Here I Am!!!

Ahh....I have been living life!  Hopefully my fellow bloggers and readers either understand, or take the time to do the same on occasion.  =)

Do y'all remember me telling you that I may have some really big news to share?  I mentioned this around
Christmas time, so most of you probably don't remember at all, and that's ok.  But my big news has happened, and I'm happy to share it with you now!

My dear friend Michelle, and her daughter Sydney, moved up her to my area!  I moved 120 miles from home after I got married, and that was nearly 18 years ago.  About 2 years ago, I reconnected with Michelle after I ran into her at a store while visiting my old home area.  After much prayer and some planning, and some opportunities making it possible, Michelle relocated near me!  Needless to say, it was a dream come true.

These days, I've been helping her get settled in to the area, along with other things that have been keeping me busy.

Complaining?  Absolutely NOT!!!  Just keeping busy! 

I am, however, getting bit by my blogging desire, and now that summer is here, and school is out for my son, I will be able to dedicate more time to my blog.  Looking forward to sharing with you all once again!

Photoman, Stuntman, Or Undercover Sniper/SWAT Guy?

Wow!  This has been such a busy and fun week, with more fun and busy-ness to come!

My brother Bryan came up to shoot a wedding with my daughter, and they did a FABULOUS job!  What a team!  We had intended on getting our family done as well, but I was so whooped!  It just never really came together and happened.  So!  Before the Memorial Day picnic today, we did at least get to have a fun photo shoot for Dan and me!  My brother was very willing-it was this old girl that ran out of steam.  When today rolled around, I barely saw my kiddos, so it was just Dan and me.  But it was a LOT of fun!

Bryan had us do several poses, and let me tell you, that man has MORE energy than I've had in YEARS!!!  He posed us on the ground, walking thru the yard, around a tree, on a rock, etc. 

Oops!  Dan got a little confused on the pose with the next shot.....

Bryan said he won't be putting his name on this one....

So anyway!  Since Bryan lives over 100 miles away, I think he may be keeping secrets from me! 

You should have seen how he balanced himself up on a piece of yardquipment (one of those roll bars that flattens the yard)---not to mention how he grabbed it and moved it. 

The leaps and the rolls on the ground, as if he was dodging bullets and enemies got me to thinking....

Is he REALLY some kind of stuntman or sniper?  I mean really, how can my OLDER brother MOVE so much more agile-y than me, so quickly, and use his trigger finger the whole time too? 

He's gotta be keeping some important infomation from me...

Maybe that was him I saw on the White House roof last year when I was in D.C....

He'll probably never confess.

(with my daughter Amber)

Nope!!!

Nope!  I haven't dropped off the face of the earth!

Nope!  I haven't stopped blogging!

Nope!  I haven't stopped being thankful for my blog readers who still check in on me, even tho I haven't added any new posts for a while.

I will be back!  It shouldn't be too long!

Until then, this is the day that the Lord has made-let us remember to count our blessings, and to have a thankful heart!

The Clown and His Own Carnival

So!  Last night, Dan and I went to bed, and I couldn't sleep, so I got back up, and came to bed in the wee hours of the morning.....

Dan was sleeping on his back, and let me tell ya, his snoring was like him having his own private carnival!  There was so much going on between his throat, nose and mouth, I thought he woke himself a little bit. 

But apparently not enough.

The sweet wife that I am, I ever so gently rubbed his arm and shoulder to wake him, without startling him.

"Hon..." (rubbing his arm and shoulder)

"Mp h, snorkel, pork chops, htpth, mmm.....What happened?"

"You're snoring really bad.  You are really going to town!"

So ya know what the Clown says to me????

Do you???

He says.....

"It's ok.  It's not bothering me."

(I laughed quite a bit-and yes, he rolled over for me, and laughed too.)  =)

I Accidentally Left The Country and 5QF

It was a lovely spring day!  Amber's friend from Mississippi was visiting us for a week in our beautiful state of Pennyslvania-the furthest north she has ever been. 

Since we live just a few hours from Niagara Falls, we wanted to take Erin to see them.  It's quite an attraction, and being up close to the Falls shows just a tiny bit of the magnificence of our great God.  I'd never been to the American Falls, only to the Canada side on my honeymoon.

The ride up was so calm, with little traffic and no problems.  I'm grateful for having a GPS! 

Nearing the end of our journey, all of the signs, along with the GPS instructions, were getting confusing!  I couldn't quite figure out where to go, so I went where I thought I should go.

I pulled up to a little building/booth with a very high window, and a man poked his head out.  I told him I was lost, and he asked for my license.  I didn't know it, but I was now in Canada.

CANADA!

Oh-and did I mention we didn't have any passports?

The man asked if my GPS had brought me there, and of course, the answer was yes!  He told me to go to that building over there, and inside I would get a paper to take with me to head back to the States.

I go inside, and tell the lady I got lost, and she too, asked if it was my GPS.  THANKFULLY I am not the only person who has ever gone to Canada on accident!  I could tell since both Canadian folks I had to speak to guessed right on the money what brought me to their country on the first guess!

The lady gave me my Canadian rejection paper, and told me how to head back home. 

Our visitor Erin was now able to go home and tell everyone that she not only visited this far north for the first time, but she also got to step on Canadian concrete!

Heading out of the parking lot, believe it or not, I got confused, and wasn't sure which was to go.  I SURELY wasn't going to ask my GPS for help again!

I asked a truck driver who had pulled over which way to go, and he showed me, along with showing me a map, and warning me that I was going to be given a hard time trying to get back into the United States.

Great.

We got back to the bridge that brings us home, and of course, I was in the wrong lane when I was trying to come back to the States.  I was in the truck lane.  But the nice trucker behind me beeped and pointed me in the right direction.

After taking our picture upon entering the States, I gave Homeland Security my rejection paper.

Let me interject here---coming into the United States is one time that you absolutely do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, want to crack stupid jokes.  It's probably a real good thing Dan wasn't with us.

The very serious, very stern man asked for our passports, which of course, we didn't have, because we didn't know we were leaving the country.  He asked for our licenses, which we only had two.  Security pointed out that we only had two licenses, but there were five of us, and wanted to know why.

Um....because Dakota is 12???  And Amber doesn't have hers yet either????  And one was at home, which just left two of us with a license.

Amber, being the teenager she is, immediately picks up the cell phone and starts texting about our adventure.

Security got a bit radical about it and asked what she was doing!  We answered that she was texting, and he said she couldn't do that here!  Amber practically threw the phone down.

Then Security tells us one moment, and calls someone.  Three other Security men come to our car-one goes in the booth with the other officer, and the other two ESCORT my passangers out of the car and into the Homeland Security building!

Sigh.....

After going thru more questions and feeling like criminals, along with not having passports, we get ready to leave.

I know the guy in the building told me how to get out of there, but I was already confused when I got out in the parking lot and saw more than one way I could possibly go.

So, I asked the parking lot officer to tell me where to go.  He asked if I had a certain paper, which I didn't because one wasn't given to me, and then told me to wait while he checked to make sure we were cleared, since we weren't in the building for very long.

He gave us directions, and we were finally on our way AWAY from CANADA!!!

So!  Boys and Girls, the lesson for today is:

Do not leave the country without a passport!!!

I actually don't think I ever want to leave the country again, even WITH a passport!

Well, it DID make for a more memorable trip for a Southern Belle!  =)


Now onto the 5QF! 

1. Have you ever had surgery?
Yep! On both of my big toes.  Back in the day of big, permed hair, was also the day of pointy-toes shoes.  Fashion is a cruel taskmaster!  I ended up with problems from my toes being scruched together in those pointy shoes, which required surgery.  My one toe got infected, so he had to do it all over again!

Speaking of toes, did you ever notice when you hurt your toe, for a few weeks after that, it seems to have a built-in magnet that attracts everything you walk by, that could possibly hurt if you bump into it?

2. Ever ride in an ambulance?
I don't believe so, but when Dan fell from a tree 2 years ago, and due to nerve damage, was taken by helicopter to a bigger hospital an hour away, Dakota, Elissa and I drove to the airport to watch him go.  He was taken by ambulance to the airport.

3. How are you in a medical emergency? Panicked? Calm?
When it's my children, and it's something that requires stitches, and there is bleeding involved, I try to stay calm so that I can keep my children calm.  I've been blessed that I haven't had to face too many medical emergencies.
I did, however, feel like crying, and was scared when I met Dan and Dakota at the hospital after they got carbon monoxide poisoning.  The bloodshot eyes, the bad headaches, and the reality of what had happened while Amber and I were away that day, sinking in, really scared me.  I could have come home to both of my men dead.

4. Do you have a garden? Flowers or veggies?
We will have a garden this year!  Fresh veggies!  I do have some flowers and plants in my landscape as well.

5. When did you move out of your parents house?
When I was 23.  I lived with a lady from my church for 6 months, and then got married and moved out of state.  =)

I hope everyone has a nice weekend!  And thanks for stopping by!

Stay Tuned!

I thought this was cute.  =) 

Come back soon-I'll be telling you about my recent international travels!  Oh don't worry-it won't be boring-as the trip was accidental, and I didn't have any passports!  =)

Our House Fire 3/4/09 and 5QF-Did We Really Lose Everything?

I'm so glad you have stopped by to visit today! Some of you have been here before, and some for the first time, but today will be one of my most important blog posts-FOREVER!



First, our lives two years ago today (I am actually writing this the night before), and then on to the blog hop!


March 3, 2009


I watched my children get on the school bus, and when I got down to pray, I asked God to keep my children safe.


Sometimes we don't know the weight of our prayers, do we?

 March 4, 2009


My oldest working, my other two children in school, Dan was studying to preach at church that evening, and I was off to town to do laundry.
Dan called me on my cell phone, although with no signal, I got the message shortly later. The house was on fire, and burning to the ground. When I got home, the fire was almost out. Approximately one short hour after the fire, this is what I came home to:

Taken from the back yard, looking at the tree in the front yard thru the living room. Dakota's room is to the left, with a little bit of wall still standing. 

The standing partial wall and the wall that fell was my bedroom and Dakota's bedroom.

Front view of the livingroom.

The room that is still standing is the kitchen.

The kitchen and bathroom.

Fifteen years of marriage.

A fire that was completely out of control in 10 minutes time.

A house "completely" gone in one hour-except the garage they were able to save.

Did we really lose everything?

What did we still have?

We still have our friends, family and neighbors, and even total strangers, who showed us generosity on a very humbling level. Strangers offered to open up their homes for us to have a place to stay, neighbors we knew and didn't know gave us generous gifts of money and clothing, among the other ways they helped, and offered to help us.

We still have each other!

April 5, 2009

Amber and I called home to tell Dan we were on our way home, only to find out he and Dakota were on their way to the emergency room because they had been poisoned by carbon monoxide.

I still have the two most important men in my life!

April 9, 2009

I received the phone call from my brother in law that my hubby was in the hospital after taking a fall from a tree. After the first surgery and 9 days in the hospital, he came home.

A second surgery took place in August, 2009.

This is the chair my hubby has spent most of his last two years in. The chair was brand new-but is now worn out. But that just means that I am not a widow today. ♥

Today we live in a home that we're very happy in, and in a nice little community. We are very blessed.

Did we really lose everything?

No, we still have the most important things in life-our family, friends, and the Lord.

I just wanted this post to be a reminder that stuff is just STUFF, and can be replaced. I hope that each person that reads this today will tuck this little reminder in their hearts, in case you need it for a rainy day.

If you'd like to read the entire story, this is my long, detailed post on it-click here.




NOW! On to the Five Question Friday!!!

1. Have you ever forgotten your child in a store or at school? Um, I don't think I have! I guess that's where my obsessiveness comes in handy-I'm the type to check and re-check to make sure things aren't left turned on when we leave the house. That spills over to other areas of my life.

2. Where did you go on your very first date? (Like...first first, not first with your spouse or current significant other!) I believe it was to a movie, but you know, I'm getting really old and can't remember much else about it!

3. What's your "silly" fear? (We're not talking water and heights.) Okay, don't laugh! I live in Pennsylvania, and since I grew up a city girl, I have a 17 year long fear of.....

Bears. Black bears.

I cannot tell you how many people have told me, "Oh, they won't bother you if you don't bother them." But YOU grow up in the city where the biggest thing you've ever seen in a raccoon, and tell me that! If my car ever breaks down at night, I'm not worried about some bad guy coming and robbing me-I'm worried that a bear is gonna come out of the woods and MAUL me!

 

4. Confrontation: do you cause it, deal with is as it comes, or run far far away? I RUN!!! I HATE confrontation! I try to live by the wise words of Solomon, a soft answer turns away wrath.

5. Wood floors or carpet? Carpet, although I am taking a liking to wood floors more than before. After our house burned, we rented a home that I absolutely adored! And the bedrooms had wood floors. We've become good friends with the man who rented the home to us, and he was a fantastic help to my family when Dan was recovering from his injuries-always willing to help Dan and I, and our children if we needed anything. This is my shout out to Harry! Thanks, friend!

Anyway, I've already informed him that when I'm rich, I'm going to buy his house. It wasn't quite what we needed for our family of 5, but by the time I'm rich, my kids will all be married and moved out. Then I'll have a house with carpet, AND a house with wood floors! =D

Thanks for stopping by! I hope my blog has been worth your time today, and as always, I welcome your comments!

A Secret Admirer And My 5QF

The weekend is almost here, and I've been a good girl, and stuck to my diet all week!  Go me!  And please, someone, CHEER ME ON!!!  I need it!

Well guess what special little something happened to ME today! 

Dakota had a dental appointment today, and because of the insurance, we have to drive over an hour to his dentist. 

After the appointment, I came out to my car to find a piece of paper stuffed into the door.  Uh-oh.  Did I park in a no-parking spot? 

I opened up the paper to find this:



An ADMIRER???  Of little ol' me??? 

As my memory began to work, I recognized the writing.  It went along with a phone call I got just shortly ago, telling me that "he" needed to go to the same little city I was in, over an hour away from home.  The writing looked familiar because it's the same writing that's been on many cards over the past 18 years.

My baby made my afternoon! ♥

NOW!  On to the Five Question Friday!


1. Can you drive a stick shift?  I sure can!  My first car was a stick shift!  I have some great memories of that little car, and I do mean LITTLE!  It was about as big a refrigerator box-it was a 1979 Ford Fiesta. 

Have you read about the first time I drove it to church after learning to drive a stick shift?

2. What are two foods you just can't eat?  Squid and octopus.  Yes, I'm serious-they serve them sometimes at the Chinese restaurants.  Once, Elissa, Dan and I were at the Chinese restaurant, and Dan got one of each, along with some shrimp (I eat shrimp-LOVE the stuff!).  I don't remember the whole scenario, but while eating, Dan decided to play with his food, and the next thing we knew, the squid and octopus were having a fight.  And one of them says to shrimp on the plate, "You stay out of this, you little shrimp!".

Yeah, if my walls could talk.....


3. Do you buy Girl Scout Cookies? What is your favorite kind?  I love Girl Scout cookies.  I'd like it to go on record that this is a very unfair question for a woman who is working hard at sticking to her diet!  I nearly began salivating just THINKING about them!  But anyway, I think I like them all!  But the butter ones are probably my favorite. (Sorry, it's been a while.)


4. How do you pamper yourself?  Hmm....to be truthful, probably by taking naps regularly!  My kiddos are old enough that I can just go on upstairs and climb into my wonderful bed with my soft, micro-fiber heating blanket, along with my memory foam pillow.  I feel spoiled just talking about it!


5. What is your nickname and how did you get it?  My dad gave me a nickname, and I don't know when it wore off-maybe when I got to be nearly as tall as him.  It was Midget.  He is the only one who called me that.  My other nickname that was used by everyone else was Josie.  My name isn't Josephine, it's Josanne (I've been asked).  Growing up, I was called Josie regularly.  I decided I no longer wanted to be called Josie, but Josanne, and today, very few people still call me by my nickname.  I don't mind those who do-I know it's not done out of spite or anything.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by! 

The Big Girl Club Hates Me

Well, it's day three since I announced and began my departure from the Big Girl's club, and guess what?  They HATE me for it!  All along, treating me like their friend until I wanted to leave! 

How do I know this?

Because of the daily 15 minutes in the TORTURE CHAMBER that I've been going thru!

Oh, cutting out the junk food hasn't been so hard as of yet, but that piece of machinery in the basement called an eliptical is the real clencher!  I HATE it!

I hate it as much as I did when I joined the Y-which, to my shame, I only went like, twice....I think....

Fifteen llloooooonnnnnnnnnnggggggggggg minutes of torture, and if that wasn't bad enough, my legs feel like jello when I'm done.

I am TOTALLY telling on myself!  I don't believe in humiliating your kids in your blogs, but if you want to humiliate yourself, I guess that's ok, and actually, send me a link if you do so that my misery can enjoy the company, and I won't feel so bad!  =D

Well, off I go to finish cleaning out my cupboards for my 7 X 3 Jump Start Challenge, and another grueling torture chamber session before heading to church this evening.

Ugh....

I'm Leaving the Big Girl's Club

When I was little, I wanted to be big-didn't we all?

Well, now I'm a big girl, and with a WHOLE different meaning, I want to be little again!

I had Elissa take some pics earlier, and some of the ones I like real well need cut OFF from the shoulder UP!

So!  Farewell, Big Girl club!  It's time to get serious about this!  Unfortunately, you can't just leave this club-you have to do the opposite of  what you do to join other clubs.  You have to work your way out of it, instead of working your way up the ladder like you would somewhere else.

Fortunately tho, if I take a picture from up above, I don't look too "big girl" ish!  Picture in point:

Unfortunately, I can't walk around with my chin up everywhere I go, lest people think I'm snooty!  So the only alternative is.....sigh.....to get rid of the excess.

Speaking of the major task in front of me, did you all know I have a blog for doing fun (so to speak) challenges?  If you stop by, you can join in if you like!  The new challenges start today, and they are for 21 days-7 challenges for 3 days each, in 5 different categories.  I'd be thrilled if you would stop by! 

http://www.jointhechallenge.blogspot.com/

As for my newest task, stay tuned for updates.....

A Valentine's Bouquet I Made-My Very Best!

I didn't feel that a 5QF post would be appropriate for today, after posting the loss of my dear friend yesterday. 

I did, however, want to just share my most recent creation.  This was a chocolate bouquet that my brother in law ordered for his beautiful wife.  Because I was making this "at the last minute", I did not take pictures as I went, nor did I write out the directions.

I must say that I was pleased, and even more pleased that my brother in law was happy with it, as was his wife.  =)

Do you all like it?

Goodbye, My Dear Friend

Today my friend passed away.

She knew I loved her, and she will always hold a special place in my heart.

Goodbye, dear friend. I love you!

 

♥♥♥

What Are YOU Doing?

Okay, Friends~

Valentine's Day is coming up, and I've added some love stuff to my website, http://www.achocolatebouquet.com/. 

Do you like polls?  Here's one for you!

What are you doing for Valentine's Day?
	Going out to dinner with my honey
	Staying home and making a special dinner for my sweetie
	Going on a weekend get-away with my baby
	Giving a special gift to my sweetheart
	Cuddling up with a good book and some hot chocolate
	Sending myself flowers
	Taking myself out to dinner
	Nothing
	Other
pollcode.com free polls

Help me get to know my readers-please vote in the poll! 

My poll page on my website is lonely!  Only one voter so far.  Please stop by for 9 other questions about your true love!  If your answer is "other" in any of the polls, most of the pages have a comment section, and I'd love to hear your answers!  Here is the link:

http://www.achocolatebouquet.com/id126.html

Have a lovely day!

Make A Lovely Chocolate Hearts and Roses Bouquet Bowl!

This is my newest creation that is up on my website, and I wanted to share it here as well!  If you like it, it is easy to make and affordable as well!  Let me know what you think!

Same bouquet, different backgrounds and lighting.

To make this, please go to my website-this is the link for this bouquet:

http://www.achocolatebouquet.com/id175.html

A Beautiful New Day

Good Morning Everyone!

Today is a beautiful new day to be thankful for, is it not?  Another day to be alive, enjoy our blessings and another chance to thank the Lord for His goodness in each and every one of our lives.

I am in the middle of adding some new things to my website for the month of February, and just wanted to invite you all over to do my page of fun little polls!  If you are married or in love, this page is for you!

I hope you'll stop by-I'd love to see how everyone met their companions, their favorite Valentine's Day gift, and more.

(One of my birthday roses-a picture taken by Elissa, with her new camera!)

Did I Have A Nice Birthday, You May Wonder???

I'll give you a hint!

It started out with a friend posting this on my facebook page:

Then I had a gazillion messages sent to me on facebook, wishing me a happy birthday.

And when Elissa came home from work, it was ICE CREAM AND CAKE TIME!!!

And did you see my roses too?  =)

I get the corner piece with lots of icing!!!

Cards from the children-the outside....

The inside.....

Next card, from the oldest---the outside.......

The inside.....

Cake and milk.....

Mmmm.....mmmm.....!!!

To end my day, my sister-in-law Niki made me another chocolate cake, homemade!

And one more thing!  Chocolate cake does WONDERS for my voice, although I'm very humble, and didn't know I was being recorded!    =)

Was my birthday good?  I'll let you decide.  =)

I'm 41, And I'm Losin' It!

Well, it's here, folks!  My 41st birthday! 

And guess what?

I'm losin' it!

Okay, not really.  What that should say is, I need to lose it!  I was looking at the picture of my brother Chuck and me, and I can see that my chin has grown a chin! 

Folks, this is not cool!  

I did my own 2 year personal observation, and I keep trying to tell you all that house fires make you gain weight!

Okay, the fire is over, sooo......how long does this personal study have to continue???

I think I know.....

Just until I'm finished with my big chocolate cake, and gallon of milk!

And until someone will actually be brave enough to face the weather and go get me a big chocolate cake, and a gallon of milk!

And until I can actually see pavement to do some walking.

And until it's above -40 out there!

Sigh.....

WHAT???  What did you just say???

I can eat healthier, and exercise on my gym equipment downstairs?

Oh now you're just talking nonsense!

And I thought I was the one losin' it!

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is my birthday!  Do you all think I'm goofy for still getting excited?  I mean, at 41, it isn't a number that we've waited for all of our lives, the way 13, 16 and 18 are!

Anyway!  Wanna give me something great for my birthday??? 

Yes?

I knew you did-that's why I asked!

I'd love to have you leave me a comment!  Yep!  I'm still begging and grovelling for comments, and this seems like the perfect opportunity to do so!

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

I want to work on making my blog better by adding more pictures when I post!  I don't have a brilliant post to share this time around (other than delighting all of you with the opportunity to celebrate my birthday with me by leaving a comment!), but want to share some pictures!  =)

Do you recognize these two young ladies?  Laura is a dear friend, and Amber of course, is my growing girl!  Both of these girls have blogs if you would like to check them out!

Laura's blog is at http://www.lauramasiker.blogspot.com/.  Laura is an extremely bright young woman with wit and charm-it's been four years since her 18 year old brother went home to be with Jesus after a car accident.  Here is a letter she wrote to him http://lauramasiker.blogspot.com/2011/01/letter-to-nick.html (In case you wonder, Mary Kay is their little sister).  Laura is a lovely young woman-you'll enjoy getting to know her!

Amber's blog is http://www.teenapproach.blogspot.com/.   Often times, Amber's blog covers serious subjects, and I've got to say, I'm proud of my daughter.  She has a heart for people, and for what is right, and when she enters this great big world as an adult, I'm confident that she will be one who fights for the protection of others, and who will help those in need of being lifted up.
This post was written a little while back, but I'm very proud of it. http://teenapproach.blogspot.com/2010/10/domestic-violence-part-2.html   She did an excellent job.  At 16, she has a heart of compassion, and I am very thankful and proud to be able to say that about my child. 

This girl is thrilled to pieces that she has a very GOOD camera coming to her at the end of the week!  Elissa is very talented with the camera-it will be nice to share some of her photos with you all!  I'm going to have her do a family photo shoot, and I'll be posting shots after she does!

This is my brother Bryan.  Have you seen the two pages of his gorgeous photography that I have on my website?  If not, go here:

http://www.achocolatebouquet.com/id152.html
http://www.achocolatebouquet.com/id153.html

And last one-this is my brother Chuck and me.  He came for a visit two weeks ago, and it was wonderful!  Wanna know something interesting?  We only met about 9 years ago!  He's my half brother from my dad's first marriage.  I cannot tell you how THRILLED I am to have him in my life.  It was truly a dream come true! 

Stay warm and safe, everyone!  It's cold, icy and nasty out there right now!  Be careful!  And see you all next time!

Five Question Friday

Welcome to my 5QF this week!  Let's get straight to the questions!

1. Where did you meet your spouse and did you instantly know it was love?  My hubby's sister came to a wedding at my church in Ohio.  She liked me, and invited me to visit her in Pennsylvania. 

I came to visit, I thought hubby was too young, he thought I was too rich (HA!), but his dad talked him into coming down to his sister's after church to get to know me.

We had a lot of fun, and went from there.  It wasn't "I'm in love" from day one, but both of us were looking for our lifetime companion, so both of us were looking at our relationship as, "You may be the one", and approached it very seriously from the start.

Not that WE were very serious, as in, never joking.  On our first date, Dan made me laugh til I cried.  =)

We were married less than 9 months later, and we've now been married for 17 years.  ♥

2. What is your favorite room in your house?  Ooohhhh...well, I think it's a toss up between my livingroom and diningroom!

This is in my dining room-my walls are called Dried Fava (a light sage), and I decorated with white and dark purple accents (the second picture was hard to catch the color during the daytime).

This is my couch.  Okay, this is Chloe ON the couch.  =)  I couldn't find a picture of my livingroom on my laptop-must be on Dan's.

This is my flower arrangement on my coffee table.  I add the red and gold to it in winter, but it is cream colors regularly.  My walls are called Cozy Beige.

And this is my accent wall-Roasted Tomato.  And this is my vintage Haeger Panther, that stands about 2 feet tall.  I saw that it sold on Ebay for $200.  I got mine at a yard sale for $5!!!  Go me!!!  =)


3. Can you wiggle your ears?  Only when I'm touching them-and rubbing them very quickly because they itch!


4. What is your evening ritual?  Oh, we walk from room to room, chanting "Money, we need money.  Please rain money..."  Then we sit in a circle and hold hands, humming with our eyes closed.

Oh!  You mean my routine???  Oh!  Silly me!!!

Well in that case, I tend to veg out (after our chanting session), and not really do much. 

Umm......you're not going to tell anyone about the chanting, are ya?  I misunderstood the question....let's just keep the chanting/humming bit between you and me, shall we?


5. How many hours of sleep do you need to function?  Now that I sleep, since I finally started getting comments...I need about 9 hours to really feel rested.  But things are looking up!  I haven't been quite so tired during the day, even if I don't get enough sleep.  And the family doesn't mind the whininess and tantrum throwing too much until it's my bedtime either!  =P

Thanks for stopping by, everyone!  Hope you enjoyed this weeks answers, and thanks, Mama M for this fun weekly blog hop!