Five Question Friday for 3/11/11

Before I do anything else, I have to say Happy Birthday to my awesome husband! (even though he will never, ever read this). He is now officially the same age as me!

Whew! I didn't think I would get to do Five Question Friday this week. We've been having serious issues with our internet service. We haven't been able to get online at all since Tuesday. But, for some reason, it magically came back to life today. I'm just hoping it lasts.

1. Do you know what your REAL hair color is?
Actually, yes. I keep saying that I'm going to color my hair, but I never have.

2. Do you plan ahead for summer, or fly by the seat of your pants?

We generally just fly by the seat of our pants. This year, we are actually going on vacation (Disney World here we come) with Daniel's mom, sister, niece, nephew, my mom, and Daniel's cousin and her family. With that many people, we have had to do some planning. But, after that trip, we have no plans yet. I know there are some camps and VBS that the kids will be going to, but I don't have the details on any of them yet.

3. What is your favorite meal to cook?

Hmmmm...I guess my favorite thing to cook is pancakes. I actually enjoy cooking in the mornings. Not so much in the evenings though.

4. Do you get offended by not receiving thank yous?

Not unless the person is truly ungrateful.

5. How did you meet your best friend?
Daniel and I met through a friend of a friend sort of thing in high school. 16 years later, he's still my best friend!

Okay, so my answers this week are short and sweet. Head over to Mama M.'s blog to see everyone else's answers. Maybe they have more to say than I did this week.

True Story Tuesday

I had this post all ready to go on Monday night. I was so excited to get to link up for the first time for True Story Tuesday! It just wasn't meant to be, though. Our internet service was totally down from Tuesday morning through Friday afternoon. This story just cracks me up, though, so I'm going to go ahead and post it anyway. Hope it makes you smile too.



Saturday evening, I got a chance to go grocery shopping all.by.myself. Yes, really, I went with no kids! It was so nice to actually be able to walk through the store and actually shop rather than try to sprint through as fast as possible hoping that nothing gets broken, no one gets lost, and nothing extra makes its way into my cart when I'm not looking.
For a Saturday night, it was actually pretty quiet in the store. For those who don't live in small-town Oklahoma, Saturday night is THE night to go to Wal-Mart. That's where we go to socialize. The tradition is that you go out to eat, then you go to Wal-Mart to "walk it off". Actually, you just go to see who else is hanging out at Wal-Mart. Don't judge. There's not much else to do around here.
Anyway, I was strolling along in the cake mix aisle, minding my own business. My first grade teacher taught me that we should always walk on the right hand side of the hall, so that's what I do when I shop too. But, I found myself needing something from the left hand side of the aisle. I didn't really want to stop and completely block traffic, so I decided to do a "walk and grab" from the middle of the aisle. As I started to move my cart toward the middle, I hear a man behind me say, "Do you eat bacon bits?"
Now, I just assumed that he was talking to the person who was with him, so I retrieved the needed item and started to make my way back to the right hand side of the aisle where I was supposed to be. I turned to glance behind before I merged back into the flow of traffic and right there just inches from my cart was the man I had heard. I wasn't expecting that, so I kinda jumped and said, "Oh! Excuse me!"
He looked right at me and said, "Do you eat bacon bits?" Huh??? I said, "Uh, sure." He had caught me completely off-guard with his question. I couldn't figure out why in the world he would care whether or not I ate bacon bits. Finally, after a couple of awkward seconds, he said, "Where are they?"
Oh! Now, I understood (yes, I'm a little slow). So I said, "Oh, they're up toward the front by the salad dressing..." I was going to explain further, but he waved me off saying, "Okay, I'll find them when I get up there," and went on his way. I think if I had given him more detail, it would've been too much like giving him directions, and you know that a man cannot ask for directions!
After he walked away, I just kind of stood there for a moment letting the moment sink in and I just had to giggle a little bit. Actually, I giggled a lot. And then I texted my husband and told him about it and posted it to my facebook wall. I mean, really, who says to a strange person at Wal-Mart, "Do you eat bacon bits?" Did this guy really weigh his options and decide saying that was a better way to start the conversation than "Do you know where the bacon bits are?" Just gotta wonder...
And, just so you know, I did see him later on during my shopping trip and he assured me that he did, indeed, find the bacon bits. Good to know!

Miscellany Monday

1. After last week's battle with strep, I think we are all finally well. Still a few lingering coughs and runny noses, but everyone's feeling good. And, it looks like we dodged a bullet (or two actually) because Daniel and Dakota never did get sick. Hooray!

2. We are having trouble with our internet connection and it's about to drive me crazy! It started last Monday. I wasn't able to get online at.all. on Monday morning. I called the provider and was told that the dish had lost alignment. A tech would have to come out and fix it-for $29.95. Nice. Then, we come home from tae kwon do Monday evening, and it's magically working again. I don't really understand how the thing works but, to me, it doesn't make sense that the dish has lost alignment. First of all, nothing has moved. The house and the dish are exactly where they were before. Second, if it has lost alignment, how is it able to connect at all? Who knows? Anyway, I think the tech is either going to be here this afternoon or is going to call and schedule something this afternoon. Isn't it convenient that all this started 4 days after the trial period ended, so we can't cancel the service now???

3. Making Dakota do schoolwork today is going to be pure torture for her. She has been waiting for a long time (at least a year) for the new Pokemon games to come out (Black and White, I believe) and yesterday was the day. Daniel took her and Cheyenne to get theirs after tae kwon do yesterday. It's going to be hard for her to get her mind off it long enough to do math.

4. My mom generously sent home four boxes of girl scout cookies with us yesterday. This is not going to be good for our "getting ready for Disney World diet". But, they sure are good!

5. Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting at the computer hoping that my presence would magically cause the internet to work when my phone rang. It was Daniel calling me from outside. He said, "Put some shoes on and come outside." I was worried that I was going to get out there and find out that the dog had gotten hit by a truck or something like that, but instead he met me in the driveway with a fishing pole in hand! Is he awesome, or what? I have been dying to go fishing for weeks! It's been so hard to have a pond just feet from my house and not be able to go. So, yesterday afternoon, I got to spend a blissful 30 or so minutes fishing in the pond (with no kids!). I didn't get one single bite, but it was still so much fun! I hid the fishing pole in the laundry room so maybe I can sneak out there again when we get schoolwork done.

What's on your mind this week?

Five Question Friday-or 5QF for those in the know. :)

I'm so ready for the weekend! We have been dealing with sickies all week long. Three kids with strep and me with this horrible allergy/cold/sinus infection/whatever it is. All the kids have been on meds for at least 3 days and I think they're on the mend. I made it through the whole day without having to take a nap (barely) and I can almost breath through my nose a little bit sometimes. Now we're just praying that the two people in our family who haven't been sick this round will not get sick!
We have karate/church/lunch at Grandma's this weekend so we get to out and about. I think that will make us all feel a lot better.

The best thing about it being Friday, of course, is that it's Five Question Friday with Mama M.! I've been waiting all week for this!

1. Have you ever forgotten your child in a store or at school?

I didn't totally forget her, but I did leave one in the toy section while I went and got some groceries. It would have been okay-she was old enough to be there alone for a few minutes-except that I forgot to go tell her where I was going. In fact, for just a minute, I totally forgot that she was even at the store with me! She didn't panic too much, but I think if I had been gone for a couple more minutes, she would have. I still feel guilty about that.

2. Where did you go on your very first date? (Like...first first, not first with your spouse or current significant other!)
Is it bad that I don't remember this? The first place I remember going with my first boyfriend where he actually picked me up in his car was to a friend's house to hang out and play pool. I'm sure for our first official date, we went out to eat (probably Italian) and to a movie. Can't remember for sure, though. It was a very significant event in my life, can't you tell?

3. What's your "silly" fear? (We're not talking water and heights.)
I have a fear of breaking my pinkie toe. I bang it on stuff all the time and it freaks me out. I have this image in my head of it just hanging there, broken. Makes me shudder just to think about the pain.
My other "silly" fear is of being run over by a car in a parking lot. If I'm walking through a parking lot and there's a car that's about to back out, I always stop and wait for them to go before I walk past. Even if the driver waves me on. I just can't walk behind a running vehicle. My husband used to think it was funny to start the van just as I walked by on my way to get in. Big meanie!

4. Confrontation: do you cause it, deal with is as it comes, or run far far away?

I. HATE. CONFRONTATION. I do everything in my power to avoid it. Unless you mess with my kids.

5. Wood floors or carpet?

I think a mixture. Entryway, kitchen, dining room and bathrooms should definitely be wood (or tile or anything else but carpet). You just can't keep carpet clean in those places. Or at least not with four kids.

I think wood floors are good in other rooms too, if you have some nice big area rugs to keep your feet warm. I can't stand getting out of bed in the morning and having to walk on a cold floor.

Well, I'm off to tackle Mount Washmore. Most of the laundry got washed this week, it just didn't quite make it into closets and drawers. I'll feel so much better if I get it taken care of before the weekend officially begins.

Thursday Five-3/3/11

Once again, I am joining up over at Flip Flops and Combat Boots for Thursday Five. You should too! Just click on the button and head over there!

This weeks words are
fabulous
satisfying
amazing
sweet
jubilant

1.

I am having so much fun participating in Lynnette's blog party! If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, do it now! (Well, after you finish reading here, ya know).

I have found some amazing new blogs to follow and learned some new things about some of the bloggers I already follow. And to think, I would have missed out on this fabulous post from Pumpkin Pie Painter if I hadn't found her blog at the party!
I haven't even made it through half the list yet, so I know I'll be finding even more great blogs to follow!

2.
Of all the things that we are learning about through our homeschooling, I think the most satisfying is getting to hear Landon and Sierra learning to read. They are both doing an awesome job! I love seeing that light in their eyes when they read something new all by themselves!

3.
The weather outside today is amazing! I don't know what the exact temperature is, but the sun is shining and it's beautiful! Daniel and the kids went out for a walk on the ranch, so I have the house to myself for a while (which is also amazing) and they didn't even take jackets. As soon as I finish this post, I'm going to go open all the windows and let the fresh air in.

4.
This morning, I picked up a red velvet cake donut for breakfast. It was super sweet! But, I'm not really supposed to have stuff like that anymore. So, don't tell anyone, okay?

5.
Daniel was gone to Texas for work for several days this week. When he finally got home on Tuesday night, I was jubilant! I was definitely not cut out to be a single mom! It looks like I'm going to get to try it again, though, because he's supposed to go back sometime in the next couple of weeks. This time, he'll be gone even longer. :(

Sunday's sermon

I'm not going to comment much on this because I think Pastor Terren does a great job already! I enjoyed this message so much, I just had to share with all of you!

Stripped 4 from Joey Clark on Vimeo.

Lynnette's Spring Blog Party

How would people describe your personality? (If they could only use ONE word.) Are they right?
I think most people would describe me as quiet (although those who know me well would probably disagree). Unless I feel very comfortable with the people I'm with, it's pretty much true. I get really nervous around new people and it takes me a long time to feel like I can be myself.

What celebrity/celebrities would create a “Star-Struck” feeling if you saw them in real life?
I'm going to go with Lynnette on this one! :) I think she's amazing and I would love to meet her in person (so, Lynnette, if you're ever in Southeastern Oklahoma, let me know!). Just after I first started reading her blog, my family and I visited the Sedgwick County Zoo. I kept thinking, "wouldn't it be so cool if we ran into Lynnette and her kids while we're here?" Ha! The funny thing is, I probably wouldn't have even been able to say anything if I had seen her! I would have just stared at her uncomfortably from a distance. Ha!


Who is your favorite blogger? Why?
Do I really have to pick just one? There are so many that I love! I think the one that I enjoy the most, though, is Pamela from Troop Petrie. I think she and I would be good friends if we ever got together in real life.

What is your comfort food/drink?
I think I've posted this before, but my comfort food is birthday cake. It must be a bakery cake with buttercream frosting. But, I'm not really supposed to have it anymore, so it's a very rare treat for me.

My favorite drink is Diet Pepsi. I was reading a post a while back by Stacey at I'm a Lazy Mom where she describes the first time she tried Diet Pepsi and heard "a heavenly host of Diet Pepsi angels singing." Yep, me too. I hear them every time I drink it. The best way to enjoy a Diet Pepsi is from a fountain with crushed ice and a straw. Yum! Unfortunately, most places around here don't have Diet Pepsi in their fountain drinks (what's up with that anyway?). I have only found on gas station in this town so far that has both Diet Pepsi and crushed ice. They are my new best friends! Sure wish Daniel was here to watch the kids right now so I could go to town and get me a Diet Pepsi! :)

Be brave – tell us something very random and weird about yourself.
Okay, my family thinks this is weird, we'll see what you all think. I LOVE leftover mashed potatoes! It's one of my favorite foods (especially if they're potatoes that have cooked with a roast, mmmm!). And, if that's not already weird enough for you, I like them for breakfast. Was that random and weird enough?

Do you have a strong desire to do something you’ve never done? What is it?
The only thing I can really think of for this one is that I would love to get a massage. I've never had one, but it sounds so nice!

Movies: Action, Drama, Romantic Comedy, Documentary, Comedy? What are your favorite genres?
Definitely Romantic Comedy! My favorite is How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. I live Drama too, but I have to be in the right mood to enjoy it.

Books: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Romance, Biographies, True Stories, Self-Help, Devotional/Study? What are your favorite types of reading material?
Fiction is my favorite. I got on a Nicholas Sparks kick last summer and read all of his books that our library had. Since we've moved, I haven't had much time to spend reading for fun. Maybe once I get this homeschooling thing under control, I'll get back into it.

Music: Funk, Rock, Country, Jazz, Classical, Film Score, Blues, Classic Rock, Crooner, Alternative, Heavy Metal, Techno? What are your favorite types?
Well, I live in southeast Oklahoma, so country is a given. But, lately, I've kept the radio on KLOVE. I started actually listening to some of the lyrics of the country songs I liked and decided that they weren't really what I wanted my kids repeating. :)

If you inherited a million dollars, what is the first thing you would do with your money?
The first thing I would do is to pay off all our debts, including our mortgage. How awesome would that be? Next, I would make sure that my kids and my SIL's kids had college savings. If there was anything left, I would take a fun trip with my family.

Name one weakness of yours (confession is good for the soul).
My biggest weakness right now is having faith that God will work things out for me. I KNOW without a doubt that He CAN do it. I just don't know whether he'll do it for me. It's something that I am struggling with. I can always look back at things and see that He has taken care of me, but when the next thing comes along, I find myself right back in the place of doubt.

If you could live anywhere at all (and take all your loved ones with you), where would you go?
I never thought I would say this, but I'm pretty happy right where I am.

Strange Talent? Can you juggle basketballs, put your legs behind your head or some perform some other strange feat?
No strange talents here.

What’s something you consider yourself to be good at? (Don’t worry, it’s not bragging, it’s acknowledging a God given gift).
I really wish I could think of something for this one, but I think this stuffy nose has affected my brain.

What is one of your favorite things to catch a whiff of?
Pretty much anything baking in the oven-bread, cake, cookies. I just made some chocolate chip cake cookies and I so wish I could smell them! Darn cold!

When you leave a social gathering, do you wish: You would have talked more or You would have talked less?
I always wish I would have talked more. I think of a million things that I should have said as soon as I leave. But, in the moment, I get tongue-tied. What I do say usually doesn't come out right, so I just keep quiet.

If money wasn’t a factor, what stores would you shop in?
There aren't a lot of choices in this town, so money and time would have to no factor. I would love to have the time and the money to go shopping (real shopping where you actually buy things, not window shopping) in Tulsa. Maybe someday.

What is your greatest fear?
Something happening to one of my kids and me not being there. I hate sending my kids off with other people. Not because I don't trust them, but because I'm so afraid that something bad might happen and I wouldn't be there with them.

What is your greatest accomplishment?
Each one of my kids is my greatest accomplishment.

What are your favorite animals?
I'm not a big animal fan, but I've always liked horses. They are beautiful. As long as I'm not the one responsible for taking care of them. :)

Are you a hopeless romantic?
Hahaha! NO.

What movie or book character can you most relate to?
I had to go look this up on youtube to make sure I had the right movie. It's been a long time since I've seen in it. :) I can definitely relate to the part where the teacher says, "Hi Lily! Aaaaaaaaand Lily's friend." I was always so-and-so's friend. No one ever knew my name. Also, the part where the boy sits on her. Ha! I am usually the invisible person in the room.


Woohoo! My post is ready! I am going over right now to link up (if my internet connection will cooperate). Then, I am going to go take a nap. I'll be back to party with Lynnette and friends later tonight. Can't wait!