About Me

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
Nope, and I hope it never happens!

2. Do you close your eyes on a roller coaster?
What??? And miss all the fun?

3. When's the last time you've been sledding?
Oh, goodness...years!

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?
Besides with my DH, alone. You get more stretching room that way! ;o)

5. Do you believe in ghosts?
Dont you??

6. Do you consider yourself creative?
Yeahrightokwhatever! Why do you think I scraplift so many folks? lol

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?
Who knows. Sure seemed to have been alot of coincidences, tho.

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie? (silly, I know ... but very "now")
Jennifer Aniston. She seems alot more "down-to-earth", you know?

9. Can you honestly say you know ANYTHING about politics?
Sure do! I know that I dont want anything to do with politics!

10. Do you know how to play poker?
No, but I'm an expert at losing at poker!

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
Yeppers. I went to college!

12. What's your favorite commercial?
Ok, I'm gonna age myself here, but...."Where's the beef?" :oD

13. Who was your first love?
Gregg Hayes Silkman, my college sweetheart (but not my DH)

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around you, do you run a red light?
No way! With my luck there'd be a policeman right around the corner!!

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?
Yep. Wanna know what it is?

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees?
Yankees all the way!!

17. Have you ever been Ice Skating?
No, but I've tried to ice skate before. Does that count?

18. How often do you remember your dreams?
Shoot, I cant remember my own name half the time, and here you want me to remember my dreams? Sure!!

19. What's the one thing on your mind?
"Where did I put those dang car keys?!!"

20. Do you always wear your seat belt?
Always!

21. What talent do you wish you had?
Ability to play piano without music. Dang my classic training!

22. Do you like Sushi?
Only if it's cooked. hehe

23. What do you wear to bed?
Shorts & a t-shirt.

24. Do you truly hate anyone?
No, I try not to hate anyone. I do, however, extremely dislike a few folks.

25. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be?
Hehe...I'm not tellin!!!!

26. Do you know anyone in jail?
No, but I know someone who was arrested a few times.

27. What food do you find disgusting?
Liver and onions...YUCKY!!!!

28. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?
No. I believe in "Do unto others...."

29. Have you ever been punched in the face?
Yes, by my older brother. It's ok, though. I chased him down the street with a butcher knife! hehe

30. Do you believe in angels and demons?
Dont you?

What advice would I give my younger self??

I cant honestly answer that. If I were to follow my own advice, I would not have the wonderful husband and daughters that I now have. My life would be completely different!!

Now, if I could have the same family I ended up with, I would tell myself to stay away from drugs and alcohol, stick with college, and keep my nose clean.

Favorite Family Recipe

Growing up, we had a tradition in our family...Mom always made her wonderful Red Velvet Cake for holidays, birthdays, and special occassions. This wasnt just any Red Velvet Cake...it was my Mom's cake! My brother and I especially loved September-October...his birthday is Sep 24, my folks anniversary is Oct 1, and my birthday is Oct 7. My mom had to make a cake for all three events. We would eat the cake that quickly!! It makes for a wonderful breakfast, just include a large glass of ice-cold milk...YUMMY!!!

When I went away to college my Freshman year, Mom sent me a care package in October. In it she included two red velvet cakes...9x13 and 8x8. The larger pan was for me to share with my roommates, the smaller was for just me!! I was in "hog heaven" that day!! Who needed family around when you have Mom's red velvet cake??!!!!

I am now carrying on the same tradition with my family. It's a bear to make, and the recipe card is getting harder & harder to read (thanks to my messiness), but the cake turns out great every time!

I'll be scrapping the recipe and will try to post a snapshot of the layout here.

My version of the "ideal" party

1. As many of my friends as there is room for
2. Finger-foods, such as:sausage-cheeseballs, pig-n-blankets, chips/dip, veggies, etc
3. Lower volumed music. Loud music is too distracting. Whatever genre is most liked by everyone
4. Not too many decorations. Keep it simple
5. Held in our sunroom. Lots of windows and lots of room
6. We can talk about anything that comes up. Open topic
7. As for party games, I have no idea. I usually leave that up to the guests. Whatever they feel like playing is okay with me.

So...who's coming to my party? hehe

When I was a teenager...

the Dead Sea was just sick. :oP

Seriously,though, my teenage years weren't my favorite. I was a loner, yet hung out with other "losers" at my high school. If I wasn't in school, I was alone. I was not involved in extra-curricular activities, nor did I work until my Senior year. I did okay with my grades, but probably could have done better.

At home, it wasn't much better. I suffered from depression, thanks to my emotionally and verbally abusive father. He never laid a hand on us, but we never knew when he would take a hankering to. My brother was verbally abusive during his adolescent years, to myself and to our mother. Mom, bless her heart, tried to make up for the lack of love coming from my dad and brother. I love her so much for that!

My adolescent years were uneventful. With a dad and brother like I had, there was no room for anyone else in the family to be abusive. I just did what I was told and kept my distance.

Thankfully, both my dad and my brother have changed. Dad went through a life-threatening bought of colon cancer and completly turned his life around. I finally have a Dad!! My brother still has a bit to go on controling his anger, but is nothing like he was as a teenager. I have discovered medication for my depression, and have a wonderful husband and family that is supportive of me. That has made a world of difference in my life.

Way back when...

Someone thought it would be great for us to describe our first foray into the wonderful world of computers. Well...it's time for a history lesson!

Way back when...I think it was 1976, my Algebra I teacher in high school thought it would help us understand algebra if he put it into computer terms. He taught us a little about BASIC computer programming. The best part about our lessons was that he took us to the local community college for hands-on experience. That's when I fell in love with computers.

Four years later, when I enrolled in said community college, Dad went out and bought me the "top-of-the-line" Franklin Ace computer, complete with modem!! I was in awe. I could actually do my programming homework at home, not in the nasty, smelly computer lab! I was in hog heaven!

Several years, and a marriage and 3 kids, later...I discovered the wonderful world of being online. Granted, it wasnt the internet as you know it now. No ma'am! It was the wonderful world of bulletin boards! Yippee!! Needless to say, it was a far cry from the internet, but it was a means to contact folks in another area...though not too far away.

Today, I have 2 top-of-the-line desktops, as well as 2 top-of-the-line laptops, all the electronic gadgets that's available, and am still itching for more!

How bad have you got it? I got it pretty bad!!

What I am most thankful for...

is my family. I have been blessed with three beautiful, wonderful daughters. With the oldest has come a wonderful son-in-love. My husband is the bestest in the world!! (Yes, biased opinion here!) He always puts our family's wants and needs above his own, no matter what. He has been a wonderful provider and the best dad. We have a surrogate son (a young man who's living with us right now) who is on fire for the Lord. His sister, who also lived with us for a year or so, is our surrogate daughter. Her little girl is our adopted granddaughter.

If it weren't for my family, I would be nothing. There would be no reason to function. They are my life and I thank God for them every day!!

My earliest memory...

My earliest memory is of our foster brothers when I was young. I guess it was way back in 1968, which would make me about 7 yrs old. My parents took in a couple of brothers for a few months. One of them had a terrible lisp. I remember him being really shy. The best memory of these brothers is the birthday party we gave the youngest one. Bless his heart, with his lisp, he couldnt blow out the candles. He asked all of us kids to help, which we gladly obliged. My mom gave me some of the photos of the birthday party to scrap, which I'll do later today.

My memory is so terrible, I'm surprised I remember!!

My computer space...

is a mess!! We have a small office space in our house that is used for the computer room. We have a medium sized desk that is grossly overstuffed with various things, ranging from papers to electronics to peripherals. I also have a small desk that is supposed to be for paper scrapping, but it's holding more photos and computer equipment. My husband has a small card table in the room that he uses for paying bills. I also have a bookcase in the room that my dad built when I was in elementary school. We wont say how long ago that's been!

There is one small window with a green-striped french curtain. The walls are a wonderful shade of blue (no, they dont exactly match, but still look nice together) and the carpet is tan colored. The walls are covered with various certificates and awards that my husband and I have been awarded through the years.

Since I now have a laptop, my "computer room" is wherever I'm sitting. Presently, it's the livingroom couch.

What was I thinking....

when I woke this morning? My first thought was..."Man, it's too early to get up!". Then, I thought, "Brad's surgery is today!" (DH had a fatty mass removed from his chest. My third thought this morning was, "We leave for Charlotte this afternoon!! It's time, it's time!!!!" WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

Ok, this will be my last post until next week. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Goodbyes

I dont like goodbyes. Never have...never will. Being a military wife, I've had to experience way too many of them. When it does come time, I'm usually a combination crier/hugger/"see ya later" type of person. I know that I probably will never see the person again, but "goodbye" seems so permanent. I'm a hugger by nature, so that's what I do. As for the crying, I didnt used to. I had been all "tough as nails" and all. Then, I went through a life changing experience that has altered my emotional life all together. I'm much more caring, tender, and cry-ish now. Heck, I even cry over tv commercials! I think it's partly from being a Mom and partly from my experience.

Anyway, I just hope I dont have to do any goodbyes anytime soon. They hurt too much!!

My first pet...

or atleast, the first one I can remember, was a beagle named Smokey. Smokey was the most loving pet I believe I've ever had. He always wanted to sit on the couch with us and lay his head on our leg. When it was time for bed, I remember him lying at the foot of either mine or my brother's bed. As Smokey got older, he began snapping at folks. On day, when my mom had him outside with her while she was working in the flower garden, a gentleman walked up and said, "Is this your dog? He just bit me." That was all it took. Smokey went on a ride the next day, but never came back. My mom said she wasnt having a dog around that bit people. It just wasnt safe.

I think we lasted about 2 months before we went to the SPCA and adopted Penny. She was a cutiepie! Penny was a chihuahua/poodle mix and was so tiny! When I became pregnant, She used to lay on top of my belly. When the baby would kick, she would jump up, look down at my belly, the up at me. It was so funny!!

My favorite vacation...

...has to be last year's trip to Texas. My husband, youngest daughter, and myself were headed for Mt Pleasant, TX to meet our new brother-in-love and new nephew. Along the way, we visited my parents in AL.

After a few days there, we headed for Memphis where we met up with a friend we hadnt seen in over 15 years! He took us on a tour, including the Peabody Motel and the ducks! Our second day in Memphis we took the tour at Graceland. Definitely a stop for anyone planning a visit to Memphis.

From Mempis we headed to Texas. We spent a whole week there, getting to know our newest family memebers. My sis-in-love & her family live in a cabin, that is absolutely gorgeous! It was so comforting. We were treated to a tour of the area, as well as a trip to their local dirttrack.

After our time in Memphis, we headed to my in-loves in Baker, LA...just outside of Baton Rouge. We spent another week there seeing family and friends. I love going to Baker. My husband's family are so sweet...they're always feeding you! Good 'ol southern hospitality!

From LA, we headed back to my parents for a day or two, then to Pidgeon Forge where we met some friends and had a wonderful time at Dollywood. We stayed another day or two to get rested up, then headed for home.

All-in-all, we spent 3 weeks on the road. Yes, we were exhausted once we got home, but our minds were full of memories. I was able to scrap a mini-album of our trip and have two pages per destination.

I'll blog atcha later!

Childsplay

Hmmmm, what aspect of childsplay do I remember most? I suppose it has to be sharing. Being a female, I naturally had tons of Barbie things...clothes, accessories, cars, buildings, etc. Of course, so did my friends. My mom even devised a way to differentiate my things from my friends. Whenever my friends and I would get together we would always share. Swapping was common amongst Barbie fans, also.

My friends and I also shared our hopes and dreams. That was my favorite thing. Unfortunately, I've lost contace with most of my childhood friends, but it would be fun to see how many of us accomplished those hopes and dreams.

Favorite Words

There's something you dont think about often...your favorite words. I've spent all day thinking about what my list would look like. I think something like...

1. God/Jesus - I would be lost without either one
2. Family - my strength
3. Love - keeps me going through even my darkest hour
4. Friendship - means everything to me. something I can count on
5. Grandkids - what I most look forward to
6. Ladybug - my husband's nickname for me
7. Bamabuds - I know, unusual, but more meaningful than I can say. This is a wonderful group of NASCAR fans who would give the shirt off their back if you need it.

I realize that a couple of these are somewhat odd, but maybe in a later blog I can go into more detail about them all.

Have a wonderful day!!

My comforts

My comfort food has to be my mom's red velvet cake. She always made it for holidays and our birthdays, but also whenever something drastic happened in our lives...good or bad. I've tried others' red velvet cakes, but none compares to Mom's!

My comfort items have to be my family. No matter what kind of day I've had at work, I know that when I get home they will accept me no matter what. They also have a special way of cheering me up.

My greatest comfort has to be my assurance of my salvation. I know that Jesus Christ is my personal Lord and Savior and that I will see Him face to face!

My bad habit...

Well, I suppose you should make that plural. I have more than one bad habit. I dont like to admit this fact, but.......

My worst habit is procrastination. For instance, I started cleaning house yesterday but got interrupted by a phone call. Naturally, I had to step outside on the patio to chat with my friend. When we hung up, I went inside and started watching a movie. I knew I needed to get back to my housework, but "it can wait. That dust isnt going anywhere." Yeah...right!

One of my other bad habits is biting my fingernails. I know, you'd think a woman my age would have stopped by now. Since I stopped smoking 4 yrs ago, this habit has increased. I think it has something to do with my being used to having something in my hands/mouth.

Now, dont get me started on my familys' bad habits! That's a whole other blog!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Wow! What can I say? I had a wonderful Mother's Day!!

First, I skipped Sunday School but went to church. Gotta sleep in a little, ya know? After church we all piled in the car (including our "new" son, Jason) and headed for Olive Garden...MY pick! I stuffed myself with salad, breadsticks & two different types of soup, as well as some of the mushrooms & fried raviolies off the sampler platter we ordered.

After eating, the girls gave me presents! Lecia gave me a beautiful basket filled with scented bath stuff (think she's trying to tell me something?), an angel, and a ladybug planter filled with daisies. Amy gave me a set of salt/pepper shakers that look like grapes, and Terri gave me a hanger with a bunch of grapes (can ya tell what my kitchen theme is?).

The girls & Jason headed home while Bear & I went to Best Buy, my all time favoritest store!! He wanted to get me "Call of Duty 2" since I had just completed "Call of Duty "!! We decided to get the expansion game for CoD instead of CoD2. You know, take it in order. Then...I got a new laptop!! WEEEEEEEEE DOGGIES!!! It's a Gateway with tons of memory, 100G harddrive, DVD/CD burners, card reader, etc. Plus, it was on sale for $799!!! Cant beat that price!! It was definitely the best buy! Now...to get that blamed internet to work! Wireless...gotta hate it!

All in all, I'd have to say that I had the best Mother's Day ever! I got to spend time with my family, get some things I'd been wanting, and even got to spend time with the Lord. Who could ask for more? I sure cant!!

What super power would you like to have?

I think I would like to have the power to see through walls, like Superman does. That way I can see who's at my front door without having to open it (no, no viewer hole). I could also see what my girls were up to in their locked rooms! hehe Wonderful idea, dont you think?

If I could take tomorrow off of work, I'd...

start off by going to Hardees for an order of their yummy buiscuits and gravy. I'd then head to Coffee Break for a grande vanilla mocha. After sipping on the coffee awhile, I'd then stop by Kenyon Bailey or Luther's nurseries and browse their rose bushes. I'd so love to start a themed rose garden with nothing but roses named after people. Doesnt the sound like a neat idea? After browsing the roses a bit, I'd treat myself to lunch at Applebees. (gotta love that oriental chicken salad!) Then comes my favorite part of the day...working in the yard! I have so much to do outside, it's not even funny!! I'd work until my hands and knees couldnt take anymore, then scoot inside for a nice, long, hot soaking bath. Dinner would be light, perhaps pasta salad. Then a nice glass of wine, and watching tv in bed until I fall asleep.

Yep, that's my idea of a perfect day to myself!

Colors

I am most drawn to midnight blue and bright red. I just love how bright they are without hurting your eyes.

Blacks and grays depress me. They just look so dark and dismal. I'd rather have bright and light around me!

I also really love purple and orange, but dont surround myself with these colors. With my skin tone, I dont look good in either color. Go figure!

I am most optimistic about...

how my girls will turn do when they're on their own. We have been blessed with three wonderful daughters, all smart, friendly, and loving. Our oldest is already out of the house and married. She just graduated from college and is ready to start her career as an elementary school teacher. Needless to say, we're very proud of her! Our middle daughter will start college this fall. She's decided on Southeastern University in Florida and will major in church administration. Our youngest daughter cant quite make up her mind. She really wants to work with DNA, but her heart is with music. She'll graduate from high school next spring, so still has plenty of time to make her decision.

About the only thing I'm pessimistic about is my health. Seems I'm always going to the doctor about something. These 12 mediciations I take every day dont help, I'm sure!

Blog Prompt for 5/8/2006

***Bring on the music! What do you like/not like? How does it make you feel or influence your day? When do you need music or prefer silence?***

I love just about any type of music...except opera, rap & that screaming stuff. I just cant get into music I cant understand what they're singing! My all time favorite type of music is Contemporary Christian and Southern Rock. Gotta love the Newsboys and Lynyrd Skynyrd! I use music as a comfort sound. Songs I've heard since I was a teen brings back good memories, helping improve my mood alot of times. I only prefer silence when trying to go to sleep, but any other time...GIVE ME MUSIC!!!