First

I saw this "FIRST's Meme" on Susan's blog and it looked fun. Not as easy as it sounds to answer these questions! Give it a try!

First Job: I babysat a little girl down the street for the summer when I was 14.

First Real Job: I worked as a waitress at the Howard Johnson's at 17.

First Favorite Politician: Ronald Reagan
First Car: a little red Opal GT I bought from my cousin.

First Record/CD: CD??? Right! My first record was Shirley Temple

First Sport Played: I did not play sports. I did jump rope and play hop scotch, does that count?
First Concert: Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton. Only Dolly never showed up.

First Foreign Country Visited: Have never left the country.
First Favorite TV Show: Family Affair
First Favorite Actor: Michael Landon

First Favorite Actress: Kristy McNichol (you have to be older than 42)

First Girlfriend/Boyfriend:Sweetheart is the only one I remember!

First Encounter with a Famous Person: I met Whoopi Goldberg once.

First Brush With Death: At 30 I had ITP and was told I may not make it through the night. My platelet count was 7000 (150,000-450,000 is normal. People can die of a platelet count of less than 100,000). I did make it through the night, but not unscathed. While having a bone marrow biopsy, (they stick a GIANT needle into your hip bone from the back side and draw out marrow) I was laying on my tummy hip exposed and along with it 1/2 my hind end! The Hematologist was doing the biopsy, but my family doctor held my hand at the head of my bed. I looked up at my doctors face and he was looking at the foot of the bed with a look of horror on his face. I KNEW by the look that my PASTOR was standing at the foot of my bed seeing my rear end! (My doctor went to our church too) Later Pastor Gene chuckled and said, "I was looking for an illustration for my next sermon and now I found it!" He was just kidding of course. Still, I was amazed at the peace I had in the knowledge that I may not live another day. By the way, that next day was Easter Sunday.

First House/Condo Owned: A split level 3 bedroom ranch in McHenry, IL. I LOVED living there!!! We basically raised our boys in that home. GREAT memories.

First Film Seen: Lady and the Tramp
First Favorite Recording Artist: Shirley Temple! I loved to sing her songs! Then as a teen I really liked Tom Petty....ewwww

First Favorite Radio Station: WZOK, a rock station which I would never listen to now. Sweetheart still likes it.

First Book I Remember Reading: Nancy Drew Mysteries

First Meme You Answered on Your Blog: I think it was a 7 Random things Meme.

So that was not so bad. Give it a try!!!

7 Random High School Things

I have been tagged by Shellie at One Christian Mom and by Andrea Cherie at Our Traditional Home to do a 7 (or in Andrea's case 6) Random Things About Me. Since I have been blogging for more than a year, I have done this a couple of times. You can see them under the label "Meme" on my sidebar. I thought, however, since Sweetheart and I just had our 30 Year High School Reunion (we did not attend), I would share some things about my "High School Days". 1) I graduated in a class of around 90 people. Though there were no famous people to come out of our class, there are some people who should be considered famous. One "girl" became an Oncologist and opened a Cancer Clinic and has saved countless lives. Another spends a couple of weeks a year in the Appalachian Mountains rebuilding homes that are so run down and the owners have no resources to fix them. I could go on....

2) My parents moved us out of this house (my childhood home) in the large city I grew up in, to the country where it would be safer for me to attend school. There were riots in the local public Jr. High that year, and I would be attending it.

3) While living in this house from 7th-12th grade, I got into more mischief than you could imagine!!!! Did you know that "country kids" get into just as much trouble as "city kids" when they are left to their own??? My parents were there, but both worked. They both say if they could go back and change one thing, it would be that Mom was home when we were.4) While there were no riots at Stillman Valley's little schools, I was bullied by 2 step sisters badly during my 8th and 9th grade years. Threatened with broken glass and "stalked" regularly. One of them graduated with me....she now works for the Government making important weapons for our military. Ironic. (I am sure she is a very nice person now.....don't you think?)5) Though I met Sweetheart on the very first day of 9th grade (I can still see his red and white plaid pants and red turtle neck), and I had my first real kiss from him at the Fall Festival that year, (Charlotte would call me a Harlot if she knew that) we both dated other people until just after we graduated. The above picture is what he looked like when I met him...he was just a child!!!6) I had absolutely no direction in High School. I was all about friends and parties and it was a social scene. I missed 63 days of school my Senior Year (playing hooky)....I had the credits I needed, though I was a C student at best. I did attend Nursing School through a Vocational program my Junior and Senior year, pulling A's and B's, only to drop out the last 6 weeks.....no direction.7) I do have a life long friend from my days at Stillman Valley. Lori and I met on the first day of 7th grade. That was 36 years ago. She is to the left in this picture (I am in the middle). This was taken at my son's wedding. Her husband did the video. We still keep in contact...she was big trouble in school too, and like me, has found her purpose in life through her relationship with God. Lori also attended the nursing program but did not drop out and became a nurse. The other friend in the picture is Shelly. Another long time friend...we met when Bud was 4....22 years ago. (My friend of 25 years, Sue and her family was also at the wedding...very pregnant with Ruthie...I regret I did not track her down to get in this picture.) Life long friendships. Those are good.

My High School years do not sound that great, do they?? There were some good times, but I will be honest.... There is really nothing about that girl that I can relate too anymore. She is not me. I am thankful for that. It dawned on me when I saw the 2 "girls" that tagged me are both young enough to be my daughters....Andrea even told me in an e-mail that I am a Titus 2 role model for her....30 years after I graduated from High School, I am not famous, nor am I saving lives, or building homes for impoverished people....but I am blessed to be fulfilling my purpose just the same.

If you want to play, let me know so I can see your 7 Random Things....

The ABC's of Homemaking

Aprons--y/n If y, what does your fav. look like?
I have several aprons I wear. No real favorite yet.

Baking--Favorite thing to bake?
Pies. Apple is the one that turns out the best, but I love the look of a fresh baked pie.

Clothes line?
No. I love clotheslines and always had one until 7 years ago. Sweetheart does not want one.

Donuts--Have you ever made them?
When I was a teenager we made them by deep frying tube biscuits and rolling them in powdered sugar. Does that count?

Everyday--One homemaking thing you do every day?
Just one? I always clean my kitchen everyday...several times a day at that!

Freezer--Do you have a separate deep freeze?
I had one for a minute, then gave it to my daughter in law. Her frig freezer is teeney tiny.

Garbage Disposer?
Yes and I love it.

Handbook--What is your favorite homemaking resource?
Home Comforts is a good one, but my all time favorite is Coppers Wife.

Ironing--Love it or Hate it? Or hate it but love the results?
I DO love the results, though the process is not fun, I do not complain. I do enjoy ironing (pressing) in the quilting process.

Junk Drawer--y/n? Where is it?
Yes...two. They are both in the built in desk unit in my eating area.

Kitchen--color and decorating scheme.
Wallpaper in a burgandy/black/tan plaid. It is dark and I would love to change it. I guess the scheme would be Americana??? I just put what I like in there.

Love--what is your favorite part of homemaking?
The end result...a clean comfortable home, that feels good.

Mop--y/n?
Oh, yes!!!!

Nylons, machine or hand wash?
I throw my tights and nylons in the washer on gentle then air dry.

Oven--do you use the window or open the oven to check?
I open the oven to check...not a good thing to do, I know.

Pizza--What do you put on yours?
Sausage.

Quiet--What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Hand stitch on a project or pick up my current book.

Recipe Card Box--y/n? What does it look like?
Yes I have an old one. It must be 25 years old now. It is metal, with vegetables on the front of it. Very 80's!

Style of house--What style is your house?
2-story. What were we thinking? All bedrooms are upstairs.

Tablecloths or Placemats?
I LOVE a tablecloth, but I use placemats too. Right now, there is neither as I have a tablerunner on the table.

Under the kitchen sink--organized or toxic wasteland?
Organized.

Vacuum--How many times per week?
Hazel and I spend alot of time together. 4 times a week and sometimes more if a mess is made.

Wash--How many loads of laundry do you do per week?
Oh my goodness! This sounds crazy, but I do about 16-17 loads per week. That counts towels and bedding.

X's--Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
I do have a daily list, but do not cross things off. These are in my HMB. The picture at the top of this post is on the cover of my HMB. Feel free to take it for your own use.

Yard--y/n? Who does what?
Sweetheart does it ALL.

ZZZ's--what is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
Setting out the clean dishcloth and towels for the next day.


I saw this on Coffee Time At Home. Please play along on your blog!!! Let me know if you do, so I can visit.

Husband Meme

I thought I would finally do a tag. Kathy tagged me for this meme a while ago. Here goes.

1. Who is your man? Sweetheart

2. How long have you been together? 30 years last June.

3. How long dated? We dated for a very short time at 14 and then for a year before we married.

4. How old is your man? 48

5. Who eats more? Him

6. Who said "I love you" first? I have no idea.

7. Who is taller? He is.

8. Who sings better? He does.

9. Who is smarter? It depends on the subject.

10. Whose temper is worse? HIS.

11. Who does the laundry? I do.

12. Who takes out the garbage? The kids.

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do.

14. Who pays the bills? He does.

15. Who is better with the computer? I think I am.

16. Who mows the lawn? He does.

17. Who cooks dinner? I do.

18. Who drives when you are together? Mostly him.

19. Who pays when you go out? He does.

20. Who is most stubborn? I would say him...he would say me.

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? I am.

22. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine.

23. Who kissed who first? He kissed me first. I was 14, my first kiss...WAY too young.

24. Who asked who out? We just ran into each other.

25. Who proposed? Him.

26. Who is more sensitive? Me.

27. Who has more friends? I do.

28. Who has more siblings? He does.

29. Who wears the pants in the family? He does.

30. How did you meet? First day of high school in the commons.

We are pretty boring, I would say! Anyone else who wants to play, go for it!!!!

Tagged

Charlene tagged me. This is getting tough. This time the theme is six inconsequential things.

The Rules:
Link to the person that tagged you
Post the rules on your blog
Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

So here we go:

1. I shed. Yep. My hair sheds...either menopause or stress. I can not get rid of either so I live with it. The shorter my hair, the less I shed.

2. I write with my finger. It is a quirk. I am a doodler and if there is no pen in my hand I tend to doodle with my finger. Most of the time I do not know I am doing it. It is more prominent during times of high stress and while watching TV.

3. I am a "speed finger speller". Sign language is a second language and I can finger spell both right and left handed VERY fast. Another stress related talent.

4. I grind my teeth at night. (hmmmm, is there a theme here?)

5. I say "hell" alot. I did not realize this until Zachary started saying it. BAD BAD habit. I am trying to quit.

6. I have a very stressful life. Thank God for all the blessings He throws my way on a regular basis or I would be bald, with no teeth, finger writing and finger spelling the word "hell" all day long.

So I need to tag 6 people: Here goes:

Corin (she loves to be tagged)

Sue

Angie

Steph

Amanda

Katie

A Little Of This And Alot Of That

Kyle got off to work and had a wonderful day. I want to thank everyone for your prayers! He is doing very well. Sweet Hubby on the other hand was home today. Not the usual, but things went smoothly. I did my deep clean of the powder bath and worked in my sewing room after finishing my normal daily chores. I only had 1 load of laundry, which was towels, so that was easy. TJ took his coat to his mom and said "Go to Grandma's house please." How can I resist?? He came for a couple of hours and really just wanted to play with Charlotte and Zach. They were done with school, so they spent the first half of his time here with him and then he managed to share himself with me and PawPaw. He loved this math manipulative.

Niki tagged me for the 7 random things meme. I have done this a couple of times and thought I could not come up with anything else, but with my mom and sister's help here goes:

1. I met Sweet Hubby the first day of high school. We were 13 & 14. We never dated until we graduated 4 years later, though he was my first kiss the year we met....(that doesn't sound good does it?)

2. All my uncles call me Bunny and have since I was 2.

3. I can't swim and am afraid of water.

4. I collect children's book with a quilt related theme.

5. A year and a half ago, I introduced my friend (of 28 years) and my cousin to each other. They fell in love and are living together. I can't talk her into getting married.

6. Several years ago, I drove a car 10 miles with the horn honking every two seconds. I had triggered the alarm and did not know how to turn it off. Very embarrassing.

7. I have never broke a bone or had surgery. (My little toe may have been broken last year??)

I am to tag 7 others. I want to tag new-to-me blogs so I tag Idaho Quilter, Steph, Coleen, Kelley, Monique, Tammy, and even though she is not new to me, she has the BEST sense of humor and I am in the mood for a laugh...Corin (please do it even if you already did, and make me laugh!!!)

I also want to thank MarilynR and Gudrun for the sweet "You Make My Day" award. I love both of your blogs. You are truly creative and I get inspired every time I visit either of you. I pass it on to the blogs I just tagged for the 7 Random Things Meme, along with Katie. Katie really made my day this past weekend! Thank you!

Also, Donetta gave me this award and I want to thank you! I am so honored to even "know" Donetta. Here is what the originator of the award said:
"So here's to all the blogs that you've discovered that you can't possibly live without. They make you laugh, cry, think and feel connected every time you read a post. They give you a thrill as you see them loading into your browser and you get an equally satisfying thrill when you see that they have commented on your blog".

From Xandra: creator, The Daily Dose Award

I have too may blogs that I feel this way about, and it is hard to pick just a few, but again I think this needs to be passed on. I am sure the blogs I name will pass it on to the others I love so much...I will do one in each category of blog I read:

Homemaking/Cooking: Niki's Rural Writings (My kindred spirit...or who I aspire to)

Quilting: Linda's All Stitched Up (she is the first quilting blog I read, even before I had my own blog!)

Parenting: Ann's Tis The Gift To Be Simple (gotta love those boys and the 1 ballerina! Ann is a really good mom)

Country Life: Joni's My Piece of Heaven (She named cows after my kids...that is love!)

Inspirational: Cheryl...better known as CoppersWife (She already got this a bunch of times but she is a HUGE inspiration to me personally and I drink my coffee every morning to her blog post.)

Whew! That was a lot of linking!!!!

Ooooh...one more thing, I won the prize on Debi's 100th (112th) post drawing!! You can see what I won here. I have never had a jelly roll before. What do you think the odds are I will unroll it??? Thank you so much Debi. It was a very GENEROUS prize!! I look forward to another 112 posts from you!!

Well I think that is enough for one post! Thanks for being patient while I went all over the place!

7 Random Things

Lib tagged me for 7 Random or Weird things about me. 1. I completely dislike traveling, especially long road trips, but I love a long walk.






2. but often feel guilty doing it, thinking I should be doing something else.





3. I worry alot about my kids. Someone called me "highstrung" once. I was crushed!!





4. Fred and Renee are my heros!!!





5. I have done almost every home business there is. Avon, Shaklee, Home and Garden Party, Mary Kay..I am sure there are more. I now make soy candles and sell them in a health food store. I should be rich by now.... I would rather be content.



6. I have a deep rage concerning the Child Protection Laws in our country. A mother can abuse her child daily with neglect, starvation, prostitution, abandonment, and verbal and physical abuse, and not spend one day behind bars. Believe me, losing the child means nothing to them. We need to take away their freedom! I have an urge to do SOMETHING, but do not know what.

7. Today I feel bored...can you tell from all the graphics I posted???? I better go do something with the last day of 2007!!!!

I am suppose to tag people, but I think everyone has done this. If not then PLEASE join in or redo it...we change, so maybe your last 7 random things post has changed too!

Tackle It Tuesday & Meme

Shoot it is almost Wednesday...depending on who you are it might already be Wednesday! Well here is my tackle for the week. I will make this quick...just some before and after pics of the job that found the wonderful pictures of Kyle yesterday. This is a cabinet and drawer in my eating area on the other side of the kitchen. Why it is here, I have no idea. It is a catch all.

The drawer before and after....

The cupboard before and after...

Slow but sure, things are getting in order. This was just in time, as I store all my holiday platters and seasonal dishes in here. To see other tackles, you can go to 5 Minutes For Mom.

I also want to thank Yvonne for the beautiful sympathy card she sent me. It was so touching. Quilters are the nicest bloggers!

Joni tagged me for a couple of meme's so I will play them here...

The first one is a middle name meme. RULES: You have to post these rules before you give the facts. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts. 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 Lee..I don't care for it, but it is short so I will use it.

L...Love..I love my family deeply.

E...Excellence...it is what I strive for.

E...Eat...gosh, I like to do it!

Now the next one is a 10 question meme.

1. If you could have super powers what would they be and what would you do with them? (Please feel free to be selfish, you do not have to save the world!) I would be happy just being able to work my sewing machine...is that a super power?? Super Seamstress!!

2. Were you to find your self stranded on an island with a CD player...it could happen...what would your top 10 bloggers island discs be? I would choose mostly Praise & Worship, with a little Country thrown in.

3. If you were a smell what would it be? Fresh Baked Bread...actually I smell like that right now!

4. What bird would you most like to be? An Eagle

5. If you were a bird who's head would you poo on? If I'm an Eagle, I can hit two at once...Paris Hilton AND Lindsey Lohan.

6. Are there any foods that your body craves? Once in a while I crave Bread and Butter pickles. It must be a salt thing.

7. What's your favourite time of year? Autumn

8. What's your favourite time of day? Early morning.

9. If a rest is as good as a change which would you choose? A rest.

10. If you could have a dinner party and invite any 5 people from the past or present who would they be? (Living or deceased.) The Apostle Paul, Mary Magdalene, Martha (she could cook), Solomon, and David. (Why wouldn't I just invite Jesus? He is already there!)

So I need to tag 3 people. I will tag:

Karolee, Rose & Nadine all for both meme's.