In Case You Can't Get Enough Of Me...

In case you all just LOVE learning all about me, and LEAVING COMMENTS, I have a new Saturday 9 meme up here.  I just don't want to put too many memes on my home page, so I have another page for this one.  But the 5QF, well, usually those questions and answers are something that NEED to be on my home page!  I mean, look at the last one I put there-I got LOTS of COMMENTS!!!  =P

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!  Remember to thank God for His goodness!

My Name Is Josanne, And I'm An Addict

Hello World(hanging my head in shame)

I have a confession to make(looking at my shoes-well, I'm not wearing any shoes actually, but this is how I feel in my heart!)

See, I was reading another blog group site, and one of the commenters posted the longings of my own heart, even tho she was talking about herself.  She said, "I had little traffic and was getting no comments."

After someone actually brought it out into broad daylight, my very own secret in their own life, it gave me the courage to come clean with my readers. 

Friends, my name is Josanne, and I'm a commentaholic(still staring at my shoes, figuratively).

That being said, this week's Five question Friday questions are perfect and fitting for my confession.

1. What is the most physically painful thing that has ever happened to you?  My heart!  The physical pain I feel because I get little traffic and few comments-oh the pain!  I know it has to feel just like Mama M's heart attack!  Oh the agony!


2. How much sleep do you get at night?  None!  I am up all night trying to figure out ways to get my readers to comment!  On a good night, I may get 6--after so many nights of tossing and turning, trying to gain your comment love, it finally catches up to me, and I collapse.


3. How long did you believe in Santa Claus? How did you find out that he does not exist?  I believed in Santa Claus until I was 39.  My entire life, I always received everything I asked for, until I was 39, when I asked for more traffic and comments.  Double Whammy!  Santa Claus isn't real, AND I don't have more traffic and comments.  What a letdown!

4. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?  "I Get No Respect" by Rodney Dangerfield.  Kind of reminds me of my current plight.


5. What do you wear to bed?  Aren't you paying attention?  I already told you I don't sleep!  See question and answer #2.

But folks, there IS hope!  That same blogger that comments on her little traffic and no comments continued on to say, "I sat down on my 3rd anniversary and dumped out my frustrations in a post. Then the heavens opened up and rained grace on me such as I never expected."

She, the kindred soul to my own, broke free from that awful curse, the drought of comment-less-ness!

What's that I hear???  Are the heavens being opened (hint hint!!! grovel, grovel!!! plead plead!!!) ???  =D

Surprise!!!

First of all, let me show you a cake my sister-in-law Niki made(sorry the camera quality isn't better):

This is the story behind the cake:

Stef is our friend at church-she is our choir director, and is very musically talented.  Stef's one glitch in life is that she never remembers how old she is.

So!

Since her birthday is at the end of October, friends decided to throw a 40th birthday party for Stef after our church service.  Stef just turned 38.

She caught on, and informed us, "I don't know how old I am, but I am NOT 40!"  I think she will probably remember her age now.  =)

The musical notes spell out the first line of the song Happy Birthday to You....

The balls you see are Truffles, which Stef loves.  Niki even made the musical note circles out of Truffles.

Isn't it adorable???

Anyway!

On to MY "Surprise" post!

Amber's birthday was October 23rd, and if you read my FAIL post, I forgot my dear daughter's 16th birthday.  Can you say HEEL!!!  ???

I felt terrible about this, and wanted to make it up to her-she was SO looking forward to turning 16.  Please don't ask-I don't know where my mind is half the time anymore!

So!  Aunt Niki had Amber come over and help with some things yesterday, and I decorated the house with balloons and streamers, and invited lots of friends over for a surprise party for Amber.  Amber accidentally saw a text on my phone about the party, but that's ok-she didn't know it was last night, and it was still all good.

Lots of friends showed up, and we had a nice time!  Amber had a very nice evening, and it made up for my previous FAIL as a mother.

I made monster hot dogs and sloppy joes, and I made two cakes.  This is the important part of the post!

I started out with three cake mixes, and I'm telling you, it wasn't my fault that I accidentally added 1 and 1/3 cups of oil instead of 1 and 1/3 cups of water!  The faucet and oil bottle played some horrible trick on me!  It was making me half sick just THINKING about eating all that oil!  That batch of batter went in the trash.

I made the other two cakes, one chocolate, one yellow, and they turned out fine.

I don't want to intimidate my sweet sister-in-law Niki by showing pictures of my two cakes.  I mean, she does a pretty good job with her stuff, but, well, I've decided to just be modest about my own creations and tell you about the cakes I decorated.

First of all, if you were AT the party, I need to make sure you know the FACTS!

1. I had chocolate crumbs all through the white frosting on the chocolate cake BECAUSE I wanted everyone to know that cake was chocolate!
2. I did NOT have to add that glorious vanilla/chocolate marbled design to the vanilla cake because I ran out of vanilla frosting.  I wanted those "Well, that's actually kinda cool" comments!
3. I don't care if you DID glance in the dining room while I was dividing up the cake-when I took the saran wrap off, half the icing topping was SUPPOSED to stay on the wrap-I didn't want the plastic wrap to harm the cake!  The icing did it's job!
4. The cake did NOT crumble while I was cutting it with my big knife, and I was NOT too lazy to go get something smaller to cut it with!  The cake was just so moist that it could be described as "melt in your mouth" yummy, even tho it hadn't made it to your mouth yet.

So please!  No need to spread rumors about my cake fail-and FOR SURE don't tell Niki!  =)

Anyway!  For those of you who weren't at the party, when the guests viewed my cakes-the marbled effect on the vanilla cake, and the speckled design in the vanilla frosting on the chocolate cake-the room was enveloped in a silent, reverant awe.

(And by the way, friends--I don't hold it against you that you didn't drown me with compliments at the party.  I realize my skills are so far out of this world that they often render people speechless.)  =)

My Final Fall Chocolate Bouquet Wreath

If you haven't yet read my post from this morning, be sure to scroll down to read it!  All the excitement I faced at the beginning of the week just wore me out!!!

This is my final Fall arrangement-hope you like it!
If you would like the directions, please go here:
http://www.achocolatebouquet.com/id150.html

I do not put all of the directions on my blog for two reasons:

1.  Not everyone wants to see an entire post on how to make a decorative arrangement.

2.  Loading all of the pictures will probably slow down my blog page, which I don't want to do to you.  On my website, I can break them up into two pages, to help them load quicker.

So anyway!  Here it is!  Talk to you all soon!

Up, Down, Up, Down.....

Ahh...what a week!  Actually, it is the beginning of the week that was such a roller coaster! (this post is half serious, half lighthearted, just so you know!)

The First Up

I just posted a very serious post about my friend who even the nurses did not expect to live thru the weekend, and guess what?  She is still with us, and she is looking and talking wonderfully!  Whether the good Lord takes her now, or she stays with us a little longer, I am warmed to see a life that has been touched by those who have come to show her love.  It also appears that some fences are being mended, and for that I am very, very grateful.

During my visit, I saw the new addition to my friend's bedroom-the video recorder.  Fancy stuff!  This belongs to her grandson, and the recordings taken were for the family to keep.

Well, I sat on the bed with my friend, and somehow mentioned I sing in church, and so guess what?  She told me to SING!  Uh.......I know I sing in church, but I'm actually quite shy about singing without a bunch of music drowning me out!  Umm....you want me to sing??? 

Okay, I could have declined, but remember, this is my friend who is very, very ill, and who I love so very much, so.....I sang part of a song.  Here are the words for you:

Consider the lilies
They don't toil or spin
But there's not a king
With more splendor than them
Consider the sparrow
He don't plant or so
But he serves the master
Who watches him grow

For we have a heavenly Father above
With eyes full of mercy
And a heart full of love
He really cares when your head is bowed low
Consider the lilies
And then you will know

Well folks, I had my first debut on camera!  I wonder if I looked heavy---hope I had my chin high enough so that no one can tell I have more than one!  I'm sure laying on the bed didn't show my most slender side!  Sigh....oh well.....the things you do for the ones you love!  =)  Hopefully any future viewing audience won't notice the parts where I hit the wrong key.....

The First Down

That evening, I stopped at a couple of thrift stores, ran into my pastor's wife from my former church in Ohio, and found some great deals!!!  I stopped by Taco Bell and called my hubby to tell him I was on my way home.

Fifteen miles out of Akron, with another 105 miles to go, my car decided to go from 65 down to 40-on the highway, and on the highway where construction work was going on, which means it was one open lane instead of two.  Oh no......

I pulled to the side of the road, and called my hubby to let him know.  He was in disbelief.  My car has been great!  How could she do this to me, on the HIGHWAY????  I told him I'd call him back--of course I hoped stopping on the side of the highway and giving her a break for a moment would cure her, but it was not to be.

I got a little further down the road, going 20 miles an hour now, and pulled over again because my girl just wasn't going to get better.  So if any of you were driving down highway 76 east around 10 pm on Monday, for your information, it wasn't a 90 year old grandma that the travelling turtles and snails were passing-it was me.  Sorry if I held you up!

Fortunately for me, the construction crew was just finishing up for the night, and one of the men saw that I was having trouble.  He came over to me and told me he would feel better if I would pull to the side of the road where they were working.  I moved to safety, and he checked to see if I needed a phone or anything.  Thank you, Mr. Construction Worker!

Folks, I know how to reach the Lord, so I was praying for my girl!  Okay, I wasn't praying-I was BEGGING the Lord to touch her!  If I had some oil, I would have even annointed her with oil!  For the Bible says,
 "14Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

15And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."
Okay, so we didn't really call on the elders....and I didn't have any oil.  But I did pray, so at least my car is forgiven, if she has committed sins (like STRANDING me on the side of the highway!....)

Anyway!
I called my brother in Akron, and the dear soul came and got me.  We had to drive up to the next exit, get gas in his truck and turn back around, which was a good thing, because of all things, I forgot my purse in my car!

As we spotted my car on our return on the opposite side of the highway, we pulled over, just as a state trooper was pulling up behind my car.  Another very helpful man!  He just wanted me to pull further off the road, and gave us his card in case we needed anything.  He let me know my car could sit there for 48 hours, but we were heading to my brother's to call a tow truck that night.

Well, I called a few places, but my car was out of their area, and since I didn't know where I was having it towed to, we waiting til morning.

I had a warm place to sleep, got to visit with my wonderful nieces and brother and sweet sister-in-law, but oh the trauma that my memory foam pillow was at home!  And oh the double tragedy that the trash man's LOUD truck woke me up at 6 a.m.!

The Second Up

I called my beloved in the morning, and he turned into my second knight in shining armor(my brother being the first, since he rescued me off the highway in the dark of the night!)!  After a little coaxing, and reminding him that I would drive to the MOON for him if he asked me to, my honey decided to come get me!

We went to my car and he drove it a little further, but it finally got completely stuck in second gear.  So we had to have it towed.  But before the tow, Dan wanted it a little further off the road, and since it would drive, guess what my hubby did?  He had me steer while he pushed it several yards further down the side of the highway until we were past the guardrail, so that I could park in the grass.  THIS was SUCH a bummer to me since my knight has two major surgeries and his back and neck last year.  The good news is that he fared ok with it, and didn't end up in bed for two days over it.

The Second Down

We had my car towed to a garage in Ohio that has a very good reputation for their work, and left her there.  That's the good news-she is in good hands and may be fixed by tomorrow!

The not-so-good news is that it looks like it is my transmission, which is not a cheap fix.  So long, savings account!  Adios, Chinese restaurant and Burger King!  I'll be missing you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So there you have it, folks!  My eventful week in a nutshell!  And the LAST of the up and down events was a good one!  I came home to a beautifully cleaned house!  Amber cleaned the entire first floor, and it was a wonderful way to be welcomed back home!  Thanks Sweetie!

Check back real soon~I will be putting up my last Fall candy arrangement today or tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by!

Take Time to Evaluate

Well folks, I hope you don't mind, but this will be one of my sober posts.  It's been a week of  sadness, remembering, and comforting.  My dear friend will be closing her earthly eyes for the final time very soon.

She was my babysitter when I was just a girl, and her family was my family.  I have many fond memories from across the road where she lived. 

I made a trip to Ohio this week to be with her, and got to see all of her children, who have given me some fun and funny childhood memories.  I walked thru the rooms that I had walked thru thousands of times during my years as a girl. 

It is sad to say goodbye, and I think one of the best ways to comfort one's self is to know that your dear friends know you love them.  I know my friend knows I love her. 

When I was 18, she gave me a beautiful sweater for Christmas one year.  It was green and black, and had shiny yarn throughout.  I wore it many, many times.  When I stopped wearing it, after several years, I kept it, and kept it in storage because it was given to me by my friend.  I had it until a year ago when my house burned down.  This trip to Ohio sent me home with a few of her coats.  I don't need a coat, but I welcome a piece of her.

I just want to remind everybody that there does come a day when we part from this world.  Most importantly, we need to have our hearts right with Jesus.  (If you would like to know more about Him, please ask!)

Secondly, life happens, misunderstandings and hurt feelings surface, and some fences appear impossible to mend. 

Please take time to evaluate your situations, and make every effort to mend broken fences. 

When a loved one departs, please don't allow pride to cause you to miss an opportunity that will be therapy to your own soul, and to those around you who also need healing in their spirits.  And please don't wait too long.  Just remember, a soft answer turns away wrath, and when people can come together and speak to each other softly, even tho they are hurting, great things can be accomplished.

If you can't talk, send a card-speak softly with your words.  Don't accuse-instead, tell how you feel.  "I feel like my feelings don't matter..." or whatever the case may be.

I do believe some broken fences are really misunderstandings that got out of hand.  And a person can express how they feel without making the hole in the fence larger.  Maybe not every fence can be mended, but I do believe many can be.

I do hope someone will be helped by this post.

I've felt some sadness this week, and it is just a good reminder to all of us to love, help and encourage one another.  Love is a feeling that is not forgotten-I'm glad my friend knows I love her.

10 Reasons I Think I'm Gonna Eat Worms

I guess I'll take my ball and go home.  And then I'm gonna eat worms.  Why, you may ask?  And what exactly does this mean?

Well, for the what does this mean question, it is what I accuse kids of saying when they don't get their way!  Or how they feel when they are blue. 

As for why?  This is my list!

1. I'm a FAIL mother!  I forgot to wish my daughter a happy 16th birthday! (Wanna help me remedy this?  Stop by http://www.teenapproach.blogspot.com/ and leave her a comment!) 
2. I had a rough time of sleeping, having horrible dreams!  Which is what caused me to forget my daughter's 16th birthday!
3. I cheated on my diet-for 2 days!  This is just WRONG, folks!  My daughters BOTH made desserts-cherry delight pie, and then a crackers and chocolate dessert that tastes just like a candy bar.  How could they DO this to me???
4. I procrastinated on finishing my SCREAMING YELLOW bathroom all the way, so now I'll be rushed this week, since I'm having a baby shower here next Saturday!  PLUS I'll be out of town at least on Monday! 
5. I'm still not as cute as Connie from Smockity Frocks.
6. I'm still not as popular as Julie from Hooked on Houses.
7. And I'm still not as popular as Darren Rowse or Chris Brogan.  Sigh....
8. I STILL live with the thermostat Gestapo.  This is so unfair when I am cold!  WHO CARES if I have socks on???  Why should I have to worry every time he goes to look at the thermostat???
9. I'm out of Claritan.  Need I say more about this one?  ahh....aaahhhhhh.....aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh-choooooooooooooo!!!!!
10. My Join The Challenge group blog is so quiet-which means there is no one there to encourage me!!!  Where are they all AT????

So there you have it, folks!  Wanna get your ball, come over and eat worms with me?  Might as well make mud pies while we're at it...    =P

A Poem

Want to know more about me?  My Saturday meme answers are here:
http://achocolatebouquet.blogspot.com/p/saturday-9-meme.html

Longing

I sit by the window
Longing for you
I cannot reach you
I cry softly
I see you on the other side of the glass
My heart cannot bear it
I leave the window
I cry more vocally now
I wander from room to room
Not knowing how to soothe my aching heart
If I could just get free
Escape this prison of loneliness
To be with you
I would cherish every moment of freedom
I would run
I would play
I would give you such close companionship
But alas, it is not to be so
Please leave, my love!
No longer come near
You tease my breaking heart
As I see you thru the window
How I long to taste freedom.....

.....because Meow Mix doesn't come in mole, mice, birdie or rabbit flavor.

by Chloe, the indoor kitten

My New Tag Line and Five Question Friday

Guess what I'm doing?

I am doing a 31 day "workshop"-actually it's an ebook with 31 days worth of exercises for building a better blog.

Today was my first day, and the exercise talked about your tag line.  If someone asks you about your blog, you should have an answer that explains what your blog is about.  Your tag line should also tell this message.

So!  It says to ask your friends and family to describe your blog in a sentence, and so I asked my friends on Facebook.  I got one response(so far), and it has STUCK with me!

So here's my SHOUT OUT to Melinda!  Thanks, Girlfriend!  I think my blog has forever been changed in the eyes of my readers! 

Do you know what it is?  Did you see it up under the title of my blog at the top of the page?  In case you can't find it, it is this:

A Chocolate Bouquet

A diabetic COMA waiting to HAPPEN!

or

Chocolate candy crafts and humorous, personal life stories

I had to put the second part in, so that first time visitors wouldn't be totally confused, like I was when I first read her response! 

Yeah, you know me---those pesky Blon roots of mine!  I didn't link "chocolate" with "diabetic"....I linked "my blog" to "coma"!  I thought, what?  Am I really that boring?  (sniff sniff--think I'll take my ball and go home....and eat worms....)

So there you have it!  My new tag line!  If you like my blog, please tell your friends, and when they ask what it is about, tell them it's a diabetic coma waiting to happen!

This is also Five Question Friday, which I think I'm going to try to participate in regularly.  After all, you all DO want to know more about me, right?

Let us begin!

1. What is your favorite Halloween candy?  What does Halloween have to do with anything????  And since this is a blog called A Chocolate Bouquet, you probably can tell that chocolate has something to do with my answer.  Not that I'm a chocoholic, but making chocolate candy crafts tends to usher in a lot of chocolates into my home, and unfortunately, into my stomach.  We gotta get this stuff back out of the house SOMEHOW, don't we???

2. Do you fold your socks?  This is a two fold question!  (No pun intended!)  I wear ankle socks, so no, I don't fold my socks when I take them out of the dryer.  I lay them flat up against each other.
The other side of this is, I still don't fold my socks, but DO crumple them up when I shove them under my pillow during the night.  For more information on this particular habit of mine, CLICK HERE.

3. What is something that you wish you had been warned about?  I wish I would have been warned that house fires make you gain weight!  I would have put new pots and pans and dishes and lots of lettuce on my first shopping list!  Twenty five pounds later, I am now the wiser!  I wish I would have also been warned that gaining weight at 40 is very bad--it doesn't come off near as fast as when you are 20, and you may not have the energy to do anything about it anyway!  Sigh.....(rolling eyes...)

4. What is the most significant difference between you and your significant other?  He is the thermostat Gestapo, and I am the Frigidaire queen!  We are completely incompatible when it comes to temperature!  He won't let me turn the heater up past 3 in our family room(it goes to 5---what a WASTE of two perfectly good numbers!!!), and he's always asking me, when I mention I'm chilly, if I have socks on!

Well of COURSE I don't have socks on!  Every last pair I own is hiding under my pillow!  And half of his socks are under there too!

What a goofy question!

I will admit tho--I am rebellious when he isn't looking, or if I'm up and he's still in bed. (Heehee!)

5. What are three words you would use to describe yourself? (And, just for fun...if your significant other is around, ask him/her what 3 words they would use to describe you!!)
Compassionate, mellow, warped(slightly)

Dan would say themoststunninglybeautifulwomaninI'veevermet, themostintelligentwomanI'veever met, and thegreatestthingthateverhappenedtome.

I already knew what he would say, so I didn't bother asking him.

=D

A Super Cute Chocolate Bouquet Fall Garden to make!

I made a fall chocolate candy garden last night, and it is one of my favorites!  What do you think?

If you would like to make this yourself, please click on the link-it will take you to my website with the supplies and directions!

Feel free to leave a comment (hint hint!)...I LOVE comments!  =D

http://www.achocolatebouquet.com/id145.html

YELLOW-And Yet, Another Announcement!

Okay, I am painting the bathroom.  My light yellow cupboards are really pretty!  But the walls.....so far the walls are YELLOW.  Not yellow, but YELLOW!!!  Kind of rhymes with HELLOW!!!, which is quite fitting when you walk in the room.  In fact, if you visit me, you might want to bring your sunglasses.

I can't disclose the shower curtain design right now, but I am really hoping it tones down the walls!  My girls and I are keeping it a secret from Dan and Dakota until I get it hung up.

But if it doesn't tone down the walls, it will just make me live up to the motto that I've been sharing with folks for the last year--life is too short to have too serious of a house!

So that is what is new with me, among other things!

I do have a little "announcement" to share with you all! 

If you have followed me very long, you know that this is my lighthearted blog.  This is where I share all of my ditziness and chocolate bouquets and candy arrangements.  Once in a while I'll show my serious side, but I have made it my unspoken promise to keep my blog family friendly.  I am who you see-I'm a Christian woman who tries to write a good blog.

Have you ever wondered what the deeper side of me is like?  If there even IS a deeper side of me, seeing as how I steal grocery carts from elderly men, and never have a lightbulb moment about changing around two door knobs for the purpose of easier access into my home?  Well, that is my announcement! 

I have started yet another blog! lol  But this one is my serious side, my ornery side against the goofiness of the world, and my side that talks about the heavier things in life that really don't fit with the theme of my lighthearted blog.  Yes, I do have a brain!  =D

Won't you please stop by and visit me?  It's an honor to have my faithful readers, and I do mean that.  I hope you will like what you see on my newest blog, www.justjosanne.com

And can I ask a favor?  Could you  please leave me a comment and let me know that you've stopped by?  It always does my heart good to see that someone has left a comment for me-it encourages me to keep on writing!

Fall Chocolate Centerpiece The Children Can Help Make!

This is a fun little chocolate centerpiece I made, and it is perfect for little fingers!  No hot or cold glue mess-just double sided tape!  (A few corsage pins were used to hold leaves in place-you may not need them.)

Please visit my website to get the instructions!  CLICK HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

New Chocolate Ball for A Lovely Fall Centerpiece!

Hey there, Everyone!

I've been busy putting together a fall centerpiece this evening, and I hope you all like it!

Because I upload so many pictures for my how-to instructions, instead of bogging down the blog, I just like to share the link to my website.  Please go to http://www.achocolatebouquet.com/id143.html for the instructions! 

Also, as mentioned on my how-to page, you'll notice my little boo-boo of using a white foam ball instead of green.  Just picture this with a green foam ball!  =)

For more fall decorations, visit Julia's Hooked on Houses blog party!

More to come soon!

Stay Tuned!!!

Just a quick little update to let you know I just bought a BOATLOAD of candy to make some new chocolate bouquets!  Along with some fall bowls and plates, these arrangements will be perfect for your fall decor! 

Look for updates in the next few days!

May I Have Your Attention Please!!!

Now that I have your attention, I would like to introduce my daughter's blog to you!

Introducing "Picture Perfect" at http://www.elissaanthony.blogspot.com/

Her intro story is cute, and she has posted a few pictures of a wedding she took the pictures for. 

She did a beautiful job! 

This is her first blog, so please stop by, give her some blog love, and leave a comment!  Thanks!

Five Question Friday

I decided to answer a few questions that other bloggers are answering-you will get to know my just a tad bit better by this post!  =D

1. If you could speak with a different accent, what would it be (i.e Australian, Scottish)?  Probably.....Southern Belle!  That way I would always sound cute and sweet!!!  I could be screaming at my kids and Dan, and I'd sound so sweet to all the neighbors that they wouldn't even notice I was livid!!!  They'd look our way and say, "Isn't she so cute?  And she always sounds so sweet!"  =D


2. Can you fall asleep anywhere? (i.e floor, couch, deck)
No-even when I'm tired, I have a hard time falling asleep in my own bed!  I need MY pillow and my SOCKS!  And after I lay in bed for 30-60 minutes, I will fall asleep.

3. THIS QUESTION HAS BEEN DELETED BECAUSE IT IS NOT A QUESTION I WANT ON MY BLOG-SEEMED A BIT CRUDE FOR THIS BLOG-NO OFFENSE, QUESTION MAKERS!

4. If you were stuck in an elevator for 24 hours, what celebrity would you most want to be stuck with?
Tricia Goyer!  She is an author, and I'm connected to her on Twitter!  She responded to me TWICE!!!  She writes Christian novels and other books, and one of her books was/is 2nd place on Amazon's Kindle list!  She's a mother about my age, and she just seems so nice!  Did I mention she responded to me TWICE on Twitter???  =D

5. Where did you & your significant other go on your 1st date
In his home town, which is now my home town too, we went with the church group to Perkin's restaurant!
In MY hometown of Akron, Ohio, we went to the Waterloo(can I have a shout out for the Waterloo???) restaurant.  He gave me baby roses, and made me laugh til I cried.  What a guy!  I had my roses in the same little gift box they came in until my house burned down!

So there you have it!  Four questions answered on Five Questions Friday! 
Feel free to leave your link below so others can see your Five Question Fridays answers on your blog!  And please feel free to leave me compliments-I MEAN comments!!!  =D

Twelve Year Olds Carrying Machine Guns

Amber, my 15 year old daughter, was talking to a friend the other day-a boy who lives in Phoenix, Arizona.  They were talking about food, and Amber mentioned that she doesn't eat lamb(she feels bad for those innocent little guys), but she thinks deer steaks are pretty good.

Her friend, whose name I won't reveal in case he stumbles across my blog and is terribly embarrassed, then asks Amber something along the lines of,

"You guys hunt up there?  What do you use-machine guns?"

This was TOO funny-can you imagine a few little boys walking thru the woods, and their chests are all stuck out because they're carrying MACHINE GUNS???  Any deer they would see would be DEAD, thus leaving out the right to call it "game".

Can you imagine one of those 12 year olds when his venison is being served for dinner?  "Sorry there's not much meat, Ma.  I really think they should allow more deer tags per hunter."  And OH, the hunting stories that could probably come from carrying MACHINE GUNS!  Knowing little boys, they'd definitely try to out-do each other.  "Oh yeah?  Well I put 47 shots in mine!"  "Well my 24 shots made a perfect smiley face, and I didn't even TRY!"

Ahh....such is the vast difference in understanding between the big city life, and the small city life.

I think I know why they are trying to outlaw guns now.

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A Sad Farewell, My Summer Love!

(no worries-I'm not talking about another man!)

The affair may be over, or we may have a few last chances to meet before October 31st.

When I drive by your house after church, I can feel you calling me...

Sometimes I'm able to stop for a few minutes, and try to hide the evidence that we visited.  This isn't always easy to do because you live on a main road, and friends and family have to drive by your place on their way home!  What if they've seen my car at your place?  Well, if they have, they haven't said anything to  me.

I'm totally at bliss when I'm with you!  Nothing is as cool as you are! 

When winter comes along, I'll still drive by your place almost daily, but it will be with a saddened heart because you aren't there.  You haven't given me the details, but I suspect you are in Florida, or Hawaii, meeting other women who fall in love with you.

Sigh....

You aren't good for me anyway, so I really should just get over you, and not anticipate your return next summer.  But so far, I can't. 

Who cares if you just want my money?  I'm not a tightwad-I like to share!

Why should I worry if you hate my clothes-you still want ME, right?  I'll find bigger, better ones!

And last but not least, why should it bother me if you like to melt faster than I can consume you, dripping chocolate and ice cream all over my clothes repeatedly, nearly every time I visit you?

I LOVE you, small vanilla cone dipped in chocolate!  I will miss you!!! 

Are you trying to end our summer fling early?  I stopped to see you today and you weren't ready, so they made me take blue raspberry dip instead!

Do you think we can get together at least one last time?  I might not be able to visit with you next summer-what if I reform and change my ways???

In case we don't meet again this summer, I just want to say, it is with great sadness that I tell you, Goodbye, My Summer Love!  Goodbye little ice cream stand!!!

=)

What will you miss about summer?

I'm A Wannabee

I have a secret--it's a BIGGIE!!!  And I'm gonna let you in on it!

My secret is.....

I'm a Wannabee!!! 

Blogging is something I've enjoyed doing, and am reading some books on how to move my blog up to the next level.  Wanna help me?

I ADMIT IT!!!  I want to be the next Chris Brogan, the next Darren Rowse, as cute as Smockity Frocks, as popular as Julia from Hooked On Houses!  But there are a few problems:

1:  I don't have the time to put in 27 hours a day like Chris and Darren, and I am totally html illiterate-just read my last post on trying to upload a "do it for you" blog design!  These men are the masters of the blogosphere, and I'm just gonna be stuck in envy mode.

2.  I'm not cute.  Conni from Smockity is SOOoooo cute!  I wish I were cute! 

3.  I'm not as popular as Julia-she just posted about her 10 millionth view! 

Solutions:

Thank you all, my faithful followers-I do appreciate you!  Would you like to see me reach my wannabee goals?  Here's a few things you can do to help!

Could you all just click on my site about 100 times a day?  That would make me feel much better.  Thanks!

Can you tell me how cute I am?  If you REALLY want to make me feel good, tell me I'm cuter than Conni!

Can you give my blog name to any famous folks you happen to know, and ask them to put in a good word for me on Twitter or Facebook?

I KNOW you don't want me to put up a video of me begging and pleading for readers, now do you??? 

Wow!  You guys are the greatest!  Thanks!

Now!  To be a little more serious, I really do have a desire to excell in blogging.  If you'd like to help me out, please share my blog or web address with your friends and family.

Many of you know that my husband is limited to how much he can work because of being seriously injured a year ago.  I would LOVE to be able to grow my readership, which will eventually bring in some revenue from my many hours of blogging.

I am not asking anyone for money, just that you might share my blog with others.  And I really do appreciate your help-thank you!  =)

Yep! A New Look!

What do you all think of my blog's new look?

Let me just tell ya, this was no easy feat!  Add computer programming, and even templates that do the work for you, to the list of things I cannot do without turning it into a major, life changing project! 

I was trying to come up with a background for my new blog, Join The Challenge!  , when I decided to go ahead and freshen up my A Chocolate Bouquet blog.  BIG mistake! 

I cannot tell you how I managed to make all of my widgets disappear, and even the "design" option on my editing page.  I even tried to go back to my previous background by copying and pasting the code, and THAT didn't even turn out right!

Needless to say, my heart sank as I thought I would have to mourn the departure of my widgets and pictures, but then, wonder of wonders, I got them all back!  Granted I was up until 2 a.m. working on it, but hey!  It's fixed!

Please do not ask me how I did this-I cannot tell you because I am not sure.

I do hope you like the new look-I think it's pretty, and it's one of the only ones I could get to work!  =)

Have a great day Everyone!