Blog Challenge - Scentsational Memories

From Tracilouwho: I read recently that our sense of smell is much stronger than we realize. For many people a specific scent can trigger nostalgic memories from years and years ago. For others, a whiff of a specific scent or odor for that matter can bring back awful memories. Is there a scent that does this for you? Talk to me about smells that you remember, from childhood, your teenage years, or even more recently, and be sure to tell what these scents mean to you when they resurface in your life now.

Just yesterday I was standing outside and smelling fall. There's just a certain scent in the air for this season. I'm not sure whether it's partly due to people burning leaves, fires in fireplaces or what, but I know it's fall when I smell that scent.

The scents that evoke memories of the past are so often associated with food. I can't prepare Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner without being reminded of the past. The cloves in the Christmas ham, the nutmeg on the brandy alexanders, the cinnamon of the pumpkin pies always make me think of my mother and all the times I helped with preparing our family feasts.

Sometimes, the scents take you back to special places. When we were on vacation in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan this summer, at one point we were at a beach on the shore of Lake Superior. I told Michael that it smelled like the Great Lakes. It's a different smell from the ocean. It was the same scent I remember from going out on the boat with Dad on Lake Erie.

Blog Challenge - catch-up mode

From Sarah: What is your favorite color and why. Add a picture so we can get the "feel" for your favorite color.

RED is my favorite color. I call it my power color. Whenever I wear red, I always get lots of compliments. Consequently, there's a lot of red items in my wardrobe.

Reminding myself that Autumn in Wisconsin is beautiful...

I love the trees whose leaves turn a shimmering golden orange-red.

Pumpkins and apples at a harvest festival

Leaves at The Ridges Sanctuary in Door County

It's a New Look!

Thanks to a thread on ScrapShare, I checked out Pyzam.com and decided to go with a more colorful look for my blog. Let me know what you think.

I don't want it to be October yet!

It's dark by 7:00 p.m.

The temperature outside this morning was 48 degrees.

The leaves are changing color.

Freaky signs that point to it actually being autumn. And we all know what that means...

Winter will be coming right after that.

Blog Challenge #32 -Countdown list

This was posted by Joan and was a fun way to get back into the blog saddle again.

10 Things I Want to Do Before I Die:
1-Complete a Book of Me scrapbook
2-Complete my family heritage scrapbooks
3-Travel to France, the UK and Australia
4-Travel to each of the 50 states
5-Visit every US National Park
6-Read all the books I have waiting to be read
7-Reach my goal weight
8-See my children happily married
9-Welcome grandchildren to our family
10-Learn to play the piano

9 Places I Last Spent Money:
1-Barnes & Noble
2-Michaels Crafts
3-JoAnn’s fabric & crafts
4-Waldenbooks
5-Subway
6-Scheel’s sporting goods
7-Pick ‘n Save grocery store
8-Custom Crops online scrapbooking supplies
9-Creative Memories

8 Sounds I Routinely Hear Around My House:
1-Husband snoring
2-Cats meowing
3-The television
4-The radio
5-The dishwasher running
6-The washer & dryer
7-The telephone
8-The rattly noisemaker inside the fake ferret cat toy

7 Real Restaurants Where I Last Ate Out:
1-El Azteca
2-Subway
3-TGI Friday’s
4-Third Street Diner
5-Applebee’s
6-Wendy’s
7-Perkins

6 Things I've Recently Scratched Off My To-Do List:
1-Order my SSTX5 t-shirt
2-Daily household chores
3-Prep for CM conference call
4-Run errands
5-Work on updating Outlook contacts
6-Finish a double page spread

5 People I Don't Know but would Like to Hang Out With:
1-Tom Hanks - I’m dying to ask a question about “That Thing You Do”
2-Steve Carell & the cast from The Office – I bet the laughs never end.
3-Ellen Goodman &…
4-Leonard Pitts – I would love to sit down with these two columnists & discuss social issues in the USA
5-Bunches of people from ScrapShare – too numerous to mention

4 Songs That Make Me Happy:
1-Charmed Life by The Divine Comedy
2-I’m a Believer by The Monkees
3-Hey Jude by The Beatles
4-Hollywood Nights by Bob Seger

3 Things I Hate To Do:
1-Work in Quicken
2-Change the cat litter
3-Clean out the refrigerator

2 Things I'm Really Good At:
1-Logistical planning
2-Organizing

1 Bad Habit:
Procrastination

I've been away so long ...

Life has been craaaaaazy & blogging just didn't make it onto the to-do list. But I'm back and plan to be writing here on a more regular basis.

Blog Challenge #9 - Day 7

Challenge Recap - Find a piece of joy in every day for a week.

This has been an interesting exercise - looking for joy on a daily basis. I've had a chance to ponder many things this week from health & fitness, activities that are special to me, recognition and special friends. Today's bit of joy is not something especially noteworthy, just a little something that made me feel good today - a simple nap.

I had big plans for the day. I was going to clean and run errands. But I didn't sleep well the night before waking up several times and I was tired. So I got my favorite penguin fleece throw and laid down on the bed and enjoyed the pleasure of an afternoon nap.

Blog Challenge #9 - Day 6

Challenge Recap: Find a piece of joy in every day for a week.

If it's Friday, it can only mean one thing...it's Friday Breakfast Club day or FBC as I like to call it. Every Friday at 9:30, the FBC gathers at the Third Street Diner to eat breakfast, talk a lot, and laugh even more!

As we sat in session yesterday morning, it struck me how wonderful it is to have such a disparate group of women come together in friendship. Our ages span a range of about 10 years. Our political beliefs range from the far right to the far left. Some have lived in the same town all their lives, others have lived in faraway places. Some have jobs, some don't. But we have been through so much together: the sad times - caring for ailing parents, parental death, death of a spouse, divorce, health problems and also the good times - graduations, weddings, new homes, grandchildren.

When you've got friends like this, who are fun to be with, who listen to you, who are ready to lend a hand whenever needed, who will be there to support you emotionally, that's certainly a reason to be joyful.

Blog Challenge #9 - Day 5

Challenge Recap: Find a piece of joy in every day for a week.

Today I received an e-mail that really surprised me! After almost 20 years of serving on the Friends of the Neenah Public Library board of directors, I decided this year that it was time to bring that part of my life to a close. For many years, I was the recording secretary, then a member-at-large, then the book sale chair. Yesterday was the Friends annual meeting which I had to miss due to another commitment. The library director e-mailed me today that I have been chosen as the Friends' Volunteer of the Year, the first person ever to repeat that honor. I was previously VotY in 1993.

So my name will go on the plaque in the library. An article & photo will go in the city newsletter and probably the regular newspaper. I get to select a book to have a commemorative bookplate placed in and I get to select some free Friends merchandise for myself. It's just so nice to receive this unexpected recognition for my volunteer efforts.

Blog Challenge #9 - Day 4

Challenge Recap: Find a piece of joy in every day for a week.

Books, books, books! I love books. I love reading books. I love owning books. I love taking books out of the library. I love talking about books I've read with other people. I love being in book clubs. Did I mention I love books?

I belong to two book clubs. One I joined three years ago when I became an AAUW member; the other I've been in for 19 years when it was part of the Newcomers Club interest groups. The way the groups are run is different. The AAUW club decides in May as a group what books we will be reading the next year; the other club lets the hostess for each month choose the book to read. The AAUW club uses a discussion leader who also researches and presents information about the author, the book, and any reviews; the other club we simply give each person a chance to talk about the book and let the discussion go from there. At first, I wished the AAUW club was more like the other club, but now I enjoy the differences. The bottom line is I now get the chance to read and discuss more books.

Today our AAUW book club met to discuss the book March by Geraldine Brooks. It is based on the character of Mr. March, the father who is away at war in the Louisa May Alcott story of Little Women. Ms. Brooks writes a compelling novel of what happens when an idealistic man volunteers to go to war and ends up facing some harsh realities. I very much enjoyed both the reading and discussing of the book. Now, on to the next story...

Blog Challenge #9 - Day 3

Challenge Recap: Find a piece of joy in every day for a week.

Every other Tuesday from September to May is my bridge group. I actually play in several groups, but this is the one dearest to my heart. This group got started 18 years ago when the original eight of us got organized to take lessons. After the lessons were finished, we played together every Tuesday to try and get a little better. After a while, we changed to every other week.

Over the years, the members in the group have changed a bit. Only four original members are left, but the newer members in the group are just as much, if not more fun. What is great about this group is that while we are semi-serious about the bridge-playing, we're really serious about being together as friends. There have definitely been times that the cards took second place to the therapy sessions. Whether it's been problems with kids, problems with parents, death, divorce, we've been there for each other. Sometimes when we get together it's just to laugh our tushies off and feel better that way.

Anyway, today was bridge day. I just marveled at these wonderful women that share my life and at the laughter and the tears that were shed. Surely one of the greatest joys to be had is that of friendship. Not to mention winning three bucks for placing second for the day! :-)

Blog Challenge #9 - Day 2

Challenge Recap: Find a piece of joy in every day for a week.

I take water exercise classes at the Y every day Monday through Friday. When I was in class this morning, it really struck me how much I enjoy these classes. My friends, Judy & Ann, and I have been doing these for 2+ years now and I've seen such a big improvement in my general physical fitness. When I first started, I could barely fill my lungs for those final deep breaths of our cool-down. I could barely balance. Many of the moves were difficult for me to do. Although there's still much room for improvement, my lung capacity has increased. My balance has definitely improved - I've made it through 2 winters (knock on wood) without any falls. And I can now do many of the moves much more easily. So, a little hurray for becoming healthier and more physically fit!

Blog Challenge #9 - Day 1

Melissa's challenge:
This week, my challenge to you is to blog one thing, each day, that has brought a smile to your face. Could be something as simple as the first bloom of spring, a silly comment from a child, or a blessing you've received. As I read through the prayer requests on ScrapShare, many of us are facing what seem to be insurmountable odds. I've had a hard time recently focusing on the joys in my life and have been letting our problems bring me down. I'm not suggesting we ignore issues; rather, let's find a piece of joy in each day.

Here's my piece of joy for Day 1 - Sunday. I'm wearing a new pair of jeans that are a size smaller! Hurray! I've officially lost 36.6 pounds following the Weight Watchers program and am absolutely ecstatic about reaching the point where I can start fitting into somewhat smaller sizes. The weight loss road is still a long one for me but I'm getting there slowly but surely.

My friend Mickey_lou

I've never met Marian or, as we knew her, Mickey_lou, in real life. But I call her a dear friend and today I am saddened by her loss. I know that she was still a young woman, that she was married to a wonderful man and had two cute little boys. I know that she lived in Australia. I know that her favorite colors were red and blue (something we have in common). I know that she faced the world with a cheerful attitude.

I met Mickey_lou in the wonderful virtual world of the internet. I am thankful that this technology brought us together. Too often, computers are said to cause alienation, that the solitary nature of personal computer use drives us further and further away from others. My experience has been the exact opposite. I am a participating member of an online community made up primarily of women, of all ages and stages of life, all shapes & sizes, of various religious and political views, each of them unique yet drawn together from around the globe by a love for scrapbooking, for both the idea and the process of cherishing our family, our friends, the memories and moments of our lives.

There's a little corner of that online community that began as a place called Simplifying Your Life that recently underwent a little updating to become Managing Your Life. That little corner was the ideal location for those of us who struggled with keeping our lives simple and manageable but was also for those to whom it came more naturally yet were ready to lend a helping hand and give moral support to those who were struggling. A little corner where people could get to know one another a little more. After all, when you've shown each other, through photos, the deepest, darkest secrets of the mess in your house, you're now the closest of friends!

That's where I met Mickey_lou. It was her suggestion that we have a separate (infamous for its length) chatting thread to prevent on-topic threads from being hijacked repeatedly. Each day for a long time, she began our daily to-do thread. Her cheeriness was infectious. We all felt her excitement as she awaited the arrival of her niece. We celebrated with her when it appeared her cancer was all gone. We cried with her when it returned. We were there with her as she went through her treatments. And for the last few months, we prayed for her and awaited updates from her husband as Mickey_lou could no longer share the news herself.

Thursday, March 13, 2008, we decided to hold a Tribute Day for Mickey_lou. Women around the world spent the day doing things that were important to her: being with their family members, cleaning and decluttering their homes even if it was only for 15 minutes, scrapbooking their memories and taking care of themselves by making appointments for health-related activities. We wore red and blue clothing while hoping and praying for a miracle for Mickey_lou.

Saturday, March 15, 2008, Mickey_lou departed this world, her pain and suffering at an end. We, her friends who never met her, are left behind to grieve, to turn to one another to share this feeling of sadness and perhaps, to resolve to each day remember Mickey_lou and what she taught us. Take care of yourself. Love your family and friends. Enjoy life's moments because you can clean up most anything 15 minutes at a time.

Personal Goal - Blog Challenge #5

This challenge is from Pamela:
As women we all spend time putting others first, worrying about them, taking care of their needs, scheduling their lives with little time left over for ourselves. For this week's challenge: What is your most important personal goal for the year? What are you doing that is just for you? How are you trying to improve yourself?

Without a doubt, my most important personal goal for the year is to lose weight. Not only will I look and feel better about myself, but it will also enable me to achieve a healthier lifestyle both physically and mentally. With each 5 lb. weight loss goal reached, I know that I am reducing my risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, etc. With each bit of weight loss, it becomes easier to exercise, and each exercise session makes it easier to lose weight.

I want to be around for my husband and children for many years to come. I want to be around for any grandchildren that might be in my future. So, even though I am doing this for me, I can see nothing but good things resulting from this for us all.

A Belated Valentine's Day Story

Mike and I agreed that we would keep Valentine's Day fairly low-key - just exchange cards and go out for dinner. I wasn't too surprised when he went out after supper on Wednesday. His reason - "I have to go shopping." I figured that meant he was going out to buy the card. I did wonder when he was out for several hours, but I figured he just stopped to check on a friend or something like that.

When he got home from work, my card for him was on the counter already. I went downstairs to greet him and there's a card for me along with a Ghirardelli Chocolate square and cute little heart eraser. Open the cards - hugs & kisses - where shall we go to eat?

We decided to go to HuHot which is one of my current favorite restaurants because it's so Weight Watcher friendly. We got there and were seated at our table. After giving our drink orders, Mike suggested that I go up first to get my food because I was really hungry. When I came back to the table, the little easel which shows beverage choices was sitting right where my dish was supposed to go so I just pushed it to the side. Michael rescued the easel and took a small package wrapped in red paper and a bow from inside of it. I was so surprised!

This is what was inside the box - the perfect gift for a penguin lover - a gold penguin with jade tummy! It turns out that he went to 13 jewelry stores from downtown Neenah to out in the mall before finding a piece of penguin jewelry for me. He's such a sweetheart - definitely a keeper!

Scrapbooking Quiz

Stacy posted this on the scrapbooking discussion board & I thought it would make a great blog entry.

1. Name your two favorite scrapbooking topics: Family and travel

2. Where are the two best places you’ve been to? England and New York City.

3. Name two things you do every day:
a. Go online to read what's happening on ScrapShare.
b. Check my e-mail.

4. Tell us two things that pretty much everyone knows about you:
a. I am a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings.
b. I love to play bridge.

5. Tell us two things that everyone DOESN’T know about you:
a. I now have a sizable penguin collection.
b. I tend to procrastinate.

6. Tell us two things that got you into the "hobby" of scrapping:
a. wanting to do something with the photos of our GS troop trip to NYC
b. my first CM class on 9/13/2001

7. Tell us two things that you want to accomplish in the next six months in your scrapbooking (my addition):
a. I want to finish the 2006 Disney Album.
b. I want to finish the albums that just need some finishing touches.

8. Name your two favorite scrapping tools: My CM trimmers and my scrapbooking tweezers

9. Name your two favorite sources of scrapping inspiration: Layouts posted on ScrapShare and Becky Higgins' Sketches

10. How has your scrapping changed since you started? I now wallpaper most of my layouts.

11. What scrapbooking project have you yet to try but would love to? I have two projects actually that I haven't taken the first step on - a Book of Me and Family Heritage albums.

Weight Loss Milestone

I've been going to Weight Watchers meetings since mid-October. Today I cleared the hump of losing 30 pounds, 30.8 to be precise. This is a major achievement for me. This is the least I have weighed in probably the last five years. And I plan to stick with the program and release a lot more of this weight from my body. I'm very thankful that my friend Judy M. got me started on this current weight loss journey. Each week I feel more and more empowered and confident that I can lose and reach my goal weight.

50 Questions & 50 Answers

I snitched this topic from my friend Weezie's blog.

Here are my 50 answers...
1. FIRST NAME? Judy
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not my first name. My middle name Ann is from my mother's name, Anna.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? A day or two ago, reading about my message board friend mickey_lou, a young mom who is battling cancer.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? It's okay.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Roast beef, but ham is a close second.
6. KIDS? Jim & Liz
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, I think so.
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Just this blog...
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? I resemble this question.
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILLS? Nope.
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Absolutely not!
12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Smart Start
13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes, but I don't wear tie shoes that often.
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically, not very. Emotionally, yes.
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Coffee.
16. SHOE SIZE? 9.5
17. RED OR PINK? Red
18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My weight.
19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My parents
20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No, since I'm not sending it to anyone.
21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES YOU ARE WEARING? Blue Jeans and black shoes
22. LAST THING YOU ATE? Stir-fry from HuHot.
23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The noise my computer makes and crying cats.
24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Cool Blue
25. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SMELL? Lilacs in the spring
26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My friend Elina.
27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Their smile.
28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes, although Weezie didn't send this to me.
29. FAVORITE DRINK? A nice cup of hot tea
30. FAVORITE SPORT? The Olympics is my favorite sporting event. I don't follow a particular sport.
31. HAIR COLOR? Medium dark brown.
32. EYE COLOR? Blue
33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No, I wear glasses.
34. FAVORITE FOOD? A nice juicy steak and baked potato.
35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy Ending.
36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? No Country for Old Men
37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Green.
38. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer!!!
39. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs
40. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate Jumbo cookies
41. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Not a clue.
42. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Ditto the above answer.
43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Getting ready to start the new Jayne Ann Krentz book Sizzle and Burn
44. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSEPAD? My mouse - mousepad is plain dark blue.
45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? 2 episodes of Midsomer Murders
46. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Music
47. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles
48. THE FURTHEST YOU BEEN FROM HOME? Trip to Yorkshire, England
49. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I guess just being pretty smart.
50. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? February 5th, 1955 in Albany, New York

Birthdays

Today was my birthday! I love having my birthday on this day - far enough away from Christmas and not too close to Valentine's Day. And it really helps to break up the winter monotony.

I love being able to spread out my birthday celebrating. I thought I was going to have to do a Girl Scout training this evening so Mike and I celebrated on Sunday by going to the movies and out to dinner at Red Lobster. Today, I made a birthday treat and took it to bridge at Mary's where my friends all wished me a Happy Birthday and gave me a card. Liz called to wish me a Happy Birthday and Mike & I ended up going out for Chinese because I wasn't cooking on my B-Day! Tomorrow I'll be going out for my birthday lunch with the former walking group and later this month the Friday Breakfast Club will go out to dinner to celebrate my birthday. Even my online friends have been celebrating with me today - many birthday wishes in posts and via private messages!

Mental Holiday

This week's ScrapShare blog challenge is from Lee:
When the phone is ringing, the doorbell is going off, kids are yelling, laundry is overwhelming and dinner has burned and you sit down to a cup of tea, where do you let your mind go?

When I'm in need of a mental holiday, I have two tried and true escape routes. The first is to go browsing through my bookcases and take the time to pick a favorite book that I haven't read for a while. I'll take my book and my cup of tea and travel through time or space or both and immerse myself in the wonderful world of fiction. I may be having a torrid romance, or making my debut at Almack's in Regency-era London. Maybe I'll be feeding marshmallows to Thursday Next's dodo or following Poirot's line of reasoning as he solves another murder. There's nothing like getting away from it all by getting lost in a good book.

But, if I don't feel like reading, then I'll turn to the movies. We have an extensive collection of movies and TV series on videotape and dvds. Sometimes, it's movie marathon time and that's all I'll do is lay on the bed and watch or sit in my favorite chair in the family room. But even better is taking the movies upstairs to my scrap room and watching while scrapping. When you've seen a movie a gazillion times, it's easy to just listen while working and look up to watch the good parts.

Now, if books and movies aren't enough, I'm lucky enough to have no children at home to deal with and a very understanding husband. I have been known to pack my scrapbooking up and throw a suitcase in the car and head off for warmer climes when I really need the mental break time.

Judy-ology

This is from a 2007 blog challenge posted by Stacy.

ARCHAEOLOGY: the study of material remains

Q. What's the oldest article of clothing you still wear?
A. My everyday black shoes that are several years old

Q. What's the oldest article of clothing you won't get rid of?
A. I have a Strong Vincent t-shirt from high school.

Q. When was the house/building you live in built?
A. Approximately 1978.

Q. What in your fridge needs to be thrown out?
A. Some turkey gravy

BIBLIOLOGY: the study of publication

Q. What are you reading?
A. Inner Harbor by Nora Roberts

Q. Do you have a favorite quote?
A. "Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world." Joel Barker

Q. What's the most recent music you purchased?
A. Purchased for me for Christmas - The soundtrack from O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Volume 3 of Rod Stewart's Great American Songbook

Q. What book could you read again without being bored?
A. Just about any book that I own and I own many.

CARDIOLOGY: the study of the heart

Q. How old were you the first time you fell in love?
A. 9 years old with Tommy S. in fourth grade

Q. What charities do you have a heart for?
A. Girl Scouts, our local Friends of the Library, Alzheimer's Association

Q. What's the best way someone can show their love for you?
A. Spend time with me.

Q. Name five things you "love":
A. My husband & my children, reading books, water (rivers, lakes, oceans), watching movies and scrapbooking

PHYSIOLOGY: the study of physical function

Q. Are you right-handed or left-handed?
A. Right-handed

Q. Do you like your smile?
A. Yes

Q. What's your best feature?
A. My eyes

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A. Yes, do you really need the details?

Q. Which of your five senses do you think is keenest?
A. Taste

OMNOLOGY: the study of everything

Q. What color do you think looks best on you?
A. Red. It's my power color.

Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
A. I swallowed a fly once. Gross!

Q. What's your favorite flavor of gum?
A. I don't really like gum, but if I have to have some, it would be cinnamon.

Q. Where's the first place you went today?
A. Haven't gone yet, but we're headed to the movie theater.

Q. Do you stand or sit in the shower?
A. Stand.

AXIOLOGY: the study of the nature of values and value judgments

Q. Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000?
A. No, somebody might pay me not to. :)

Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
A. Yes, but no tongues!

Q. Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000?
A. No, see answer to walking naked down the street.

Q. What value is of utmost importance to you in a friend?
A. Integrity

Q. Would you accept an indecent proposal for $1,000,000?
A. Hmmm...I don't know. Who's offering? :)

TECHNOLOGY: usage and knowledge of tools and crafts

Q. What's the last movie you saw?
A. "La Vie en Rose" (on DVD)

Q. What's the first website you visit when you log on?
A. ScrapShare

Q. What's your ring tone?
A. The Monkees Theme Song aka Hey, Hey, We're the Monkees

Q. Would you quit blogging for $25,000?
A. I don't know. I'm having a lot of fun with this.

Q. What piece of equipment do you wish you owned?
A. HDTV large screen home theater system

GENEALOGY: the study of relationships within families

Q: Is there a specific family member you're really missing right now?
A: Not a day goes by that I don't miss my mom and dad.

Q. Who is your oldest living relative?
A. My Aunt Virgie, I believe.

Q. Are you named after anyone?
A. My middle name is Ann after my mother Anna.

Q. Is there anyone really famous in your family tree?
A. Mine? No.

What's in a Name?

Frozen Tundra Chronicles is what I named my blog. On the surface, it refers to where we live i.e., deep in the heart of Green Bay Packer country. The ground in Lambeau Field is referred to as the Frozen Tundra and, certainly, we have found that every day is a Packer day as far as the news is concerned. There's the season, the post-season, the picking apart of the season & post-season, the "Is Brett returning?" time, the draft, the "how will they do next season?", the mini-camps and then the full training camps. Before living here, I had no idea that football was a year-round topic.

The frozen tundra has another meaning for me as well. We have lived in Wisconsin now for 20 years - the longest I have lived anywhere in my life. When we first moved here from Tennessee, we were so excited to be back living in the North again. We were all tickled pink to be living where there were truly four seasons and oh my, look at the snow! We learned quickly that many older people were snowbirds who lived in Wisconsin during the warm weather but fled south once winter was on its way. "Hah!," I scoffed at them. Such wimps! Can't take a little cold and snow.

Now, I want to be a snowbird. This has been the snowiest winter ever. What is it doing today? Snowing. I am tired of snow - tired of shoveling it, tired of driving in it, tired of walking in it. I've had it with the frigid Canadian Arctic winds that blow through here. I'm sick of wind chills that are minus double digits. I want to be where it's warm, where there's no snow, where a winter day means a sweatshirt or light jacket. We may not be able as yet to live in the South for the whole winter, but I am determined that next year we will take 1-2 weeks at least and head somewhere warm around the end of January.

Favorite Book/CD Blog Challenge

Joan posted this blog challenge:
Imagine that you have just joined a club. It is a FAVORITES book/cd club. When it is your time to make a suggestion you should suggest a book and cd that is your favorite –the one that you really connect with.Your goal is not to please the group but to convey something about yourself with your selection. Select the one book that you really connect with for whatever reason. Select the album/cd that you would keep if you were only allowed one for the rest of your life.Along with your selection please explain why.

I am a romantic at heart. By that, I mean that I love stories with heroes, with quests, with good fighting evil, with the common person who rises up and accomplishes great deeds, with characters who come to a tragic end, with characters who are willing to sacrifice for the greater good and at least a somewhat happy ending. Those who know me at all would have no problem with guessing that, for me, that is embodied in my favorite book The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I first read The Hobbit by the same author when I was 11 years old and enjoyed it immensely. Then I started LOTR and was enthralled. Over the next 40 years, I have read the book countless times and it still captivates me as much as the first time. In fact, I think it's time to pull my copy out again to enjoy it once more.

(But seriously, making me choose one book is liking asking me to choose just one of my children. Don't make me do it!)

It's very difficult to pick only one CD as well. My listening likes span such a large number of genres - from Luciano Pavarotti singing Nessun Dorma to Tom Lehrer's The Vatican Rag, from the popular music and musicians I had a crush on i.e. The Beatles and The Monkees to more contemporary music that I have to Google the lyrics or quiz my daughter to find out the artist, from Cole Porter & Fred Astaire & 30's musicals to the current Broadway hits. But if I had to pick one, for today at least, I would pick the soundtrack to Man of La Mancha, preferably the Broadway cast but better yet if it could include Cervantes' soliloquy as done by Peter O'Toole in the movie version.

Cervantes: "Life as it is. I've lived for over forty years and I've seen life as it is... I've been a soldier and a slave. I've seen my comrades fall in battle or die more slowly under the lash in Africa. I've held them in my arms at the final moment. These were men who saw life as it is, yet they died despairing. No glory, no brave last words, only their eyes, filled with confusion, questioning "Why?" I don't think they were wondering why they were dying, but why they had ever lived. When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? To surrender dreams - -this may be madness; to seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness! But maddest of all - -to see life as it is and not as it should be."

The bolding is mine and states eloquently one of my fundamental beliefs and perhaps it is my Impossible Dream, that we imagine a life that is better for all and then work toward making that life come true.

Recipe Memories - SS Blog Challenge

Stacy presented the first blog challenge for 2008:
We all dig out special recipes during the holidays - some that we ONLY use at holiday time. Why do we make those dishes every year? Where did the recipe originate? Does someone request it? Would it just NOT be the holidays without it? What memories of this recipe do you have from your childhood?

Then there are the stock recipes that we ALWAYS keep ingredients on hand for. What's one of yours? What's your family's favorite dish? What do you ALWAYS make when you have company for dinner? Are you known for a certain recipe that people always request? This week, tell us about the recipe(s) that invoke special memories for you.

There are 3 recipes that come to mind that signal "the holidays" to me. First is what I call "Special Sweet Potatoes" - a delicious concoction of mashed sweet potatoes with melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. The potatoes are then scooped onto pineapple rings, topped with a maraschino cherry and baked in the oven. My mother got the recipe off the Taylor's Sweet Potatoes can back in the 1950's or 1960's. It was always my favorite way of having sweet potatoes and I always requested them each holiday dinner. I always serve them at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

The second holiday food is "crunch" aka celery stuffed with cream cheese. I don't know who started serving celery this way. It was just something we always had. One of my first holiday helping jobs was to peel the celery, rinse & dry it and fill it with cream cheese, then lightly sprinkle with paprika. The side dish got its current name of "crunch" when my niece Karen started talking. She called it "crunch" for the sound it makes when you bite it. From that time on, that's what the whole family called it.

Finally, nothing says the holidays more to me than mixing up a pitcher of my mother's favorite Brandy Alexanders. Nothing lowfat or healthy about these - just yummy & delicious. Eggnog, half & half mixed with brandy and creme de cacao; mix in some powdered sugar. Pour into a glass & sprinkle some nutmeg on top and enjoy. When we were kids, we always got to have a little glass. Each year I mix up a pitcher on Thanksgiving Day and enjoy a glass (or 2!) in my mother's memory.

Now, for part 2, I can honestly say that there are no recipes that I always keep ingredients on hand for. But we definitely have family favorites. I make my own spaghetti sauce using my mother's recipe so Italian dishes are always served when the kids are going to be home - angel hair pasta with sauce & meatballs or manicotti or lasagna. Meatloaf, again using my mom's recipe, is another family favorite. Tacos and my chili recipe are also popular. One of my favorite "for company" recipes is a baked bacon-wrapped chicken breast that has been spread with chive cream cheese on the inside.

One other family favorite that I can't forget is Chocolate Jumbo cookies. I don't know where Mom got the recipe from but they are my favorite! The cookies are very cake-like and not overly sweet but then the bottoms of the cookies get frosted with the best fudge frosting. Yum!

Okay, now I'm hungry...

So......why a blog?

Starting a blog is something I've been mulling over for quite some time. I'm not doing it to jump on the bandwagon of "everybody's doing it." It's not that I feel the need to share with the world at large. If anything, I think it's because I want a chance to really work on my writing and self-expression. I tend to be a listener rather than a talker, a reader rather than a writer. I keep things in rather than laying myself open to others. So, for me, this is a giant leap into the unknown, a chance to stretch myself and see where it leads me.