Ten on Tuesday

1. What are your thoughts on Valentine’s Day. Do you love it? Hate it?
I like it. I like to get flowers and it's one of the only times I get them.  Oh and I don't care if it's $75 roses in fact I would rather it wasn't.  I'm just happy with a bunch pretty flowers, some conversation hearts and a card.

2. What is your favorite romantic comedy?
As usual I don't have just one.  But at the top of my list is Brigdet Jones' Diary, Say Anything, and French Kiss.

3. Meg Ryan & John Mellencamp: what’s your first reaction?
As long as they are happy it's all good.  I happen to love John  Mellencamp and Meg Ryan so I wish them all the best!

4. All time favorite poem or quote? 
Again I am not going to follow directions.  I am going to give you my favorite quote and poem.
My favorite quote is;
"If they give you ruled paper, write the other way." by Juan Ramon Jimenez 
It was my senior quote and to this day I still love it and try to adhere to it.  I like to be different and question things.
And my favorite poem is;

Homework! Oh, Homework! by Jack Prelutsky

============

	Homework! Oh, homework! I hate you! You stink! I wish I could wash you away in the sink. If only a bomb would explode you to bits. Homework! Oh, homework! You're giving me fits.
	I'd rather take baths with a man-eating shark, or wrestle a lion alone in the dark, eat spinach and liver, pet ten porcupines, than tackle the homework my teacher assigns.
	Homework! Oh, homework! You're last on my list. I simply can't see why you even exist. If you just disappeared it would tickle me pink. Homework! Oh, homework! I hate you! You stink!

I love Jack Prelutsky!  In fact I like him better than Shel Silverstein (I know start the hate mail now).  But I choose this poem to memorize and recite in front of my class in the 6th grade and to this day I can still recite the first 4 lines or so.

5. What’s the longest amount of time you’ve gone without sleep? (like consecutive hours).
I went about 48 hours once when I flew back to the US from Europe and I didn't sleep on the plane and then had to ride on a bus from Atlanta to SC then I drove myself from SC back home to NC.  I was 16 at the time and was so into talking and having fun that I didn't sleep during the flight or bus ride.  I remeber being so tired and trying to drive home and now I know how dangerous that was and I just chringe.

6. What color ink do you prefer to use?
Black but I am not really picky as long as it's a good pen and writes well.

7. Share with us a blog that you recently found and fell in love with (and link us!)
To be honest I haven't searched out new blogs lately.  I've had a lot going on and I am just barley keeping up with the ones I do read and to be honest I haven't been commenting on them like I used to because I just haven't had the time.

8. If you could be on a reality TV show which one would you choose?
Amazing Race!!!!  I love that show and it makes me want to travel so bad!  Just think of all the fun places I would get to go!  I just need to find a good partner (oh and loose some weight so I could really compete well).  I could not do it with James because we would kill each other!!!

9. Mountains or Beach?
I love the mountains and they are close to my heart because I am from Colorado but I happen to live at the beach now and I love it!

10. With the Oscars around the corner, what’s your pick for best picture?
I've only seen 4 of the nominees but I would have to say Toy Story 3 because it made me laugh and cry.  And I just loved it!

Life would be eaiser without a 3 year old .... but no fun!

My mom and step dad agreed to take my kids this last Sunday so that James and I could finally (we had a leak and had some drywall replaced over 3 years ago)  repaint our family room.  I just knew there was NO way we could get it done with our kids in the house.  Noa really not so much he can entertain himself at 7 and knows to stay out of stuff.  But Marley is whole other story.  Point blank she's a terror.  She gets into whatever you don't want her to with attitude.  Noa was somewhat the same way but she is 10x worse with attitude.  Anyway as soon as my mom dropped the kids back off Sunday night she said something about not being able to get anything done with Miss Marley in the house.  NO KIDDING!  Anyway James and I moved all our furniture to the middle of the room Saturday night and bright and early Sunday we started filling nail holes, cleaning moldings and painting.  Not only did we repaint the patched section of wall but the whole room and then we cleaned everything and ended up rearranging the room.  My cousin asked for pictures so I am obliging her and getting in an overdue blog post.  We ended up choosing a lighter, brighter gray color (it was a sort of purple gray before).  I have so much color already going on with my art, curtains, and furniture that I figured a neutral would still be the best way to go.  So here are some pictures of the newly painted and rearranged family room.  We still don't have any of our art or pictures back up on the walls because we have to rearrange them to fit the new furniture arrangement.  I will try to get some more pictures after all the stuff is up on the walls.  But for now just admire the lovely new gray painted walls with no scuff marks!!

 View looking down the stairs into the family room (Marley is sitting on the couch)

 On the stairs looking the right where the kids toys & computer are

On a side note the bookcase in this picture is half of what it was before we started our repaint.  It was a full 6 foot bookcase but after we cleared it and tried to move it the bottom half just fell apart.  I love Target but this bookcase was from there and it totally fell apart after 3 years.  And that is pathetic because I still have a bookcase from when I was 12 from IKEA that is perfect.  So now we are on the lookout for a new full bookcase because what you don't see is our dining room table that is covered in kids games that were on the bookcase that now no longer fit.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Any vacations you are looking forward to this summer?
My step sister is getting married in Chicago in May and I am looking forward to being there.  Plus it will be nice to see the city in the summer for once (I usually end up going for Christmas so I always see it in the winter).

2. What is your favorite article of summer clothing (shoes are included)?
Flip flops!!!!! 

3. What is your favorite summer drink (alcoholic or non)?
A Margarita on the rocks with salt.

4. Do you tan or burn?
I burn after only 15 minutes in the sun then  the best part is I peel and I am just as white as I was before the burn!

5. Any goals you are working toward this summer?
Getting some much needed yard maintenance done.

6. What is your favorite summertime food?
Fresh fruits like blueberries, watermelon, and strawberries and fresh corn.

7. What song most says “summer” to you?

Summertime by Will Smith & DJ Jazzy Jeff.

I love that song and it's just a great, fun summer song.


8. Any home improvement goals planned for this summer?
Well we have to repaint our family room and we have paint.  I just have to pawn my kids off on someone for a day to get it done so it could take us until the summer at this rate.

9. What is one thing you hate to see at the beach?
Trash all over the place.  I can't stand it when people don't put their trash in the trash cans.  Besides I live here all year round and I know the impacts trash has on the sea life. 

10. Did you ever go to a summer camp?
Every year until I got old enough to stay home.  But I only went to sleep away camp once.  My brother and I just went to day camps in our town because my mom had to work and she was a single mother.

Procrastinator Edition of Ten on Tuesday

OK so I did well for exactly 2 weeks.... I am really a truly bad blogger.  But as usual I have an excuse (boy I'm full of them lately).  I got laid off.  You remember that job I got last summer working part time at a portrait studio?  Well I no longer work there.  It was a corporate decision.  My manager said she didn't agree and really loved having me there.  Anyway it is what it is.  I have truthfully been in a bit of a depression about it. But hopefully I am on to bigger and better things.  Anyway my intention was to do the ToT post last night after my kids went to bed but I got a custom order in my Etsy shop and I always want to get those done asap.  So instead of doing my ToT post I folded flowers all evening.  But here it is a day late. Better late than never????

1. What’s your favorite kind of donut?
Iced chocolate cake from Krispy Kreme.

2. Do you use the snooze button?
Way too much! Some days if I'm not tired once but on days I am really tired sometimes I hit snooze like 5 times. 

3. Do you write in cursive, print, or a combination of the two?
A really bad combo of both.  I have terrible handwriting.

4. Tell us a joke.
Say pickle nose.

Did you just tell me to pick my nose????  Ewww gross!


It's bad I know but it makes the kids laugh.  I used it all the time at the portrait studio and 9 times out of 10 it made 'em laugh.

5. How many languages do you speak?
One.  I can understand Spanish as long as they aren't using a lot of slang. But I can't speak it that well.

6. Why did you start blogging?
It was a release.  Sometimes I put thoughts out on my blog that I don't say to other people.  Sometimes it's passive aggressive but mostly it's me not wanting to bother anyone so I let it out here.

7. Do you use bar soap or liquid body wash?
Body wash.  Right now it's Dove Grapefruit something or other.  It was cheap and smelled good.

8. Do you buy bottled water?
Only if I am out and forgot my water.  I use aluminum or plastic water bottles and fill up at home.

9. What did you think of the Super Bowl Half Time Show?
I thought it was terrible.  I like The BEP but they sounded awful (yes I know it was the sound but it's the friggin SUPER BOWL get a professional and get the kinks worked out! Sheesh) and it wasn't that inventive or interesting.

10. How do you feel about Steve Carell leaving The Office?
Sorry, I don't watch The Office.  I have seen a few episodes here and there and think it's funny but never had the compulsion to record it and watch it.  

Ten on Tuesday

1. What is your favorite childhood memory?
There are so many! But some of my fondest are the family reunion/vacations I went on every summer with my mom's side of the family.  More often than not we went to Estes Park, Colorado (we are from Colorado).  I just loved being with my grandparents, aunts & uncles, & my cousins.  We still get together and I look forward to it all year. This is a picture from the one two years ago in Denver.

2. What is your favorite quality about yourself?
I'm a hard worker and I will do anything I can for my family & friends.

3. What is your favorite thing that your child does?
I love that my son Noa can totally change the subject when he wants to get out of something.  And man he does it well!! Sometimes he does it and 20 mins. later I realize hey he's supposed to be cleaning his room but he got me off subject and we are looking up a fact on the Internet.

I love that Marley sings and hums all the time.  She sings with me and to me and it's soooooo cute! One of our favorite books is Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton and there are parts that I sing to her and she now sings with me when I read it to her.

4. What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
If I'm at home,  I like to just hang with James and watch a good movie or TV show.  I also fold my origami flowers which helps me to focus and quite my brain (which is hard sometimes).
If I have been overwhelmed with kids and everyday stress getting out with my girlfriends is great.

5. What is your favorite restaurant? And what is your favorite thing on the menu?
Are you kidding one favorite restaurant?  One of my favorite nicer restaurants is PF Changs.  I love their chicken lettuce wraps and shrimp fried rice.  My two favorite casual local places are Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn and Chris' Cosmic Kitchen.  I love, love. LOVE Flaming Amy's fresh salsa!!  I crave it.  And Chris' has the best omelets! I personally love their Lump Crab Omelet. OK now I'm hungry....

6. What is your favorite piece of jewelry (besides your wedding ring)?
Besides my wedding and engagement rings I wear two other pieces jewelry all the time.  One is a ring my mom gave me for my 18th birthday (I think) and it's a silver ring with gold accents. It's very different looking but so me!  The other piece is a silver necklace I got a few years ago.  It's got two small silver circles that have Noa stamped on one and Marley stamped on the other and small pearl that hangs next to them.

7. What is your favorite night of the week M-TH? And why?
Either Monday or Wednesday right now.  James usually works 2 nights a week most semesters and this semester it happens to be Tuesday and Thursday.  So I like Monday and Wednesday because he is home and we hang out for one and then usually I go to the movies with my friend Ivy for the other night.

8. What is your favorite dessert?
I have a sweet tooth so I am not that picky I love all things sweet (except white chocolate).  But if I had my choice it would be cherry cobbler or my friend Jennifer's coconut cupcakes.

9. What is your favorite item in your make-up bag?
Mary Kay waterproof mascara in black/brown.  Good for everyday wear!!

10. What is your favorite smell?
Vanilla, babies, garden roses.

Ten on Tuesday

Well hello my friends! Remember me? You know the former Mommy Days blogger. No I didn't slip into a coma. I just had a really rough December and it's taken me this long to recover and catch up. I really do want to blog and I actually bought a blogging tool app for my new iPad in hopes I will be able to be able to blog more.

1. Do you decorate for Valentine’s day?
Yes I do. Not a huge amount but a few little things like window clings and candles.

2. Does your desktop have a picture or computer graphic? Is it organized?
I don't have a desktop any more but my laptop has a collage of Noa & Marley that were taken by a local professional photographer I had done of them last year.

3. Do you use a paper planner, electric planner or no planner at all?
I use a Mac so I use and LOVE iCal. I can enter a date on my computer, iPod or iPad and it will be transferred to all my other devices when they are synced. Plus I print out the month to put up in the kitchen so everyone can see what's happening for the month.

4. Do you change purses or bags often or stick with a good thing?
It all depends on my mood. I usually change purses when I get tired of using the current one. So fairly often I guess.

5. What’s your favorite YouTube Video?
So my previous answer was nothing but I totally forgot all the videos of my friend Jennie that I think are hysterical.  So here is one.  And if you feel like it go to YouTube and search Jennie Stencel.



6. Do you use Turbo Tax or a real person to pay your taxes?
We take our taxes to someone. I don't even want to attempt to try doing my own.

7. How many states have you set foot (or tire) in? Which ones?
This is going to be long. My goal is to one get to all 50 states one day.  North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maine, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California, Washington, New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii, & Alaska. 32 in total.  Plus Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

8. How many countries have you been in? Which ones?
18 countries so far.  Mexico, Canada, Aruba, Bahamas, Jamaica, Curacao, Venezuela, Grenada, Bermuda, UK, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, & Kiribati.

9. How many pillows are in your house? (Sleeping or decorative)
Oy.... Around 40 is my best estimate.

10. How cold is too cold for flip flops?
For me there is no such thing. Well sort of. I wear flip flops all year round inside. But if it's colder than 60 outside I don't wear them out.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Follow me!!! Please. There's a giveaway!

I am a Facebook addict.  I know it and I own it.  It's a major time suck but I love it.  But I have also discovered that it can be a good business tool.  For those of you have been hiding under a rock and not reading my blog I have an Etsy store.  I sell handmade frames, origami ornaments, baby mobiles, and sometimes candles.  But I recently set up a fan/business page for my shop on Facebook.  So now Facebook is helping get my shop exposure and hopefully some new customers.  So now it's not just a waste of time for me!  But I am so close to having 100 "likes" or followers or whatever Facebook calls it now, but I want that 100 soon!! So as an incentive as soon as my Etsy shop's Facebook page gets 100 likes I will be giving away a frame and an ornament to one lucky random follower/liker (??).  So if you are not already a fan/follower/liker of my Etsy Shop on Facebook head on over and become one!!!

Ten on Tuesday

I'm back for those of you who missed me last week .... did I just hear crickets.  Yep I'm sure I did.  So for the one other person besides my mom who reads my blog I was in Walt Disney World last week for Thanksgiving with my family. It was so fun but also exhausting!!  As soon as I download my photos I will do a post about it.  But to download my photos I need to find the cable which is somewhere in a suitcase I have yet to unpack ..... so in the meantime enjoy a ToT!


1. Where are you from? Have you lived there your whole life?
I was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado but lived mostly in and around Boulder, Colorado as a child.  But then we moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina when I was about 8 for my father to finish up his post-doctorate work.  I lived in Chapel Hill until I went off to college at 18.  I moved to Wilmington, NC to attend UNCW and never left!

2. How would you classify your clothing style?
Casual.  Lately whatever is cheap and looks pretty good.

3. What kind of car do you drive?
Honda Odyssey mini van.

4. What would your dream home look like if you could have it (or already do!)?
I actually love my house.  That doesn't mean that there aren't a few hundred things I would love to do to it or change.  First off I would like to add an addition off the back to add a little extra space to my master bathroom and the kitchen.  I would also love new counter tops and cabinets in the kitchen.  I would like to extend the hardwood floors we have to all the rest of the downstairs and up the stairs too.  And lastly I want to add a bunch of built in bookshelves and cabinets to the craft room/living room.

5. Do you have kids, and if so, how many and how old were you when you had them?
I have 2 little rug rats.  Noa is 7 and I had him when I was 27.  My baby girl Marley just turned 3 yesterday!  So if you can't do the math I was 31 when I had her.

6. What is your favorite hobby?
Scrapbooking and going to movies.  I also like crafts in general and like to try new ones.

7. Are you going to have any New Year’s resolutions for 2011?
Nope.  I never keep my resolutions anyway.

8. What is something, if anything, that you’d want to change about yourself?
One thing??? More like several but I think I would like to try to be less harsh on my husband.  He tries his hardest but I don't give him enough credit most of the time.  I need to remember it may not be done the way I do it but at least it's done.

9. What is something that you love about yourself?
I will go out of my way to help a friend or loved one.

10. Pick one of the following: Someone to cook for you, someone to do your laundry, or someone to do your dishes.
Someone to do my dishes!!  I don't mind cooking and I actually like doing laundry but I hate doing dishes.  I especially hate it after I have just cooked a big meal.  

Ten on Tuesday

1. What is your favorite breakfast pastry?
Croissants are my fave.  I don't get them often because I don't make them so I only buy them when I happen to be at a good bakery or cafe.  A chocolate croissant is my idea of heaven for breakfast!!

2. Were you ever in a Thanksgiving or Christmas play?
Not that I remember. 

3. What is your favorite clothing accessory?
I guess a belt.  I love jewelry which I consider a much more important accessory than a belt but there ya go.

4. What is your favorite item of clothing?
A really comfy nice looking V-Neck t-shirt.   I am a jeans and t-shirt kinda girl.

5. What is your favorite color and why?
Blue or purple.  Blue because it compliments my eyes and purple just because I really like it.

6. What is your favorite type of Christmas cookie?
Sugar cookie (from the recipe my mom always uses) decorated with colored sugar or vanilla frosting.

7. What is your favorite scent (food, perfume/lotion)
Vanilla, White Musk lotion from The Body Shop, Cool Water cologne on my husband, and the smell of a new baby.

8. What is your favorite household cleaner?
A mixture of 50% Hydrogen peroxide and 50% water in a spray bottle.  It cleans most anything including glass and it kills germs.  Not to mention it's cheap and green!  The only thing it doesn't do well is tackle grease.  I still have yet to find a good green product for grease cutting on the stove etc.  So if you have one let me know!!

9. When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? And what did you actually grow up to be?
I wanted to be an astronaut for most of my childhood.  But as I got older I decided teaching would be the best option for me.  I actually was a special education teacher before I had my kids.  But now I am a photographer at a chain portrait studio. Oh and I love it too!

10. What is the last song or album you bought?
I am totally going to admit that I bought Dynamite by Taio Cruz and Bulletproof by La Roux a week weeks ago.  I'm not embarrassed by the Bulletproof song but I kinda hate admitting I really like Dynamite, it's really not very good pop but I like it all the same.

Confessions of the Day 19

My daughter Marley loves to have her toes polished.  I have no idea where she learned this!!  I do love a pedicure but as of late I get one maybe once a year because they aren't cheap.  But I keep my toes polished by doing it myself at home.  But I usually only give myself a pedicure at night once my kids are in bed.  So I can't really figure out how she learned that the little bottles on my night stand are for toes!  But the fact that as a 2 year old she is already demanding pedicures leads me to think I am big, big trouble later on down the road.

I am so glad the fall is here for a lot of reasons but one of the major ones is because I get to start wearing pants again.  And the reason I want to wear pants is because I can stop shaving my legs so often!  I hate shaving my legs.  I always end up nicking my self and I have to do it just about every other day during the summer.  So it's a nice break to not do it so often during the winter.  I'm sure my hubby isn't thrilled about it but well ......  too bad!

I have yet another new obsession (like I needed another one).  Dexter!  Now I know this show has been around for a few years but I really didn't know anything about it until a few months ago.  We had gotten Netflix and we have the unlimited online viewing.  So I also have an iPod touch and there is a Netflix app. that allows you to not only put movies into your queue but to watch any of their movies or TV shows right on the iPod.  I was bored one night and was playing with the app and decided to see what they had for suggestions for me.  The first season of Dexter happened to one of the suggestions.  So I decided to give it a try and watch the first episode of season 1.  I was hooked!!  Michael C. Hall is amazing!  So I watched all of season 1 and  2 with in a few weeks.  But they didn't have season 3 or 4 on the instant play yet.  So I have been slowly watching my way through season 3 as I get the discs from Netflix.  But I am OK with stretching it out because I learned the hard way with the Sookie Stackhouse books that once you are through them all, then that's it your done.  So I am savoring my time with Dexter!