Monday Quiz

I'm joining Heather today over at Acting Balanced for her Monday Quiz event!

The 4 questions for today are these: (adding on a 5th question of my own for you to answer!)

1. Who was the last person you said 'I love you to?'

2. What was the last non-kid friendly movie you saw?

3. When was the last time you got angry about something that you felt silly about later?

4. Where is your favorite object at this moment?

5. (to be announced)

 

And don't forget to add a 5th Question on your own blog so we can answer as we hop around!

 

 1.  The last person that I said, "I love you" to would  be my 16-month old granddaughter, Allison.  I had been trying to get her to take a nap for the last 2 hours and she was really being difficult.  So, I picked her up and began singing the "Cuppy-cake" song to her and she started to calm down so I laid her back in her bed and our ritual is usually, kisses, tuck in "snug as a bug in a rug",  and "I love you".  She is sleeping beautifully at this moment.  Whew!

2.  The last non-kid friendly I watched was "Wolfman" with Anthony Hopkins.  There was quite a bit of gore and disemboweling, with it's fair share of blood.  Which I was really unprepared for, not realizing that it contained as much as it did.  Decent movie, but Benicio De Toro's acting left a bit to be desired.  He didn't convince me of his "angst".  

3.  The last time I got angry about something ... let me see ... Well, to be honest, it really takes a lot to make me angry.  My feelings get hurt before anger will set in.  The only thing that takes a split second to make me angry about is the broken promises and the abuse and/or neglect of children.  I will not hesitate to say something, do something, or react to something regarding children.  And...I usually don't feel silly about it... (unless it's with one of my kids.... sometimes I don't give them the benefit of the doubt and I'll jump in when not needed).  But I have no troubles with apologizing if needed.

4.  My favorite object, at this moment, is sitting on the shelf above my desk.  I blogged about it last year in answer to a question, and it's still my favorite. Favorite Item.

       ...and now my question...

5.  What are your feelings regarding the over-saturated "Politically Correct" society that we've become?  Do you think that it's important ALL the time? Only in certain instances? or Not necessary at all?  Explain why you feel this way.

Your thoughts...

Some days, do you find that you have so many projects and things you want to do, that you get  overwhelmed?  Boy, today is one of those days!  With new car searching, cleaning up (after my oldest daughter moved out), appointments, church activities, and some form of sleep thrown in there somewhere, when I finally get a bit of free time to work on any of the many craft projects I want to finish, I find that I've lost my "oomph" and the desire to even start anything.

(my granddaughter, Allison, giving me just the right emotion that describes that feeling!!)

If, or when, you get days like that, what do you do to combat that monster of "BLAH"?

Brownies with a twist...Who'da thunk?

My daughter and her friend were experimenting in the kitchen one night due to sheer boredom.  I don't know whether they seen the recipe online or just made it up themselves, however, the results of their experiments were really interesting and VERY tasty!

They lined cupcake pans with liners (they used paper ones but I suggest using ones with the coating on the inside) and placed a dollop of brownie batter in the bottom.  They then coated an Oreo cookie with peanut butter and placed it on top of the brownie batter in the cupcake liner.  The final step before baking them was to cover the peanut butter Oreo with more brownie batter and bake.

They cooked them a bit longer, I think, then was necessary, but they were really delicious!

One of these tasty desserts was enough to satisfy my "peanut-butter-chocolate-fix" for a good while!  Very rich and filling!

Watery Wednesday

I'm linking up with Trish over at Bluff Area Daily: Watery Wednesday

This was taken at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis, MO.  My dad and I were up there waiting on doctors and such so we decided to check it out!  Although we did our visit in February and there wasn't a lot of color variations, there were other sites that were beautiful! This is one of the ones I took!

Wednesday Hodge Podge 1 day late

1. Chinese New Year will be celebrated on February 10th, and 2013 is the year of the snake.  When did you last see a snake?  Are you okay around snakes or do they give you the shivers?
Snakes are ok with me as long as they are on T.V. or in a securely locked environment!

2. The color red in Chinese culture usually means good luck.  Do you believe in luck?
Actually, no, I don't believe in "luck" per se., at least, that's not what I call it.  In my own personal belief system, I call it "Divine Providence".  I had a motorcycle accident when I was 18.  I died 3x and once on the operating table for almost 6 minutes.  My neck was broken in 2 places, my back was broken in 3 places, my left leg was shattered, and I had the top part of my skull caved in.  No, I was not supposed to be breathing after that, let alone walking and continuing my life.  I slipped into a coma for 19 days.  First words I heard coming out of that state of nothingness was, "You'll never walk again."  I had a 2 year old and a 2 month old, no way I was going to raise them from a wheelchair.  My point is this, luck had nothing to do with it.  It was only by the grace of God, Himself, that I was allowed to continue on with my life, without crutches, without a walker, and without a wheelchair.  I'm 43 years old now, and granted, the aches and pains are somewhat intense most days from arthritis and such caused by the accident; but, in the meantime, I've experienced the joy of giving birth to 2 more children, meeting some fabulous people, traveling, and still being young enough to get down on the floor and play with my grandchildren.  Luck? No, that was all God.

3. Sledding-ice skating-building a snowman...if given a choice, which activity would you choose?  Which of the three have you done most recently?
None of them actually!  We had a beautiful snow this year, but it didn't hang around long enough to be able to enjoy any of the icy activities.  Of the three, I would have to say building the snowman, snow-woman, and little snow babies all across the yard.  I get goofy sometimes and if there were enough snow, I'd have a snow village in my front yard.  I like the creativity I think, more.

4. Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited as saying, "The years teach much which the days never knew." Where have you seen this quote played out in your own life?
I have to agree with Joyce on this answer, "Motherhood".  As a grandmother now, I look back at my state of mind when I was a young mother.  I watch as my oldest daughter is learning to raise her children and so many times I want to jump in and "fix" the situation for her or take over for her so she can have a break.  But, I realize that wouldn't be helping her in the long run.  She has such a difficult time getting the 16-month old to take her nap but when it's just the baby and I, things are so much calmer and she'll go right down for me.  I know it's the wisdom of the years, more so than the experience of child rearing.  It's a really neat thing to watch unfold.

5.  When was the last time you ate a cupcake?
Last Monday.  I made some lemon cupcakes with Apple Pie Frosting, sprinkled with cinnamon, for my class that evening.  I was trying new flavor combinations and this one turned out fabulous!

6. What is something you can't say no to?
Wow, this is a tough one actually.  There used to be a time when the word "no"  wasn't even in my vocabulary; which caused many more problems for me than it should have.  I've since adjusted my vocabulary and it's a more frequently used word (much to the relief of my sanity!).  But the one thing that I really have difficulty saying "no" to are my grandchildren.  They never ask for things that are unattainable.  A walk in the park, crafty things, cooking, and my 6 year old grandson, Devin loves to do the dishes....How can you say "no" to that?

7. Are you a doodler?
I used to be a doodler.  I'm mostly reading and doing classwork.  I take so many notes in class that I hardly have time to doodle.  When I'm home, I'm on the computer or reading.  When I start my drawing and art class, I will most definitely be doodling a lot more.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
How come I can go into the basement or garage in the dark and not be scared, but whenever a toaster pops up, it scares the crackers out of me?

My very first Blog award!!

Thank you sooooo much from  Davonna over at http://chroniclesofnani.blogspot.com/
 Although I have no idea what I did to deserve this award!! /em does the Snoopy dance!


The rules are pretty easy:

(1) Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you.
        Check!
(2) Acknowledge that blogger on your blog and link back to them.
        Check! Check!
(3) Answer the five simple questions.
        See below
(4) Nominate blogs for the award and notify each of them.
        Also see below
(5) Display the award on your blog somewhere.
        See above
 Here are the questions:
1. If you could change one thing, what would you change?
2. If you could repeat an age, what would it be?
3. What is one thing that really scares you?
4. What is one dream you have not completed, and do you think you'll be able to complete it?
5. If you could be someone else for one day, who would it be?


My answers:


1.  I wouldn't change anything about my past...even the really bad stuff, because who's to say I wouldn't be where I am now, with my friends and family!  Everything happens for a reason and I'm content with my life, as is, where I am emotionally, physically, and spiritually.  But to answer the question a bit more selfishly, I would have to say, I wish I had a better singing voice!

2.  How about a "decade".  That's an age, right? I think I would have to say the 80's.  I loved the music, the hair, and the clothes!  That would be a blast!

3.  Dementia.  I am totally terrified of not being able to remember my friends and family...especially my grandchildren.  My heart, mind, and soul are so intertwined with my grandbabies, that I believe that it would be the worst sort of hell if I couldn't remember them.

4.  Give me a few more minutes.....I still need to wake up!!    No, just kidding!  The one dream that I have not completed is to finish my novel.  Do I think I can complete this?  Absolutely!

5.  I really can't think of anyone that I'd rather be, even for a day, but myself.  I know that everyone has a purpose, there is a purpose to everything under the sun, and I wouldn't want anyone to have to go through what I've gone through.  I'm grateful for the life I've been given, the family and friends that I've been blessed with, and the intelligence to be able to appreciate it.

Now, I would like to pass this award onto:

Stephanie over at The Enchanting Rose
Zoanna over at A Penchant for Pens
Davonna over at  The Chronicles of Nani

I chose Stephanie to get this award because she dedicated her blog to her grandmother.  Today, I'm missing my grandma pretty fiercely.  She's been gone since 2010.  So when I read that on her blog, it just kinda' stuck with me.

I chose Zoanna because her last post was a really emotional one.  I can so empathize with what she was going through and I want to make her smile!

I chose Davonna, not because she's my best friend, but because her perseverance and tenacity living with M.S. is such an inspiration to me.

I love all my blogger friends, new ones and old ones! Have a beautiful week and hope to see you all in Blog-Land!

Kelly xoxo