Saturday 9: Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Aw...this week's Saturday 9 makes me sad. David Cassidy is yet another icon from my youth that didn't fare well after being a teen star. Hollywood really does a number on kids.

Anyway, let's get on with the questions and remember the good things about David. Thanks to Sam for the questions and for paying tribute to another star burnt out too soon.

Saturday 9: Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (1971)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

In memory of David Cassidy, who died on 11/21/17.

1) This song mentions celebrating the holidays in "the new old-fashioned way." What's a holiday tradition that began with you (or your generation)? The whole family watching A Christmas Story together at some point after dinner on Christmas Day.

2) The lyrics include dancing, caroling and pumpkin pie. Will you enjoy any of those three between now and year-end? I know there won't be pumpkin pie, but I had a pumpkin gob tonight...does that count? As for caroling, I am a horrid singer. I don't carol. And dancing? Just around here by myself when a good song comes on.

3) David Cassidy and The Partridge Family were intensely popular for a short period of time. For example, this song was from the best-selling Christmas album of the 1971 holiday season. Have you added any holiday music to your collection this year?  Just a bunch of classical and instrumental CD's that I bought at an auction.

4) In 1971, the official David Cassidy fan club had a membership that exceeded both Elvis' and The Beatles'. Have you ever joined a fan club?  Back at about that same time frame I was a card-carrying member of the Osmond Brothers' fan club. I remember that it cost $5 to join and it was a very big deal that my mom agreed to pay, what was a ridiculous amount at the time, for a couple of pictures and bios.

5) David recalled that his first hero growing up was the Yankees' Mickey Mantle. When you were a little kid, what grown-up did you look up to? When I was a little kid I looked up to all grown-ups. Not what you meant? Okay...I guess I'd have to go with the biologist who ran the research part of the wildlife preserve my dad managed. I wanted to study wildlife just like he did and I used to pester him endlessly with questions.
 
6) David was a notoriously bad driver. In 1990, he was sentenced to traffic school for speeding. He was late for the class because he was stopped for speeding en route. Do you have a "lead foot?" If I'm honest, I do sometimes, but driving a school bus has taught me some patience if nothing else....plus I really shouldn't get points against my CDL.

7) David's parents divorced when he was only four years old. He and his momlived with her parents until he was 10. Have you ever lived in an extended,multi-generational household? When I was little I lived with my grandparents and twin aunts while Mom did her student teaching and finished school. My great-grandmother stayed with us for a short time, too.

8) In 1971, when David and the Partridge Family were at their height, the US Mint introduced the Eisenhower Silver Dollar. Think of the last thing you bought. Did you pay with cash or plastic or your phone?  I virtually always use the debit card and I used it this morning to buy a donut.

9) Random holiday question: Let's talk regifting. Tell us about a time you regifted, or you received a present you suspect was regifted.  I have often regifted. If the item is new and can be used by someone else when you aren't using it, what's the problem? I don't know or care if a gift to me was someone else's gift first, but the only time I can think of right off hand when I probably do get a "used" gift is in one of the many gift exchanges I find myself in during the Christmas season. I swear every workplace, club, organization, church, etc. has a gift exchange. It can get ridiculous.

That's it so I am going to post and call it a night. I've spent the last two evenings, along with girlfriends from high school, painting a Christmas gift at a local craft mall (which is owned by another friend from high school!). I am not the crafty type so a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into the project (and it's a darn good thing they served wine) but after 7 hours of labor I finally finished and got to come home. I plan to give it to our daughter who loves owls. What do you think? Mine is the one on the left.

Wednesday Hodgepodge: Leftovers, Edition

Joining in with Joyce and the gang for The Wednesday Hodgepodge. Life got kind of busy this fall and this is the first time in a good while that I've played along. I'm looking forward to getting back on it.

1.  What's something blogging has taught you about yourself?  I have some OCD tendencies. I tend to check and recheck for comments. At least it isn't as big an issue here as it can be on Facebook when comments are flying all day long.

2.  Leftovers...are you in the 'reheat and eat' camp or the 'put them in the fridge until they spoil and then toss them' camp? What's your favorite thing to have leftover? What can you not abide as a leftover? I reheat and eat a lot of leftovers. I tend to cook more than we need so there are extra meals for lunch or quick suppers at other times.  My favorite leftover, if we're talking about Thanksgiving is stuffing and gravy...comfort food at its best. Something I hate as a leftover....fish.

3. 'Me time'...your thoughts?  Jammies, my Poodle cuddled up, a cup of tea or a glass of wine, and either a good book or a chick flick.

4. When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with? Writing, spelling, grammar...anything like that. Oh, and our daughter calls constantly with cooking and housekeeping questions.

5. If your childhood had a smell what would it be? Tell us why.  A fresh country or woodsy smell because most of my childhood was lived either in the country or the forest since Dad's jobs were in wildlife management (PA Game Commission pheasant farm and a private wildlife preserve).

6. Insert your own random thought here.  This is the first year in quite a while that I'm feeling really excited about Christmas. As our kids grew up and began to make their own choices and live independently it resulted in a world of hurt and the family suffered. A lot. The past year or two it has begun to improve and this past Saturday we were all together for the day and it was amazing! Everyone got along and enjoyed the time together, the grandkids had a ball, no one had a meltdown or hissy fit, no one's feelings were hurt. It was easily the best day we've had as a whole family in the last....8 years or so. I am still floating on air!

Thanksgiving, Family, and the Fake Santa

Good morning! I'm able to post this morning thanks to a uniquely Pennsylvanian holiday. It's the first day of deer season and in many of our rural school districts it has become the thing to schedule the day as part of the Thanksgiving holiday break (it's always the Monday after Thanksgiving) since so many will not be in school anyway.

Even work in other areas suffers. Tim had to work yesterday because the crews who are taking off today to hunt wanted to make up the hours. I don't hunt and it's been years since Tim has taken time off to go, but I sure won't complain about an extra day....especially since this year we have to go, like, four whole weeks before we get to the Christmas break.

I hope everyone enjoyed a blessed Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, feasting, and bargains if Black Friday shopping is one of your things. Thanksgiving day was, for us, a quiet day.  Mom and John came down off the ridge to stay at Mom's house right behind us so we could leave our poor old Elvis at home and be close enough to run down and let him and Daisy out. That was very thoughtful of them since Elvis can't navigate the steep steps to get into John's house these days.

Anyway...

It was just them, us, and our daughter, her husband and our youngest grandbaby for dinner.  We ate early at noon and then hung out visiting for a bit before the kids had to leave for another Thanksgiving dinner with Cody's family. I spent the afternoon with Mom and John just chatting and watching TV because Tim was not feeling well again and went home to sleep. The kids were back by 6:00 to drop my little buddy off so I could babysit while they went out to do some Christmas shopping. I had him until 9:00. We watched a Sesame Street Christmas movie about why (at least on Sesame Street) we leave cookies out for Santa. Colton loved the puppets and bright colors.

Friday was all about cleaning the house and decorating. I do not go out for Black Friday shopping. I'd rather poke my eye with a stick. I ordered a few things online in the morning and in the evening I braved Walmart because I needed to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy. I was shocked. There were cars in the lot, but there were plenty of spaces up close to the store and there really weren't that many people in the store. All the registers were open and there were no lines to checkout. On Black Friday. I'm guessing Thanksgiving night has become the new Black Friday?

Saturday was a great day. One of the best family days we've ever had since the kids have grown up. We started in the morning by picking up our daughter and her family and driving to the Christmas Market over in the town where I work. We found all kinds of goodies...fudge, pickles, a painted plate for Santa's cookies, wine, some amazing all natural soaps, and I got the cutest sign (dangler? hanging?) made by my former boss and her husband who have a sign company. I have to find the perfect spot for it. The picture doesn't do it justice. It's actually highly polished steel with a swirly pattern.

We got home just before our son and his family arrived. I pulled out the fixings for sandwiches and chips and we all had a light lunch and visited and caught up. None of us get to see our son's family very much. They are only an hour away, but with everyone working, in school, or whatever, it's hard to get together when you can't just pop over after dinner or on the way home from work. Eventually Megan and I decorated the tree while Ashlei kept an eye on Colton and the guys went outside to take care of those decorations.

The results...

Still going with my woodland theme tree.

It's really hard to tell since I took this in the dark,
but I used the arch Tim made out of old doors
for Megan's wedding and added sparkly snowflakes
on the doors and hung a rustic wood and galvanized
star up on top where they had the "Love you to the
Moon and back" sign for the wedding.

Nothing fancy, but I love how bright the colors of the LED lights are.

We went to a favorite local Italian restaurant at 4:00. Mom and John met us there and we had a great time talking and the food, as always, was yummy! Aeden entertained us with a magic trick. He is too funny and borders on being Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory) smart. He did the trick but then showed how it was done because it's not "real" magic. Colton cemented his love of Sora.

From there it was on to Overly's Country Christmas at the county fairgrounds. It's a big light display, that really isn't the greatest, but it's all for area charities. One man began it years and years ago at his house. You used to wait in traffic lines for hours to drive by and toss a few coins in the donation bucket. Now it's $20 a carload to drive through the lights (just a circle around the main section of the fairgrounds), $6 per person for a sleigh ride (only Colton was free and the kids weren't even less), and I have no idea how much the train ride the kids took cost, but I'm sure it was ridiculous given that it was only two times around the small oval set-up and it was the fastest kiddie train I've ever seen. Everyone in the crowd was commenting on it being the "bullet train."

Aeden wanted to "put his face in the hole" so Pappy
had to do it, too, but he's trying really hard not
to be seen doing it.  LOL

Right before the ride started. They were freezing, but excited.

After you drive through the lights, you can park and go into the center of the fairgrounds where there is a model train display, a nativity with some live sheep and a donkey, a huge bonfire, a gift shop (of course), sleigh and wagon rides, food vendors, and you can visit Santa.

Poor Aeden wanted to talk to Santa (I'm not sure what happened because Ashlei and Matt used to refuse to have their kids believe in Santa, but on this visit Aeden sure believed), but the line was so stinking long that Matt told him no. Playing to that genius brain of his, I told him it wasn't the real Santa, anyway, that it was just a helper Santa. Matt added to that telling him they'd go see Santa at the mall near their house because he knew for a fact that he was the real one. He told Aeden that it was one Christopher Claus and he had seen his ID so he was sure it was him. That satisfied Aeden and his good mood returned. Of course, it didn't hurt that Aunt Megan and Uncle Cody bought he and Sora the coolest light swords ever!

Matt's family headed home from there and we brought the others back to our house to get their truck. Everyone had a wonderful time. Well....I'm guessing about our little guy. It was so cold he was all bundled up and couldn't really do anything, but his little eyes were sure wide open taking it all in.

Yesterday was my do-nothing day. I napped, I read, I ate, I wrote, I played around on the laptop. That was it. Okay, I made dinner and fed my husband when he got home from work, but that was it.

Today is all about laundry, but still pretty relaxed, though I do have to take the Poodle to be groomed this afternoon. Man, does she need it.

So, that was our holiday and tomorrow it's back to work. How was your holiday?

Sunday Stealing: Monday Morning Meme

We stole this from Phoenix the Blogging Mama , who stole it from Karen, who made up the questions herself.

 

1. How has your life most benefitted from the Internet? Whether it’s meeting people, cutting business overhead, finding rare collectibles, or simply sharing funny cat pictures, share how the web has made life easier.  I don't know if it's made it easier, but it's definitely added another layer or two and made it possible to "know" people I'd never meet otherwise. I've also been able to keep up with distant family. I mentioned on the blog the other day, a recent event...a blogging friend who I've never met in "real" life published a book that is now available on Amazon.  On the "Acknowledgements" page I am included in the list of friends she thanks for all they have done to support and encourage her on her journey. I was (and still am) completely blown away.

2. How do you deal with negative comments on your blog?  I don't get them very often and I usually ignore them or try to respond with grace. I never block anyone unless it's a "troll" who posts awful stuff just for the sake of being hateful.

3. There’s never enough time, is there? What would you do with an extra three hours today?  Cook nice dinners.  I am usually so tired at the end of the day that I go for quick and easy or take-out.  I love cooking, but just don't have the energy through the week.

4. The getaway car is waiting outside – where is it taking you?  Some beach somewhere. The important thing is that it is by the water, pleasantly warm, and the living is slow and casual.

5. Who was your "arch enemy" in high school?  I didn't have one in high school, but I sure had one for the three years I attended a private elementary school. Maggie and her "henchwoman" Clair made my life a living hell every single day for three years. Do you have any enemies today?  I don't think so. There may be people who don't like me, but I don't think their dislike is strong enough to make them enemies.

6. You’re giving the keynote address to the graduating seniors of a high school today. What’s your advice to them?  All the things that seem so huge, so important, so all consuming in your life right now...they aren't. If you could see the big picture, you'd see that a lot of this stuff, most of it, even, isn't going to matter a year from now. It may not even matter next week. Don't blow your future over temporary crap that happens now.  Deal with it, for sure, but then let it go. Move on. Your whole life is ahead of you and today doesn't have to define your life forever.

7. Thinking of words of wisdom: What's the worst advice you've ever received?  I really can't think of any horrible advice, but one I was sorry I listened to was the advice in college to "drop anthropology and take ethics."  It didn't make any difference really but anthropology would have been fascinating. Ethics was coma-inducing and the teacher was awful.

8. Tell us about the best summer vacation you EVER had.  That would be the year after our son graduated from high school.  He brought his best friend along and our daughter brought a friend, too.  We had some great times all together, but the kids often entertained themselves so we had some downtime for the first time ever.  It was great!

9. What do you have to have with you when you travel? Why?  Reading material (books and magazines), my Bible, my journal, and my laptop.  Because I don't think I could go a day without any of them.

10. Would you accept $1,000,000 tax free, if it meant you had to leave the country and never come back?  No.

11. Do you believe the world will be a better, or worse, place 100 years from now?  I suspect worse and I'm glad I won't be here by then.

12. Do you expect to buy a new winter coat this year?  Not unless I suddenly lose a lot more weight.  I bought two last year so I'm good until/unless they don't fit.

13. If you could spend one year in perfect happiness but afterward would remember nothing of the experience, would you do so?  No.  I wouldn't want to lose a year of memories.

Thanks to Bev for hosting Sunday Stealing and finding us interesting questions week after week. You are doing a great job!

It's 11:00 on Saturday night and this chick is going to say goodnight because all our family was home today. We had a great day, but it's been a looooong day and this grandma is out of get up and go.  See you in the morning for Sunday Stealing!

Saturday 9: The Man in Black

Hello! I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and has survived the "fun" of Black Friday. To be honest, I skipped the whole Black Friday thing. I did a little bit of online shopping yesterday and a little this morning.

I confess I needed a prescription filled so I did venture out to Walmart this evening and to my surprise it was less crowded than a normal Friday evening. All the checkouts were open and there were no lines at all. I couldn't believe it, so I caved and did a little extra shopping while I was there.

Sorry to be doing this on Friday evening, but our son and his family are coming tomorrow and it will be a busy day....Christmas Market in the morning, decorating in the afternoon, dinner out at a favorite restaurant, and then loading up in cars to go see the big light display at the county fairgrounds.

Thanks, as always, to our hostess, Sam, for coming up with the questions and providing the spot to link up to the Saturday 9.  This week's choice is a personal favorite.

 

Saturday 9: The Man in Black (1971)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Black is this week's signature color because Friday, November 24, was "Black Friday," when retailers cut their prices and consumers flock to the stores. Did you score any "Black Friday" bargains?  Just a few and they were found online or at the above mentioned end of day trip. I got all the Pioneer Woman cookbooks for my daughter who is obsessed with her, a couple of classic games redone in a Spiderman theme for our oldest grandson, and a great deal on a couple of inflatables for the front yard (hey, a grandma's gotta do what a grandma's gotta do).

2) Among the biggest the Black Friday advertisers are Target, Kohl's, Macy's and Best Buy. If you could have a $100 gift card to any one of those stores, which would you choose?  What would you buy?  I'd probably choose Target because they have awesome games and toys that you can't find elsewhere...a lot of old classics.

3) Feasting and football are also popular Thanksgiving weekend pastimes. Do your Thursday-Sunday plans include pigging out or watching a game?  Well, we can check pigging out off the list. That was definitely done yesterday (okay, and again today with leftovers). No football in the plans, however. My husband has never been a fan and while I do love my Steelers, I usually pass on watching since he doesn't enjoy it.

4) Thanksgiving weekend is a major time for travel. How far did you venture from home for the holiday?  About 100 feet up the sidewalk to my mom's house.

5) This week's song, "Man in Black," is about a singer who refuses to wear bright colors. What color are you wearing as you answer these questions? Blue jeans and a dark green shirt.
 
6) Johnny Cash first performed this song at Nashville's Vanderbilt University. When were you last on a college campus? What brought you there?  I guess it was a couple of years ago.  My mom and I went to see a musical review at St. Vincent College here in town.

7) The average American man wears a 10.5 size shoe, the average woman wears a 7.5. Johnny Cash wore a size 13. Are your shoes bigger or smaller than the national average?  Bigger.  Every time I was pregnant I gained a shoe size and they never went back to the former size after the pregnancies. Thanks kids!!

8) He preferred his coffee very strong. To make sure what he drank was to his liking, he carried a jar of instant coffee with him and would ladle it into his cup in restaurants. What about you? What's your standard coffee order?  My standard coffee order is Diet Coke. I can't stand coffee.

9) While in the air force, Cash wrote short stories under the pseudonym "Johnny Dollar." Make up a pen name for yourself.  Laurel Highlands...it's the name of the area I live in.

Well, I am off to get a few more things done before heading to bed.  Enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving holiday if you are lucky enough to be off.  See you Sunday for Sunday Stealing!

I Know a Real Live Author!

Oh my stars! I am so excited...for my longtime blogging friend (even though I've been out of touch lately), Dawn Paoletta at Enthusiastically, Dawn. She is a gifted writer and poetess.  She is also (and this is the shared interest that solidified our friendship) a absolute journaling fanatic.  She has hosted journaling blog hops and journaling boot camps.  She has reviewed so many absolutely gorgeous journals, the descriptions of which, left me drooling in severe want to unleash my own words on those lovely blank pages. Now she is also a published author!

In the process of clearing out my inbox this morning, I found an email from Dawn announcing that her book is now in print and available on Amazon.  Accompanying the announcement was a lovely letter of thanks written to all the women she felt had encouraged her and made the book possible. I am so humbled to be included on that list....and even more so to see that she mentioned all of us under "Acknowledgements" in the book.

Of course I ordered her book, Journaling for Discovery and Delight: Creative Prompts for Your Journey, right away.  It should arrive Friday and I can't wait. You can expect a full review once I read it.

Sunday Stealing: Thanksgiving Reflections

It's late Saturday night here or technically, very early Sunday morning and there's no chance I'm going to sleep for a bit...I'm too wide awake after babysitting our youngest grandson till 12:30 and now the cold front is moving through with high winds and driving rain. It's very, very LOUD and the dogs are a bit antsy with it. So, it's just you, me, a Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel and this week's Sunday Stealing questions. Thank you, Bev, for providing entertainment for insomniacs each week.

Let's get on with things. Bev found some great questions just in time for Thanksgiving which is a time to reflect for most of us.



From Bev:

With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I thought it might be fun to find a set of Thanksgiving-related questions.  This came from a site called Documented Legacy





1.  What made you feel patriotic this year?  Gosh, I can't think of anything specific at the moment. I am a very patriotic person in general with a lot of pride in and love for my country.  Even when we are behaving badly I am thankful to live in a country that allows us each to hold and express our own views.

2 . What do you value most about your life?  Other than my faith in God, that would definitely be my family. All of it from my husband, kids, and grandkids, to my mom and stepdad, to my cousins and all the family I inherited when I married my hubby. (He's the middle sibling of seven so that's a LOT of inlaws!)

3.  What do you appreciate about your friendships?  Companionship, shared interests, deep conversations, dependability, laughter, honesty, accountability...I love my friends. They are varied and they all bring something different to the relationship.

4.  Name one person who can make you laugh, even months later. Why?  My friend's son. He's only a few years younger than me so we come from similar pasts and have many of the same points of reference. He has a wickedly, intelligent, and slightly nerdy sense of humor (the same as me) so he often has me laughing till I cry.

5.  What is the funniest thing you remember about a Thanksgiving past?  It wasn't funny at the time, but now we look back on it and laugh... My aunt sort of invited us for Thanksgiving one year along with my mom and her sons and all her grandchildren.  There were about 20 people for dinner and she had a 10 pound turkey, one bowl of mashed potatoes, one dish of green bean casserole, and about a million stuffing balls. My two cousins and the male cousins are....well, to be blunt, HOGS. They loaded up their plates and didn't give a thought to anyone else. The rest of us got about 10 bites of food. We were starving as we headed to Thanksgiving with my husband's family. We arrived just as they finished cleaning up after the meal. Even after hearing our story of woe, they didn't offer us any food. Not even a piece of pie. My hubby got mad and we didn't stay long. We ended up stopping at Kmart (it was the first year it was open on Thanksgiving) to buy mac and cheese and a few other odds and ends to make up a meal at home.

6.  Do you have any unusual traditions, rituals or habits around Thanksgiving?  Nope. We are terribly traditional.

7.  Name one ancestor that you think about on Thanksgiving and tell us why.  I obviously didn't know them, but on Thanksgiving I always think about John and Priscilla Alden of the Mayflower. They are something like my 12-times great grandparents. I know it's not in vogue to think kindly of the Pilgrims these days, but I am in awe of what courage it took to get on that ship and sail to a new and unknown land, of the strength it took to get through those first few years, and to be part of building a new nation. I not only think kindly toward them, but I admire them and am proud to claim them as ancestors.

8.  Is there a family heirloom at the Thanksgiving table? What its story?  I don't know of anything specific, but my family is all about antiques and passing things on so there is bound to be something that belonged to someone else.

9.  What is your favorite part about Thanksgiving Day?  I like that my stepdad gives up football while we are there to watch the Macy's parade and the dog show (the dog show is a relatively new tradition) and I like the family playing games together after dinner is over and the table cleared.

10. What random act of kindness did you perform or that was done to you this year that makes you feel grateful?  I can think of kindnesses done for me and by me, but I can't say any were random. The one I'm especially thankful for is my boss covering for me during a very busy time at work when we were already shorthanded so I could have the week of our daughter's wedding off.

11. What do you appreciate about the change of seasons?  I appreciate the variety and the different feel of each one. Except for winter. I am not a fan of winter here in southwestern PA. Winter here is so dreary...gray sky, gray trees, gray ground, gray snow (after a few days it's pretty dirty), and everything gets covered with salt residue and is dull looking. It's just...blah.

12. Name five things that make you happy about today.  It's the start of a 3-day work week to be followed by a 5-day weekend, I'm continuing with the Christmas decorating, I don't have anywhere to go, the football team of the school district I drive for won their district championship Saturday night, there will be a big pot of homemade soup simmering on the stove this afternoon.

13. How has the celebration of Thanksgiving today changed from when you were little?  Mainly, it's the size of the celebration. During my childhood the whole family, sometimes both sides (Mom's and Dad's), got together. We'd have 15, 20, or more siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins for dinner. Now everyone has either passed away or moved from the area. We only have us, my mom and stepdad, and our daughter's family (and them only for a while as they have to split the day with her husband's family). Well, that and the fact that we actually used to take time to focus on the actual holiday not on the Christmas shopping or football.

14. If you could share Thanksgiving dinner today with one person in history who would it be? Why? (Note: it can be a relative)  Only one? I'd love to have my dad, my grandparents, and my aunt and uncle back for a day. If I must choose one of those, then it would be my grandmother. She and I had a very special relationship.

15. What is one wish you have for the next generation as they begin to establish their own Thanksgiving traditions.  That they would focus on the people around the table because time passes quickly and all too soon those people are gone.

Wow, this one was very reflective and really made me think about times past.  It was good to remember those days, but it kind of made me sad thinking about how much has changed.  

Saturday 9: Son-of-a-Preacher-Man

Joining in with Sam and the gang over at the Saturday 9 and loving this week's song. It brings back memories of riding in the car with mom and singing along with the radio. Thanks Sam for a great choice! 

Saturday 9: Son of a Preacher Man (1968)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
  

1) This song was originally offered to Aretha Franklin, who turned it down. What's the most recent thing that you said "no" to?  The half of a bus run to bring a student in a wheelchair back from the vocational technical school. It ate up the whole middle of my day for just a few dollars. It wasn't worth it so I told my boss to find someone else.
 

2) Two years later, Aretha recorded "Son of a Preacher Man." What's something you changed your mind about?  The mother-of-the-bride gown I bought for our daughter's wedding. I was never thrilled with it and three days before the wedding I bought another dress.

3) This song tells the tale of Billy Ray, a young man who could be very persuasive. If we wanted to change your mind about something, would you be more easily swayed by an emotional argument, or with verifiable facts?  Just the facts ma'am. Emotions can lie and I've been burned by them before.
 

4) If you ordered a "Son of a Preacher Man" in a bar, you'd get a cocktail made with peppermint schnapps, gin and lemonade. When did you last have lemonade? Was it just lemonade, or was it spiked with alcohol?  Sometime back in the summer and it was just lemonade, well...it was some fruit flavored lemonade from Countrytime.  I can't remember what fruit was in the mix, but it was really good. Black cherry?

5) Dusty had a thing for maps. She admired them artistically and enjoyed using them to take long car trips. Do you use printed maps? Or do you rely on technology, like GPS or Google Maps?  I always used to use an atlas to travel, laying the route out with colored highlighters after looking it up on Google maps.  My car has built in GPS that's really accurate so I've not used maps since I got it.

6) As a girl, she attended convent school. There, one of the nuns discouraged Dusty from performing, telling her that if she would do better to be a mother or a librarian. When you were growing up, did the adults in your world encourage your dreams?  My grandmother sure did. She was my biggest champion. My parents gave me tons of opportunities, but didn't really encourage my dreams like my grandmother.
   
7) That nun inspired Dusty's first major act of rebellion. In an attempt to make herself look less like a future librarian or housewife, she bleached her hair platinum blonde. In school, were you much of a rebel? Or did you conform to the expectations adults had of you?  Mostly I conformed, I think. I was an overachiever in school, but I had a secret rebellious side. My dad was very strict and very old-school, he was totally against wearing jeans anywhere but at home for play and chores. It was the 70s and 80s so I disagreed which meant I had to sneak jeans to school and change when I got there and back out of them before I got home. I also partied a bit more than my parents ever suspected.

8) Early in her career, Dusty provided the entertainment at a family summer camp. She appeared on the bill with a clown, a fire-eater and a hypnotist. Have you ever been hypnotized?  They tried in high school in a philosophy or psychology class, but it didn't work.  It didn't work a few years ago when I gave it a shot for weight loss, either.

9) Random question: Have you ever played matchmaker to your friends? If yes, did your efforts lead to romance?  Not for any friends, but I did for my sister-in-law and one of my husband's coworkers. Did it lead to romance? They've been married over 20 years.

Sunday Stealing: The Simple Life

Well, I am home safe and sound. The trip took all day as we stopped at most of the antique and thrift shops we came across.  We didn't buy anything, but it was fun to look.  We did buy our youngest grandson's first birthday gift at Cracker Barrel. It is so stinkin' cute and I am dying to show it to you, but we don't want anyone to see it before his party on Dec. 10, so I'm not posting pictures anywhere. I promise to share right afterward.

Mom has been relieved of her dog-sitting duties and the puppies are snuggled up against me, glad to have me home. My hubby is worn out from doing all the driving and is sound asleep on the sofa.  It seems that I have plenty of time to answer the Sunday Stealing questions for this week so let's get to it.  If you enjoy my answers and find yourself answering the questions pop over to the site where you can find the rules to join in and links to all the other players.

This is from a blog called Haley from Home.  Haley is a mom in the UK.  She's a mom to 3 boys and is on a quest for a simple life.

What are five things you would like to do more?  1) Sleep. I just can't seem to sleep more than about 5 hours no matter how tired I am.  2) Exercise.  3) Travel/go on vacations.  4) See our two older grandkids. We were going to stop and see them today, but our granddaughter is sick in bed with a fever.  5) Spend fun time with my husband.

What is your quote to live by?  It has been different things at different times in my life. At the present time it is 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

What was the best thing that happened this week?  Getting away for a few days.

What is something you are stressed about?  It's pretty much always our financial situation.

What book has influenced your life?  Always the Bible and recently, Driven by Eternity.

Share a childhood memory.  I had chickens at my grandparents house. It started with one rooster and one hen (Eric and Eloise) and then they had many chicks. And those chicks grew up and they had many chicks. And those chicks had chicks. And...  Well, you get the idea. As there got to be more and more chickens running around it became impossible to tame and make pets out of all of them. My grandfather decided all the roosters except Eric needed to go. His plan was to shoot them. I convinced him to let me make a Wiley Coyote Acme-inspired trap instead. It was simple....a wooden crate propped up on a stick with an ear of seed corn under it. To the surprise of everyone, IT WORKED!

What fictional character would you most like to be?  I can't think of anyone, but if you could find a character that gets to see a lot of the world and also does a lot to help others....that's who I want to be like.

What is something you are proud of?  My family tree. I am blessed to have had people in both sides of my family that researched and recorded our heritage and others who thought to preserve information and remember and pass on the old stories.  Through my mom's dad's family I am a descendant of John and Priscilla Alden.

What was the last thing you celebrated?  Technically, our trip to Erie was for our 33rd anniversary, which is on the 17th.

What are weird things you like?  Being the first person to stick a knife into a new jar of peanut butter or tub of butter, talking to myself, talking to the dogs, kitschy tourist stops of the early-mid 20th century, and memes. I like memes.

What is your favorite song to sing?  Not that I can actually carry a tune across the road in a bucket, but I always sing along with this:

Name three things you do well.  Procrastinate, cook, plan events.

What are your priorities in life?  My relationship with Jesus, my marriage, and my family.  In that order, because I believe if my relationship with Jesus is in good shape He will take care of the rest.

What is something that scares you?  The thought of growing old and becoming dependent on someone else to take care of me.

Best book you read this year?  Driven by Eternity by John Bevere. It has really made me think about a lot of things.

Saturday 9: Get Down Tonight

Hey everyone, I'm back after a two week break from the internet.  While I am back, I'm not exactly back. I am in fact, sitting in a hotel room in Erie, PA.  The hubby and I are enjoying a long weekend. I had 2 days off because of parent-teacher conferences and Veteran's Day so my hubby agreed to take a couple of vacation days with a minimal amount of arm-twisting.  He's zonked out for the night, but we've been having a wonderful time in spite of arctic cold and a bit of snow.

Anyway....on with the show.

I'm joining in with Sam and the gang at Saturday 9 for some musical fun. If you enjoy this week's tune be sure to stop over and let Sam know. You can even find the rules to join the fun and links to the other players.

Saturday 9: Get Down Tonight (1975)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Tonight, KC has three things on his "to-do" list: do a little dance, make a little love and get down. Tell us three things you'd like to accomplish this weekend. Hmm...I've pretty much accomplished what I hoped to for the weekend and it's only Friday night. I'm on a little getaway and have spent 2 whole days with my hubby so far (!!!), I saw some of my cousins and we had dinner with them, we followed part of the wine trail and restocked our supply, we ate at my favorite diner, we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a local Italian place, I found cute little booties with barely any heel, I found sexy knee-high black, leather Guess boots, and I picked up a few Christmas gifts.

2) This week's song is considered emblematic of disco, a genre that had as many detractors as fans. Is there a kind of music you simply cannot stand? I'm not really a fan of pure, hardcore rap or any kind music that promotes/glorifies violence and hate.

3) Before becoming a musician, KC, aka Harry Casey, worked in a record store. In those days, record stores were very popular. Peaches, Coconuts, Sam Goody and Tower Records are four store chains that once dotted the landscape but now are gone. Today, if you wanted to purchase a CD, where would you turn?  One of the big box stores like Walmart or Target or online from Amazon or something.

4) One of his duties at the record store was unloading the big corrugated shippers filled with LPs. What's the heaviest thing you've lifted lately? I hefted my big dog into the tub last week. I think he weighs about 70 pounds.

5) KC is proud that he's lived his entire life in Miami-Dade County. Do you expect to change your address in the next year or so?  Not unless I win the Powerball.

6) In 1975, the year this song was popular, former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, never to be seen again. Many theories flourish about what may have happened to him. Is there a famous criminal case that has a hold on your attention?  No, I can't think of any. My husband loves watching the true crime shows. That's more than enough for me.

7) Jaws was the most popular movie of 1975. Are you afraid of sharks?  Terrified and it's all because I nagged my mom until she gave in and took me to see Jaws. I haven't been in the ocean further than my ankles since.  And confession time....for months afterward I was scared to let a hand or foot hang over the edge of the bed for fear a shark would bite it off.

8) Actress Angelina Jolie was born in 1975. People magazine once named her "most beautiful." Who is the most beautiful woman you can think of?  I've always thought Sandra Bullock is quite lovely and under rated.

9) Random question: A wizard offers you a choice -- would you like your life to stay as it is right now (in terms of your health, your career, your relationships and your finances) for the next 5 years, or would you like to take a chance that the future will be brighter?  I would take a chance.

That's it for this week. Thanks for playing along. I'm going to say goodnight and call it a day.  It's late and we have a full day of antiquing our way back home tomorrow (and maybe a stop by our son's house to visit him and his family).

Spiritual Wisdom for a Happier Life

Mark W. Baker, PhD has done the seemingly impossible with Spiritual Wisdom for a Happier Life: How Your 8 Key Emotions Can Work for You. He took what can be a complicated and dry topic and explained it in clear, easy to understand language for everyone. 

When the book first arrived in the mail I cringed at its thickness...nearly 400 pages...and nearly groaned out loud at the thought of slogging through a bunch of psychological mumbo jumbo written in terms best understood by others in the same profession.  To my surprise, the chapters average only 3-4 pages in length so there's no room for droning on and on and Dr. Baker made it interesting. Each chapter contains an example case to illustrate his point and show that in all these areas, change and improvement is possible.

Another thing that sets this book apart from others is that Dr. Baker is also a theologian and he takes each psychological principle he shares and finds what the Bible has to say about it.  That is really something different from a professional in the field.

I loved how clearly each emotion and the components that make it up were explained and how there were so many examples.  I gained a lot of insight, not only into the behaviors of those around me, but also into the workings of my own emotions and how they influence me.  That produced a much greater understanding and compassion in my thinking.  There were many "a-ha" moments.

The one thing I would like to see, maybe in another book, is for Dr. Baker to give the reader some tools to work with.  In this book he clearly spells out what the problem is and says it must be changed or stopped for things to be different, but he doesn't give the reader any tools to help them switch gears in their thinking.  It's easy to say, "stop worrying" or "let go of anger" but much harder to put it into practice. A few tips on how exactly to do those things would be a welcome addition.

On the whole, this was a very good book and an easy, interesting read. I'd recommend it for anyone who may struggle with or have someone in their life who is feeling hurt, guilt, shame, anger, anxiety, sorrow, or fear to pick up the book as a starting place. At the very least you will see you are not alone in the things you are feeling and the ways that you react to those feelings.