More knowing me, knowing you

Here are the questions I missed from October…two years ago…man, I took a LONG break, didn’t I?  I’ll try not to do that again. (But I’m not making any promises.)

1.  Crunchy peanut butter or smooth?

Well, it depends on how I’m eating it! I like both crunchy and creamy, but it has to be Jif.  If I’m eating a sandwich, it must be creamy, and I like it with strawberry or grape jelly – COLD. I will make it and then put it in the freezer for twenty minutes or so to make it very chilly.  I also like creamy with my apple slices. If I’m having toast, however, I can go either way, but I prefer chunky. I like the way the peanut butter sort of melts from the heat of the toast, and then the crunchy peanut bits are left. Yum.

2. Do you do any volunteer work? (No judgment, just curious. I’m always on the lookout for new ways to get involved…like I have time for more stuff.)

Well, not really.  Every once in awhile I get an opportunity, but I don’t really do it very often. Jess and I walked dogs a few times for the Humane Society, but then they made it difficult to volunteer so we didn’t go back anymore.  I do all kinds of stuff at school, though, that I don’t get paid for. Does that count? Jess and I just chaperoned the Sadie’s dance a few weeks ago. We gave up a Saturday night to go stand around the high school cafeteria.  And there are always different fundraisers and projects kids are working on that we support.  I did a post about Adopt-a-family awhile back.  I guess the short answer is: I volunteer through the school, but not really on my own.

3. What is your favorite cold weather drink?

I don’t like hot beverages – I only like lukewarm beverages.  But I’ve been obsessed all winter with the caramel apple spice from Starbucks.  I also like hot chocolate (Land o’Lakes packets from Costco are AMAZING!) and vanilla chai. But recently my favorite has been the caramel apple spice. Jess even bought caramel syrup so he could make me caramel apple cider at home. It’s not quite the same as Starbucks, but it’s far cheaper!

4. What is your favorite holiday?

Oh, man, I can’t choose.  I used to love Christmas the most, but to be 100% frank, for the last few years it hasn’t been all that great.  We live far from our families, and we have to do a LOT of traveling from house to house all around the state in really crappy weather. It’s been stressful.  Really stressful.  Thanksgiving is the same way.  I think I like the Fourth of July – it’s really low key around here, but we usually get together with friends either at our house or someone else’s, and grill.  Then Jess and I have gone down the road to Clover Island and sat in the back of his pickup to watch the fireworks.  Or maybe New Year’s Eve. That’s really low key – it’s just the two of us and our cats. We make a bunch of finger food / appetizers and watch movies or play games, then watch the ball drop on television.  I love any reason to get together with friends or family, but for the last few years the holidays have been way more stressful than fun.

5. Okay, quick, you gotta hop a plane right now, to anywhere with anyone – where do you go and with who?

My first response is: I go to England with Jess.  Or Croatia, again with Jess.  I’ve joked about going to the summer 2012 Olympics, but I really, really want to go to England.  Though I think I would do it the way my dad and step-mom did and take a cruise to England.  I just finished reading Romeo and Juliet with my freshmen and my seniors start Hamlet when we get back to school on Monday.  I have Shakespeare on the brain, which is why I think England came to mind.  One of these days, though, I am going to make it to Croatia.  It is the “land of my people” you know, and apparently a hot vacation destination.  I just have this desire to see where my grandparents came from while soaking up the sun on some white sandy beaches in the Adriatic!  I have my passport, and so does Jess…we just need to win the lottery, then we’re going to both places! 

Let's get reacquainted, shall we?

Well, since I took such a long hiatus from blogging, I’d say it’s time for us to reacquaint ourselves, isn’t it?  Because I can’t think of a single thing to blog about, I’d say the best way for us to get reacquainted is to catch up on all of Shan’s “Knowing Me, Knowing You” interview questions.  I’ve missed a few months…

So today’s post is catching up on the questions from September 2009.

1. What is your favorite smell?

Hmm…this is an interesting question for me. I have such allergy issues that I’m very sensitive to smells.  Though I would say either fresh laundry (real fresh laundry – NOT the fake smells in a can or candle) that’s been laundered with Tide soap and dried with Bounce dryer sheets, or baked goods / fruits. I have a pretty extensive candle collection, and an even more extensive Scentsy collection. If you go through the drawers where I store it all, you’ll find all kinds of bakery scents like blueberry cheesecake, cherry pie, apple pie, etc.  There’s also lots of fruit scents like cherry almond, lemon, marionberry, and strawberry. 

2.  Did you / would you / are you co-sleep(ing)?

This is another tough question as we don’t have kids yet. (But we’re trying! Our homestudy is all approved and we’re just waiting to be matched with a birthmom right now!)  I’m going to say no for now, but leave it open to change my mind. I have no strong feelings on this one way or the other, actually.  I don’t think you should do it nightly until the kid is 8, but when they are still in the infant / toddler stages?  I don’t know.

3.   Fall fair season is upon us (or it was when Shan originally posted this!), so what’s your favorite fair food?

I honestly don’t really like going to the fair anymore.  It’s just lost some of it’s magic for me.  Especially since I used to go to the Puyallup Fair, and let me let you in on a secret: the Benton-Franklin County Fair is NOTHING compare to the Puyallup.  Nothing.  But when I was younger and we did go to the Puyallup, my favorite food was the raspberry scone!  Even now, no matter what the flavor, when I eat a scone, I always think about the fair.

4.   Thinking about Christmas shopping yet?

Well, not quite yet. Last year I started really early, though, and it was wonderful not to have a ton of bills at Christmas time and very little stress.  I had stuff wrapped by Thanksgiving, even.  It was so nice, I plan to start early this year, too.

5.  What’s your favorite color?

Hands down, no questions asked: blue. I love all colors, especially deep, rich, saturated colors, but blue has long been my favorite. When I was young, I used to like green a lot. In fact, I called everything that was special to me “green.”  My blankie (which had very little green on it) was my “green blankie” and my mom’s mom was “Green Grandma.”  She was very special to me, and I was much closer to her than to my other grandmother, but I still can’t believe I called her Green Grandma to her face.  She did live near Green Lake in Seattle, so maybe that’s how it all started? Maybe I didn’t love green so much but my parents thought I did because I called things green? Who knows? But for a long time now, blue has been my absolute favorite color.

More tomorrow...

knowing me, knowing you - August

Because I was so late last month, I thought I'd get a bit of a head start on this month...only a week in!

A few months ago, Shan from Tales from the Fairy Blogmother started a new interview post. She invited everyone to play along each month. So here it is, the August installment of Knowing Me, Knowing You!

1. Would you rather swim in a pool or a lake?
Tough call. I think I would have to say an outdoor pool. I love being in the water outside, but I don’t like dirty water or seaweed. (The Columbia and Yakima Rivers aren’t too bad, but lakes are sometimes iffy. Blue Lake is awesome, though. We used to camp there when I was a kid and I loved it!) On the other hand, public pools kind of creep me out a bit, too. You don’t know where people have been, or how many kids have peed in the pool. I think my pool is my favorite place to swim. It’s clean, cool, and right in my backyard. It’s 21 x 17 feet big and 4 feet deep, so it’s not big enough to swim laps, but plenty big to float or goof around. Plus, it’s right in my backyard!

2.Where do you do most of your internetting, from a desktop or a laptop?
At home, 99% is done from my desktop. I have a laptop at school that I sometimes bring home, but not typically. My home computer is faster and has a GREAT monitor that’s nice and big and I can see everything. At school, 90% of my internetting is done on the laptop because that’s what the school has provided for me, but sometimes I’ll sit at a student computer in one of the labs because it’s easier than dragging my laptop and Ethernet cords all over the place.

3. What did you do today?
So far I have done a few loads of laundry, paid a bill that J needed to mail today, and looked at the blogs I like to read. Then I decided to get a few of my own blog entries done and have been sitting here for almost an hour working on several entries. I have yet to shower or get dressed – I’m thinking about staying in pj’s all day. Well, I’ll shower and dress when J is on his way home because we may go see a movie this evening. Other than that, it’s all about cleaning and laundry and blogging today!

4. Have you had enough of this cool, rainy summer?
The weather must be different where Shan is in Canada, because it has not been cool OR rainy here until yesterday. For the last month or so we’ve had weather in the low to high 90s daily. Last week we were in the 100s almost every day. Last weekend we hit 105 twice. Monday of this week was 98, Tuesday was 98, Wednesday was 93, yesterday was 93, but right now today it’s 64 and sprinkling. (To give you a comparison, yesterday at this time it was 88.) I’m actually looking forward to cool weather in the fall.

5. Chocolate pudding or butterscotch?
Both. More often than not I have chocolate, but I do enjoy butterscotch on occasion. My real favorite, though, is vanilla.

knowing me, knowing you - July

Okay, so I'm maybe a little late this month. But seriously? Where in the heck did July go?

A few months ago, Shan from Tales from the Fairy Blogmother started a new interview post. She invited everyone to play along each month. So here it is, the July installment of Knowing Me, Knowing You!

1. What household chore do you dislike the most?
Hands down, cleaning the toilets. It flat grosses me out, and there’s not much more to be said about that. I don’t mind dusting and vacuuming, or laundry and dishes so much. I think second to cleaning the toilets would be mopping floors and putting away laundry and dishes. I don’t mind washing the clothes or dishes, but I can’t stand putting them away.

2.Do you have any travel plans this year?
I actually do! We went camping already, but that doesn’t really count as travel, does it? In September, J and I are going to go on a cruise to Alaska! It leaves out of Seattle, so we’ll drive over there and then get on the ship. We’re terribly excited – this is the nicest (and most expensive) trip the two of us have ever been on together! It will be my third cruise, but J’s first. I’ve been looking at all the shore excursions trying to decide which ones we should do. Randomly, and coincidentally, my dad and step-mom will be taking the same cruise exactly one month before we do – same ship and everything! My friend’s parents just got back from an Alaskan cruise, too, though I don’t know if it was the same ship we’ll be on. My secret hope is that J falls in love with cruises and we can start going on them every so often. I think it’s a great way to travel. I typically like to take it easy when I am on vacation, but if I’ve paid to fly somewhere and am staying in a hotel, I like to get my money’s worth and see everything there is to see. On a cruise, you have a day at port and a day at sea, so every other day I get to see stuff and then the other days I get to hang out and read and not feel guilty because there’s nowhere else I can go! Plus, all of your food is included in the cost of the cruise, even room service is “free”!!

3. Ever met a bloggy friend in real life?
Well, not technically. I’ve known Leah since high school, and she’s a bloggy friend, too. But I haven’t ever met anyone else.

4. Seen anything good lately?
I’ve actually seen several movies this summer. It’s been pretty cool. I particularly liked “The Ugly Truth,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” and “The Proposal.” This evening J and I are most likely going to see “G.I. Joe” so I’m going to make him take me to see “Julie and Julia” soon. Unless my sister and I can carve out time to do that when I go to Seattle next weekend for her pinning ceremony (basically, she’s graduating from nursing school – yay T!!!).

5. What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
It’s sort of embarrassing to admit this, but I’d probably have to say my microwave. I don’t cook or bake very often. It’s not that I can’t do it, it’s that I don’t really like to. The microwave makes life very easy. I also LOVE my dishwasher – I put everything in it, even if it’s not technically supposed to go in there. Wooden spoons may get dried out and cracked, but you can get a four or six pack for a dollar at the dollar store, so I’m not terribly concerned. Also, I’ve only ever lost two wooden spoons yet, and I’ve lived over here and owned my own utensils for eight years. I think putting everything in the dishwasher is a risk I’m willing to take.

knowing me, knowing you - June

Shan from Tales from the Fairy Blogmother has been doing a monthly interview post, and I’ve been joining in each month. I’m a little late this month, but here it is, the June installment of Knowing Me, Knowing You!

1. Do you have any pets?
I do. J and I have two cats, Sid and Zoe. They are both 5 years old. I’ve posted lots about them in the past as we don’t have kids yet. They are sweet cats, and they have very distinct personalities. Zoe sleeps under the covers, with or without us. Sid sleeps with his head on a pillow, or on top of one of us. He “pretends” he doesn’t know where Zoe is under the covers and will stand on top of her until we push him away.

2. What's your favorite dessert?
Hands down, crème brulee. Or cheesecake. With fruit toppings.

3. For my fellow bloggers out there - are you a stats checker?
I used to be. But so few people read my blog that I got tired of looking and seeing the same stats over and over and over again. Now I don’t bother.

4. Do you have a gaming system?
Me personally? No. In my house? Yes. J has a PlayStation3 that he uses fairly regularly (probably two or three times a week or so), and I use every once in awhile. I am not good at video games (except Jeopardy), and don’t like to play them very often. J and I own several Legos games (StarWars, Batman, and Indiana Jones) and I do enjoy those. Oh, and I like Guitar Hero even though I – as my students would say – suck hardcore.

5. What is your beverage of choice?
Pepsi or COLD water. I’m trying to drink more water recently, but I do love a nice cold Pepsi every so often. Whatever I drink, it’s cold or lukewarm at best. I don’t enjoy hot drinks at all.

knowing me, knowing you - May

A few months ago, Shan from Tales from the Fairy Blogmother started a new interview post. She invited everyone to play along each month. So, here it is, the May installment of Knowing Me, Knowing You!

1. Do you and your significant other go to bed at the same time?
Nope. I wish we did, but we just don’t. During the school year, I have to be up long before J, so I end up in bed before him. Sometimes hours before him. Even during the summer I’m typically in bed before he is. I am a morning person, and he is definitely a night owl.

2. Do you have any siblings?
I have two younger sisters. T is 19 months younger than me, and L is two years to the day younger than T. When we were young, we didn’t get along very well, but the older we get, the better our relationships get. I’m not sure how to explain it best, but we’ve always been close, we’re just now becoming friends. Does that make sense? We’ve always been fiercely protective of each other, even when we didn’t get along. But now, in addition to being protective of each other, we like each other, too.

I also have two sisters-in-law. H is about 6 months younger than me, and C is about 9.5 years younger than me. It was actually because of H that I met J. Yeah, I’m that girl. I dated, then married, my friend’s older brother. Poor J – between us we’ve got four sisters and not a single brother! I think he’s looking forward to having more males around…he’s pretty outnumbered as it is. (For that matter, I think his dad, my dad and my step-dad are looking forward to those days, too! Even with J around, they are all way outnumbered!)

3. You're spending an evening with friends -- would you rather cook for them in your home or go out to a restaurant?
Hmm…it depends. If my house is clean, I don’t mind having people over. In fact, when we first bought the house, J and I did a fair amount of entertaining. Recently, though, if you’re not related, you aren’t allowed to see my house. We go out fairly regularly with another couple we’re pretty good friends with. And one of my close girlfriends has adopted us into her family and we’re often invited over for Family Fun Nights and birthdays / special events. So, I guess I would have to say that we rarely entertain at home, though we like to.

4. What's your can't miss TV show?
During the school year there’s no such thing as “can’t miss” for me…I always miss. I am a total sucker for reality television (as we’ve discussed before), but I think the one show I would have to say I try to watch every week is NCIS. J and I both love it. One of my friends is addicted, too, and we text each other like mad as we are watching the show. Unfortunately, though, during the school year I can never predict what each day will bring, and I often miss the very shows I love the most.

5. Are you doing any spring cleaning?
Spring cleaning? No. Summer cleaning? You bet. This time of year is insanely busy. I typically do what I can during Spring Break, then grit my teeth and pray for summer. Once school is out, I take a few days to rest, then I whip the house back into shape. What else am I going to do during the summer when I’m not working and J still is? I don’t have kids to occupy me, so I have to do what I can to stay busy. This regularly means cleaning. J thinks I’m obsessed and love to clean, but I really don’t. I just can’t think of anything else to do that doesn’t cost money! And for the sake of my sanity, our budget and our marriage, I need to do free stuff for most of the summer… Come June 10, my house won’t know what hit it!

knowing me, knowing you - April

A few months ago, Shan from Tales from the Fairy Blogmother started a new interview post. She invited everyone to play along each month. So, here it is, the April installment of Knowing Me, Knowing You!

#1 Who does the grocery shopping in your family?
I would like to say that both J and I share this chore, but if I were to be totally honest, J does the vast majority of the grocery shopping in our house. I’ve never really talked to him about it, it’s just sort of naturally happened over the last five years. When we were first married and moved into the house, we used to go together all the time. Then, I started staying home more and he started going alone. I think it’s most likely because we do the grocery shopping on the weekends, and that’s also when I do most of the laundry for the week. Perhaps it started because I couldn’t leave the house one day while the washing machine was running? Truth be told, shopping together is an exercise in patience, and I am not that patient anymore. Awesome as he is, J has a few bad shopping habits that drive me absolutely crazy. For example, even if we have a list, he insists on walking every single aisle, just to make sure we didn’t forget something. I do not have the patience to do that anymore. If we were going to do that, why did we waste time writing out a list? The other thing he does while shopping is conveniently disappear while I am standing in line. Unless he is the only one there and has no choice, the man is apparently allergic to standing in line. After speaking with his mom, though, I know he comes by it honestly. His dad suffers from the same affliction. Mom H and I have talked about how embarrassing it is to be talking to your spouse only to turn around and find he’s disappeared. And you would think that a seven foot tall man would be easy to spot, but he’s chameleon-like. Once he’s gone, I can’t find him until he wants to be found.

I guess the short answer is that J does the majority of the shopping, but I do the majority of the putting away, and I’m typically doing laundry or dishes or some other chore at home while he’s doing that one.


#2 Are you watching American Idol? If so, who are you picking to win it?
I hate this show. I’m really not sure why. I think it’s because the judges are SO mean. I tried watching a few years ago, but I just couldn’t get interested. This is rather odd when you consider my addiction to reality television – you’d think I’d be all over a show like this. But I’m just not. I also hate Dancing with the Stars, but I LOVE So You Think You Can Dance. Don’t ask me why…I really don’t know.


#3 What is your favorite type of fruit?
I pretty much love all fruit. My top favorites are green apples, green grapes, and Satsuma oranges (the little Japanese tangerines). I will eat nearly all fruit, though. Except bananas. Though every once in a long while I will cut up a banana over my cereal. Oh, and I don’t really like blueberries that much. Also at the bottom of my list is cantaloupe. Pretty much hate cantaloupe. Oh, is coconut a fruit? I hate that, too.

#4 Are you a night owl or a morning person?
Definitely a morning person. This is hard because J is the definition of a night owl. (I guess we know who will be responsible for babies in the middle of the night! If and when we ever have them, that is.) I love to be up before everyone else and getting stuff done. It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something cool. The only place I find myself sleeping in, oddly enough, is at my in-law’s house. I usually wake up kind of early, but then I read while I wait for J to get up. Then, I give up waiting on him and get in the shower. That usually wakes him up and we venture upstairs long after the rest of the house has gotten up. Well, except for C. She sleeps in late.


#5 When you’re sleeping, do you have your socks on or do you take them off?
This has changed for me. When I was a kid, I had to have socks on. Now I have to take them off. If my feet are cold, though, and I put socks on, I have to put on a clean pair. It can’t be the ones I wore and stretched out all day. They have to be snug in order for me to be able to sleep. When I am camping, though, and sleeping in a sleeping bag, I typically need to have socks on. Not sure why. I just sleep better when I do.

So there we have this month’s "Knowing Me, Knowing You" installment. Thanks Shan! If you want to play along, visit Shan's blog for directions.

knowing me knowing you, #3

A few months ago, Shan from Tales from the Fairy Blogmother started a new interview post. She invited everyone to play along each month. So, here it is, the third installment of Knowing Me, Knowing You! I love it when someone else gives me a blog topic! Then I don't have to think one up myself. As you all know, I’ve sucked at that so far this year.


#1 What is your dream life?


I’m pretty satisfied with the life I have now. The only thing that could make it better is if we had kids to complete our family. Of course I daydream about having an enormous house with hardwood floors, front-loading washer and dryer, a mud room, and acres and acres of beautifully landscaped land, but I think everyone daydreams, right? When it comes right down to it, I love my husband, my home, my family and friends and my job. What else is there?



#2 Do you play games online?


It’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but I do. I like several PopCap Games (Chuzzle is my favorite). Feeding Frenzy 2 is one of the silliest, most pointless games, but I am completely addicted. Lately, though, I haven’t been playing so many games online. I got an iTouch for Christmas and I don’t have a single song downloaded to it – I only have applications and games. Mostly games. I just got Oregon Trail, and I’m really excited about it! I have been playing a fun hidden-object game called Yard Sale, too. I’ve got Yahtzee! and Word Warp, as well. It’s a way to pass the time. I typically have to fight J for it, though. He thinks it’s pretty fun, too.



#3 Seen anything good lately?

Three weeks ago I went with my friend to see Confessions of a Shopaholic. I wasn’t so impressed. The book series was fantastic!! I laughed out loud while reading them. I had high expectations for the movie, and, well, I was disappointed. It was an okay movie, but I just don’t think there was enough plot or character development. It had been months since J and I went to see a movie together, so two weeks ago I got dressed and brought him his shoes and said, “We’re going to go see a movie. Put on your shoes, let’s go.” I wasn’t really interested in Gran Torino, but I knew he wanted to see it. I just wanted to go on a date with my husband, so I picked a movie I knew he wanted to see. He liked it more than I did, but I think we were both a little disappointed. Again, very little plot or character development. They seemed to spend a lot of time on insignificant things and completely glossed over important stuff. For example, the neighbors made a BIG deal about the fact that they were Hmong, but then the movie explained very little about their culture. I read a book two years ago called, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman. It was about a little Hmong girl who had severe epilepsy and the cultural differences that caused the doctors treating her some serious headaches. It went into great detail about the people, their history, their culture and their beliefs. So, though I am by NO means an expert on Hmong culture, the movie glossed over it too much.

I am going to go this afternoon with my good friend Laurie to see He’s Just Not that Into You. I’ll let you know what I think about it. Have you seen it? What do you think?



#4 What is your favorite pizza combination?

I used to have favorites…now I just have minimum requirements. J and I are 100% opposite in nearly everything. Pizza is one of those things. When I was a kid, my step-dad delivered pizza for awhile after he retired from the Marine Corps and while he was going to school to get his training to do alarm installation. We had so much pizza, that I grew to hate it. In college, we ordered it every once in awhile, and I started to like it again. I still don’t love it, but I’ll eat it every once in awhile. Especially on those nights when we have no food in the house and are too tired or lazy to go to the store. But this is where my minimum requirements come in. J loves pizza. His ultimate favorite combination is pepperoni and jalapeno. I would rather go hungry that put a jalapeno on my pizza. We compromised for a long time on pepperoni and sausage.

Now I am at the point where I require vegetables on my pizza, so we do a lot of sausage and mushroom. I love it when I can talk him into a supreme/ultimate/whatever they call it that has lots of meat and tons of veggies. J rarely agrees to that, though, so as long as it has a veggie on it, I’m okay. And, no, jalapenos are not acceptable veggies even if they are peppers.
If I was really lucky one day, I would be able to talk him into a garlic chicken with artichoke hearts and a white sauce pizza. That’s my ultimate favorite. I’m not holding my breath, though. I won’t ever get that here. I’ll just have to wait until we are at his folks’ house on one of the rare occasions they order pizza and his sister is home. Then we need to order two, so Mom, C, and I get a chicken and white sauce, and J and Dad eat a meat extravaganza. If H is home, she’ll eat either.



#5 How are you with houseplants?

Well, that depends on the real question you are asking. If you are asking how well do I keep houseplants alive, the answer is “I don’t.” If you are asking how well do I kill houseplants, the answer is “Like a pro.”


I couldn’t keep a plant alive to save my life. For our wedding, my aunt gave me and J a blue rhododendron plant. Apparently those things are hard to kill…for the average person. But you see, I am not average when it comes to houseplants. J’s mom offers each spring to send me home with cuttings of her violets (I think they are violets?? I really have no idea) to transplant into our yard. I always decline because the thought of having to transport the living plant all the way across the state, then prepare a spot for it in the yard, plant it, and then keep it alive gives me heart palpitations. I’m thoroughly convinced that I will kill the dang thing before we get to Boardman, Oregon.


I love looking at flowers, but between my allergies, my black thumb and my cats, houseplants that venture into this home are doomed to a certain and painful death, no matter how good my intentions.


So there we have the third "Knowing Me, Knowing You" installment. Thanks Shan! If you want to play along, visit Shan's blog for directions.

knowing me knowing you, #2

Last month Shan from Tales from the Fairy Blogmother started a new interview post. She invited everyone to play along each month. I did last month and enjoyed it enough to do it again this month! So, here it is, the second installment of Knowing Me, Knowing You! I love it when someone else gives me a blog topic! Then I don't have to think one up myself.

#1 What crafts/hobbies are you into?
Man, too many to list. I'm the type of person who gets a hobby and is a thousand percent committed...until the next cool thing comes along. I tend to be a social hobbyist...I need people around me to do whatever it is I like to do. Except for reading. That I like to do alone. Unless other people are reading, too. I hate it when I'm the only one and the other person/people want to talk to me. Leave me alone, I'm reading.

Back to hobbies. I love to scrapbook, and think I'm decent at it. I just don't like to do it by myself. I think if I had a better space, that was more conducive to crafting, I would do it more often. The space I have, though, is small, and out in the open. I can't leave a project out until it's finished, I have to put it away and take it back out and put it away, etc. If I had a room devoted entirely to crafts, I would probably do it more often.

I also love to blog. For the few of you who actually read my blog, you know that I'm kind of hit or miss when it comes to posts. Sometimes I'll do it every day, then I miss a day or two. I had one long hiatus, but that's only happened once. I try to do it at least three times a week, and more is better, but I don't always meet that goal. Maybe if someone sent me a new topic each day I would be better?? Who knows.

I've recently learned how to use my sewing machine. I've completed four rag quilts, but that's it. Oh, and I sewed a quilt out of paper to use as an example for my freshmen at the beginning of this year. I find that when I give them a project, if I show them a good one as an example, I typically get better results. They were supposed to create a family tree, but that was a loose guideline. I made mine like a quilt, and included way more information than just names. I included pictures and all kinds of stuff. It was so cool, I had it laminated at the library so I can use it again in the coming years. Other than four fabric quilts and one paper quilt, I've not used the machine for anything else. I need inspiration...and practice...

Can organizing be a hobby? I love to organize. Every once in awhile I will pick a cupboard / closet and go to town. I should do it more often, though. I like things to be neat, and I am addicted to clear plastic containers. J usually gets annoyed with my obsession, but I think in the past year he has come to "see the light" and maybe (maybe??) appreciate it. When we went camping last summer in the coolest tent ever, I was so organized it was almost sickening. We not only knew where everything was, we could see through the containers and pick the right container instantly. But I digress. I love to organize, and I really love to help other people organize.

My last "hobby" might not really be a hobby. It might be more of a...a...well, I'm not really sure what it is. You tell me. I love to tease J. It truly is a goal of mine to make him smile, shake his head and say, "You are so strange/weird/goofy." I try to do it on almost a daily basis if possible.


#2 What is your laundry strategy?
Well, I don't have a fully developed laundry strategy. It's a work in process. But I think I'm getting pretty close to a workable routine. We used to have two baskets and a hamper. That didn't work really well for us, especially in the apartment when we had to trek half a block to the apartment laundry room or put it in the car and haul it across town to the laundry mat (laundromat?). Then when we moved into the house, we graduated to about five baskets and a hamper. That still didn't work for us. About two years ago, I found a laundry sorter at Wal-Mart that had four bags, and was on wheels. Plus, it was an antiqued bronze color. Pretty cool, and all for $28! I bought it, and it has been awesome. I used to get annoyed that J would just drop all his clothes into one bag, and when it was full, he'd move on to the next bag. I finally got smart this last summer and pinned tags on each bag labeling them (whites, lights, brights, and darks). It's been smooth sailing ever since. During the summer, I stay pretty much on top of the laundry, doing a load or two every other day. During the school year (and winter when we wear more clothes!) we usually do laundry on the weekends. If I have multiple loads, I dump the clean stuff on the bed and put all five baskets on the floor. It gets sorted into baskets as follows:

Basket 1: K's socks / underwear / pajamas

Basket 2: J's socks / underwear / pajamas

Basket 3: K's shirts and pants

Basket 4: J's shirts and pants

Basket 5: towels / bath rugs / bedding

If I am nice, I will put it all away. I'm not usually that nice, though, so J has to put away his own laundry. I will fold towels and bedding, and usually leave that for him to put away, too. So far this seems to work pretty well for us. I'm looking for a new sorter, though, with four, or even five bags. The bars holding the bags up have bent on the one we have now. But I'm not having any luck, everyone seems to have sorters with three bags. Or the sorters with four bags have weird cutouts at the top of the bag making them smaller. Not useful. So, for now, we use the bent sorter.


#3 You walk into a bank and there are people waiting ahead of you for an open teller. You step into place behind the last person waiting.... here's the question... are you waiting in line or are you waiting on line?

In line. I don't know anyone who says "on line"...but I don't know a lot of people!



#4 Do you Facebook?

Nope. Not really interested in it, either. I spend enough time on my blog and e-mail. If I used Facebook, too, I don't know that I would have time to do anything else!



#5 Where would you like to have a shopping spree and what would you buy?

Lots of places. I'm sort of obsessed with Vera Bradley bags right now, and I love my Coach purses. Plus, I'm always good for Barnes and Noble gift cards. Books are a girl's best friend! And recently I've seen TONS of great dishes / housewares that I love. If I had lots of money and a ton of storage, I would love to go crazy buying new dishes and stuff to decorate my house. Oh, or a lighting place...we have been looking for lamps for our bedside tables in our room and also in the guest room. Can't find anything we like that's reasonably priced! The Container Store. I'm obsessed with storage and organization.

I think I would go just about anywhere if I got to spend someone else's money.



So there we have the second "Knowing Me, Knowing You" installment. Thanks Shan! If you want to play along, visit Shan's blog for directions.

knowing me, knowing you #1

A few days ago, Shan over at Tales From the Fairy Blogmother, started a new activity. Once a month she is going to do an "interview" post. I thought it sounded like fun, and decided to join in.



1. Making any New Year's resolutions this year or do you think the whole idea of resolutions is ridiculous?

I don't think the idea of resolutions is ridiculous. BUT, I can't make them because I break them in record time and then feel like an absolute failure. I wish I could, but I can't. I admire people who can stick to them, but there are very few of them! Each school year I make new "resolutions" and goals to better myself professionally, and I'm pretty successful with that. Personal goals, though, I'm pretty lax.




2. Read/Watched anything good?

WAY too much to even begin listing. I read like it's going out of style. Just about anything I can get my hands on. And I don't think my opinion of good movies / television is worth that much. I watch some pretty lame stuff, and I'm completely addicted to reality television. I'm sad that Survivor is over for the season. I'm stuck on reruns of Wife Swap, Antiques Roadshow, SuperNanny and shows like that. I will always watch a rerun of Friends. The only "current" show that is non-reality that I like is NCIS. Oh! I almost forgot about Jon and Kate Plus 8!! I love, love, love that show! (See?? More reality tv!)

3. Blog you can't stop reading.

I love lots of different blogs. I check the ones in my blogroll faithfully, but rarely have time to comment anymore. Just know I love you!

4. George Clooney and Brad Pitt are together on the cover of the French edition of GQ. You can check out the sexiness here. Quick question..... who's hotter?


Hands down, George Clooney. Brad Pitt is too much of a pretty boy. And I don't think he's very smart, either.



5. When it comes to movies do you prefer the theater or dvd?


Theater. I love to watch movies at home in pajamas, curled up in my favorite chair, but I have a heck of a time staying awake. Just ask J. It drives him crazy when I fall asleep during a movie. But he likes to watch movies at night. I can't do it. If he got up early in the morning with me, I can stay awake then...but it's just not going to happen at night. In the theater, however, I think I have only fallen asleep twice. Once at Contact, that Jodi Foster movie that was horrible. (Sorry if you like it.) I met my cousin and his girlfriend there, and it was late. I just couldn't keep my eyes open. And that was when I was a teenager and never went to bed early. The other time was the day after we got married and J and I took my sister T and her friend Michael out to dinner and a movie to thank Michael for his calming presence and going way above and beyond the call of duty on my wedding day. He's my sister's friend, but he got in my car and drove across town to pick me up from the hairdresser, and then played chauffer to the wedding for me. And he did it just because he was hanging out at the house and wanted to be helpful. He was super sweet and I wanted to thank him. Some thanks that turned out to be. KFC and Pirates of the Carribbean...and I slept through most of it.


Another reason I prefer the theater is that in this tiny town I live in, there is very little available in the way of entertainment. The whole city shuts down by 9 p.m. Except the fast food places and Wal-Mart. Even Safeway is not 24 hours here... If there isn't a sporting event at the high school, or a play at the high school, there's not a lot to do. So we go to movies.




So there we have the first "Knowing Me, Knowing You" installment. Thanks Shan! If you want to play along, visit Shan's blog for directions.