Day 16: Something you believe to your very core. Support it with examples.

Day 16:  Something you believe to your very core.  Support it with examples. 

If I just work a little harder I can get it all done.

Not logical.... but I believe it.

Day 15: Your favorite book or series of books

Day 15.  I think I switched days 14 and 15.  Oops.  Your favorite book or series of books.

I'm going to go with the Kane Chronicles.  Because I got a question right on Jeopardy because I read The Red Pyramid....

Day 14 What would you do with a million dollars. Why?

Eat expensive cheese.
Hire a house cleaner.
Pay for college for my kids.  (Hah!  That would about use the whole million.)

Ok.  Wait.  First.  I'd invest the million and do things with the interest.  I am my grandfather's daughter. 

A long time ago I wanted to set up an endowment to give Class C kids in the state $500 towards college text books.  But now I think I'd rather give them a tablet computer so they can get their books online and have access.  Knowledge is power and isolation is pain.  And maybe I'd make it all Class C high school freshmen. 

Day 13 . . . A post about people . . . .

Name a minimum of 10 pivotal people in your life.  Use these as starters and give a why.

A person whom you admire:
A person that inspires you to be more:
A modern day superhero:
Someone you'd like to be like:
Someone that scares you:
A quality that you admire and the person who embodies it:

1.  My Grandma:  Stylish but down-to-earth.  She loved to go places and watch The Young & The Restless.  She taught me how to drive (a grain truck, an a stick-shift Celica), how to wear jewelry and how to cook for a field crew.
2.  My Grandma:  Organized and self-confident.  She loved to travel and watch baseball.  She taught me how to pack for a trip, how to order a drink and to always keep a giveaway bag in the closet.
3.  More and More... My Grandpa:  He built me a doll house.  He takes me fishing.  He always has snack snickers bars for my kids.
4.  My Mom:  She is classic Scandinavian.  In looks, attitude and style.
5.  My Dad:  He shows that scary-looking, hairy rednecks can be addressed as "Doctor." 
6.  My Sister:  She seems to be doing it all.... gracefully. 
7.  My Brother:  My favorite dirt farming technology wizard.
8.  My Husband:  No matter what.... always my number one.
9.  My Kids:  They make me laugh at least once a day.  Everyone needs that.
10.  My Dog:  When all else fails....

Day 12 . . . Photographic challenge. Photos of 10 random things and a less than 10-word explanation for each.

Day 12 . . .  Photographic challenge.  Photos of 10 random things and a less than 10-word explanation for each.

 1.  Redneck.  Party.

 2. My First Truck.

 3.  Happy Fun.

 4.  A boy and his dog.

 5.  Spring.

 6.  Things to come.

 7.  True Love

 8.  Farm Girl.

9.  Skipping Stones.

10.  Work or Play.

Day 11: A photo of the last single-item thing that you spent more than $50 for . . .

The only thing I've spent more than $50 on in the last 60 days...

FUEL.

I'm not kidding.  One fill up.  $56 and change.

That's all I have.  I looked at receipts even.

Day 10: Your celebrity crush.

Day 10:  Your celebrity crush.

Didn't we do this here?

Ok.  Only one?  Based purely on looks?  Not on "oh he's such a good guy?"  Because I adore Adam Sandler.  But....

Go here to see.

Day 9: photo of your last kitchen creation.

Day 9:  photo of your last kitchen creation.

I have two.  First up.  The STROMBOLI.

Ok.  Yes.  Not a great picture.  But it was really cool in real life.  I did a braided top and fresh parmesan with an egg wash.  Gorgeous.  Delicious.

This comes our latest project.... Bento Lunch.  More on how this works out later....

Day 8: What kind of phone are you using? What apps do you love? List them and rate them.

Day 8:  What kind of phone are you using?  What apps do you love?  List them and rate them.

Motorola Barage.  The playskool phone.  It doesn't break.  A good thing.

I'd love a "smart" phone but it isn't in the budget right now.

I do enjoy the apps I have on my ipod touch.  And several Dr Seuss things are free at iTunes right now.  Scurry over and get them.....

Day 7: A Video That Makes You Happy.

I like Hoodwinked 2.

Day 6: Five things that the younger generation is missing. What will you do to teach them and bridge the gap?

1.  The ability to dance with a partner.

2.  The joys of imagination and creative play.  Yes, we once took a chalkboard apart to make weapons and we were destructive... it is part of being creative.  Kids should be able to play for hours without a toy.

3.  Handwriting.

4.  Relaxation, being unplugged and just hanging out.  Everything is technology, schedules and attaining goals.  And we think watching tv is relaxation... it isn't.

5.  Doing dangerous things.  I'm a big fan of helmets.  I don't like tiny high-powered magnets, sucker sticks or dangerous chemicals under the sink.  But I was riding a 3-wheeler, hooky-bobbing behind a horse, building a sled from an old formica counter and I could drive a "big rig" by the time I was 12. 

Day 5 . . . . ONE single photo that best describes what you'll be doing over the next 48 hours. One photo.

Day 5 . . . . ONE single photo that best describes what you'll be doing over the next 48 hours. One photo.

Insert photo of my children here.... except I don't have a spare moment to do that because the pictures are all on the external hard drive and it is downstairs and I am upstairs.  Snuggled in with a sick boy.  He's reading Percy Jackson.  I'm looking at facebook.

We were going to sled and ski this weekend but it is snowing sideways and Sweet feels awful..... it is only fair... the girls had it last weekend. 

So instead we are cleaning bedrooms, planning to watch "Hoodwinked 2" later and I think I'm going to make a stromboli-like substance for dinner.

Day 4: A list of projects that are started, but currently undone in your house. If you are really bold, add a time frame for completion.

Day 4:  A list of projects that are started, but currently undone in your house.  If you are really bold, add a time frame for completion.


Shit. 

Fortunately "bold" has never been in my job description so I don't have to add a timeframe.

1.  Paint the laundry room ceiling.
2.  Paint the living room walls and ceiling.
3.  Paint the bedrooms (2) upstairs.
4.  Remodel the house.
5.  Put Hot's arrowheads back in a display.  I sorted them out last weekend and bought the glass last night.
6.  Sorting and purging in the garage.
7.  Make a mouse out of felt to sleep in an altoids box.
8.  Put up 3 hooks, (I put up 5 last night but ran out of screws and didn't want to venture to the garage in the snow storm.)
9.  Scan and sort and index documents.
10.  Have negatives scanned to digital prints.
11.  Clean out the top of the stairs closet.  I don't know if I really need to do this but it seems like a good idea.
12.  Purge my closets and create cute outfits.  I need my sister here to do this but she has promised to help if I will feed her waffles.
13.  Super glue things.  I ran out of super glue.  I have a small stack of stuff that needs gluing... a fairy wand, a transformer with a broken leg & a tea party plate.
14.  Print next week's breakfast/lunch plan.  And plan dinners.
15.  Print some adorable lunchbox notes.
16.  Laundry.
17.  Return some light plate covers to Lowe's and buy some really narrow long screws to try to fix the book bag hangers.
18.  Find my yak-traks.
19.  Return library books in my car and get some new ones.  Encyclopedia Brown maybe.
20.  Sort the hair pretties.

Day 3: A Photo From Your Day Today

This is tough what with the lost camera and all. 

But this kind of sums up how I feel right now....

Day Two: In picture or written form, ten of your favorite things

You can pretty much just cut-n-paste Elle's list as my own.

1.  My family. 
2.  My dog.
3.  Coffee.
4.  Lists.
5.  Yoga pants & Apt 9 v-neck tshirts from Kohl's.
6.  Taking pictures.
7.  Eating meals at the table.
8.  Reading.
9.  Eyeliner.
10. Daydreaming.

Day One: Something that you are good at

Elle challenged.

Spinning Plates.  I'm really good and keeping a lot of things going all at once.  I'm not saying I excel at all of those things all at once.  There is a lot of wobbling.... but that's the whole thing about balance.  When you balance on something you have to make a million tiny adjustments to stay in one spot.  I'm good at that.