Friday's Feast #170

Appetizer
What is your favorite carnival/amusement park ride?
I love roller coasters of most any kinds!


Soup
How do you react in uncomfortable social situations?
I sprout wings and fly off to never-never land...was that out loud? Just kidding, I don't usually have those type of awkward situations, I try to relate to every person individually. Most of the time, all you have to do is ask something about them and then listen! Besides, the Christ in me drives me to commune with everyone!


Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy discussing deep, philosophical topics?
I'd say about a 10 if I am interested in the topic! I'm a very opinionated person, so any time I have a chance, I like to trade thoughts with others, even the deep ones!!


Main Course
Did you get a flu shot this year? If not, do you plan to?
I did not, but I'm not usually a very sick person either. I'm all good!


Dessert
Approximately how many hours per week do you spend watching television?
Too many to count...seriously. Although I could really use a tv lift in my bedroom to make it less of a strain on my neck! LOL

Hip-hip, Hooray!!!

Bring out the salt shakers - or um, I mean, bring out the noise makers!!! It's the last day of the month of November and that means it's the last day of NaBloPoMo!!!

It has been fairly easy, with the exception of a couple of days. I was even out of town for a couple of days but was able to post the morning I left and the night I came back, so still well within the qualifying time frame.

I offered a prize, a six month wood level membership to GoldToken.com too! I think they will be drawing winners this week and varifying the blog posts to make sure they posted at least once per day, every day of this month. I hope I win something, the prizes sound great!!! I'd even like to win the prize I'm offering! LOL

I hate my home computer....

...making me sweat bullets. I was too busy today to post and then after getting home, I forgot to post which lead to an all out scurry to get a post up for today! I had 10 minutes before midnight to go, and my computer takes so long to boot up, I'm all out of time! GRrrrrrr.....but I did it! So take that NaBloPoMo! Woo!!!

Busy time of year: a reminder

This is a busy time of year for everyone. What with all the parties and family gatherings and shopping and food preparations, it's no wonder we keep 1/2 our sanity during these couple of months!

This post is just a reminder to make the time to reflect on the reasons why we go out of our way to celebrate this time of year. For me, it's all about the birth of Jesus!

So atleast once a week (or as needed) I like to take a few minutes and ponder this. Maybe I read Luke 2 or watch 'The Nativity Story' or something like that. Even looking at the lights on people's homes as I scurry about can be a reminder of the gift from God of Jesus, the Light of the World!

As we get older, they years and their holidays pass by with increasing speed. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to slow down and take it in! Enjoy your time with your family and not fret over all the little details! Trust me! And don't forget the peace of mind you'll get with travel insurance if you will be traveling this holiday season. No joke, I had it for my big vacation and it's a great stress reliever!

Wordless Wednesday - Feelin' queezie?

Guess what I want for Christmas...

No, not Super Bowl tickets! Although I would certainly take them if someone offered *wink-wink*

This year I want to get a professional clothes steamer, like this one:

Do you know of a good one? I am still looking around to find the best deal on the best one I can get my paws on. I used one of these when I worked at Fashion Bug unpackaging all the new arrivals and I really liked it. Right now I'm looking at the Jiffy brand steamers. Do you have one? They do such a great job of getting wrinkles out, refreshing the fabric and you can use them on more than just clothes too! Watch out cats, you'd better be good! LOL Just joking...maybe.

Tuesday nights are alright with me

Yesterday was Tuesday. You know what that means, don't you? No not a fun filled day of succession planning. It's the night for:

Me likey!!! I hadn't even heard of The Biggest Loser show until late last year and then I only saw a couple of episodes here and there. I thought, "What a great idea for a show! I've always said, I could lose the weight if the only thing I had to do was focus on working out and learning to eat right!" This show creates just such an environment. I even have my mom interested in watching it now. I went online to the website to find out about trying out for the new season (the one on air now). I don't have a video camera to take videos to submit, I need to recruit the help of my friends for that. Also, they film during tax season. Kind of a no-go around my office. My boss is flexible with some time off, but not during tax season. Although, when I approached him with the idea, he said, "Do whatever you have to do." Not sure he knew the time line though.

The only other thing I couldn't figure out, how do you pay your rent and care payment and all your other bills for those 3 months (hopefully I'd be gone that long!!) if you aren't working??? Any ideas? Anyone?

Red Rover, Red Rover...send Mary Alice right over!

So I have this friend, let's call him...'Patrick', who is running a contest on his blog to name a patron saint of his blog. That's great! He chose some worthy contestants and allowed his readers to choose a few as well. Through a system of voting, a winner will be chosen. One of the people he chose to contend for the prized spot, he was unable to find sufficient photos of online, so he wrote a post to announce the replacement of that contestant, Mary Alice from Ace of Cakes.

Shown here in red shirt, I really hope I didn't have to just tell you that!

Poof! She showed up!!! I believe she commented on his post proclaiming her dislike in being dropped out of the running like that. Did you hear what I just said? Mary Alice from Ace of Cakes commented on his blog! So cool.....

Boy was he right, pickins' are slim out there in the photo pool. After much searching, I have found a couple of photos of Mary Alice to share here on my blog in an effort to summon her to my humble blog. I need to check my term life insurance to make sure it's up to date in case she actually responds! I told 'Patrick'...if you build it, they will come...........

Mary Alice, if you are reading this: Thanks for stopping by! I love cake and Baltimore, too! I have a friend who moved there from here (St. Louis, MO) a few years ago and I just love to visit her there! The Inner Harbor is my FAVE, especially the National Aquarium. When all the white jelly fish are thick in the Bay or when they are having the live music like Alborada or Mystic Warriors (South American flute types) The music just fills the air around the bay and the boats. Love it!
I wish I worked with younger people...it looks like fun, really! Don't hate me for that curb photo above, I did not make it grainy nor did I write all over you in green. I found it on a Google search! LOL

Heads or Tails - Mark

This week on Heads or Tails, Barb @ Skittles Place suggested the topic of 'Mark'. Then she changed her mind, noticing the acronym for Heads or Tails to be the letters H O T. Well, I like the original topic, so I'm going with 'mark'.

I want to share some verses out of the Bible from the book of Mark with you.

Mark 4:36-41
³⁶And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
³⁷And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
³⁸And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
³⁹And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
⁴⁰And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
⁴¹And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Or another good one I found in Mark is:

Mark 10:45
⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

Just a little drink for your thirsty soul today! Happy Heads or Tails day!!!

Cold air and dry skin

These two things go hand in hand (no pun intended)! I think the skinceuticals companies order cold dry air this time of year to boost their year end profits! LOL
I don't know about your area, but here in the midwest, we have to keep our beloved 'products' around us to keep from drying and cracking up! And don't even get me started on the itchy skin! It's this time of year, I want to crawl inside a lotion bottle and roll around naked every morning before I get dressed, once at lunch break and then again in the evening LOL

'Bout time to clean house around here...

Have you been Google-slapped too? I believe I just went from a PR2 down to a PR0. I don't mind really, since it was an across the board kind of spanking, but it is time to get some dirty laundry out of here. PR isn't important to me except when it comes to income potential. Otherwise, I am still going to conduct my blog in the manner I see fit.

I do paid ads on this blog for things like Las Vegas hotels or many other topics. It's has been great for me to share some paid link love and pass on some info on websites and services that I encounter or am introduced to. Recently I have been chosen to participate in some product sampling opportunities and frankly, I couldn't be more pleased! I have done paid marketing research in the past as a participant and I love sharing my opinions for profit!

Unfortunately, Google has been looking down on such paid posts, so I decided to go back and re-evaluate some of the posts I have completed. I am under contract to keep the previous paid posts active for only 30 days and I have let some stay on for almost a year now. So the archives will be shrinking a bit, but it's no big deal. Keep looking forward to all the good *NEW* posts to come.

Give Me Five Monday Meme #4

Monday November 26, 2007

The 'Give Me Five' Monday meme is designed to share fun information with each other in a simple short list! Here's how it works. Each week, I will put out a random topic from my list of topics and you share 5 answers of your choice on the given topic and link back here! You can add photos, links or stories or just a simple list of your own of 5 things that relate to the topic as it pertains to you and your life experiences. It doesn't have to be in any order of importance unless otherwise specified.
Sign up for weekly reminder emails @ beccagirl@charter.net

Give Me Five pet peeves or dislikes associated with shopping.

1. I am not a fan of crowds. I try to avoid them at all costs. It's just very frustrating to move around in a store that is thick with people and carts. I never feel like I have the privilege of looking for what I need because I will inevitably be blocking someone else's view of something or vice versa. Also, it seems that when stores are crowded, other people who even wouldn't normally be fussy, take on a fussy attitude because they are frustrated too. Makes for an unpleasant shopping experience.

2. Not having as much money as I need/want for the stuff I want. Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for what money I do have to shop with, but sometimes it's nice to choose something by likes and dislikes vs. what's the better deal cost-wise.

3. Not being able to find something I am looking for. I don't often visit stores I am not familiar with just because I dislike walking around in circles looking for items. It's a big waste of time. So I tend to revisit stores I'm familiar with.

4. I dislike watching the prices of everyday items going up and up. Like milk. Yeah, that's right, you heard me, milk. I could drink a gallon of gasoline cheaper than milk these days! What? Did the cows suddenly demand a raise or something?

5. Shopping is usually an enjoyable adventure for me. Sometimes I have something specific in mind and I set out to hunt it down and shop it out of it's hiding place. I also love to give gifts! So I get a little sad when I find out I can't give as much as I want because my funds are limited and with todays prices on things, you end up getting less for the same money...couple that with crowds and unfamiliar stores, hoo wee! So I stick to my budget, watch for sales, visit stores I'm familiar with and go at off peak times in an effort to keep shopping a fun adventure. I hope you can too!

NaBloPoMo - Keeping it alive!!!

As some of you may remember, I am participating in the National Blog Post Month. Which means, I have to post atleast once per day-every day of the month of November. So far this month, I have done this! No cheating, no changing dates or post times...I have kept it up each day of this month!

I am not at home and am unsure if I will be able to make it home in time to post from home today, so I am posting from my friend's computer (thanks guys!) in order to get my post done for today. This may not be much of a post, but it's all I got, so take that! :-)

Just a lazy day

Well, today was one of those lazy days for me. I didn't really accomplish too much...I did cat nap for a while, which is a prize to me!

Today would have been the perfect day to do so many things. I have curtains for 2 different friends to make, floors that need to be cleaned-VERY BADLY, a fish tank that is just horrible-poor little fishies, lots to put away, organize or otherwise clean, laundry that needs to be rewashed and more laundry that needs to be started and/or brought up and put away, I am hand making some of my Christmas cards this year, I could have gotten a great start on those or really I could have even finished them, I could have walked on my treadmill, I could have cleaned the bathroom and finally redecorated that room, I could have gotten all caught up on my bills and receipts with what has cleared the bank..all these things could have been done from the comfort of my home, without leaving and without getting out in that Black Friday shopping mess...no thank you.

But I didn't do any of those things. I didn't even pick up a pen and make a list of things I need to do! Instead I took the lazy way out and napped and watched TV. I didn't even take this down time to visit the blogs of my readers! All of you who come by and check in to see what's new at BeccA's Buzz and leave me comments, I didn't even take this time to stop by over your way!!! I'm a looser I guess...don't hate me, I'm weak. Tomorrow is a new day...let's see how it goes LOL

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was a good day! There was much cooking, much food to eat and much good times with my family. My cousin invited me out to spend the day with her and her family. Her brother in law deep fried the Thanksgiving turkey and I must say it was yummy! I can't remember ever having turkey made this way before.

My cousin is about 3 months pregnant with there first baby. We are all so excited! It's so cute to see them going through all the changes new parents experience. Planning the nursery is going to be fun. I feel honored, they have asked me to join in the planning and participate in the redecoration of it all. I already have some ideas, they are going with a Raggedy Ann and Andy theme. I love that!

Yes, it was a good day today...I may need some hydroxycut after eating all day long like I did, but it was all sooo good!!

Wordless Wednesday - Hunting Season CLOSED

Hospital for the Holidays

Something we all dread: a loved one unexpectedly in the hospital during the holidays. I have not had the displeasure of this experience in many years, thank God!

My friend's mom was taken to the hospital with some issues yesterday and they are still sorting out what's going on and working out a treatment plan to get her back up on her feet and home where she belongs. I told her if she wanted some attention, there are better ways than this!

For all those people out there who wish they were at their homes or even an Orlando vacation home instead of a hospital room this holiday season, this is my post to let you know I am reminded of all the suffering and I will remember all of you in my prayers. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season, if we are not in this situation. Remember that others are and pray for them!

A much overdue gift for Christmas

My mom has this friend...well, she's a friend to all of us, really! Her name is Joyce and bless her heart, she is a widow now for many years. She lives on just her income, and she always tries to be a good steward with her money. I have seen that woman cut the corners off the corners, if you know what I mean. She rarely shops for the 'extras' and when she does, she's perfectly happy visiting resale or goodwill type shops. She always finds nice items!

Joyce & My mom @ lunch in 2004

Well, this post is to show my excitement and support for her decision to do something extra nice for herself! She decided to buy new bedroom furniture! Now, this might not sound like a big deal, but we are talking real furniture here, something she has never had! I believe she was making do these past few years with hand-me-downs from her son as far as a bed goes. Well, once she decided to treat herself to a new bed and dresser and such, she realized the walls needed to be painted, which then made her realize her old shag carpeting needed to be replaced! Girlfriend is getting a whole new bedroom!!! Yay!!!

She has already painted, ripped out the old carpet and had the new floors installed. Her furniture is set to be delivered this weekend. I think I will go over and see it on Sunday after church. I don't know if it's contemporary bedroom furniture or more traditional, but she is so excited about all of it and so are we! She totally deserves this for her life, she is a fine lady who would give you the clothes off her back if she thought you needed them, it's nice to see her get such a great gift, from her hardworking self!!! Congrats, Joyce!!

7 Random Things Meme

I know, I know, I just got done saying I didn't want this to turn out to be a 'meme-ful' blog. But there is a difference between participating by choice (which I do on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) and getting tagged for a meme! I don't often get tagged, so I enjoy them when they come along. So here goes!
Bola who blogs from across the pond in Africa has tagged me for a '7 Random Things about Me' meme. Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and posts the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So here are my '7 Random Things about Me'

1. I am horrible at remember what's going on with other people! I mean that, I don't like that about me. If I have a friend who recently went through something or a family member of theirs did, I ALWAYS forget to ask how they are and so on...I suck.

2. I sometimes say I don't like things that I actually do like. No, I wouldn't call it lying, I would call it 'disillusioned'. Example: I always used to say, "I hate U2!" But once I found out all the songs they sing, hello, I love those guys! What is wrong with me?

3. I am a sinner. I always say and do things I wish I didn't. Everyone sins. Thank God for his grace through my faith in Jesus Christ, or else I'd be a goner!

4. I am an obsessive type person. Once I get my sights on something, I can't let it go easily. I need help Lord on this one too!

5. I miss being a kid sometimes. I can watch kids play and learn and wish for just a day, I could have that same wonder and joy!

6. I miss playing tennis and/or racket ball. I have no partner for either at the moment.

7. I think I'm ready to move on to a new romantic interest. It has taken me a while to get past certain points, but I think I'm about ready! Lord, your move on this one too!!!

Ok, now to pass on the tag:
Sandee @ Comedy Plus
Jane @ Cozy Reader
Misty Dawn @ My dogs keep me sane
Barb @ Skittles Place
Alison @ Cherished moments with my 2 angels
CR Morris @ Cheaper by the half dozen
Deb @ Mom of 3 girls

Pain Relief for a friend

I recently was chosen for participation in an opportunity to receive a sample of a product called Freeze It. I received it a couple of months ago, when I was so terribly busy coming and going with my big trip. I remember while I was gone, thinking, "I sure wish I had those samples with me, my knees are killing me!" Not to mention my shoulders from carrying my way too heavy luggage all around.

When I realized that in all my busyness that time had expired on my opportunity and I missed out on conducting a proper review of the product, I was so disappointed! I don't often suffer from aches and pains, certainly not chronic either, and of course I didn't want my samples to go unused. So the first person I thought of was my good friend Jen.



Jen is such a sweet hearted person who is always willing to offer a helping hand. She is a special friend and great example as a mother and wife who even does what she can as an At Home America home style specialist to add to her family's income. She takes care of her husband, her children, her house, her friends, her family and her business despite all she contends with physically. Some days are better than others or her. I have watched her suffer from the effects of Fibromyalgia for quite a few years now. For those of you who don't know, I will insert information on it provided by wikipedia:

Fibromyalgia is a chronic syndrome characterized by diffuse or specific muscle, joint, or bone pain, fatigue, and a wide range of other symptoms. It is not contagious, and recent studies suggest that people with fibromyalgia may be genetically predisposed. It affects more females than males, with a ratio of 9:1 by ACR (American College of Rheumatology) criteria. Fibromyalgia is seen in 3% to 6% of the general population. Recently there has been an increase in the number of diagnoses, which is assumed to be associated with better identification of the disorder. It is most commonly diagnosed in individuals between the ages of 20 and 50, though onset can occur in childhood. The disease is not life-threatening, though the degree of symptoms may vary greatly from day to day with periods of flares (severe worsening of symptoms) or remission. The syndrome is generally perceived as non-progressive, yet that issue is still debated. Fibromyalgia may actually be composed of several clinical entities, ranging from a mild, idiopathic inflammatory process in some individuals, to a somatoform disorder resulting from clinical depression in others, with probable overlaps in between. Current diagnostic criteria are insufficient to differentiate these entities.

It was hard for her to even get a proper diagnosis because a lot of people don't believe Fibromyalgia is even real! I must admit it took me a while to finally accept all it's wide range of issues too. So I offered my samples of the gel to her and she gladly accepted them! She has used this product in the past and her husband even told me how they both thought it was a better pain relief gel than others they have tried. One of the reasons being that 'the bedroom didn't smell like a men's locker room if she used it at bedtime!'

And according to the website, I can think of several obvious ways she would get relief from it's use. She often has hip joint pain from just sleeping, her shoulders and the back of her head muscles get tensed up and pull on her facial muscles sometimes and I've seen her rubbing pain relief gel types on her knees before!

I would really really like to win this contest, so I could pass my year's supply of Freeze It on to her! I literally can't think of another more deserving person to get it! With a 3 1/2 year old toddler and a 1 year old baby (both boys, too by the way!) to take care of every day, you are talking about one lady who would put all that pain relief gel to good use!

Birthday photo

I thought I would share with you a photo from last night's birthday dinner. I went with my mom and met my brother and his girlfriend out at Joe's Crab Shack in Chesterfield, Mo.

My mom and I had gone there to eat recently and after being seated at a table, were basically deserted! We actually got up and left after sitting there for a long while without so much as even a drink waiter coming by. We then went across the street to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

We were hoping for better service at Joe's this time around. Which, I guess we did get. But when you are paying $23.00 for a bucket of bbq'd dungeness crab, you want it to be cooked right. Mine was NOT. The crab meat inside was brown and hard and dry....WAY WAY WAY over cooked. So they sent it back...which means I had to sit and watch everyone else eat. Dude! It's my birthday!!

In the end, I got fresh crab...it was less overcooked than the previous batch, but still slightly overcooked. All in all it was an ok evening. I probably would have been happier had we went across the street again.

Meme blog

I realized recently that I seem to be participating in alot of memes. It appears as though this is becoming one of those 'meme theme' blogs. You know what I mean, one of those blogs that only has meme's and no real content.

So here is my pledge, for every meme I participate in, I will also post one original content post. You should also take into consideration that these will possibly include paid ads, so don't be surprised if I happen to mention equestrian riding apparel or some other off the wall topic. :-)

Birthday gifts: Real and virtual

I wanted to share with all of you, the most special presents I've gotten so far for my birthday. This year has proved to be a very special year in the gift getting department. No, it's not leather lingerie, I mean, "Get serious!" But first, a couple of virtual presents I got today from fellow bloggers. Thanks Sandee and Misty Dawn who posted this yummy looking cake and these lovely flowers on there blogs for me. Much appreciated!

Back in reality, this year I was given a gift that will last a lifetime. The wonderful memories and experiences will be in my heart always. When I was on my trip to Florence, Italy, my friends surprised me with a combined early birthday and Christmas gift! I had wanted to take some sort of a mozzarella making or cooking class while I was in Tuscany but didn't have much luck researching the various classes. I gave up looking but my friend did not!

As an early surprise (and boy was it!) I was treated to an Italian Immersion class! I met up with a small group of four women. A mom and 3 daughters there as a gift from the daughters to the mom for her birthday last January. You will NEVER believe where the mom and one of the daughters were from...ST. LOUIS! Well, technically, Webster Groves, but that's part of St. Louis too! I couldn't believe it...and it just goes to prove my mom was right, you can't talk about anybody! We met our instructor, Marizio and we took a tour of the Mercato Centrale (or the Central Market).

This is where all the local restaurants get the fresh ingredients for the day's menu. They have everything from horse to hair, chicken to cow, dried fruit to dried pasta, oils and spices to fresh pastries...you name it! And there was a second floor dedicated to fresh produce of all kinds.

One of the vendor's gave us a short tutorial class on balsamic vinegars, olive oils, truffles and parmesan cheeses. This woman had a great presentation and lots of great information!

Next we met with the rest of our class members and made a rendezvous with the taxi driver. We rode in a van out to a villa on a hillside in Signet, a neighboring town to Florence. The villa was beautiful and boasted some nice views! We were left outside to wander around before the class began. There was another couple who had made the journey to the villa for the class on their own. Everyone was so nice! And better still, everyone was so on board about taking lots of pictures!

Once we were brought inside the kitchen, we found the room quite large and welcoming. There was a large fireplace on one end and a very long table set for all of us in the center. We met our other instructor, Liza. What a wonderful lady! She was informative and patient and smart and funny!! I took lots of pictures.

A lot of the photos came out blurry in the faces or hands. Everything was moving so fast. The class lasted all day, more than 8 hours altogether! We were given the recipes for all the dishes we made including: tiramisu, Sausage and cheese crustinis, fresh pasta for lasagna, fresh pesto for the gnocchi, a black olive chicken dish, and even how to use that weird Italian coffee maker!





We had one at our apartment, but didn't really know how to use it. After this class, we had the best coffee ever! I still want to get one of these for my house...

The class was alot of fun and yummy! I will always remember it and smile. The taste of Tuscany shall live on in my heart and my memories! Thank you so much A and P for the very gracious gift that only you could have given me!

I sure wish I could remember everyone's names...for that I feel bad! I did make some great friends that day...even if we were only friends for one day. Speaking of friends, my friend A also sent this to me today. It's called 'The Flea' and was just about my favorite pieces at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. (I like it because I think she looks like me)

Give Me Five Monday Meme #3

Monday, November 19, 2007

The 'Give Me Five' Monday meme is designed to share fun information with each other in a simple short list! Here's how it works. Each week, I will put out a random topic from my list of topics and you share 5 answers of your choice on the given topic and link back here! You can add photos, links or stories or just a simple list of your own of 5 things that relate to the topic as it pertains to you and your life experiences. It doesn't have to be in any order of importance unless otherwise specified. Sign up for weekly reminder emails at beccagirl@charter.net.


Give Me Five things you like and/or dislike about your birthday.

Today is my birthday! I'm '25' today, yay!!! I firmly believe that there are things everyone likes and dislikes about their birthdays. So here are mine:

1. I like cake. I love cake, actually. And somehow-someway, I always get cake on or around my birthday! What's bad about that?

2. I dislike getting older. Not for vane 'I don't look young anymore' reasons, just because I sorta feel like time is getting away from me and I'm not exactly where I thought I would be at this point. So for now, I'm '25'. Ask me again next year and guess what? I'm '25'.

3. When I was a child, I disliked my birthday being in winter time. My brother's birthday is in May and he always had fun backyard parties. I have had many snowy birthdays here in the midwest.

4. I like getting presents and birthday cards! Not in that 'I need things from other people' way, but in that 'people care enough to think of me' way. Your birthday is that one day a year that is supposed to be all about you. To celebrate you! So it's nice to be remembered.

5. I dislike the fact that my birthday is so close to Christmas. I know what you are thinking, it's not like my birthday is really that close to Christmas, but in the grand scheme of the entire year. You celebrate your birthday and you get the feeling that people are thinking, 'Didn't I just get her something?' by the time Christmas rolls around LOL Of course, I have a friend who's birthday is the day after Christmas and I don't feel that way about her! It's probably all in my head LOL



Give Me Five Participants

1. Mom Knows Everything 2. And Miles to Go... 3. Jane 4. Kwizgiver 5. Deb - Mom of 3 Girls 6. Comedy Plus

7. Misty Dawn 8. Mama Pajama 9. Autumn 10. Sal 11. Cheaper By the Half Dozen 12. MomOf3

13. maryt/theteach 14. Sandy 15. Alison 16. Anna 17. Julie

Learn more about Give Me Five here.
Get The Code

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

So much for that!

I have told you before about my mom staying with me for a while. Things have been going pretty good, actually! Not many people can work with their mom's full time in an office and still be able to pull off living together too. Don't get me wrong, we do have our differences. What's a bit odd is that this is my house, not hers. I do want her to feel comfortable here, she lives here after all, but I don't think she thinks of this place as her home. Understandable.

Anyway, she went to visit her cousin this weekend to help her decorate her Christmas tree. My mom is quite good at that! Anyway, I was all excited about having the place to myself for 3 days. Not as excited as say a compulsive exerciser would drool at an ad for ellipticals or anything, but I had some ideas of how to spend my hours alone at home. Of course, as it turns out, I was out until late on Friday night. I got up and was out of here early Saturday morning and again, out late Saturday night. Sunday brought church in the morning followed by our church family Thanksgiving meal. After that, I returned a movie to the McD's redbox and rented a new one. Next I went shopping for winter shirts for work. By the time I got home, the tryptophan from the turkey and gravy wooed me into a nice long nap! So now I'm up and trying to get some laundry and cleaning done too! So much for home alone for the weekend!

Got a hair cut today...

The time had come for a change. Ladies, you know what I mean. For the past 5 years, I have let my hair go back to a more natural color-brown (I used to dye it blonde) and got it trimmed regularly with the full moon to encourage growth. Supersticious, I know, but hey, it's hard to break old habbits! Anyway, my hair has been down to optimal length for quite some time now. It is beyond the length to achieve any real style at this point. You know, the length where only pony tails and headbands live?

There is a little something more to this story, I must confess. I used to date this guy and even though I know he's not right for me, he liked long brown hair...down to your bum-long. I think somewhere in my mind, I was keeping the hair in case he came back. I was thinking that maybe this time he would stay, if I had this long hair. Now I realize, that I'm enough. My long hair won't bring him back from wherever he is, it won't beckon him to care for me and it certainly won't change the past and make him acceptable to me now, after everything that has happened.

That being said, I had some issues this afternoon after I had 6 inches of my hair cut off. I began to feel like I was abandoning him. I know that sounds odd. During the time we were seeing each other, I was the only one he could take his important stuff to. His personal issues could be expressed to me in a safe way and he knew they were accepted in love and with real concern. I told him I would always listen and care...so now I sorta feel like I am moving away from that. I haven't seen or talked to him in over a year and a half-his choice. But I still care. I think I can care without feeling like I am waiting for him to return. It's time to move on. I can't wait for something that I know isn't right for me anyway. I'd never be able to trust him as anything more than friends. So it's good. Now if I could only convince my heart!!

Friday's Feast #169

Appetizer:
What was your first 'real' job?
Well, if by real you mean I did work and got paid, then my first profession was as a babysitter. I started when I was 11 and I had a toddler and an infant. I was paid $1 per hour per kid.


The first job I had where some guy named 'FICA' was involved, was Burger King. I got a work permit when I was still 15 and had to take the bus. I made $2.75 an hour and wore a uniform.

I worked for a couple of different Burger King's and eventually got fired. I hated my job and stopped reporting for my shifts on time...like hours late.
But not a lot of people consider fast food a 'real' job, so I guess the next one was retail at Fashion Bug.

I liked it and I got a discount. Trouble with that one was, they didn't promote from within. Every time a new manager would be brought in, I had to train her. There's something very wrong with that.

Soup: Where would you go if you wanted to spark your creativity?
Anywhere!!! I'm really into trees right now...I find myself wanting to pull over and take photographs all the time. Sometimes, I actually do! Here's an example of a tree near my house, I took this last week before all the leaves fell off and blew into my doorway!


Salad:
Complete this sentence: I am embarrassed when...
I am embarrassed when my nephew 'eats my pretzel'. Let me explain. I have tattoo on my left ankle of a peace sign. When he was very young, all on his own, out of the blue one day, my nephew says "I gonna eat-eat you pretzel, Aunt BeccA!" His mom an I just looked at each other with a puzzled look and then he proceeded to get down on the floor and pretend eat my peace sign tattoo. It's precious and funny and somewhat embarrassing for some reason! I'm so glad he only does this at their house LOL I think it's totally funny! He still does it even though he's older now, but now he grabs my entire foot (even if I'm walking) and makes this chomping noise too. Sometimes he's so excited he kinda uses his teeth a little, but he does not bite me. It's just funny! I don't know why it embarrasses me, but it does a little. I always 'yell' at him, "Ahh! Don't you eat my pretzel, that's my pretzel!!" But of course that just gets him more excited to do it! Kids....


Main Course:
What values did your parents instill in you?
Well, my father was/is a bit on the racial side, so I won't bother repeating his values.
My momma on the other hand, thank the good Lord up in heaven, is a woman of God and the best thing she ever gave me was working very hard and sending me to Christian private school during 1st through 5th grades. The foundation I received from that time has lasted my whole life through! Thanks mommasita!


Dessert:
Name 3 fads from your teenage years:

1. Big hair...it came in many forms: Mall hair, rock n' roll hair....

2. Tight rolled pant legs, just fold a flap over and roll at least twice!

3. Concert T-shirts and jeans. Of course, this shall never go out of style!!!

Something for the gift wishlist...

A couple of years ago, someone handed down to me a 5 in 1 mixing system. It was a sort of stand mixer, but not really. I guess it was more like a nicer hand mixer that you didn't have to hold in your hand. I created a dish for a special friends' night I was hosting that I really needed a good mixer for. Cold ground meats are not necessarily easily mixed by hand, after all!

I named the recipe "BeccA's Baked Ziti with Mini-Meatballs." The largest attachments my 5 in 1 set had were like normal hand mixer beaters. Now, if I would have had a Hamilton Beach Mixer, it would have made the recipe just right! Actually, if I would have had the Hamilton Beach Stand Mixer, to be exact, it would have been better blended! The recipe I created goes as follows:

Becca’s Baked Ziti w/ Mini Meatballs

Preparation time about 45 min.

Combined cook time about 1 hour

Mini Meatballs

¾ lb. ground round or chuck

¾ lb. ground Italian sausage

2 tblsp ground garlic

1 tblsp Italian seasonings

Salt & Pepper

2 tblsp Olive oil, in pan

Gravy & Pasta

3 jars of preferred sauce* (I use Sautéed Mushroom & Onion Ragu)

*Or equivalent amount of home made sauce if you like

2-3 jars of Giorgio sliced mushrooms, drained

2 tblsp ground garlic

¼ cup of dried minced onion

1 lg box of ziti style pasta noodles

Finishing

1 tub of Ricotta cheese

4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Begin by making the mini meatballs. Combine the 2 meats and spices (preferably with a stand mixer on low/medium with a large hook such as the dough hook attachment). Do not over mix the meat, just enough to incorporate the two meats together with the spices. Into a large skillet with olive oil in bottom, use a melon baller to scoop the spiced meat mixture into mini meatballs until all is used. You might have to thump it to release the meatballs from the scoop. Roll them around in the skillet to cook evenly. While the meatballs are cooking, heat the gravy in an oversized pot, adding the garlic, mushrooms and onion. Once the meatballs have slightly browned, drain well, and then add to the gravy. Simmer together for 10-15 minutes at a med-low heat. While the gravy and meatballs are simmering, boil water and cook the ziti. Important: Do Not Overcook The Pasta!!! Drain the pasta well. Next, add the pasta to the gravy. Carefully stir together just enough to distribute and coat the pasta. In a large baking dish (maybe a 9 x 13) spread a layer of the gravy and ziti. Sprinkle small spoons of Ricotta and shredded mozzarella cheeses. Next, another layer of gravy and ziti. Continue layering until the pan is full; the top layer should be a cheese layer.

Place the pan into the oven at 375 for 30-40 min. Enjoy!

Using my glorified hand mixer to combine the meat didn't go as well as it could have. The Eclectrics® Mixer has 400 watts of meat mixing power.



If I could have combined the dough hook attachment and the convenient pour shield, I could have incorporated the spices into the meat while gently mixing the sausage and burger together. You definitely don't want to over mix or over work the meat. It makes it too mushy and your mini meatballs will be weird. Try this recipe soon and let me know how you like it!

I promise...

I haven't forgotten about telling the story of my trip. We last left the story at the end of my early morning visit to Stonehenge. I will, I promise, I will get back to this story! The next stop on the itinerary is Bath, England.

I've just been so very busy with work and church and being out of town and such, I just haven't had time to get back to my posts! Part of the issue is I have to go into my photos from the trip and resize the photos. If I don't take the time to do this step, Blogger has issues uploading the files because my camera has so many mega pixels...basically it creates very detailed and large files for each one. That's great for quality of the photos, but it causes me to have to resize each one I'll be using here. That step takes time...and then there's the actual writing of the post.....anyway, don't fret, I haven't forgotten about it...I just haven't had the time recently. I promise to rectify that in the next few days :-) Until then, enjoy this nice photo from the post that is to come next from my European Vacation!

Holiday Craft Ideas #1

There's one element of myself that I have not yet presented on this blog. I have intended to start incorporating my crafts! There are many hobbies and crafts that I enjoy. Actually, I considered starting a separate blog just for that purpose. I haven't yet.

Until then, I wanted to be able to share some tips and tricks and ideas with you, especially now before the holidays have squeaked on by us! I personally love getting gifts that people have made. Not because they are necessarily of highest quality and style, but because that person thought enough of me to take the time and effort and put thought and concern into a gift just for me!

I also love giving gifts that I've made. One of the most popular gifts for me to give are photos! It sounds so simple, I know. Everyone is used to seeing me with my camera in hand and throughout the year I am able to sneak some photos of others that come out very nice. I love the reaction I get when that person pulls back the wrapping to unveil a moment they hadn't thought of in a while. A happy moment or perhaps even a sentimental moment captured to live on in a photo. Taking into consideration the decor in which the photo might be displayed, a coordinating frame is all you have to really purchase in order to give a truly thoughtful gift!

I'd like to share with you a great new product for taking this concept of custom photo gifts even a step higher! Software from Frame My Photos can be used to add decorative frames and text directly to the photos! I have this program and find it very easy to navigate! You can adjust the photos inside the frames to optimize the effects, choose from any fonts you already have on your computer and select from many different sizes of each frame. They even have calenders and awards! There are different packs to choose from that offer specific groups of frames but I have the full package and my mind is just fluttering with ideas! After creating a framed photo, you can save it as a .jpg and print it at home or upload it to a website for pick up locally! I can use this program to enhance my photos for scrapbooking and card making as well! I used a similar photo here, to show how the same frame can be adjusted and also you can see how I was able to add the date. I love this program!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Fruits and Veggies

Heads or Tails - Road

Barb over at Skittle's Place has this fun meme. This week's theme is Road.

I could talk all day long about roads! Where I've gone on them, places at the other ends of them, things you do and see along the way, who's in charge of the navigation....roads? It's too hard!!! There's too much!!! BAhhhhh!

Ok, I think I will just focus down onto one aspect of roads. For me, the word road makes me think of when I was young. (I used this photo of Elvis because I don't have any of my dad driving when I was young and also because I used to think my dad looked like him!) In our family, only dad drove. He wouldn't allow my mom to get a license. Anyway, he drove and I always sat behind my mom. This means I could see him from my vantage point. I used to just study his hands while he drove. We always took road trips for our family vacations. And when we were very very young, he would let us sit or stand in his lap and 'drive' the car! I remember it being so cool because I felt so close to the road, I had never seen it from up front before! Of course he kept one hand on the wheel at all times. Of course, thinking back now, it's no wonder any of us made it out of childhood alive! No seat belts or baby seats and we could ride in the open beds of pick up trucks then too!

I remember some of the roads we took to get down to our grandparent's houses. At one point, they were like roller coaster rides! My dad would have this one hill that he would just gun it up and then put it in neutral once we were at the top to see how far we could go! We also had a dune buggy - a green one - and we would hit the back roads and kick up dust and explore. Yes, 'road' evokes many fun memories for me.

The ultimate cliche' in road trips, is the 'Road trip to Vegas'. For those in Nevada's neighboring states, it's an exciting and fun filled road trip. For those of us coming from St. Louis, it's more like a week long road trip of grand proportions! 4 ladies, 1 van, tons of tension and physical fatigue. My life changed after that trip in so many ways. But the road proved to be exciting and offered up scenes only God can paint! I'd love to drive it again...on a much less strenuous time schedule.

Yes, the word road...I could go on and on about it!

Give Me Five Monday Meme #2

Monday November 12, 2007

The 'Give Me Five' Monday meme is designed to share fun information with each other in a simple short list! Here's how it works. Each week, I will put out a random topic from my list of topics and you share 5 answers of your choice on the given topic and link back here! You can add photos, links or stories or just a simple list of your own of 5 things that relate to the topic as it pertains to you and your life experiences. It doesn't have to be in any order of importance unless otherwise specified.

Give Me Five favorite amusement park rides.

1. Space Mountain - Disney World in Orlando, Florida: Seriously, I dream about this ride. It was sooo fun! I can't say it was all that much of a thrill as far as being the fastest or highest or twistiest....but it was so fun!!! I loved that it was indoors, I love that you are in a single file line, I love that it's dark, it was just a very fun ride, I hope to revisit this ride again someday. I could do without most of the rest of that park, but Space Mountain was waaaay fun!! It even creeps into my dreams at night from time to time.

2. The Super Duper Looper - Hershey Park, Pennsylvania: This older steel coaster can be found in the section of the park that was original when it was opened. It goes over water and intertwines with a great coaster they have in another part of the park called the Great Bear which is an inverted coaster. In general it is an average steel type coaster only it goes upside down through an inverted loop.! 'Yeah, well, what makes that so special?' I'm glad you asked...it only has a lap bar to hold you in!!! By design, that is enough to hold a person to their seat while you go upside down through the loop! Crazy, I know....these days you have to have a 5 point harness to go up a 5% incline....go figure. It's great fun! Watch a Youtube video here.


3. ET - Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida: This is no coaster. This is no water ride. This is an experience everyone should encounter!!! You basically become a participant helping ET 'go home.' You 'ride' on a 6 person 'bike' and there's even a basket on the front with a mock ET in it under a blanket, just like in the movie!!! You go past the cops chasing you, through the town, and up into the air. You even get to see where ET lives! I always have to ride it atleast 2 or 3 times when I get to Universal. Once when I first get there, and just before leaving. If I can sucker my fellow park friends into it, I try to get back over to it for a mid day run too! It's silly, I know, but I can't help but to clap and giggle during the entire thing! I have a photo of myself in front of it, but it's not in my computer, it's in my scrapbook! Great fun!


4. The Batman - Six Flaggs over Mid America, Eureka, Missouri: This was the first ride I experienced where your feet hung down, called an inverted roller coaster. Riding in the front of this one gives one the sensation of flying, waaaaaaaaaaa hooooooooo! Fantastic!!! This particular one is not a very long ride...it only lasts for a short time. Which leads me to the last one I'll mention today...


5. The Montu - Bush Gardens, Tampa, Florida: Inverted coasters are very popular and very exciting. I always wanted to fly and these rides feed my desire to! This particular one was the highest and longest one around when it was first out. It's just great and even takes you underground!!!! If you haven't experienced an inverted coaster, turn off your computer and go find one right away! What a thrill! There is a real danger involved in amusement park rides, but you are still safer on one of those rides than in your car, so go have fun for me!!! Oh yeah, that's another reason to get healthier...to be able to fit on rides again. A very embarrasing moment is when the ride attendant has to ash for help pushing down the shoulder bars so the strap will connect to the latch!!! Motivation, indeed.

Give Me Five Participants

1. Mom Knows Everything 2. Jane 3. Misty Dawn 4. Mama Pajama

5. The Gal Herself 6. Kwizgiver 7. Julie 8. Alison

9. Rantings of a Woman 10. Anna

Learn more about Give Me Five here.
Get The Code

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

Back on track

It has been a while since I was on my eating good and getting active kick. I did a great job getting started before my trip, but now I can see that things have gone in the opposite direction. I gained 5 pounds. Really, based on the way I feel, 5 pounds is not as much as I had thought it would be (blessing!!!)

So tomorrow I am going to get it all started again. I was well on the road to shopping in new stores, feeling less 'thick', wearing new clothes I shopped for on my trip...it was great! But you know how it goes, once you break your stride, it's hard to get going again.

I am tired of looking at my treadmill with dread. I like working out, I do! We've talked about this before, I enjoy working out and eating better. I know I need to lose weight, but honestly more importantly, I am looking to be healthier! I am no spring chicken and I know this is the only body I will have. I mean, it's not like I'm going to invest in any home gyms or anything, but getting active on my treadmill is a great start. I have a birthday in a week and I don't want to feel this way. I'm going to make better choices. I won't be legalistic about it, but I will make better choices. Enough with the donuts and ice cream and over sized portions at meal time. I will make an effort to eat smaller portions of healthier foods. I am still drinking my green tea, so that won't be a biggie. After I finish this pack of Coke, no more sodas.

This is good, I am looking forward to it! And of course, I will keep you posted!!!

WWW - 2007

Well, well, well! Here we are at the end of another great WWW! For those of you who don't know, WWW stands for "Wonderful Weekend for Women" and is held at Miner Baptist Church in Sikeston, MO. Once a year these ladies put on quite a production for 400 women from all over.

Friday night there is a banquet and the men of the church wear black slacks and white long sleeved shirts and serve plates of food to hungry Christian ladies who really seem to enjoy the lot of it! There's good food, good fellowship, love gifts, guest speakers and praise and worship!

Saturday morning comes early to a night owl like myself, but those tiny quiche are so good! There are seminars to choose from, more love gifts, a book and goodie store, more from the guest speakers and more praise and worship!

This year's guest speaker was so great! Kim Bolton was funny, sincere, motivational, encouraging, touching, and downright entertaining! She sings beautifully and has a truly heart stopping testimony! There's a story-a true story- she tells of the night she was up late rocking the baby back to sleep again and after returning to bed, heard her older son coming down the hall and into her bedroom. She felt him at her bedside. Being 1/2 asleep, she told him 3 times to just climb up into bed with mommy and daddy and finally looked down at him. But him was not him. Him was a stranger, a grown man, naked and in her bedroom! She nudged her husband who didn't really believe her at first but soon very much did. After a few horrified moments, the man was gone. 'We called 911 and CSI came to my house." She then proceeded to tell the story of how her life changed to fear for many sleepless weeks! She told how she would begin to do chores in the night to stay awake because "my husband was sleeping!" And one night a couple weeks later, she was folding sheets when she heard the front door handle turning. She screamed and sure enough her locks had been broken with a screwdriver. She told how the fear began to ruin her life and how she overcame it! I really enjoyed this woman and what she brought to the WWW. She sang and brought a connection to God for us that was much much needed!

We all had a great time this year. There were 3 different groups of 4 ladies each that were part of our people there. Some were first timers and some were old timers, but everyone had a great time. For the first time EVER, everyone in our group of 8 won something and even 1 from the other group of 4 did too! It was truly a WWW!! I got to spend some time with my friend on the way home, of course that is always great! We ate at Lambert's on the way home. You know, the 'Home of the throwed rolls'. Anyway, hopefully next year, we can go again, Lord willing!! I know we always look forward to it.

For all those people who commented on my Friday's Feast yesterday, I plan to spend some time getting back to all your blogs for a looksee soon. Thank you for stopping by, I didn't forget about you, I was just gone until now!!! Have a great weekend all!!!

Friday's Feast #168

Appetizer:
Which snack do you like to get when you go to the movies?

I usually like gummy worms (or bears) or twizlers. Mmmm All in red flavor of course!!!

Soup:
What year did you start using the internet?

2002 was the year I bought my first computer.

Salad:
What is your first name in Pig Latin? (Here’s how to speak it if you don’t already know!)

Ebeccaray

Main Course:
Name something you are picky about.

There isn't enough ink in this keyboard!!!!!!! It would be easier to name something I'm not picky about....oh wait, no can do. I'm picky about EVERYTHING, I'm obsessive compulsive perfectionism to the T!

Dessert:
Fill in the blanks: I prayed to God yesterday and I will pray again today!

This Just In: A newsflash

A dramatic scene played out across the street from my office today. I do not know all of the details, and I cannot reveal the source of my inside information. That being said, here's what's up:

A man started a not for profit type organization because his son has an illness. The main office of that organization is in the building across the street from my work. Somewhere along the way he went astray and embezzled lots of cash (over $300,000). He would supposedly do things like raffle off houses, of which 2 of them he won. Blah blah blah, there was a trial, things were going down. The jury is currently deliberating on the case. We heard many sirens this morning rushing to the building across the street.There were 8 police cars, 1 ambulance and 1 fire truck. We contacted our inside information contact and were only told that whatever it was, they were calling off the rescue units. Shortly we saw both the ambulance and the fire truck leave.

Then the informant called us back to say that the man had called his parole officer to tell him he was going to kill himself. Apparently he wrote many notes all over the walls of the offices saying he wasn't alone in the taking of the cash and gave names and amounts. He then went up on the roof and killed himself! I just heard on the radio that his brother went to his house to pick him up to go to court and he wasn't home. So he came to the office and then found him there.

Soon the crime scene unit arrived and next the coroner. People....if you do bad things, know you might get found out so then take your medicine! Don't wimp out and kill yourself! Wow....anyway, I've blocked out all the street signs and such to try and protect the innocent as much as I can. Just thought I'd share with you all, it's never a dull day, is it?

UPDATE: A news crew just came around asking questions...like did we hear the gunshot and stuff like that. I told the reporter that I had pictures if he wanted to buy them! He replied with, "Pictures of what???" Unfortunately, not much LOL Darn, I could have made some cash!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Dream big, boys!

Heads or Tails - 'V'

This week's theme over at Skittle's Heads or Tails is V for vote or any other v word we want. So I say V is for Mr. Violet Velvet Vest, that's right.....


I used to watch the letter people, can you believe it!?
To hear the theme song from the show (a blast from the past!) watch the first few seconds of this video found on youtube.

Give Me Five Monday Meme - New!

So I've been cooking up this new idea for a meme. I've never found one for Monday that I really wanted to jump into. I participate in Heads or Tails on Tuesday, Wordless Wednesdays and Friday's Feast. As some of you know, I am a list person. I have lists going for everything you could imagine. I have even posted a list of all the lists I've had going at one time, I keep so many lists! So naturally, I designed a list meme. Why not? They are so simple and give bloggers a chance to be creative as well.

The 'Give Me Five' Monday meme is designed to share fun information with each other in a simple short list! Here's how it works. Each week, I will put out a random topic from my list of topics and you share 5 answers of your choice on the given topic and link back here! You can add photos, links or stories or just a simple list of your own of 5 things that relate to the topic as it pertains to you and your life experiences. It doesn't have to be in any order of importance unless otherwise specified.

Monday November 5, 2007 - 'Give Me Five' topic:

Give Me Five smells that remind you of childhood.

So here's my Give Me Five list:
1. Crayons - Opening a box unleashes a cloud of memories. I spent many hours coloring in books and on every piece of scratch paper I could find when I was a child.

2. Rubber tires - Well, the inner tubes anyway. We would always pile into the back of grandpa's blue Ford truck with our inner tubes and head off to the river for an afternoon of splashing and floating. Riding back, we would always sit on the tubes and bask in the summer sun as we went up and down the country roads coming home from a day at the river. I remember my hair whipping me in the face and the shadows the trees would cast as it interrupted the bright sunlight. Those were some of my favorite times in my life. The smell of inner tubes makes me 9 again!

3. Campfires - This one is a 2 fold answer. One reason is because someone was always burning something in the country where we spent about 1/2 our time when I was growing up. The other reason takes m back to church camp. We ended each night with a sit around the campfire singing our songs to the Lord. I have many fond memories of campfires. Oh, also from actually going camping...so I guess it's more of a 3 fold reason LOL I still enjoy the smell of smoldering wood and brush. I also love the sound of the crackling flames.



4. Elmer's Glue - Used it all the time in school!

5. Pine Sol - My mom cleaned with this and the whole house would smell so good! I use it in my own house to this day, just because it conjures up the smell of clean to me!


So copy the 'Give Me Five' logo and participate in my new meme! Show your support by returning each week to take part and find out what the next topic shall be! I have a list of topics brewing right now! If you would like a reminder each week including the next topic, please email me at beccagirl@charter.net

I have purchased a silver membership to Mr. Linky in order to create a link love widget. So go get the code and start today!!! And tell all your blogger friends! And please leave a comment too!

Give Me Five Participants

1. The Gal Herself 2. Cheaper By the Half Dozen 3. Serena

4. Sal 5. Country Life 6. Julie

7. Comedy Plus 8. Ginafish

Learn more about Give Me Five here.
Get The Code

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

Wheeeew!

I'm just getting in for the weekend and boy what a big one it was! More on that later. For now, this is my 'at least one post a day' post for today here at like 11:25 p.m. It may not be much of a post, but it's my post. And I like it, so nah!

More on my busy weekend tomorrow. Oh also, I have a couple of ideas brewing, one of which is an idea for a new meme. One of my very own!!!! More details to follow, stay tuned!

Bad day for a sale

The sun was shining brightly, a cool breeze danced to and fro. The sky was deep azure blue, uninterrupted by clouds. The songs of many birds rang out from near and far. In the warmth of the sunlight, I drifted off to daydreams whilst I swung back and forth on the porch swing. What a day!! What a perfect day to do anything but come to my yard sale!! Where are all the shoppers at? Or as my nephew calls them 'customers' or my ex neighbor would call them 'sale-ers' (not to be confused with 'sailors') but I digress.

Do you people know how much work goes into creating a yard sale extravaganza for eager thrifty sale-ers like yourself?

I participated in a yard sale today held at a friend's house along with her mom who had many succulent sale items as well. I ended up only being $4.25 up for the day...well that doesn't include $8 purchased 'on tab' by my friend (I will gladly pay you on Tuesday, for a hamberger today), and I did buy a $3 cookbook. But still. I was up til 3:30 am and back up again at 6:30 am! That's just how some sales go, I guess. I've done a few sales this year, so I'm lucky I have anything left. But I do love a sale! I love to have them and I love to go to them. You can find some great stuff!!!

Hope you are having a great weekend so far and are able to enjoy the beautiful awesome weather we are experiencing (in the greater St. Louis area, that is)!

Friday's Feast #167

Appetizer:
How much money do you plan to spend this upcoming holiday season?
Well, I don't plan to spend to much at all! I already have decorations, a tree and some gifts to give already! Everyone I know is broke this year (including me) and we all just want to spend time together. You know, give ourselves rather than gifts. I think it's brilliant! I personally feel like I am not being a good steward of my money if I just blow my cash on a bunch of gifts. That's not what celebrating CHRISTmas is all about the gift of Jesus!

Soup:
What was the last television show you watched, and was it good?
Last night was Thursday, a huge night for tv in my house. Included are the following:
My Name is Earl - fantastically funny!
Scrubs - just started it's final season :(
The Office - I hope never ends! I could watch this show forever!!

Gray's Anatomy - good show, but gets more and more sexy all the time, and I don't mean that in a good way.
ER - I fell asleep before watching this one last night, but it's another favorite of mine. On a side note, what is the deal with finding a more current picture of the staff? Some of these faces aren't even there anymore!

Salad:
If you had to paint the walls of your living room tomorrow, what color would you choose?
Deep Dark Red like a velvety delicate rose, but just an accent wall!

Main Course:
Name something clever or practical you have thought of that should be invented, but hasn’t yet.
Idea thief!!! Hello, patten pending sssssssssshhhh LOL

Dessert:
List 3 things you would like to receive as gifts this upcoming holiday season.
1. All my friends and family (and everyone else too!) to accept Christ as their savior, if they haven't already!
2. & 3. What more could I ask for if I get my #1??

NaBloPoMo prize I'm offering!

One lucky blogger will win a 6 month Wood Level membership to GoldToken.com!

If you haven't signed up yet to participate in the National Blog Posting Month Challenge, it's not too late! All you have to do is post on your blog atleast once a day-every day in November! Bring your blog and be a part of the challenge and you might win this fun GoldToken membership from me or one of the many other fun prizes!

GoldToken.com has so many games and so many variants to choose from! It is a great turn based website where you can play games with your friends, participate in tournaments and clubs...the list goes on and on! They offer free guest privileges as well as varying levels of paid memberships to suit all levels of game playing interests. I've been a member for years and frankly, I wouldn't give it up! I know this prize will be thoroughly enjoyed by anyone who wins. GoldToken can be played from around the world and is for all skill levels.

Visit my homepage over at NaBloPoMo or the Prizes page and discover what awaits your participation! (It's all free to you to do what you already do! LOL)

NaBloPoMo Starts today!

This post marks my official kick off in the National Blog Posting Month challenge!

All I have to do is post once per day-each day of November. That's it! I think I can handle that. I am quite the talker, after all.

It's not too late to join us in the challenge. Each member has a homepage to stay organized and gather friends from other participating blogs. There's even a blogroll to join in an effort to spread the link love. So start now, vow to post atleast once per day and you too can win prizes and be in on the fun challenge. Visit my homepage to view my progress!