I can do this theme!!!  So, without further ado, I present "Whatever the heck I want"!

... Mommy starts to worry.  Especially when you don't even fuss about watching Star Trek instead of princess movies. 

My sweet bloggy friend Rachel tagged me in this Q & A post a while ago, but I am a complete slacker and haven't done it.  Sheesh...those silly excuses like sleep, and quality time with my children, and dinner...excuses.  All excuses. 


Well, no more!  Here I am, for all the world to see, in 19 completely random questions!



1. If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?

Well, that's a silly question around these parts!  Our animals are certainly treasured members of the family.  And my cousin Heather (who happens to write an amazing blog about all things thrifty, and who is getting married this year - WOOHOO!), still gets the award for best photos of my fur babies.



Someday, when we have our 6 foot privacy fence built around our property, we will get another dog.  But, for now, we enjoy the felines.

2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?

That's easy!  I would be back home with my babies.  And I would probably be spending a good portion of the year in Haiti, working with orphanages.  And, if a sweet, precious little boy (or girl) just happens to find his way into our home, well, I wouldn't complain about that at all!


3. What is the one thing most hated by you?

I cannot handle mean people.  At all.  And I have learned, being in a service position at work, that there are a lot of mean people in the world.


4. What would you do with a billion dollars?


Well, I would do the obvious things first.  Pay off the house, pay off my parents' house, buy a house for my sister so they could move back to CO.  Stick some aside for the girls for college, some for retirement for us. 

And then I would probably go ape crazy.  Pay off other people's houses.  Leave envelopes of cash on people's front porches.  Pay rent for someone for a year.  Send enormous amounts to missionaries & orphanages in other countries.



5. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?








'Nuff said


 6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
 
No fair Rach!  You didn't say anything about making me think!  I am honestly not sure.  You are either a blessing by loving someone, or being blessed by receiving that love back.  GAAH!!!  My brain just imploded.  And now I have to go clean grey goop off the computer.  Thanks, Rach.

7. What is your bedtime routine?


Our bedtime routine starts with the babes.  We put on their pjs, brush hair & teeth, and read stories.  Then Daddy carries each of them to bed, where we pray and snuggle for a few more minutes.

Once the minions are locked and banished tucked in sweetly, we usually watch a show or two, then head to bed ourselves.  Jerome has to have a glass of milk and a few minutes of E*PN news every night.  Cause we all know the man would not be able to get a decent nights sleep without the day's stats...

We head to our room, put on our pjs, pray, kiss, then Jerome usually falls asleep while I read for a while.  "A while" being relative to how bad my insomnia is acting that night. 



8. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?
 
We bonded over the fetal pig dissection in 10th grade.  And trying to make the popular/mean girl in the class throw up every day.  Hmm...perhaps that should be a TST...

 

9. If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?



I would require the use of a time machine for this one.  I would love to go back to my childhood and watch my grandma.  Here she is holding Kat as a baby.





My grandma is, by far, the most creative person I have ever met.  But time and age have deteriorated both her mind and her body.  I would love to be able to go back and watch her when she was truly able to do all the things she loved to do.



10. What kinds of books do you read?
 
Anything.  No, seriously.  I am pretty much wide open, and will try anything at least once.  Well, not smutty romance novels (have no desire to read about someone else's bedroom habits in full living color), but other than that I am open to suggestions.  I love Christian fiction, regular fiction, sci-fi, mystery, historical, biographies, sports, humor, ...

See, I wasn't kidding! 


11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?


At home with my girls (ack!  They would be 17, 14, and 13).  Oh Lord!  Will you start praying for me now?  Thanks.

Anydoodle, my "ten years" answer reads much like my "dream come true" answer.  Home, part of the year in Haiti, and perhaps a few more minions added to the mix.  I'm going to need a bigger car...



12. What’s your fear?


Losing someone I love.  It is a deep fear that I have always had, and that I constantly struggle with.  Honestly, there are evenings, when I am driving home from work, when the thought of losing someone overwhelms me to the point of tears.  It is a battle I fight daily, reminding myself that God does not give a spirit of fear, that the fear itself is the battle.





13. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space?


Seriously?  What kind of silly question is this?  What woman, in her right mind, would EVER give up junk food for the rest of her life, just to go see a vacuum.  I've got one of those in my laundry room. 

Pass the chips & salsa, please.



14. Would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor?


Again, very silly question.  Obviously, I would rather be married.  When I said "for richer or poorer" 8 1/2 years ago, I meant it.  Also, I have informed the dear hubby that if he wants to get rid of me, he's going to have to kill me first.  And good luck with that, because I am a pretty good shot.





15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Hit the snooze and doze for another 9 minutes.  When the evil instrument of doom nags me again, dear hubby gets out of bed & starts the shower.  Approximately 30 seconds after the shower is turned on, we have this:




The girls (especially Madi - the rooster) know that they are not allowed out of bed until the shower turns on.  Works fabulously for Saturday mornings, I might add.  But, once the shower is on, they know Mommy is in bed and would love to snuggle for a minute. 

And, yes, I have just shared a photo of my bed, with me in it.  Please don't be horrified - there are cute toddler chubbies in it!

 16. If you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be?


Oh good golly, what are you people trying to do to me?  This is like marriage dynamite right here! 

Ok, well there's ...

...

... yup, drawing a blank here.  There are times I threaten to throw his phone out the window when he answers it for business, but I love the part of him that wants to serve people and bless them. 

I just have to face facts.  I got the best man in the world. 




17. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?


Francine Esmerelda Ruth.  Or Zoe for short.

And if you believed that, do I have a deal for you! 

Seriously, I have no idea.  I guess I've never thought about it. My parents always told me how grateful they were that I was a girl, because Tiffany was the only girl name they every wanted to name me, and they had NO names picked out if I was a boy.  And, knowing that my parents went through 2 years of infertility to have me, I know they spent a lot of time thinking about my name.  And I like it.  So there.



18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?


No.   I have forgiven some atrocious things from my past done by very special people, but that does not mean I have forgotten.  And, while I have been able to use those horrible things to bring healing to other people, I have not forgotten.  I honestly do not think you can. 





19. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?

Figures that the easiest question would be the last one!  That is so easy - Mexican!





The dear hubby jokes that I am only happy eating food when there is hot sauce on it.  And he's right. 


And, there you have it.  19 completely random facts about me. 

A friend started a thing on F*cebook, where she was challenged to post 30 pictures.  Each day had a new prompt.  While I'm not much of one for the FB notes, I thought this might make a fun blog theme for me.  So, for the next 30 Wednesdays, there will be a new picture and a little bit more about me.  I hope you enjoy! 



Day 1:

A picture of yourself with 10 facts

1. I cannot stand either licorice or jelly beans.
2. If I go outside without my sunglasses, I get a bad headache.
3. I despised the color pink until I had three girls.  God is funny like that.
4. I love to do things with my hands - sewing, crafts, gardening, etc.
5. When I am down, my favorite comfort food is crunched up tortilla chips in a bowl with salsa, mixed together and eaten with a spoon.
6. I have been known to start and finish a 300 page book in one night - insomnia is good for something!
7. I have learned that when your mom said, "Just wait, someday you will have children, and they will be just like you," she was right.
8. You can say whatever you want about me, but mess with my hubby or my kids, and there will be consequences.
9. As headstrong and opinionated as I am, I do not deal will with actual confrontaton.
10. I knew I was pregnant each time with my girls when the smell of coffee (sweet nectar from Jesus) made me sick to my stomach.

I can honestly tell you that I never thought I would say...






... please stop blowing the bubbles on your sister's behind.

• found the new home for one of my favorite memes.  Go see Karen for more weekend points!

• decided that Fridays, which are already jeans day at the office, will also be "fabulous black cowboy boots stolen from Mom's closet" day. 

• saved $50 on our grocery bill by combining in-store sales, value card downloadable coupons, and print coupons from the Sunday Denver Post.  Considering the fact that I paid $52 for a year's subscription to the Sunday Denver Post, I got a great deal!

• had a fabulous study night with the best small group in Durango (no offense Jen or Shelly, but we do).

• got to sleep in past 6:45, thanks to my threats of death & dismemberment

• signed Katrina up for big-kid baseball and Madi for t-ball.  Chaotic sports season, here we come!

• got much-needed haircuts for Kat, Violet, & myself.  Madi got caught up on her celebrity gossip and documented the process.

• tried to keep the kitties off the counter, then gave up and just started taking photos of them.

• got to go on a date with my smokin hot husband and eat the best italian food in our town.  Oh, and just for Rachel - we went to S*arbucks too!  All for free!  Booyah!

Sara says on her blog:


I am attempting to take one photograph each day of this next year. My hope is to be able to slow down and see the small things, become a better photographer and to be reminded of the many blessings God sends my way!