5QF!

Good Morning!

I started a blog hop yesterday, and would love to have you add your motivational posts-so far it's just me and my lonesome!  =)  If you have something to add, please click here!

On to the 5QF!

1. Have you set any goals/resolutions for 2013? Yes!  I do every year!  I actually posted on this the other day.  Losing weight and buying a new house are two things on my list-both of which should happen.  I'm down 30 pounds with 20 more to go!  If you would like to see a picture, click here!  

2. Have you made any travel/vacation plans for 2013? No, although I talked to my daughter about going to a ladies' retreat in Texas this spring.  Not sure if that will happen after all.  Not sure.

3. What room is never cleaned in your house?  Since we moved to a house that's about 1,000 square feet smaller than my last home, my bedroom ends up the room for storage, which makes the room hard to keep cleaned up consistently.  No laundry room to store my clothes, and no office to store my ebay stuff!

4. What food must be in your house at all times?  Coffee creamer and milk! lol

5. Are you a hugger or more of a hands off person?  I hug regularly, but get claustrophobic if I'm in tight quarters for too long.


Happy New Year!  And have a great weekend!  =)

A Question And 5QF!

Here we are, coming up on the end of another year!  I'm the type who almost always sets goals for the next year, how about you?

If you've read my blog in the past, you've seen that I have written mostly about humorous things that have happened in my life, such as the time I accidentally stole some elderly man's shopping cart.  Or the time my daughter's friend asked if Pennsylvanians hunt with machine guns.  Ah, the good times!

Over time, I ran low on stories, and there was a time I hit major brain block, and felt no inspiration.

And then, life took on some great changes, and my hubby and I and our children (the two who still live at home) moved to a new city and started a Pentecostal church.  I decided to change the theme of my blog, and share more things that are relevant to real life, every day living.  I have a few posts in draft that I plan to start posting in January.

I've found that one of my greatest desires in life is to write.  I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'm hoping my fellow bloggers can help me out here because I do have a question:

How do you continue to have fresh ideas? 

This is the fear I face-that I'll begin to blog again, but will quickly run out of ideas.  I started this blog just about four years ago.  At one point, I decided to quit blogging, and took about a year off.  A few months back, I decided to blog again.  Have you had any similar experiences?

I would really love to have some input, and I thank you in advance.

5QF!

1. If you bake during the holidays, what is your favorite thing to make? I don't normally do any special baking for the holidays, but this year, Amber and I are getting together with friends (a lady and her daughter) to make cookies!  

2. Present giving: Gift bag vs wrapped box?  I usually wrap things. Gift bags are great for those odd shaped things tho!  

3. What do you keep your thermostat on during the winter/summer in your house?  In the winter, 72 to 73 is good in this house.  I know that seems just a touch high, but it is most comfortable there, and Dan feels the same, which is unusual.  It's probably has something to do with this house that we are currently renting.  It's an older home, and maybe just doesn't hold the heat in as well.  For summer?  The thermostat is off, and the air conditioners are on.  Not sure what temperature is most comfortable tho.

4. When thinking of your "Christmas to-do list" what percentage "done" are you? Oh.....I'd say I'm about 30% done.  Dan and I will probably go out together someday soon to get our children their gifts.  I do have a few things, but need to finish up.  I'll admit-I'm having a hard time figuring out just what to get for my 14 year old son.  He's not much into video games (thankfully!), and it seems the choices are limited for his age group!  Any ideas for me?  

5. Do you do the "Elf on a Shelf"? If so, is your Elf naughty and what shenanigans has he gotten into?  I am not sure if I had even heard of Elf on a Shelf until this year!  So no, can't say that I do it.  I have seen a few pictures of other people's Elves tho.  Some have been cute.  =)

Well, my friends, thank you for stopping by!  I do appreciate comments, and am really hoping you all will leave some for me with your helpful ideas.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Pinterest And 5QF!

If you follow my other blog at all, you'll know I have a new addiction-Pinterest!

Have you checked it out yet?

If not, let me just show you a little of what you'll find!

Bascially, it's a group of all your own little bulletin boards, where you post whatever "pins" are out there, which are pictures you find all over the web-some of just beautiful things, some of recipes, some of tutorials, and SO MUCH MORE!

What's great is that you can "pin" things to your boards, and go back to them later.  The pin has the link to where your picture came from, so that you can go to it to get the recipes, tutorials, craft ideas, wedding ideas, organizing tips, and more.  You choose what you want to save, and you follow others who have interests similar to yours, so that you can see their pins (they come to your page in a feed), and repin things to your own boards.

I'm horrible at explaining, but if you check it out, you'll see what I mean!  And if you don't like facebook, you will LOVE Pinterest  because it's drama free, and not a place to carry on conversations.

Here are a few finds I've enjoyed:

Perfect Cuteness!!!

More Perfect Cuteness!!!

And Perfect Adorableness!!!

Amazing Wonders of The World!

Lots of Hairstyles!

And some of my favorites, even though I'm already married---wedding pictures!!!

A Crying Groom!

And Another!  Can it get any sweeter than that???

If you haven't already, head on over to Pinterest, and be sure to follow me!!!

Okay!  Now onto the 5QF!

1. Do you prefer your ice cream in a bowl or in a cone?

For real?  You're gonna make me choose?  Well, if I have to choose, I will say in a bowl because the truth be known, I cannot eat an ice cream cone any better than a 2 year old.  Probably because I always get a soft serve vanilla cone dipped in chocolate.  That right there is enough reason-they've given it a head start in the melting department!  Plus, when I eat them, I'm usually driving.  It's a bad combination, really.

2. What three things do you love the smell of?

Bounce fabric softener sheets, Creme Brule scented oil for the home, and...I think I'll say my next door neighbor's wood burning stove, once they start lighting it in the Fall.  The warm smell works its way to my home, without all the work!  And I would know about all the work--we heated with one-our main source of heat-for 10 years!  I'm SO grateful for a home with a furnace now!

3. Giftcards or no? (In regards to gift giving...)

I think gift cards are fine, and gifts are fine.  Gift cards are nice if you aren't sure what to get, but as someone pointed out to me, an actual gift brings you to mind whenever the receiver used the item you gave them, unlike a gift card.

4. What sports did you play in high school if any and do you still play them?

I only played sports in gym class, and I really liked playing volleyball!

5. Were you in band in high school? What instrument did you play?

I wasn't in band, but in junior high, I was in Orchestra!!!  I played the violin!  I wish I hadn't given it up.  Did anyone else play in Orchestra?

Well that's it for my answers this week!  Here's hoping everyone has a nice weekend!  And don't forget to join me on Pinterest! 



Randomness and 5QF!

Something is going on.

In my life.

Or my mind....

You see, either I am losing my memory altogether....

Or actually, not much of anything is going on!

In my life.

I feel like I've hit SUCH a dry spell in posting my mishaps, my lighthearted stuff, my comical life events!  It's not because I'm so heavy hearted!  Maybe I'm just....

Boring!

I mean, I don't think you care all that much that I apparently have a bees' nest in my fireplace, and that Chloe is the best flyswatter I've ever had.

Thankfully Erlich is coming tomorrow to take care of the problem!  Until then, Chloe is great for keeping us updated, and she's on the case when one escapes!

You might not want to know about the Steelers wreaths I've been making, along with a few others...

Or do you???

Trying to sell these babies, to no avail!  How exciting is THAT? 

If you want one, let me know! 

You're probably not real interested that I've wasted several hours lately playing Majong, or that my website still needs updated, along with my bouquets.  Like, real bad!

Well, maybe I'll just have some good answers to the Five Question Friday to share, and you will all be impressed!

Or maybe not.

But thanks for coming by!  I do appreciate your visit, and hope to have more to offer real soon!

On to the 5QF!

1. Dream job...realistic and completely unrealistic.

Hmm....I think my dream job fits both spots!

I want to be a popular, even famous-amongst-bloggers blogger, where my blog is all the rage, and I get a magazine spot, and possibly mentioned on Yahoo news!

I've been working more at my serious blog, www.justjosanne.com lately, and have narrowed it down to a niche! 

So!

Realistic?  Sure!  If I put in many, many, many (and did I say many?) hours of hard work! 

Unrealistic?  Yeah, that too, since I'll need to put in many, many, many (and did I say many?) hours of hard work!

It's not that I'm not willing, but with my family, and along with my low energy level on a regular basis, it's a bit more challenging.  Those who are successful and have fabulous blogs, I am envious (in a non-sinful sort of way, of course!)!  I want to learn all the secrets!

Question #2 has been deleted from my list of questions because I think that is a downright, tacky question, and is very unladylike to talk about! 

That being said, I will just say respect and manners are important no matter how many years you have been married.  Just because you are married doesn't mean you have to be a hog.

3. What's the furthest you've ever traveled from home? How far and where was it?  The furthest I've traveled from home was to San Antonio, Texas, which is nearly 1,600 miles from home.  Hubby and I visited a church there, and hubby preached the services.

4. How do you celebrate birthday for your kids? Family only or friends? ... Alternate for those without kiddos: How did you celebrate birthdays as a kid? 

It's different each year, but we try to do something special.  No chores for the kiddos that day, a cake, and a relaxing day.  I did have a surprise 16th birthday for Amber last year.  Lots of friends came!  As a kid, my mom was always generous in giving to us children, but we didn't have birthday parties.

5. Fave thing about fall? 

The smell!  It's just something in the air!  The fireplaces and woodstoves being started!  The small of hot chocolate and candles!  It's just all so inviting!

Well, that is all for this week's 5QF!  I hope you all have a great weekend, and hope to see you all again!

Vacation, School, and 5QF!

Another Summer come and gone, but ours ended with a vacation to Florida, and we had a real nice time.  I'm not real thrilled to come home without a TAN--I mean, you'll just have to take my word for it, since I have no EVIDENCE!

In other family news, my oldest daughter turned 22 today!  Just a few short weeks ago, she was a hospital guest for three days, being diagnosed with diabetes.  I am thrilled to be able to say that she is taking good care of herself, following her diet and meds carefully, and her numbers are getting under control!  I can't express how proud I am of her!   

A new chapter has begun in our household--this year, my two kiddos that still live at home started public school for the very first time.  So far, so good! 

Okay, so now onto the 5QF!

1. What ringtone do you have on your cell phone?

I'm not sure what it's called, but it reminds me of jazz or something. 

2. What is your favorite memory from this summer?

My favorite memory would probably be of the woman I met in Florida.  My hubby preached at a church in Miami, and as I was talking to the pastor's wife, we learned that we are both from the same city in Ohio.  The more we talked, we realized we knew some of the same people from the church she used to attend before moving away.  I asked her if she knew a woman who was a very special to me.  The lady I asked of was a few years older than me, a role model that helped me in my first several months walking as a new Christian, and the lady that prayed with me, and helped me to pray thru to receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost.  It turns out, the pastor's wife in Miami was the sister of the dear lady many years ago.  Such a small world!  What a blessing it was that added so much to my vacation in Florida!  I want to add that this beautiful Christian lady is an absolutely beautiful person.  I am honored to have gotten to meet her and spend some time with her. 

3. Paper books or ebooks?

Paper!  I'm a book junkie!  I have a hard time passing up books that are a great price-even tho they usually collect dust forEVER before I actually read them!

4. If you could have one home upgrade what would it be and why?

Hmm....I think I would like siding.  Until we have a large chunk of money, we are going to at least work at getting it painted!  Why?  Because it needs it! 

5. When was your first serious boyfriend/girlfriend?

Hmmm......is my hubby reading this?

I'm not sure!  The first time I fell in love was in 10th grade, but the feeling wasn't mutual.  So does that count? 

Other than that, I'd probably have to say when I was 18. 

Well friends, have a wonderful weekend, and hope to see you again just around the corner!  Thanks for stopping by!

Dan and 5QF!

It's almost the weekend again, friends!  Anyone with special plans?

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say something about my hubby.

Nope!  My computer isn't being hacked!

Nope!  He didn't promise me a shopping spree if I say this!

Nope!  He didn't bribe me with chocolate to blog about him!

I just want to say that I'm blessed.

He's a great man, and I don't ever want to forget to be thankful for having a husband that is so good to me.

That being said, on to the 5QF!

1. Do you have siblings and are you close with them?

Yes, I have a brother I grew up with , and 4 half brothers.  My brother I grew up with is 120 miles away, and even tho we don't see each other very often, we pick up where we left off, and I would consider us close.  I can share things with him, and he's been a good friend to me.

I also consider myself close to one of my half brothers.  We hardly ever see each other, he also living 2 hours away, but when we see each other, it's very, very good!

2. Would you rather be slightly UNDER weight or slightly OVER weight?

Probably slightly overweight, because I could work on it!  Tone up and all that!  

Yes!  

An extra two pounds wouldn't bother me a bit!

3. What's your favorite State Fair food to splurge on?

Okay, I don't think I know the answer to this because I'm not sure if State Fair is a brand, or if it's an event.  If it's an event, and if this is a fair food, I would probably say funnel cake.  It's a  yummy treat, and I've got a sweet tooth!

4. What are your thoughts on your kid(s) going to school in a few weeks?

For me, this is going to be an adventure!!!  Why, you may ask?  Because this is the first year my children will be going to public school!!!  

Well, my 21 year old went to public school for a few years when she was little, but then my church opened a school, and my children went there for many, many years!

Some changes came along, and the school closed, with the possibility of opening again in the future.  Last year my two that are still in school cyber schooled from home.

As much as I LOVED the cyber school-the curriculum, the books, the teachers, the set-up, we decided to have our children go to the public school this year.  My kiddos just needed a bit more structure with their school time.

So!  This year, it will just be me and Dan at home during the day!  

And how do I feel about that?

I think I'm gonna like it!  I've got SO much I want to do, and since a good portion of that consists of spending time with my writing on my computer, the quiet during the day will help tremendously.  I'm scatterbrained, and easily distracted!

5. Pool or Ocean?

Pool!  KIDDIE POOL!!!  With floaters!!!  And a life guard!  And only 12 inches of water!

In case you haven't guessed, water makes me nervous!  Pictures of the ocean are beautiful, but I'm okay living inland, and not seeing the actual thing.  Water I can't see thru makes me nervous!

And those are my answers this week!  Thanks for stopping by, and you all have a great weekend!

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