can also click on this LINK to enter your name and WISHLIST to email to someone. I got that all wrong. I though it was to tag your friends. It wasn't. OOPS! I'm not real clever. Brain dead momma!

Have fun!

Tag, you're it -- I tried to think of a couple crafty friends of mine that would enjoy all this awesome equipment!!!

Rita at Good Thoughts, Tammy at Praying for Parker, Pam at Without Fear and Beth at Life with Two Little Vikings

5 Classes I Wish They Taught in School

Michelle at Life with Three tagged me for this fun meme. Usually, I drag my feet on memes, but since my brain is pretty much empty and exhausted (for no good reason), I'm jumping all over this bandwagon... As usual, I've dragged my feet on this Meme -- but it was a ton of fun -- thanks, Michelle! She wants to know the five classes I wish they would have taught in school.

1) Joneses-economic-ology: This class will tech you how to Develop the courage to kick the Joneses to the curb by developing the fine art of creating adequate and balanced cashflow plans that help you pay tithe, the mortgage, your bills, feed your family, and buy gas without bouncing any checks or getting into credit debt. In other words, living with Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget without being intimidated to keep up with the Joneses. This class is a prerequisite to THINK-ACT-RUN Wildlife Economic Philosophy.

2) THINK-ACT-RUN Wildlife Economic Philosophy: Learn to Spend Less than You Earn so that you can live a debt-free life. In other words: view credit card debt as a Cheetah coming to get you and RUN with Gazelle-like Intensity! Think like a Gazelle. Act like a Gazelle. RUN like a Gazelle! (thank you Dave Ramsey!)

3) Avoiding the "June Cleaver Paradigm Paralysis": As you may already know, a paradigm is a model or a pattern. It's a shared set of assumptions that have to do with how we perceive the world. Paradigm Paralysis occurs when we poses the inability to see beyond the current models of thinking. For example: when some young couples first get married and have children, many think that their world will fall within the "June Cleaver Paradigm" or rather, the image of perfection, and paradigm paralysis sets in when they discover that real life is, in fact, nothing at all like June Cleaver's and they resist seeing beyond that unrealistic model of thinking. This class will help prepare your mind to see beyond ridiculous home models and encourage you to shape and mold your perspective in a more realistic fashion. Preparation is everything! Which leads me to...

4) The Revised 80/20 Rule -- The 80/10/9/1 Rule: This class is crucial for all to take so that they CLEARLY understand the 80/10/9/1 Rule. In fact, many people may confuse this with The 80/20 Rule, or the Pareto Principle which basically says that 80 percent of the value you will receive will come from 20 percent of your activities. However, the revised 80/20 rule -- the 80/10/9/1 Rule means that 80 percent of your time will be spent on changing nasty diapers, wiping runny noses, cleaning spit-up or vomit, nursing bloody scrapes and bruises, flipping grilled cheese sandwiches, smearing peanut butter, heating up chicken nuggets, chasing after balls, stepping on toy ninja warriors with sharp spears, moping up spilled milk and/or apple juice, etc. Ten percent of your time will be spent sorting/washing/folding laundry, sweeping and moping sticky and crummy floors, wiping down and sanitizing surfaces, vacuuming stained carpets, scrubbing marker off of the couch and crayon off of the kitchen table (among other surfaces), changing sheets, making beds, cleaning toilets, and sorting/washing/folding the rest of the laundry. Nine percent of your time will be spent on lavishing attention on your dear spouse -- take advantage of all 9%. And finally, 1% of your time will be spent on yourself -- showering, shaving one leg, one arm pit, rinsing part of the shampoo off your hair, and slapping some comfortable clothing and shoes on to face the rest of the 99% of your day. Make the most of it. (You may want to pair this class with the hands-on field trip to a filming of SuperNanny.)

5) Finding the Hidden Joys in Parenting: Despite the overwhelming reality of the "80/10/9/1 Rule", and despite the frightening truth of the "June Cleaver Paradigm Paralysis," there is joy in parenting. Joy so overwhelming that it often takes your breath away. This course will focus your attention on the beauty of being a parent: the soft sighs a baby makes when held by its mother; the pleasure of tiny fingers wrapped around your own; the joy of your little tike handing you their first bunch of dandelions; the pleasure of hearing "I wuv you" for the first time; the sweet intoxication of your little one planting a firm sticky kiss on your cheek, or nose, or eye lid, or wherever their uncoordinated limbs will allow him or her to plant it; the thrill of hearing your child say "tantu momma" (thank you) or "peas mommy" (please) for the first time; and many more.

Now I tag: Pam at Without Fear; Susanne at Living to tell the Story; Christina at Serenity How?; Barb at A Chelsea Morning; Beth at Life with two little Vikings; Oh, this is too hard... you're ALL tagged too. Just let me know if you did it.

And just to clarify: I love being a mom and wouldn't trade it for the world -- I'll keep all the good stuff and the bad!

7-Things Meme

***Updated to add... there's nothing new here, folks... If you should see a gazillion "new posts" on whatever blogline-type of software you use... just know that I'm still tinkering with my template and making a few minor adjustments. That's all.***

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program...

Beth at Life With Two Little Vikings tagged me with the "7 Things" meme... which was pretty hard to do, because I've already done similar memes, if not the same meme a time or two, in which I wrote a full expose of my life each and every time. Coming up with new things that you don't know about me already was tough! (after all, my life is an open book on this here blog!)

Here are the rules:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are my 7 Things:

1. I hate horror movies, movies with too much suspense, and especially, movies with a dark spiritual undertone. They leave me feeling unsettled in my spirit. Let's not even talk about the bad dreams afterwards!

2. I love beef. I could live off of beef for the rest of my life and be quite happy. I craved it when I was pregnant, and now Hunter loves beef too. He calls it "meat" -- which it is -- but so are other things, and if you give him something other than beef, he usually won't eat it.

3. I adore Italian food -- adore it -- but I am a simple girl, and could eat spaghetti and meatballs each and every time I went to an Italian restaurant. So in essence, I'm a cheap date.

4. When I was little, I used to love peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches. Now that I'm all growed up ... I still love them.

5. I am obsessed with details... for example, I once found a dent on my husband's truck. It was in an odd location, and I was stressed about telling him about it. So, I called my sister-in-law and was explaining the dent to her, and trying to tell her how long it was. I actually took my ruler out to measure the span between my fingers so I could get the measurement exact. I'm sure it annoys other people, but it makes total sense to me.

6. I hate change. Hate it, and will buck it. Until the change happens, at which time I usually love it and embrace it. Which leads me to...

7. I will argue passionately and tirelessly about something I am certain is right but know nothing about... politics, music, religion, art, movies, etc. And when I'm proven wrong by the exasperated receiver of my argument, I simply shrug it off and say something like, "oh, okay" which exasperates them even more. For example, I'll argue passionately about the fact that a particular song on the radio is sung by Mercy Me, and I will insist and insist and insist as though I am completely convinced of the fact. My husband, who is actually very good about knowing the sound of people's voices, will argue back that it isn't. And when the radio announcer says that it is Jeremy Camp and not Mercy Me, I'll just shrug and say, "Oh, okay" which totally deflates the disagreement and leaves him feeling even more frustrated.

So there are 7 things about me. How in the world will I find 7 people who haven't done this yet??? Let's just put it this way... if you haven't done this Meme yet, or if you need a post that doesn't require a lot of thought, consider yourself tagged. Leave me a comment if you're posting this Meme!!!

A Meme for my fried little brain...

Okay -- I'm totally going to mooch off of Barb at A Chelsea Morning ... here's an informative Meme she did, and I thought it would be fun to bore you share some wonderfully informative facts about myself with you! Let me know if you feel led to do this too, and I'll stop by to read it!

A Quick Meme

Like Barb, I don't remember the last time I did a meme. It may have been a gazillion years ago, but I'm given to drama, so I'm thinking a million years may be closer to reality. In fact, also like Barb, people stopped tagging me when I would forget to actually ... you know ... DO them. And seriously -- that's no fun, so I totally don't blame you!

Anyway, Barb mentioned that Lynne at Lynne's Little Corner of the World tagged her for this simple meme, and since I'm pretty creatively fried right now, I told Barb I was going to snag it. Here we go...

...How long have you been blogging?

I began reading and commenting on blogs way back in 2002. Or maybe it was 2001. Either way, I know it was shortly after I began working at my current location, and that was in 2000. However ... it took me much longer to gather the courage to do my own blog, and I published my first post on July 30, 2004, and OH MY, did I ever think I was all that AND a bag of chips. Too bad I wasn't! Can you say... ZERO COMMENTS for a long, LONG time? So basically, I was talking to myself... which I tend to do. A lot.

...What inspired you to start your blog and who are your mentors?

What inspired me? Probably all the bitter, angry, infertile women who had no hope in their lives. Although I was also angry and bitter, I did have hope in my life, and wanted to share that, as well as the fact that there really is a positive side to the whole "half-full cup of water" side of life. At that point, I really did not have a mentor. I just knew I loved to write, loved to talk, loved to complain, and loved to do it to the only audience that would sit still and listen. Me. No. I'm not self-centered. I promise. It was a wonderful outlet for me, and I think it kept my husband sane, too.

...Are you trying to make money online or are you doing it just for fun?

At this point, I am totally against inviting anyone to advertise on my blog. I feel that my blog represents me, my family, and since I don't make it a secret that I am a saved-by-grace mommy, my faith. I don't want to compromise that by making money from ads that I may not totally approve of.

In fact, I am waiting for a friend of mine to find a good Christian resource that will do what Google Ads, or Amazon, or Blog Her will... while providing 100% SAFE, FAMILY FRIENDLY, and CHRISTIAN BASED advertisement on my blog. I won't mention her name, but she is very resourceful, and very knowledgeable... and if she's reading... she needs to STOP, because she has work to do! Just kidding. Love ya, Lauren! Your talent amazes me!

Anyway -- back to the question: no. I am not trying to make money. Yes, I do it for fun. And for you... all three readers of mine, because I HEART you!

...What three things do you love about being online?

As for blogging, I love the community. The friends I've made on line are amazingly very deep and wonderful, and I'm amazed that I continue to find even more amazing and wonderful people each and every day!!!

As for being online... as in ... on the internet ... I love the fact that I have the world at my finger tips. TRULY. I can google anything, and just about anyone. I can buy anything I want on line, and seriously... everyone knows about Wikipedia and what a reliable source of information [ehem!] that is, right?

I also love that I can reach out to a gaggle of Christian friends with the stroke of one, or two, or a thousand buttons and you all know at the same time if I need prayer, if I'm celebrating something, if I'm sad ... and with the same stroke of a button, or two, or a thousand, you are reaching back to me. Isn't that the coolest thing in the world?


...Chat and IM?

Well, MS IM is my lifeline at work. I IM my girlfriend almost non stop, all day long... but I can't really IM out of the office. It's way too distracting (as if blogging isn't!), and I don't have time once I get home.

Besides ... once you hit that ENTER button after typing something out, there's just NO taking it back... at least with blogging, I can type out my thoughts, read them, re read them, edit them, re edit them, etc. before I hit that publish button.

All righty then. Hope y'all feel like you know me a little bit better ... whether you wanted to or not! And please forgive me of any spelling errors. Blogger's spell check hasn't worked in ... forever.

Have a wonderful week!

Four Faves Meme

I've been tagged again! Jana over at Quick, Before I Get Sidetrack'd tagged me for the “Four Faves” meme ... so for all of you that want to know even more about me, this post is for you!

Four jobs I've held:
1. Construction Economics and Commodity Analyst
2. Financial Analyst
3. Media Manager in an advertising company
4. Mommy and Wife (okay -- THIS ONE is the best!)

Four movies I can watch over and over again:
1. Steel Magnolias
2. Love Comes Softly -- the whole series (Hallmark Channel)
3. A Walk in the Clouds
4. Erin Brockovich (the cleaned-up TV version)

Four places I have lived:
1. My parent's house
2. My In-law's house
3. An adorable historic "country cottage"
4. The house I'm in now

Four TV shows I watch:
1. The Next Food Network Star
2. The Closer
3. Any Cooking Shows
4. House

Four places I've been on vacation:
1. Maine
2. Lima, Peru
3. St. Croix
4. Cancun

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Peruvian Ceviche (oh, my heart be still)
2. Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce
3. Steak
4. Guacamole

Four websites (other than blogs) I visit:
1. Yahoo Mail
2. Bible Gateway
3. Google
4. Christianbook.com

Four people I’m tagging: (if you would like to play along, of course)

If you haven't done this Meme already, consider yourself tagged!

5 Things I Love About Jesus

I was double-tagged by both Carol at She Lives, and Beth from Life With Two Little Vikings and I must say, that I was thrilled to be tagged for this Meme ... and once you read it, you may want to play along too -- so, consider yourself tagged!

Here are the "rules":

• Those tagged will share 5 things they "love" (dig) about Jesus.
• Those tagged will tag 5 other bloggers.
• Those tagged will provide a link in the comments section here with their name so that others can read them.

Here are 5 things I love (dig) about Jesus ... and really ... it's hard to stick to just 5 because there is so much to love!!!

1. I have hope, because His mercies (compassion) are new every morning! (Lamentations 3:21-23) No matter how much a person may have sinned, or how far a person may have strayed from Christ, or how mean one can be ... his compassion for us never, ever stops. It is deeper than any pit of sin we might relish in, it is further than the boundaries we may have strayed to, and it is all encompassing -- for me, for you, for everyone.

2. I am showered daily by God's glory, and majestic beauty -- it is shouted out to me from the heavens! (Psalm 19:1) Literally! Each day when I come home from work, there is one particular spot that sits at the base of the mountains, and without fail, each day I am consumed by the beauty that God lavishes to me -- the sunset behind the mountain, the clouds with purple light behind them, the yellow finches that zoom by and perch close to the street, the storm clouds that form and look so plump, so inviting ... his beauty is everywhere, and ready for the "taking."

3. His love endures forever, and ever, and ever (Psalm 107:1) ... even when I feel I can't go on any more ... his love is right there for me. Even when I put up walls ... his love is right there for me. Even when I'm crushed ... his love is right there for me. He is so, so very good. After all ... He puts up with me!!! Imagine that!

4. He has a plan for me!!! He has a plan for my husband!!! He has a plan for my family!!! He has a plan for my son!!! He has a plan for you!!! (Jeremiah 29:11) Friends -- that is the one thing that keeps me on an even keel ... because no matter what my own plans might be, God has an ultimate plan for my life, and no matter how badly my own plans turn out, God's plan is always the best -- it is one that will prosper me ... protect me ... give me hope ... and a future. I may never be the wealthiest woman in the world monetarily speaking, but I am the wealthiest woman in the world spiritually speaking!!!

5. He provides me with a joy that leaves me full and overflowing! Even when I'm at my whits end, and it looks dark and frightening, and things are just falling apart ... His joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5c) Have you ever been camping, and noticed how cold and dark it is right before the sun comes up? In fact, it's a proven, scientific fact that the coldest part of night is just before dawn. And at that very moment, have you ever noticed how long it takes for the sun to burst through the clouds? Many times, sorrow we experience can feel like the coldest, darkest time in our life ... and we just can't see any joy. But even though our sorrow and weeping may occur, God's joy comes bursting forth. It casts those dark spots aside, making everything clearer, brighter, and more joyful! It's a promise! From God! And no matter how dark your "spot in life" may appear ... his joy can fill you up, and it is far more encompassing, and far more satisfying than sorrow! Hold onto that promise!

My five to tag (if they are interested and willing): Shalee (don't put this one off, girl!!!); KPJara; Susanne; Barb; Momrn2

Because for some reason...

... Shalee really needs to know!!! More!!! About ME!!!

She tagged me 14 days ago for this Meme, and I'm so swift and efficient, and I'm just getting to it now. Aren't I a great friend? And... now that you know it's a Meme about me, you can skip this whole post and move on to something more satisfying in your day ... like plucking out your eyelashes one by one.

Anyway, for this meme, I'm supposed to list 7 things about my teenage years... the years I care NOT to relieve (read my first point) ... but for some odd reason ... some people liked their teen years. Although, I must admit ... one GREAT thing did come from my teen years (read number 8). Here we go:

1) I was painfully shy. I'm not exactly sure when that changed, because, ohhhhh, did it change... but needless to say, I was very shy back then.

2) I would go over to my friend's houses to spend the night, and would call my mom at midnight and cry and beg her to come pick me up. I was totally a home-body... remember the whole shy thing I mentioned in #1? Yeah.

3) I went to a small Christian school of 90 students. My graduating class was a whopping 16 students. I loved it. (refer to number 1 ... again)

4) Jesus ... if you're listening ... you can leave now! You don't need to hear this!!! Once, I got so mad at a boy that was mean and hateful to me and my friends. We conspired to make him sick as all get out, and when his parents went out of town, and he stayed with another family, we put our heads together, rubbed the words off of exlax chocolates, smoothed out foil with our nails, carefully re-wrapped an entire bar in the shiny foil, and slipped it into his lunch bag that was in the school's kitchen. He ate it at lunch time, and proceeded to spend the entire afternoon in the bathroom. The hall stunk. We laughed. It was great. Lord, forgive us anyhow.

5) I went to a public school for 7th grade, and I met this freckle-faced boy who I became friends with. He always was nice to the underdog kids. I used to kick him under the table during class -- you know ... a gentle flirt here and there. I was so subtle.

6) This freckle-faced boy's grandma went to the same church we did, so when I went to private school in 8th grade, I would still see him from time to time.

7) I re-met this boy in the 10th grade at a Christian Youth Skate Night ... Roller Skating. I saw him from a distance, and was immediately smitten. The freckle faced boy had turned into a handsome, buff teenager. But, if you remember my problem from point number 1, you'll understand when I say, I didn't have the nerve to approach him. So my friend did it for me. And each time he'd skate past me to see me, I'd duck behind a half wall, and when he asked me to couple's skate the last song, I grabbed my girlfriends younger, disgusting brother's hand and said I was skating with him.

8) Because every story has to have a happy ending, I'll throw in number 8 -- I went on to date this freckle-faced boy, and married him after 8 years of dating him. I've known him a total of 28 years, and count the first day I met him back in 7th grade as a blessed, blessed gift from God. Man, I love him, and I pray that our little boy turns out just like his daddy!!! Thank you Jesus!!!

So, there you have it!

Since I'm so bad at tagging people ... consider yourself tagged!!!

A Restaurant Meme

Okay, y'all ... the [and I sort-of quote] "Wicked Cool Chilihead" [because she is!!] has tagged me for a rather cool meme ... of course it would be cool, since its coming from the Wicked Cool Chilihead ... and really, on Chilihead's tag for me, I think she should have said... "...because GiBee loves to eat." Note the period at the end of the sentence. And, if you remove the "because" part, it's a complete sentence, and there really is no need to go any further than that!

Rules:
1. Link to name of person that tagged you. [Of course, if you haven't figured it out by now, it's Chilihead]
2. Include state and country you live in.
3. List top 5 favorite local restaurants.
4. Tag 5 other people and let them know they've been tagged.

Where I live: ...yeah ... I'm a little bit freaked out about this one -- so, please -- I don't want to prove my Law and Order loving husband right by having someone stalk me, so I'll give you a choice, and you can fill in the blank, m'kay?? If you really need to know (because you want to send me free products to review, or you just want to lavish me with free gifts), I'm sure you could Google the restaurants, but why don't you just email me and we'll take the conversation off line. So, here are the choices of where I might could live, which can all fall under the nice, neat category of "the suburbs of Washington, D.C." -- Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, or Pennsylvania. I will, however, promise you that I live in the grand, ol' US of A, and that's the gosh-honest truth.

Top Five Local Restaurants --

Well, if anyone has ever visited the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area, then you know that there are a bazillion restaurants to choose from... and they cover every single ethnic flavor you might ever have a hankering to choose from! So, without further to-do, here are my favorites:

1) Latin American: Cacique. This restaurant's name, when translated from Spanish, means Chief, or Indian. You will not find your typical Mexican fare here. Rather, they serve a delicious mix of gourmet Mexican and Latin American food that totally leaves your taste buds dancing as you walk out of their restaurant. I totally love it!

2) Italian: Cafe Mileto. This is our absolute favorite Italian restaurant, hands down. In the Zagat Survey for 2005, they were named as America's Top Italian Restaurant, and they said that it's "a minor miracle," a "taste like...Florence." It was also included in the Washingtonian's Top 100 Best Restaurants." Their food is the closest to a home cooked meal by your jolly Italian Nonna.

3) Liberty Road Seafood: The best place outside of the Eastern Shore in Maryland that will serve you an A-#1 crab cake a la Maryland style -- all blue crab, no filler. And hush puppies to.die.for. Also, how many restaurants do you know that serve orange soda??? Huh, huh, huh?

4) Japanese Steak House. Any ol' Japanese Steak House will do ... GOODNESS! ... where else can you go and get great food, and actually be able to enjoy it because your 20-month old is enraptured... enraptured, I tell you ... by the all the chefs tossing knives up in the air, setting stuff on fire, slamming and banging their Ginsu knives on the flat grill, and delivering bad jokes with bad English ... and NOT in a stage whisper, either. What little boy wouldn't love that, and what Mama would be foolish enough not to take advantage of it, either?

5) Pollo a la Brasa (grilled rotisserie chicken): Crisp & Juicy. Oh.My.Heavens. This Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken is simply to.die.for. It just melts in your mouth, and the spicy yellow mayo-based sauce (made with Peruvian peppers) they serve with it is so stinking finger-lickin'-good that you could literally dip your finger in it and lick it. They serve it with many different side dishes, but our favorites (mine and hubby) are fried yuca, plantains, and black beans and rice. Heart attack on a platter, but ever so yummy. Oh, and don't even get me started on the alfajores. They are a buttery cookie sandwich with caramel in between, and rolled in powder sugar goodness. Oh, my word!

BONUS: High tea: The Inn at Perry Cabin or Four Seasons Hotel. At least once in your life time, you simply must splurge on high tea. It's a true experience that you're not likely to forget in your lifetime, and will find yourself talking about the little sandwiches, cookies, crumpets, miniature mousse desserts, and delicious tea selections. Mind you, it isn't for the faint at heart, because you'll be shelling out a hefty price for tea at these restaurants, but go ahead ... throw caution to the wind!

There you have it! Five of my favorites, plus a bonus... And, since my mom is an Italian from Peru (figure that one out!), I would be remiss if I didn't include both an Italian and a Peruvian restaurant on my favorite 5!!! I also love a Brazilian restaurant, many sushi restaurants, a Thai restaurant, several other Mexican restaurants (although, sadly - we don't have any Taco Bueno's around us) and many, many American restaurants around here!

So, if you ever come out to the Washington, D.C. area ... make sure you let me know so we can meet and eat!

Tags:
1) TOTALLY BooMama ... because who wouldn't want to know where she eats! And, my double-dawg dare still stands ... you know which one ... (ummmm...taggingbethmoore...shhh...shhh)
2) Barb at A New Chelsea Morning, because she also loves to cook, and I'm just curious like that!
3) Susanne at Living To Tell The Story, because us "quasi" Southerners wanna know what Canada has to offer us (don't be all that impressed by my "big word" because I have no clue how to spell it)
4) Carol at She Lives, because there's nothing close to her, and since I know she loves to eat healthy, I'd love to know what's in her wallet I mean, what's on her plate.
5) Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer -- yeah -- I'm throwing caution into the wind and tagging her, even though I know she's slammed daily with stuff, and is as busy as ... well ... as any mom of four at home (with one tryin', but scared to potty train) could be! And since Chili didn't, I will! Wouldja please, Shannon? Please???

Okay, y'all -- have at it! And just so you know ... today will probably be a two-poster day! Oh, yes! All the bloggetygoodness will be shared right here, for a limited time only! Eat it up!

Seven Degrees of Randomness

On May 7th (yeah, I know ... I'm WAAAAAY behind -- so shoot me!)... Kimberly from Organized Chaos, Ramblings from VA tagged me for the 7 Random Things Meme.

Here are the rules: Each player starts with seven random facts about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about the seven things and the rules. You need to choose seven people to tag and list their names (who makes up these rules, anyhow?). Don't forget to leave them a comment that they have been tagged and for them to read your blog for the details!

So ... here are my 7 Degrees of Randomness:

1) I have a fetish for collecting serving dishes/platters -- all sizes, all colors, serving various forms of functionality. I'm really not into "antique" stuff, just new, big, and fun stuff.

2) Whenever I entertain (which is now a rarity with a 19-month old), I become obsessed with e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. -- details, colors, food, etc. I love to pull out all of my fine serving ware that I've collected over the years and make a big "to-do" of any occasion. It drives my plain and simple husband crazy. Literally. I will make lists of all the food I want to serve, shopping lists of things I need, I'll plan the food based on the serving dishes/platters I want to use, I'll visualize how the table will be set, and I'll even go as far as to draw out my dining room table and draw out the platters on the table like a road map, and make a list of linens, serving dishes, silverware, and flowers I'll be using ... you know ... as a key for myself ... in case I forget what I wanted to do. Then, I'll obsess about the party until the second every dish is washed and put away. I know. It's a sickness, and I confess it in front of all five of my loyal readers.

3) When "said party" is in progress, I do not know how to sit and be still and enjoy the company. Call me Martha ... but I need to be running around refilling platters, checking everything, washing empty dishes as the night goes on, and making sure everything is clean and in order before the last guest leaves. That way, I can just drop into bed without a disaster to face the next day.

4) It is very difficult ... hear me ... v.e.r.y. d.i.f.f.i.c.u.l.t. for me to put out paper plates. I prefer to manage the party size so that I can use real glasses and dishes. I know it's more work for me, but my mom ingrained in me that you always make your guests feel special -- going above and beyond to make their evening very special -- a treat for them. I find that I'm exactly like Ina Garten in that sense (whom I simply adore).

5) My husband loves to cook. He's a great cook, too. And it irritates me beyond belief when he wants to put his two cents in when it comes to food planning and preparation for parties. Which, in turn, irritates him because I don't want him to help plan and he feels left out. I've learned to be more relaxed about this, because I value our relationship more than the party -- but it's hard, and I feel like I'm dragging my nails across a blackboard. But now, I do paste a smile on my face and let him be a part of the plannings.

6) I have a "Type A, obsessive-compulsive" personality about certain things -- if you haven't noticed by now.

7) For some reason, I do NOT have a "Type A, obsessive-compulsive" personality problem when it comes to keeping my house organized and clean on a daily basis. I'd rather spend the time with my son and husband. But ... when we plan on having a party or people over, I suddenly become deadly to be around, as I whip around the house putting everything in order. AND ... I can't stand to have anyone help me. I guess it's a pride thing.

So there you have it. Seven Random Things about GiBee... and I know you were all just dying to know about them!

Now, I know that by now, most everyone has been tagged, but I'll do my best not to repeat a tag. I'll tag 1) Heather, because girlfriend is seriously behind on her blog; 2) Jeana, because she always seems short on what to say ... NOT!; 3) AggieJenn, because she's pregnant and has nothing better to do but lay on the couch eating bonbons (HA!); 4) BooMama, because seriously ... she's so shy and quiet and never shares about herself; 5) Sandy, because she's a woman who loves the same things I do, and who can't help but love her for that? 6) Lovely Rita, because we're relatively new friends, and I am simply curious like that; 7) Another Heather, because girl's got game.

Taking Care of Business

I have several items of business that I need to take care of, and one of them will require your help:

1) Robyn left me a comment on an older post asking a question about something she'd like to do, and I emailed her and told her I'd post it today and see if any of you, my 5 loyal readers, would know how to help her... if you do, please leave it in the comments, as she'll be checking back throughout the day. Here's a summary of what Robyn said:

At one time, Robyn had received a little bag which contained things like: candle, safety pin, band aid, tissue, etc. and they each represented something and had corresponding scriptures (i.e. a tissue for wiping away tears). She can't remember all the items the bag contained and thought someone could help her. So ... Can anyone help?

2) Next, I have a Mother's Day contest (with a prize!!!) I'll be announcing tomorrow, so come on back for details, ya hear?

3) Finally, I was tagged by both Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie and Susanne at Living to tell the Story for a "Show Me Your Handbag" Meme. Lucky for both, I got the tags on Friday, and I was leaving early so I couldn't do it until today. Lucky, only because I got a new spring handbag over the weekend and it's all nice and neat, which by the way, I DO try to keep my PURSE (which is what we call it on the East Coast) tidy. So ... if you want to know what my purse looks like and what I keep in it, look below (and please forgive the quality and lighting of these pics because I used my camera phone to shoot them). And ... if you want to know what my purse looked like and what was in it when Hunter was an infant ... well, that's a whole other story, and you need to GO HERE to see that! (Aren't we extremely "curious" people by nature???)

Now -- I tag Momrn2 from My Quiet Corner (because I know she's pretty practical, which makes me curious about what she carries around on a daily basis), Beth from Life with Two Little Vikings(because we're new friends, and I'm nosey like that), and BooMama (because, seriously, WHO DOESN'T want to know what kind of purse she carries, and what she's got in her it!). Now each of you tag three victims people!

Full view of my new straw purse with cool metal detailing (which you really can't see on the picture):
















Inside view of my straw purse:
















What's in the back pocket of my purse? My little wrist bag that has my lipsticks, liner, gloss and mirror, and gum; my keys; my day calendar/planner (which is much more clean and, well, "blank" than the one seen in the post I linked above -- I guess you get LESS popular with a toddler!). I carry an "emergency" pacifier in the zipped compartment in the middle.
















What's in the front of my purse? My wallet, a pen, and a package of tissues:
















And finally, because I KNOW you're burning to know ... where does my cell phone go? Well, right here in the cell phone pocket (see orange arrow)!

A Wiki Meme

Carol, over at She Lives, tagged me to do this Wiki Birthday Meme. And, while I'm sure I'm the only one that will find this interesting, here it goes ...

The rules are:

1) Go to Wikipedia
2) In the search box, type your birth month and day but not the year. mine is November 19.
3) List three events that happened on your birthday
4) List two important birthdays and one death
5) One holiday or observance (if any)
6) Tag 5 other bloggers to complete

EVENTS
1) In 461 - St. Hilarius becomes Pope. There's just got to be something funny behind that, but ... well ... it escapes me.

2) In 1863 - Union President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address at the military cemetery dedication ceremony in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I thought this was quite appropriate, seeing that I live so close to Gettysburg.

3) In 1978 - Jim Jones leads members of his Peoples Temple cult in mass murder-suicide. The bodies of 914 people, including 276 children, were found in Jonestown, Guyana in South America. Seriously. On my birthday. I couldn't make this up if I tried.

4) An extra one ... just because I'm rebellious: In 2005, Nintendo launched Wii. That sort of makes up for 914 dead people.

BIRTHS
1) 1942 - Calvin Klein - Hmmmmmmmmmm..... where did I leave my jeans?
2) 1961 - Meg Ryan
3) 1962 - Jodi Foster

Death
1) 1988 - Christina Onassis, daughter of billionaire Aristotle Onassis. Can you believe that out of a bazillion deaths, this is the only name I recognized?

Holiday / Observance
1) And once again ... I couldn't make this up if I tried ... World Toilet Day. And, you can celebrate along with me on National World Toilet Day, see World Toilet Organization for more information.

This was, actually, an interesting exercise. Thanks, Carol!

So now for the tag -- well, I'll tag anyone interested in playing along. Just let me know in the comments section!

A New Year Meme...

I got this Meme from Carol's blog ... She Lives ... (forty questions? Really, Carol! That's a lot of stuff to share!) Anyway, it looked like fun, and gave me an opportunity to share some random GiBee stuff with you ... so here it goes ...

1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before? I was a mom for an entire, full, glorious year... God is good! And, I spoke at a very small women's retreat. Yikes!

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I generally do NOT make resolutions, because I get too depressed if I fail. So -- no, and no.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes. In December, as a matter of fact!

4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes. My husband's first cousin.

5. What countries did you visit? Does West Virginia count? Because ... seriously ... they are their own country.

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? Another baby! Another Tax Deduction! Another mouth to feed! More diapers to change! More cuddles, nuzzles, and projectile vomit! Yes, yes, yes!

7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? March 15, when my husband's cousin took his life. Very sad day. October 5, my son's first birthday. October 27-29 -- My sister-in-law, son and I braveltrekkeded across the United States to meet some of my favorite bloggers -- sight unseen! Awesome!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Loosing 20- pounds.

9. What was your biggest failure? Hmmm ... not sure of that one.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Just the regular sniffles, coughs, runny noses, rotoviruses, bumps, bruises, and twisted ankles.

11. What was the best thing you bought? It was such a long year ... must I narrow it down to ONE SINGLE THING? I'm stumped over this one. How about the best thing my husband bought me? It would have to be my Le Creuset round dutch oven.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My husband. He has been an amazingly supportive, loving, and forgiving husband, and an even more awesome, loving, tender daddy. I'm in awe of him.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Ummm ... hmmm ... another one I'm stumped over.

14. Where did most of your money go? Into the wind, my friend ... into the wind.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Watching close friend's of mine finding a closer walk with Christ, and seeing them acknowledge what some might see as every-day-happenstance or coincidental things as God things! God things are the coolest, and seeing them through someonelse'ses eyes is very goose-bumpy!

16. What song will always remind you of 2006? Thank You Lord (with a grateful heart), performed by Don Moen, Words and Music by Paul Baloche and Don Moen

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? I am: happier, thinner (but not much), and richer (spiritually).

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Reading, writing, organizing, organizing, and organizing.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Eating.

20. How did you spend Christmas? At home with my family!

21. Did you fall in love in 2006? Yes -- as a matter of fact, I did... I fell more in love with my beautiful shandsomedsom husband, and awesome Lord.

23. What was your favorite TV program? I have much more than just one. The Barefoot Contessa, Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello, Everyday Italian, Paula's Home Cooking with Paula Deen, and last, but certainly NOT least ... House (totally non-food related).

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No. "Hate" is a very strong word. There are many people that I am less enchanted with ... but no, I do not "hate" anyone.

25. What was the best book you read? Ummm ... refer to number 18. Although, I did read the Circle Trilogy ... yup! All three books, and ... Oh, MY WORD that was good!

26. What was your greatest musical discovery? I can still harmonize, but I can no longer hit a high C.

27. What did you want and get? A happy family. A closer walk with Jesus. A Le Creuset round dutch oven. Okay, that one was a little worldly and fleshy, but I wanted it, and got it for Christmas -- yes indeedy! (my husband is a good and generous man!)

28. What did you want and not get? Nothing.

29. What was your favorite film this year? Oh, the pressure ... it's making me choke! I don't know ... I DON'T KNOW. Okay ... how about The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe? No, I'm sure there was something else, but I can't think of it right now.

30. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you? I went out to dinner with my "puquena familia," and I turned [cough, choke, SPUTTER] 39. There-----I-said-it.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If I'd gotten more organized in my bedroom... I STILL have yet to do that.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? BACK IN BLACK. Yup ... so thinning, so satisfying. Also -- the NEW black -- chocolate brown. Love it. My Style? Well ... Monochromatic with a splash of color and some bling.

32. What kept you sane? Je-heee-sus. Worship music. Scripture. My husband. Certainly not my son!

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I have a hard time "fancy-ing" any celebrity, but as far as public figure, I certainly fancy Ina Garten -- who is The Barefoot Contessa -- a lot. Okay, maybe she's celebrity too. But she does what I would LOVE to do ... cooks, entertains, has her own show, etc. She's very elegant, and simple, and teaches her viewers how to make anything from a down-home cooked meal to a complex french dish ... and she lays everything out in laymans terms ... you know ... stuff I can understand. (I got one of her cook books for Christmas ... love it!)

35. What political issue stirred you the most? There are many political issues that stir me, but one particular "thing" that resonates in my mind is how disrespectful people are to our commander in chief... whether you agree with his political views or not ... he should still be respected. We should ALWAYS display a United Front to the world. Always.

36. Who did you miss? I miss seeing more of my mom. She lives 5 hours away.

37. Who was the best new person you met? Well, I was fortunate enough to meet many lovely blogging women in Texas, and felt honored to have hit it off immediately with many of them, including Lauren from Created for His Glory, Faith from Faithful Mommy ... both of whom are on hiatus right now, and Shannon from Rocks in My Dryer.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006. To look for all the GOD THINGS in life! They are everywhere! And never fail to give HIM the credit!

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Thank You Lord

I come before you today, and there's just one thing that I want to say -- Thank you Lord, thank you Lord. For all you've given to me, for all the blessings I can not see -- Thank you Lord, thank you Lord.

chorus: Wigratefulatful heart, with a song of praise, with an outstreched arm, I will bless your name -- Thank you Lord, I just want to thank you Lord. Thank you Lord, I just want to thank you Lord, thank you Lord.

For all you've done in my life, You took my darkness and gave me your light. Thank you Lord, thank you Lord. You took my sin and my shame, You took my sickness and healed all my pain. Thank you Lord, thank you Lord. (chorus)

Performed by Don Moen, Words and Music by Paul Baloche and Don Moen

It just makes me want to shout "HALLELUJAH, JESUS!!!"

40. What was the most unselfish thing you did in 2006? I sponsored a child from Compassion International.

Okay, your turn!

A Meme

Shalee from Shalee's Diner recently served up a tag me for this little Meme, Do You Get My Meaning?

She has dished out a very cute list of words to me, and I have to put down what they mean to me. My words and their meanings to me are:

Buttercup - Sorry to say, but the first thing that comes to mind is a big, lazy dairy cow. Oh, and the flowers we used to hold under our chins to see if we liked butter. I, personally, LOVE butter, so I'm pretty sure my chin always turned yellow.

Bookstore - A place where I could get lost in, and get into a whole lot of trouble by spending a whole lot of money!

Pasta - Goodness gracious -- my biggest weakness by far! Well, at least one of them!

Inspiration - My mother. She inspires me to be a woman of God, a prayer warrior, and a loving mother and wife by her very own daily example.

Now, I tag:
1) Carol at She Lives, because I promised her I'd tag her, well ... forever! Click Here to see Carol's answers.
2) Laurel Wreath, because she can't speak right now, so I thought I'd let her fingers do the talking! Click Here to see Laurel Wreath's answers.
3) AggieJenn at Showered With Grace because her son is soooooo adorable and sooooo close in age as mine (have you seen his first birthday party pictures? I could just eat him up!)
4) Lauren at Created for HIS Glory, because girlfriend cracks me up!

Your words are:

Serendipity

Fandango

Cracked

Ice Cream

Meme Craziness -- now leave me alone for a while!

I was Tagged ... Twice ... AND ... I volunteered for the third! What ... Am I crazy or something?

Yeah, don't answer that. This is gonna be a long one, folks! make sure you check out who I tagged ... it might be you!!! The tags are in two places on this post, and TAG is in RED.

First, the easy memos (2) that I was tagged for ...

I. Six Random Things Meme -- tagged by Morning Glory at Seeds From My Garden --

The meme is to list 6 random things about yourself and then tag 6 people to play along -- Good luck with the six people ... But here it goes ...

1. I love to decorate my home with a Pottery Barn-ey Italian-ey feeling, with wrought iron pieces and a bit of whimsy thrown in ... Go figure that style out!
2. I absolutely LOVE whimsical Bumblebees, Butterflies, dragonflies, flowers ... etc.
3. The first home we ever owned was an historical "bungalow" style home that had German shingles on the outside that were painted mint green and pink, and had a white picket fence ... My mother painted whimsical murals on the inside of the house with Peter Rabbit and his garden in the kitchen, a topiary on the inside door of the powder room (located under the stairs), and on the second floor, a stream with a tree and fat bumblebees, lazy butterflies, and sweet blue birds ... All in washed watercolors style.
4. My current home is totally contemporary in style, see #1 for decorating style.
5. I could get lost reading books!
6. I love spending every single free moment I have with my husband and son!

II. Six Weird Things Meme -- tagged by Lauren at Created for His Glory

Here are the rules of this tag:
1. Go write weird facts/things/etc. About yourself in my comment box and on your blog, then tag six more people! (Do I even know six people that haven't been tagged with this yet?)
2. Then leave a comment that says "You are tagged" in their comments telling them to read your blog. ENJOY! (Yeah... I'm really gonna enjoy admitting that I'm weird... Shhhh --- don't tell anyone else!)

1. I hate having my feet under covers. HATE IT. And I can't wear socks in bed. And while we're at it... I hate sheets. I have a small down cover I use year round, and that's it. My husband has his own cover he uses -- this prevents fights over covers (especially in a king-size bed)!
2. I love peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches on soft white bread. If I can't find pickles, green olives will do just fine. Don't knock it until you try it!
3. There are certain things that must be salted properly before cooking ... boiling water for spaghetti or rice, hamburger while/before it's cooking (okay -- all meats), and furthermore, I must have salt on bananas, apples and watermelon.
4. I MUST have ice cubes in my glass of milk. Especially with PB&J, cookies, or cake!
5. I MUST wash my dishes, flatware, glasses, etc. in the dishwasher. I'm a germ-phob and can't stand hand-washed stuff. Don't let me know it didn't go through the dishwasher if I come to your house!
6. I have to polish (really, it's just cleaning) flatware and examine my glass for cleanliness when I go to restaurants. If the items mentioned are NOT UP TO PAR ... they go back. AND ... I hate getting wet plates at a salad bar. I won't eat off of a wet plate. EEEWWWW!

Wow! That was easier than I thought it would be! The following people are tagged to do both the 6 Weird Things Meme and the 6 Random Things Meme!

I tag (for BOTH Memes of 6): 1) SUSAN at 5 Minutes for Mom (this blog is shared by Janice and Susan ... twins. Janice was already tagged. Yay me for being so smart!) 2)Heather at The Roller Coaster Ride of My Life 3) Queen Beth from From Her Majesty's Throne 4) Karen at The Big Trade Off 5) Randi at I Have To Say 6) Heth at From Under The Laundry Pile

Now I see I have a LOT of people I can still tag! Watch out! (If anyone needs ideas on who to tag, just let me know -- insert evil chuckle here!)

======================================

III. The Longest Meme of Fours In The Entire World! -- I volunteered for this torture after reading Momrn2's Meme at My Quiet Corner (Private prayer -- Lord: What was I thinking? Why didn't you throw a lightening bolt my way and loudly say: GiBee -- These are not the plans I have for thee!) Well, if anything ... you'll learn a whole lot about me!

REVISED to add: I just found out that Susanne tagged me for this in the comments at Shalee's Thoughts! At the same time she tagged Momrn2! Well now... aren't I just the most observant person in the world?!? Sorry for missing that, Susanne! At least I didn't re-tag Shalee, because I saw that she had already done it!!!

Okay -- here we go:

4 jobs I've had:
1. Assistant Manager at Hickory Farms (highschool, people!)
2. Disbursement Assistant at the World Bank (best job in the world)
3. Church Secretary at our Church (this job was right up there with the best!)
4. Mommy and Wife (okay -- THIS ONE is the best!)

4 Movies I Have Watched Over and Over:
1. Steel Magnolias
2. Love Comes Softly (Hallmark Channel, people!!!)
3. A Walk in the Clouds
4. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (okay... I haven't seen it yet ..But once I do, it will be on this list anyway, so why not put it on now?)

4 Websites I visit Regularly:
1. Oh -- all my friends blogs ... I have 5,239 friends that blog, and I read every single one! Okay, not really ... more like 72 new friends I've met blogging back and forth
2. Google -- "I can't live if livin' is without it!"
3. Biblegateway.com -- it's my right arm
4. Yahoo mail

4 Favorite Foods:
1. Peruvian Ceviche (oh, my heart be still)
2. Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce
3. Steak (okay -- red meat)
4. Mom's potato salad

4 Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:
1. Lancaster, PA
2. Bermuda
3. Main
4. Outerbanks

4 Books I have read Over and Over (other than the Bible):
1. Abram's Daughters Series (5 books) by Beverly Lewis
2. Mark of the Lion Series (3 books) by Francine Rivers (oh, my goodness -- so good!)
3. Any of the O'Malley Series by Dee Henderson (the Chronicle Series have 2 books that contain 3 entire stories in each)
4. The Redemption Series by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley

4 Musical Artists that I will never tire of hearing: (Just 4???)
1. Third Day
2. Point of Grace
3. Salvador
4. Casting Crowns

4 Reasons Why I Blog:
1. I can meet wonderful new friends
2. I can share my heart
3. I can encourage and be encouraged
4. I am spiritually challenged, and can in turn, challenge others

Okay ... here are 4 people I tag: 1) Sheri at Shades of Pink, 2) KPJara at Can You Hear Me Now? 3) Mama D at The Tales of Mama D 4) Perri at My Life in Bits and Pieces