Randon Dozen

1. What was the last song you listened to?
Well, see I have the radio or a CD always going in the van when I drive. The silence (when it's just me) makes me think too much. I don't always pay attention to what I'm listening too, but I think the last song I realized I was listening too was Taylor Swift's You Belong with Me.

2. Have you ever had “buyer’s remorse” over anything?
Better question...what have I NOT had buyer's remorse over....our glider (rocking) chair....our bed :)...the epidural when Brendon was attempting to NOT BE BORN!

3. What is something in your life that you are thankful for now that you didn’t think you would be at the time of the event? (Something that seemed ill-timed, inconvenient or hurtful which turned out to be a good thing)
I must have missed this question when I was going over the preview...I'm going to go with the sappy and say when Mark started pursuing me :) I'm thankful he never gave up, although there were times I wished he'd get swallowed up by the black hole. Hi, Mark! I love you! :D

4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every year? If so, do you have a favorite float or balloon?
I think I've watched it twice...once was by choice, and once was cause it was on the TV at someone's house where we had Thanksgiving dinner.

5. Share a quote, scripture, poem or lyric which has been an inspiration to you lately.
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Eleanor Roosevelt

6. This is meant to be a fun question, and this is a G-rated blog, but please share a “guilty pleasure,” something that you enjoy that’s probably not the most edifying, time-worthy or healthy thing you could be indulging in. Did I mention this blog is rated G?
Coke. Straight up CocaCola Classic.

7. What Thanksgiving food are you looking forward to?
I'm not sure I'm looking forward to it, cause I have to cook it all. I'm looking forward to the experience and the smells (those last almost forever!) But if I eat it, it means that I have to clean the dishes...But really? The sandwiches the day after. It'd be best on homemade bread, but store bought will work. Then you layer the turkey and stuffing. Mustard on the bread next to the turkey and on the bread next to the stuffing. Maybe put some cheese in between the two, if not, than gravy will work. Next to the sandwich, you need the mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberries, and a nice helping of sweet potatoes. If there's any room left, the green beans compliment it all. Maybe I am looking forward to it all :)

8. What is your favorite book to read to children, or what was your favorite childhood book?
I forget the name of it, but it was a pink cover (came with a necklace) and was about a girl that was so clumsy her cat ran away. Her grandma gave her a necklace, and with that she wasn't clumsy any more. That was one of my favorite books. Another one was the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Now, my favorite one to read to the bambino is Good Night Moon.

9. Do you collect anything? (Feel free to post a photo.)
Hair balls, dirty laundry, spit rags...just kidding, those things just *happen* to find themselves in big piles around the house. When I was a kid, I had the most amazing collection of frogs. Not real ones, but glass, plastic, fluffy...yeah it was huge!

10. Gift bags or wrapping paper?
While gift bags are quick and easy, I like the satisfaction of getting the wrapping done perfectly. Besides, it's so much more fun to open something that was wrapped, than to take tissue paper out of bag. Plus, I could never get the tissue paper to look just right. It was either sticking 3 feet out of the bag, or you had stick your head down inside the bag to be able to see that were was tissue paper in there.

11. Share an after-school memory from when you were younger. What was your routine like on an average day?
heh. I was homeschooled when I was younger. After lunch was "after-school." I guess I did normal kid stuff. Mess my room up, clean my room up, hide so I could read my book...

12. True story: Once, in a job interview, I was asked this question and told there would be no clarifying; I simply had to answer the question: “When you’re fishing, do you feel for the fish?” So what about you? Do you feel for the fish??
When I first read this question, I was thinking feel for the fish meant like you had a sense to be able to tell where the fish were. You know, feeling for fish...I read someone else's blog, and they have a totally different approach. Well, I'm going to go with my first thoughts. I'm not a big fishing person. I wouldn't know where the bad places were, I couldn't tell you where the good places were. No, I don't have the "feel" for the fish. Besides, I'm bad at guessing anything. And I hate waiting. I'm awful at being patient!

Randon Dozen

1. Candy corn: Your thoughts?
nastiness in a brightly colored wedge

2. Briefly, what was the first conversation you ever had with your spouse? (or best friend, if you're not married.) (Or someone significant, like your librarian.)
....... (yup that's about it)

3. Could you ever become a vegetarian?
nope. i'm not a big fan of veggies. i'd probably end up eating carrots and green beans...and cauliflower. i don't like salads if there's nothing besides protein-less items in it. And I don't buy the whole tofu, soybean thing, sorry

4. Have you ever dressed up your pet in a costume?
yes. we had several dogs, and we'd tie towels and blankets on them to make them...something else

5. Name something about childhood that you miss (like Clark Bars, Teaberry Gum, Malibu Barbie, cracking fake eggs on people's heads with your fist and "It's the Great Pumpkin" airing only once a year).
great, now my mind goes blank.....playing with my sisters, being able to spend the whole entire day reading a book, breaking only for lunch and dinner

6. Have you ever won a trophy? If not, what do you deserve a trophy for?
I played tee-ball when I was little. Our team lost, but we all got a little trophy. And, I participated in a "walk-a-thon" (it was mandatory during school) and I got a trophy for finishing.

7. When do you think is the appropriate time to begin playing Christmas music each year?
As soon as I finish eating Thanksgiving dinner, I think about what I want to listen to

8. What's your favorite board game?
Ah, the possibilities. Scrabble, Sorry, others that have eluded my grasp

9. How do you feel about surprises (receiving, not giving)?
As long as I don't know they're coming, they're wonderful! But if someone tries to hint that they have something for me, I can't wait and I hate that feeling! So, imagine how I felt when I was awaiting the arrival of the bambino. the surprise of WHEN just about drove me nuts!

10. Is it easy for you to say, "I'm sorry?"
not really, nope, but I try.

11. What is your favorite candle scent?
Something light and airy, could be a little fruity, but not strong or too lasting after you blow it out. Otherwise, I'll end up with a migraine :(

12. October is traditionally "open house" time in public schools. If you had a literal open house in your home (like a reception) what light snacks would you serve visitors and what would you show them (as in art projects, graded papers) that would uniquely represent you?
cheese and crackers-every one likes those. how about little mini pigs in a blanket?...maybe some Coke or juice. and projects? I had a few good art projects in high school. One was a sculpture of an infant on a quilt with a bottle blocks and a rattle. One was a pastel drawing of a book and a cuppa tea. Another one was a water color painting of a sunset over a river. As for writing, I wrote a book of poems that I thought was quite nice, and a short story, too. They're all from my senior year of high school, because I was homeschooled the other years and my mom didn't have time to teach/grade/supervise 5-7 kids projects

Randon Dozen

Wow, two posts in two days! What is this world coming to?!? Lid at 2nd Cup of Coffee does this Random Dozen thing. After many weeks of lurking and watching, I've decided to participate. I was never one for jumping in on my own without a little shove, but today I am.

1. Tell me the absolute best way to watch a movie.
Laying down on the couch, snuggled under a blanket, with a cup of hot tea and some snack near by. Also, with my iPhone near by, just in case the movie is boring or someone texts or something.

2. Do you ever think about your own funeral? If so, do you have specific ideas about how you would like it to be?
I have to admit, I've never thought about my own funeral. I never though about anyone else's funeral either. Sorry, I'm not in to that...

3. Are you more of a giver or a taker?
I'm a giver, I think. I like giving things.

4. Vacations: planned activities and schedules, or play it by ear?
Considering I've been on one real vacation (Christmas doesn't count to me). We had a flexible schedule, like certain things we'd do on certain days, but the times were played by ear. We had to. There were a toddler and two infants involved.

5. What is one often overlooked item in your home that needs to be cleaned regularly?
ONE?! you want me to name one!? How about sheets? I hardly ever change the sheets. I guess I just never think about it. The stove is another one. But it's more of a choice to over look that one...

6. Name a cause that means a lot to you.
I don't really have a cause. I mean, I feel for all the preterm babies, cause I worked on a High Risk OB floor. I'm participating in a Heart Walk for heart disease. But neither of those really "mean a lot to me."

7. Do you eat a regular old peanut butter jelly sandwich, or do you customize it? And by the way, jelly or no jelly?
If I have stuff to customize it (bananas, or coconut) then I do. And you can't have a peanut butter jelly sandwich without jelly. Now, you can do a peanut butter honey or peanut butter fluff or even a peanut butter sandwich that don't have jelly. But a peanut butter jelly sandwich has to have jelly.

8. If we were having a conversation in person, how would I know if you were nervous?
I don't say much except, "yeah" or "hmm."

9. Do you have an elaborate bedtime routine, or just the basics of toothbrushing and jammies?
For me, it's just the basics. But since my son is 11 weeks, we have a nice elaborate routine with him. It's a bath and jammies, a book, some time in the rocking chair, some music. Supposedly I'm to brush his gums...haven't yet.

10. Have you ever regretted something you wrote on your blog?
Nope, not really. The beauty of writing (for me, versus talking) is that I can change it, delete it, rewrite it, or post it when I feel like it.

11. Has anyone ever told you that you look like a famous person or celebrity? Did you agree?
Oh my goodness. Remember Christina Aguilara (or however you spell it)? Some guys in my youth group (when I was a youth) called me that and decided I was her twin. Yeah, not so much, they're just flirting. So, of course I didn't agree.

12. If you were going to dedicate a song to a loved one or friend, what would the song be and to whom would it be dedicated?
Like if I called in to a radio station? Cause that's the only way I'd dedicate a song. I'm not a singer, nor am I a song writer. I guess if I had to choose...I have honestly no clue. There's so many songs out there. Maybe to my son, or my husband, or one of my sisters... I know, I'd find a song and dedicate it to my friend Elizabeth. The song would be something about waiting for the best day of your life and how it was worth it. She's waiting for her son to be born, who was "due" last week. She's puffy like the aunt on Harry Potter, and she lives in the South-think hot, humid, and stuffy.

There you have it.