A Few Of My Favorite Things

Pam over at Random Thoughts did a cute post the other day called A Few Of My Favorite Things. So then I left her a comment and suggested she turn it into a meme and tag all of her friends. And she did. So now of course I must participate in the fun.

And so, here are a few of my favorite things:

My first favorite thing is my family. I love my family more than anything and I would do anything for them.

I know this picture is a little old- it was taken at Matt and Ellie's wedding back in May. It's the most recent one I have- mostly because Brooke and I both like to hide when we see someone trying to take our pictures. We will have an updated family picture soon though.




My next favorite thing is Disney World. I went a few times when I was little. When Rich and I got married we went there for our honeymoon. We have gone back every other summer since then. There is a magical feeling that can't really be described and we love it there.




My third favorite thing is Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies. Not the chewy, soft kind either. They must be the original kind. I could eat an entire box in one sitting. Which is why I try to make sure I never ever buy them.

And last, but certainly not least- I love my Rich's laptop and blogging, and all of my blogging friends.










So, if you're reading this- then guess what? Tag- you're it! Have fun playing along.

7 Random Things Meme

I was tagged by Regina to do this 7 Random or Weird Things Meme.

I did this meme a while ago here and here, but I decided to play along again.

Here are the rules:
A). Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog
B). Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself
C). Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs
D). Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here's my 7 random things:
1. When I was a child I thought it was a neat little trick that I could put my entire fist into my mouth.
2. I had braces for 3 years. During that time I decided that I would surely be an orthodontist when I grew up.
3. I went bungee jumping when I was a teenager.
4. I loved high school.
5. Before I got pregnant with Hailey I wore a size 2 or a 4. My "fat" jeans? They were a size 6.
6. I love to eat brown sugar. Usually I add lots of it to my oatmeal (the oatmeal that comes with brown sugar already in it). But I've also been known to eat just plain brown sugar. Yes- all by itself. (Hmmmm, I wonder if I'll ever be able to get into my old "fat" jeans??)
7. When I was pregnant I had terrible morning all day sickness. At that time I was using Cotton Blossom body wash from Bath & Body Works. I can no longer use that soap because to this very day it makes me gag.

I have decided that I will not be tagging anyone for this meme. I think pretty much everyone has done it at one time or another anyways. But, if you haven't and you want to play along- please do so and then let me know you did so I can check it out.

House Meme

I was tagged by Shalini at Random Thoughts to do this house meme. So- here goes:

House meme:

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? Sweet Pea from Bath & Body Works and Lever.
2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? Nope
3. What would you change about your living room? I'd make it bigger
4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? Clean- and yes I know I should be emptying it instead of blogging.
5. What is in your fridge? Lots of food- I just went grocery shopping
6. White or wheat bread? White
7. What is on top of your refrigerator? Knife set, cooking griddle
8. What color or design is on your shower curtain? It's tan with lavender colored flowers
9. How many plants are in your home? Real plants? None- that would require me remembering to water them.
10. Is your bed made right now? Ummmm.... why yes, of course no
11. Comet or Soft Scrub? Comet
12. Is your closet organized? Yes
13. Can you describe your flashlight? It lights up the dark
14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? Glass
15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Nope.
16. If you have a garage, is it cluttered? It's not too bad. There is an area where I have some rubbermaid storage boxes which are neatly labeled and shelved. Then there is Rich's work area. I try not to look there.
17. Curtains or blinds? Both
18. How many pillows do you sleep with? One
19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night? A nightlight in the bathroom and in Hailey's room. We also leave a light on in the living room, that way any potential burglars will think we stay up all night and will be scared away.
20. How often do you vacuum? Some places- like the kitchen I do everyday. I do the entire house on Tuesdays & Fridays.
21. Standard toothbrush or electric? Standard
22. What color is your toothbrush? Purple
23. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? No, not right now. I do during certain seasons when I have one that matches the decorations I have out. But, I don't have one for the fall season.
24. What is in your oven right now? Nothing
25. Is there anything under your bed? A storage container that has wrapping paper, gift bags and bows in it.
26. Chore you hate doing the most? Cleaning the bathtub and folding laundry.
27. What retro items are in your home? None
28. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? No- our computer is in our family room. I use my Rich's laptop at the kitchen table. We have a room that we want to turn into an office, but right now it is set up with my treadmill, a TV, and a bunch of storage type stuff.
29. How many mirrors are in your home? Eight or possibly more- but eight for sure.
30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? No
31. What color are your walls? Do you know that I had to look around to answer this question? Well, I did- and what I see is plain old boring white walls. Time to buy some paint.
32. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home? Golf clubs- Rich keeps one next to his side of the bed and if I ever hear any scary noises he takes it with him while checking for monsters for me.
33. What does your home smell like right now? Coffee
34. Favorite candle scent? Any fall scented Yankee candle
35. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? Dill
36. What color is your favorite Bible? Black
37. Ever been on your roof? No way. I bungee jumped as a teenager but the thought of getting on my roof makes my hands get all sweaty and my tummy queasy.
38. Do you own a stereo? Yes
39. How many TVs do you have? 4, which is obviously more than we need. But, we don't use one of them because we bought a new one to replace it- but haven't gotten rid of the old one yet. Oh- and the one that is supposed to be used while I'm walking on the treadmill? That one doesn't get used either.
40. How many house phones? Only 1 and we never use it- we only use our cell phones.
41. Do you have a housekeeper? Why yes I do, in my dreams.
42. What style do you decorate in? Different styles in different rooms of the house.
43. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? Both
44. Is there a smoke detector in your home? Yes, of course.
45. In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip? I assume that since the question says "items" that the people and Dottie are already safe. In that case I would grab photo albums. Those are the only items that can't be replaced.

I am not going to specifically tag anyone- but I would love it if everyone played along. So, if you're reading please play along and let me know when you do so that I can check out your post.

Desktop Free View Meme

I was tagged by ZAM to do this meme so that everyone can see what the desktop of my computer looks like.

My Desktop Free View Instructions:

A. Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun.You can do a screen capture by:
[1] Going to your desktop and pressing the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key).
[2] Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste (CTRL + V).
[3] If you wish, you can “edit” the image, before saving it.

B. Post the picture in your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop just below it if you want. You can explain why you preferred such look or why is it full of icons. Things like that.

C. Tag five of your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktop as well.

D. Add your name to this list of Free Viewers with a link pointing directly to your Desktop Free

View post to promote it to succeeding participants.

List of those who participated in the tag:
iRonnie
skippyheart
thesserie
domlawrenceosb
sasha-says
maiylah’s snippets
verb

Our Happy Happenings

So, here is the desktop of my computer:

Now, I personally do not like having all of those icons. I would prefer just a few. But, since this laptop actually belongs to Rich- most of those are his icons. On my computer - the one that I never use because a laptop is so much more convenient- there are only a few icons.

So, now who shall I tag? How about you? If you're reading this- you're it! Let me know when you do it so I can come by to see.

It's a Twofer Today

I'm still playing catch up on the memes I have been tagged to do. About 50 years ago I was tagged by JennieBoo to do the middle name meme. Then while I was on vacation I was tagged again for this meme by Pam.

So here goes...

The rules:

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

My middle name is Louise. This is my mom's middle name too and was my grandmother's name as well.

L- I Love my family.
O- I enjoy visiting the Ocean.
U- I always wear clean Underwear. You know- just in case I'm in an accident and the people in the emergency room will be checking to see if my underwear is acceptable, of course. (Aren't you proud of me, mom?)
I- Ice cream is one of my favorite foods.
S- I can be very Silly when I am with certain people.
E- I have my degree to teach Elementary school.

I'm not going to tag anyone. Yes, I am breaking rule #4; I'm such a rebel. But, please do feel free to play along- and let me know if you do so I can read yours.

And since I'm playing catch up on my memes, here's another one. Many moons ago Dawnae at Nifty Nicholson News tagged me with the Resurrecting Old Posts meme.

So, here goes:

1. This first post must be an old post about your family- This shouldn't be too hard since that's pretty much all I ever blog about. I couldn't figure out which on to pick, so I decided to just go with the oldest one I have. This is a post of pictures from Christmas 2006.

2. This post should be about your friends- Friends? Sadly I don't really have any posts about my friends. Most of my friends live inside my computer. I was able to find this post- a High School Meme where I mentioned my best friend from high school. I really must get out more.

3. This post must be about yourself- I decided to pick my post from the first time I was ever tagged. I was tagged to do a post of 7 Random Things About Me- so it's all about me.

4. This link is about something you love- And since it says something I love I can not talk about the people I love. So, I picked this Fun Monday post where I discuss my love for Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip cookies.

5. This one should be about your favorite post- Well, I have two favorite posts- so I will list them both. This one called Babies Don't Keep and my Blogaholic posts are my favorites.

And now I am supposed to tag five people, but I just don't want to. So, if you want to play along- please let me know so that I can read yours.

8 Random Things Meme

I have been tagged several times to do several different memes. For some reason I just haven't gotten around to doing them. So, this week I am going to catch up on some of the tags I've had. About 100 years ago I was tagged by Susan to do an 8 random things post. Then a little while later I was tagged by La Bellina Mammina to do 8 random things about me and my hubby. A bit more recently Melanie tagged me to do the 8 random things meme. I've decided to combine the two different memes and just do 8 random things about me and my hubby.

1. Rich and I met when I was 17 and he was 20.

2. I was a senior in high school. Rich worked part time at a nearby Subway. I went there for lunch one day. I went back the next day and the day after that too. I'm pretty sure I ate lunch there almost everyday after we met.

3. Rich wouldn't tell me his name and so I made one up for him. I called him Elwood. I'm quite sure that he loved the nickname I made up for him.

4. Several months later we starting dating (and he told me his real name).

5. We dated for 5 years before we finally got married.

6. We went to Disney World for our honeymoon. We've gone back three times since then.

7. We have been married for 7 wonderful years.

8. Every Saturday and Sunday morning Rich makes us a yummy breakfast that we eat together while we read the paper.

I'm not going to tag anyone, but play along if you'd like. Be sure to let me know if you decide to do it so that I can check out your post.

High School Meme

I have seen this High School meme at It Coulda' Been Worse, Musings of a Housewife, and at Mindless Chatter of a Busy Mom. All three invited everyone to play along. It seems like fun, so I decided to go ahead and do it.

1. Who was your best friend? Patti- we still keep in touch today although neither of us writes as often as we should. I'm also responsible for getting Patti addicted to blogs. So far she only reads but I know one day I will convince her to start her own!

2. Did you play any sports? Ha! One time I joined the track team because you didn't have to try out. Funny thing was the coach actually expected me to run. So, eventually he told me it would be better if I were no longer on the team.

3. What kind of car did you drive? I didn't drive until I was out of high school. I had friends who could drive- what did I need to get my license for?

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you? Hanging out with friends. Bowling, skating, eating, football games, basketball games, or just at a friends house.

5. Were you a party animal? Nope

6. Were you considered a flirt? Yup

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir? Choir

8. Were you a nerd? Nope

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled? No, although I did have detention and in-school suspension.

10. Can you sing the fight song? What's a fight song? Apparently I can not sing it since I didn't even know there was such a thing as a fight song.

11. Favorite teacher? Probably my calculus teacher.

12. What was your school mascot? A golden bear

13. Did you go to the Prom? Yup and I ended up marrying my date!

14. If you could go back, would you? I love my life now, but I loved high school too. I loved being with my friends all the time. Now that I look back I realize I basically had no responsibilities and that was certainly nice. So, I would love to go back and have some more carefree days spent worrying about boys and what to wear!

15. What do you remember most about graduation? It was hot. The ceremony was long and boring. We smiled for lots of pictures and gave lots of hugs. I also remember one of my closest friends Renuka, who had moved far away after 11th grade, was able to come for the ceremony.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day? At school. Apparently word got out of the plans of our senior skip day. We were threatened that if we skipped our class trip would be canceled.

17. Did you have a job your senior year? One day a week I cleaned the home of a family friend. I also babysat.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch? A local pizza place or Subway.

19. Have you gained weight since then? Considering I barely weighed 100 pounds and wore a size zero in high school, I have to say that yes I have gained weight!

20. What did you do after graduation? That day? There were lots of fun parties afterwards. One funny memory took place at my friend Sheli's house where Rich threw Patti (totally clothed) into the pool. I'm sure Patti is smiling fondly at that memory! If the questions means- what did I do after that day was over- I spent a year working full time at a day care center and part time as a cashier at CVS. Then I went to college.

21. What year did you graduate? 1995.

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date? Rich

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion? Nope. Maybe I'll go to the next one. We'll see!

If you haven't done this one yet, play along! Leave me a comment if you play along so I can read yours!

Five Things Meme

Long, long ago in a land far, far away I was tagged by Grams over at Talk to Grams for this Five Things Meme! I'm finally getting around to it.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
10 years ago I had been out of high school for two years. I had just finished up my second semester at a community college and was preparing to leave for a four year school in the fall to finish my degree. I was working full time with preschoolers at a daycare center and I was working part time as a cashier at CVS. I was also dating Rich and tried to spend all of my free time with him.

What were you doing 1 year ago?


Five Snacks You Enjoy
Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut M&M's
Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate ice cream
Oh, and did I mention Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Five Songs That You Know All The Lyrics
The ABC's
Old MacDonald Had A Farm
Hush Little Baby
Itsy Bitsy Spider (in English, Spanish and sign language- I know you're impressed!)
Jesus Loves Me

Five Things You Would Do If You were a Millionaire
Give some of it away
Buy a house in the town where we really want to be living right now
Give some to our families
Put money away for Brooke and Hailey to go to college
Buy a boat for Rich

Five Bad Habits
Too much blogging
I never answer my house phone, NEVER
Too much snacking
Too little exercising
Too much nagging Rich

Five Things You Like To Do
Spend time with my family
Blog
Eat Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Read
Go to amusement parks

Five Things You Would Never Wear Again
Parachute Pants
Legwarmers
Scrunch Socks
Jellies
Plastic Charms
Yes, I did grow up during the 80's! How did you know?

Five Favorite Toys
Laptop
Cell Phone
Camera
Scrapbooking stuff
Oh, I almost forgot- my laptop

I know a lot of you have already done this meme, so I'm not officially tagging anyone. But, if you haven't done it yet- consider yourself tagged.

Career Meme

Laura over at My Quotidian Mysteries tagged me a little while ago to do this career meme.

Here is how to play:
If you had the opportunity to do a 1-year internship in a company or field completely unrelated to your current career or specialty, what would be your top 5 choices?

This is hard for me to do because I am actually living my dream as a stay-at-home-mom. But, if I could not be a stay-at-home-mom these would be my next five choices:

1. To be a teacher in a 3rd grade classroom.
2. To be a child psychologist.
3. To be a restaurant critic, but only if the calories during my testing didn't count.
4. To be a professional organizer.
5. To be a forensic scientist.

And now I have to tag five people to do this meme. So, I'm tagging Becky, ComfyDenim, JennieBoo, La Bellina Mammina, and Michelle.

Thankful Thursday #1

Last week Grams at Talk to Grams tagged me with the Five Things I DIG About Jesus meme. I decided to use this meme for my Thankful Thursday. So, I am writing about five reasons I am thankful for Jesus and why I DIG Him.

1. He died for me so that I can live forever- (John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

2. When I am concerned about something I know I can turn to Him- (I Peter 5:7) Casting all your care upon him: for he careth for you.

3. No matter what is going on in my life, I can feel at peace- (John 14:27) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

4. He loves me- (1 John 4:10) Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

5. Jesus loves kids- (Matthew 19:13-14) Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Now I'm supposed to tag 5 people to list 5 things they DIG about Jesus. But, I'm not going to- instead- if you're reading this- TAG, you're it! Come back and let me know when you've posted your 5 things so I can come read them.

For more Thankful Thursday visit Sting My Heart.

My Four Favorites Meme

I've been tagged by Grams at Talk to Grams to participate in the My Four Favorites meme.

Four Jobs I've Held

• Cashier at CVS
• Director of Kids' Korner at the YWCA
• Universal Pre-Kindergarten Teacher
• Stay-at-home-Mom (which is most definitely the best of all the jobs I've ever had!)

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over Again

• Family Man
• Father of the Bride I
• Father of the Bride II
• Christmas Vacation

Four Places I've Lived

• The town where I lived most of my childhood
• The town where I went to college
• The town we lived in after we got married
• The town I live in now

Four TV Shows I Watch (This is the hardest one for me because I don't watch very much TV)

• The Office
• House
• American Idol
• The Today Show

Four Places I've Been on Vacation

• Gatlinburg, TN
• Bahamas
• Mexico
• Orlando, FL

Four Favorite Foods (How will I ever narrow it down to only four???)

• Pizza (homemade by Rich)
• Lasagna
• Chocolate Chip Cookies (Chips Ahoy)
• Peanut M&M's

Four Websites I Visit

• Baby Center
• Discover Card
• Myspace
• Lots and lots of blogs

Four People I'm Tagging

• Jodie at Common Mom
• KC at Mindless Chatter of a Busy Mom
• Christi at Jealous Hands
• Shionge at So Shiok

I've Been Tagged!

Well, I figured it would happen eventually. I've been tagged! It's my first time being tagged, and I was tagged twice. First I was tagged by KC to post 7 random facts about myself. Then the very next day I was tagged by Serving Him to post 8 random facts about myself. I know I would bore everyone to death by posting 15 random facts about myself, I'm just not that interesting. So, instead I have decided to just do 8 to cover both.

Here are the rules: Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to tag 8 people and post their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment and tell them they're tagged and to read your blog.

So, here goes.........

1. I love to go shopping. Just not grocery shopping.
2. When I eat I like to make sure that each different food on my plate does not touch any of the other foods on my plate. Then I only eat one food at a time before I move on to eat a different food. For example if I have roast beef and mashed potatoes on my plate- I will finish eating all of the beef before I move on to eat the mashed potatoes. And, I always save whatever I like best for last.
3. I keep my cooking spices in nice straight rows in alphabetical order.
4. I love lists! I have a to-do list for each day of the week that I print out once a week. I also have pre-made lists on the computer for groceries and my weekly trips to Target. I just have to print my lists out and then I cross off what I do not need before I leave for the store. I take it a bit too far sometimes. If I come across something in the store I want to get and it is not on my list- I write it on my list so that I can cross it off!
5. When I was a teenager, my first job other than babysitting was cleaning the home of a family friend. I don't know if she (JenLo) knows this, but she is about to find out because she reads my blog. One of the first times I was cleaning I needed to run the dishwasher. Well, instead of putting dishwasher detergent into the dishwasher I used regular dish soap- probably something like Dawn. I started up the dishwasher and left the kitchen to go clean somewhere else. A little while later I walked by the kitchen and saw it was filling up with soap bubbles. In a panic, I called my mom and she came over and helped me clean up the kitchen that was filled with bubbles. The kitchen was sparkling clean when we finished! We had to run the wash cycle several times to get all the bubbles out of the dishwasher. I always wondered if there were any bubbles left over the next time they ran their dishwasher.
6. When my cousin Beka and I were teenagers we did some crazy things. Once she was old enough to drive we would go for some nice rides. From time to time we would pick a car and follow the car all over the place. I'm sure our parents did not know we did that (until now). I now know that was a really stupid thing to do! We were lucky we never picked a crazy person to follow around.
7. I have never had a broken bone.
8. I have an obsession with even numbers. When I listen to the radio or watch TV, the volume has to be set on an even number. When I eat something like grapes or M&M's I have to eat either 2 or 4 at a time. Not that I am eating M&M's with my diet and all. But, if I were eating M&M's and there was only one left- I would not eat it.

So, there you have it. Hope you're still awake. Now I have to "tag" 8 people to also do a list of 8 random facts/habits about themselves. I tag Beka, Angie, Laura, La Bellina Mammina, Angel, Jodie, Liz, and Military Mommy. So, play along if you want to. If you don't want to that's okay too! Come back and leave me a comment once you do your post so that I can make sure I see it.