Tag…You’re It!

But first I’m “it”, cause that’s the way these things work, apparently.  Anyway, DD (dear daughter, for the uninitiated) was tagged by Kim over at The G is Silent who was tagged by Erica at Yeah Write, and now it’s my turn!

So, here’s how it works…DD gets to ask me (and a bunch of other wonderful bloggers!) 11 questions, I get to answer then come up with 11 questions of my own for 11 of you….and if I don’t tag you but you want to play please do…Just leave me a comment and I’ll add a link with to your post too, oh if I do tag you but you don’t want to play it’s no biggie (the swarms of locusts won’t attack, you won’t come down with any diseases – communicable or otherwise, you won’t become destitute…you get the picture) – so if you want to be taken off my list just yell!

• What’s the best dessert you’ve ever eaten….care to share the recipe? – What can I say I have a mega sweet tooth and I’m always looking for new sugary good recipes to test out!    Probably either my DD’s sticky buns; Wacky cake or crack donuts (you know, the powered sugar donuts that you get at the grocery store).  I don’t have the recipe for any of them – DD has the recipe for the Sticky Buns, Mom and all the school cafeteria ladies in OK have the recipe for the wacky cake and Ms. Bairds has the recipe for the crack donuts (they are SO addictive!!)
• Would you rather have 5 cute non name brand tops or bag costing $20 each or 1 name brand top or bag that costs $100? Oh man that’s easy  – 5 cute no-name tops or handbags!  I LOVE a bargain.  In fact, I’m the one who brags about how cheap I got an item for (“I only paid $10 for this shirt at The WalMart”)
• Are you jealous of the amount of technology kids today have available to them, the world at their fingertips… or are you thankful you grew up in the pre camera phone, every detail of your life posting to FB, no GPS, no internet on hand / no online shopping, no smart phone days? NOT at all!!!  I wish that kids had more simplicity like we did growing up.  That said, the technology is a life-saver for children with special needs and I wish it had been available for those who really needed it back when I was a kid.
• First Concert you attended…did it live up to your expectations?  Shaun Cassidy – No, it was too loud and people didn’t behave (I was about 12 I think.  I don’t like loud noises or rowdy crowds – lol.
• Coffee or Tea…or do you go straight for the caffeine IV like I do?  Tea if I’m going to drink anything other than water.  And I prefer sweet-tea (NOT the kind you sweeten at the table, REAL sweet tea)
• Favorite Disney Movie…or Dreamworks, I’m not picky, just nosey ;p Tarzan II
• Playstation, XBox, Wii, or strictly phone? iPhone
• Do you leave the water running while you brush your teeth? (If you answered yes can I BEG you to stop…it’s a huge issue of mine…don’t laugh….Water is so precious we shouldn’t waste it) Yes, and I know it’s a huge issue with you, but I HAVE to let the water get warm enough to rinse with.  My teeth can’t handle rinsing with cold water.
• Flats or Heels? Heels for work, flats for play (most of the time)
• Favorite place to vacation, or place you’d love to vacation some day? I adore my annual vacation to ChristyFest in Townsend Tennessee each July.  However my most favorite vacations are those with my family, anywhere.
• Wise Words – Share a quote or tiny tidbit of info that’s pretty genius LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Quotes.  2 favorites:  1) Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day. 2) No tree is too tall for a small dog to lift his leg on it.

Well, that was fun, and not as difficult as I thought.  So now it’s your turn…  Here are your 11:

1. What is your favorite holiday and why?
2. What is your favorite on-line store/shopping place? (I love to find new stores)
3. If you could visit any country in the world, where would it be and why?
4. Are you a cat or dog person & why? (and no bashing the other type)
5. What’s your favorite fast food?
6. If you were only to have one last meal on this earth – what would it consist of? (notice a food theme here?)
7. As a kid, what did you call your Grandmother & Grandfather?
8. Favorite TV show from your teen years?
9. All-time favorite song?
10. What’s your favorite reality show?
11. Do you like to play board/card games?  If so, what’s your favorite?

 TAG YOU’RE IT:

Livin Life 123

Domestic Divapalooza

I Am Pooped

Mama Be Good

Momma’s Time

Mommy 2¢  

Rubber Chicken Maddness

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Country Life

Mauna Says

Handflapping

 

Day 3 – Your Top 5 Pet Peeves

You’d think this would be easy – but, not so much.   In my old age, I’ve learned to let stuff go.  I just don’t get all tweaked about things like I used to.  It’s just not worth it.  Life’s too short and I’m too blessed to get bent out of shape over things that really don’t matter. 

But – this is a challenge, so here goes…

1.  Lack of respect for others.  It just crawls all over me when I see someone being disrespectful.  I’m NOT talking about the current way the term “disrespect” is used by many young people.  I mean real disrespect – lack of respect for your elders, not treating others as you’d like to be treated.  Lack of respect for those who serve you in restaurants or those who are offering you customer service.  Just because you are the customer does NOT give you the right to treat others as though they are “less than” you.  Yes, respect must be earned, but there is a basic level of dignity that everyone deserves. 

2.  Lack of the ability to disagree respectfully and then let things go.  What is it with people who think that just because they disagree, it is their God-given right/responsibility to argue the point til the last dog dies?  State your opinion and then SHUT UP!  I’ve found that you won’t change a person’s opinion by arguing so why try?  Most people are firmly entrenched in their opinion, and why is it SO important that everyone believe just like you? 

3.  Lack of good manners.  This covers SO much!  People don’t teach manners anymore, and even worse – those of us who were taught don’t practice them as much as we should (including myself here).  I’m not talking about using the correct fork.  I’m talking about “please” and “thank you”; about common courtesy and writing thank-you notes.  But I think the worst offense is the one person who wants to be the “manners police” in public.  I was always taught that the most important thing about using your manners is making others feel welcome/good.  Correcting someone else in public (feeling superior – goes back to #2) is the worst offense of all!

4.  The current habit that people have of saying “no offense but”.  Now think about that – they absolutely do want to offend you, or at least know that the possibility exists – or they wouldn’t preface the comment with that statement.  So why on earth would you say something that you think might offend someone else?   I submit it is to make yourself look better/funnier/smarter.  It’s so you become the center of attention, the superior one.  I think it’s become so common that people don’t even really think about it and how it makes the other person feel.  The same can be said of, “no disrespect, but” – or pretty much anything said before the word “but”.

Wow – all of my pet peeves seem to revolve around the same thing…I’m pretty boring here.

5.  This one may seem out of character, especially after reading the other 4 (but if you know me – you will recognize this one).  Doodling on something other than paper especially designated for doodling.  This includes, but is not limited to:  my grocery list, my telephone call log, envelopes that letters/bills have come in, my grocery list, catalogs, my to-do list, my grocery list…  Perhaps you get the picture here.  Yes, I admit it – I have a problem…but DON’T DOODLE ON MY DAMN LISTS!!!

That’s all – I’m better now.

P.S.  You too can bear your soul with the 30-day Challenge.  Here’s the list of topics for the challenge:  http://randomosityblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/30dayblogchallenge.jpg

Day 2 – Where you’d like to be in 10 years?

Well, I’m not much of a planner – at least not in this sense.  I mean, I make “to do” lists – I plan out my day or maybe even my week, but much further than that is just not my style.  I firmly believe in the statement, “we plan, God laughs”.  And while I want God to be happy, I’d prefer he not be laughing directly AT me – at least not any more than usual.

Seriously though, I’ve never been much on long range plans.  I remember wanting to be a dancer when I was younger.  That was my goal.  Now get your mind out of the gutter – I mean a dancer as in Ballet/Tap or Jazz – a professional dancer like maybe one of the Rockettes.  But at about 14 I started having trouble with my feet and that dream went out the window.  I’d have never been good enough anyway – nor would I have had the discipline – but it was a great dream and I did LOVE to dance.  But really, that was the only career I ever thought of having.

I enjoyed school – the studying part, but once I graduated high school I was done.  And the fact was , I’d been a great student all through school – “straight A’s”, but I was done.  Didn’t want to go on to college at that time, even though I had several scholarships.  Nope – I was DONE!!  I became a wife and mom in short order.

I’m also a Granny, or Grammy now and that’s one of the best “jobs” around!

So, to answer the question:

In 10 years I’ll still be working, probably still in an HR Consulting role.  It fits my personality and my lifestyle. What can I say – I have a great job and work with/for amazing folks.  Not that I don’t get tired or aggravated at times – but all in all, it’s a great way to earn a living.

In 10 years I’ll still be enjoying life hopefully be spending a little less time working and more time either travelling (mini-vacations), or just hanging out with the DD and grandboys.  Maybe get back to antique-ing some – although it’s hard because I love to get old stuff, but I never like to sell anything.  I get personally attached to everything I buy, like it’s an old friend.  This leads to a huge problem with cash flow as well as storage.

In 10 years I’ll still be enjoying spending time with the rest of my family and friends.  Just getting together and enjoying family time – that’s my idea of a great life!  It doesn’t take much to make me happy – in fact, I’m already there!

Things I’ve Learned

I believe in the wisdom of our elders.  To that end, here are a few things I learned from my grandmother.

• Always sleep on a satin pillowcase – it’ll keep you from gettin wrinkles.
• When gettin a massage, be sure the person givin it always rubs UP.  Gravity will do enough damage, you don’t need no one else helpin it along.
• Campho-phenique will heal anything!  It is a wonder drug! 
• Lemon juice and salt will take a stain out of white laundry.  Just put on the lemon juice, then salt and let it the item dry in the sun.
• Never let your clothes set in the dryer.  Always take them out when the dryer is still turnin, if you do that and then press them a bit with your hands, you’ll never have to iron (and my Grandma was the QUEEN of Laundry)!
• Pretty is as pretty does.
• Idle hands are the devil’s workshop (and that woman was NEVER idle).
• Everything you do is a reflection on your people – regardless of how old you are, how old they are or WHERE you live.  It will get back and it WILL reflect either good or bad on your people.  (Maybe she was psychic – in these internet days, it’s more real than ever.  Anytime you see a horrible thing that someone does, SOMEBODY says, “why wasn’t s/he raised better?”)
• You lay down with dogs, you get up with fleas.
• You don’t have to be beautiful, just do the best you can with what God gave you.

To this day I think of that woman (and my Momma and Daddy) every time I get ready to leave the house.  I won’t go out without being somewhat presentable.  That means hair brushed (usually curled and fixed, but at least in a ponytail), make-up on and dressed in “real clothes”.  I don’t understand people going to town in pajamas or sweats.  Those are clothes to either go to bed in or to use at the gym, but not for the public.  I know that sounds old fashioned, but I don’t want my family to be ashamed of me, nor do I want to subject others to my slovenly self.

Notice I said “go to town”, that’s what we used to call it, and I still do.  It can mean anything from going to the grocery store to the library to going out to supper.  It’s one of the things I guess I’ll always say – it’s part of me.  Comes from those years of  living on the farm and even though I live in the metroplex now, I’m still not used to it 100%.

My Grandmother used to do lots of things that I could never keep up with today – she was an amazing woman.   She came to live with us on the farm when I was about 10 I guess.  She could outwork any man, young or old way into her 80’s.  The only time she’d take a break during the day was to watch her “stories”.  Otherwise she was cleaning house, doing laundry, fighting with the pigs (literally, but that’s another story), or sweeping.  She’d sweep the kitchen floor, the front porch and sometimes even the dirt between the wash-house and the house. 

That’s all I’ve got for now.  There are a million stories about my Grandmother, and the farm and just growing up.  Perhaps I’ll use this blog as a way to get them out.  But not now…another day.