Showing posts with label grilling goodness with Tina and friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grilling goodness with Tina and friends. Show all posts

Monday, January 26, 2009

Grilling Goodness With Tina And Friends~ 15

GoldenGoodness

It's that time again...Time for some more "Grilling Goodness." If you would like to join in all of the fun, just click here. Tina would love to have you all participate!

Now, on to the grilling.....

1. Have you ever ridden a horse?

Yes, I have ridden on a horse. When I was a little girl my granddaddy had a horse he let me ride on. The horse was named Sugar.



And then there was this one time (I shudder even recalling it) when I was a teenager that I got on a horse. Only, I didn't know that you were supposed to hold on to the reins the whole time that you were riding on the horse. I learned this though as the horse ran us up in between two trees.

Shudder.

2. Have you ever run out of gas?

No. I have not ever run out of gas. I am the type of girl that is always paranoid about running out of gas. I think I'm practically on empty when I am down to only half a tank of gas.

I have a HUGE fear of running out of gas. I have nightmares about it even.

Of course, in my nightmares when I am running out of gas, I look like Jessica Simpson, and there are plenty of paparazzi around that are willing to help me......



....but, it still freaks me out.

3. How many different schools did you attend growing up?

Several.

I went to one school for kindergarten, where all did was sit, sit, and sit. LOL!:) (That's a little family joke, right Mom?)

Then I went to a small private Christian school from the first through eighth grade.

It closed down, so my parents sent me to another private school, which I hated for a solid year and a half. After a year and a half of complete and utter misery, I woke up one morning and informed both of my parents that I was NO longer going to go that *&$! hole anymore!

So, I proceeded to get myself enrolled in an optional program in a public school in the area. In order to go to this school, I would have to be accepted into their art program. I got my art portfolio together, made an appointment for my mom, dad, and I to meet the principal and art teacher, and I even arranged a ride to and from school for myself. (This is a true story.) I finished the last two and half years of high school at that public school, and I loved every minute of it!

And Mom and Dad, I'm sorry that I put you both through all of that stress, but thank God, it worked out well. As Matthew says all the time, "Romans 8:28."

4. Do you have, and use, a library card?

Yes, I have library card. I have used it, but not so much in the last six or seven months. But now that I am done with all of my bed rest nonsense, I will probably be a regular at the Crazyville library.



5. Hand-wash or dishwasher?

I hand washed dishes for the first thirty-five years give or take of my life.



Then one day, I just decided that I had had enough, and I demanded that my sweet husband get me a dishwasher.

And God love him, he did.

It was love at first sight.

Just between you and me, as soon as I laid eyes on that beautiful piece of modern machinery, I started to hear Etta James singing in my ears....


"At last, my love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song
Oh, yeah, at last
The skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up in clovers
The night I looked at you
I found a dream that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to rest my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known
Oh, yeah when you smile, you smile
Oh, and then the spell was cast
And here we are in heaven
For you are mine
At last"





It's a love affair that I hope will last forever.

Sigh.

6. Does your alarm clock beep or play music?

Neither.

My alarm clock shakes me and says in a very sexy voice, "It's time to get up honey!" ;)

7. Do you know how to roller skate?

I used to go roller skating all the time when I was in the fifth and sixth grade; I could roll with the best of them. And I was obsessed with the movie called Roller Boogie. Do you remember it?



It was like Saturday Night Fever on wheels. I loved it; it was SO romantic. You just gotta love the seventies, amen?

Anyway, the last time that I went roller skating was when my boys were little. It had been a looooong time since I had been on roller skates, and I don't know if it was just me, but the skating rink floor seemed really slippery. Like ice or something.

I put on my skates. Stood up. Fell down. Stood up again. Made my way to the ice rink and attempted to skate with my son Daniel.

Unfortunately, the whole experience did not play out like I had planned. After about 2 1/2 seconds on the ice rink, I started to go down. I panicked a bit. I grabbed for my son and took him down with me.

It was SO embarrassing. And dangerous for all involved. I have since retired from the sport.

8. What would you consider one of your biggest accomplishments?

I guess that I would have to say that my biggest accomplishment is homeschooling my boys for all of their school years so far. Matthew is in the eleventh grade, and Daniel is in the eighth.

Some years were so difficult for all of us, but we stuck with it. We didn't give up. And as a family, I feel like this a HUGE accomplishment.

The first years were the most difficult for me personally, because of all of the criticism that I faced from family, friends, and other home school families. I sometimes felt like a pioneer, of sorts.

Looking back on the comments that caused me so much confusion and doubts is very funny to me now, but at the time, it was very difficult. Sometimes home school moms can be quite the judgmental bunch, and I felt the judgment many times. I found this cartoon that I absolutely could have written myself many years ago.

If you are a home school mom (or even if you're not), I hope that this will make you laugh out loud like I did.



Monday, January 19, 2009

Grilling Goodness With Tina And Friends~ 14

GoldenGoodness

It's that time again...Time for some more "Grilling Goodness." If you would like to join in all of the fun, just click here. Tina would love to have you all participate!

Now, on to the grilling.....

1. Do you like scary movies?

Very much! Scary, suspenseful type movies though, not gory! I like to be on the edge of my seat, but I do not enjoy blood bath type movies. They make my stomach sick.
Here's a preview of one that I really love. It's creepy......




Shudder.

2. What kind of cell phone do you have?

Compared to all of the new fancy phones that everyone else is carrying these days, my cell phone is very similar to a World War II walkie talkie.



I'm just saying.

3. Do you have a passport?

Yes, I do. I had to get one to go to the Mediterranean with Melissa. And thankfully, it has a much better picture of me than my driver's license does. But that is for another embarrassing post.

4. Has anything sad happened in your life this week?

Not this week. Thank You, Jesus!

5. Have you ever broken any bones?

Although I apparently tried many times throughout my childhood (my parents even nicknamed me "The Emergency Room Kid," because I always seemed to end up there), I never broke any bones.

Okay, well that's not entirely true, but let's just keep this between us, Mmmkay?

I did fall this one time and sort of fractured my tail bone when I was about 10 or so. (I try not to think about it, because even at that young age, it was very humiliating to have an x-ray of my bottom on display for the entire emergency room department to gawk at. But I digress.) I had to sit on a pillow for quite a while after the fall, until my tailbone healed.

It still bothers me even now that I am almost 40 older. When the weather changes, it really hurts. I have even been to known to predict the occasional snowfall. Shannon likes to tease me about it. He calls my weather prediction ability: Rectal Radar. LOL!
:)

You know what, let's just forget that I even mentioned this, okay? Thanks!

6. Did you do anything this week that you don't normally do?

No. All I did was light house work followed by five to six hours a day of bed rest (with good hair). But I am very pleased to tell you that I only have one more week of bed rest to go, and then, God willing, I will be back to normal! Yay, me!

7. What's the worst thing you ever had in your wardrobe?

As the tens of you who read this blog already know, I have had many fashion and hair related mishaps over the years.



But the only one that I can recall off the top of my head (and that I have photographic evidence of) was my snazzy Hee Haw overalls.



It was apparent from early on in my life that being remotely fashionable was going to be a struggle for me.

8. Did you have braces on your teeth?

Yes, I did have to wear braces on my teeth. I wore them for two and half long, long, long emotionally painful years.



Sigh.

Every time I see that picture of me, it makes me think of Josie Geller.



Bless both of our hearts.

The teenage years were painful.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Grilling Goodness With Tina And Friends~ 13

GoldenGoodness

It's that time again...Time for some more "Grilling Goodness." If you would like to join in all of the fun, just click here. Tina would love to have you all participate!

Now, on to the grilling.....

1. What's your 'dream machine' - as in vehicle? Do you think you'll ever own it?

I am not a "car" kind of person at all, but since you asked, if I could pick any car it would have to be a black Lexus SUV. Like this one.....



And at this point in my financial future, no, I don't think I will ever own one.

Sigh.


2. Can you water ski?

Uhmmmm, no!

3. What kind of milk to you prefer?

We usually all drink fat free milk.



4. Have any of your pet peeves 'gotten your goat' this week?

So far so good in the pet peeves department this week. But come back next week and ask me again, and you might get a completely different answer.

I'm just saying.


5. How do you prepare your taxes? HR Block, Turbo Tax, by hand - or does someone else do it for you?

I have a hottie that I'm totally in love with do my taxes. ;)



And he always uses Turbo Tax.



And all he charges me is one kiss, but I usually give him several. ;)



*Sigh*

6. Did you start a workout program this New Year?

Since I have been down for the better part of six months due to all of my back nonsense.........



I am very excited to be able to workout again. I have always loved riding my recumbent bike and walking to my Leslie Sansone DVDs.

And even though I am still spending several hours okay, six in bed each day, I am finally able to ride my bike again, but due to my bad back, I can no longer do Leslie's DVDs. She does a lot of knee lifts and kicks, that are not safe for me to do anymore. So, my sweet hubby bought me a treadmill for Christmas. I can walk without worrying about hurting my back any further. And I can also watch all of my shows saved on the DVR while I walk on it.

I love it!



Thank you, Shannon.

7. Do you have a certain meal that you cook each and every week?

Earlier in our marriage I made spaghetti every single week, but not so much anymore. And now that we get the majority of our food from Angel Food Ministries, we have a lot more variety in our meals.

But we do have a family favorite that I try to make on a pretty regular basis. It is chicken fajita salad like they make at the Mexican restaurant Panchos.
It looks a little something like this.....




I, of course, usually skip the pink table cloth and flowers, but you get the idea. It is a family favorite, because we can each build our own salad to make it how we like it individually.

And it is very, very yummy!


8. When do you normally write your blog posts?

I don't have a normal writing time, per se. I just write whenever the ideas come to me for a post. There is absolutely no method to my madness.;)



Monday, January 5, 2009

Grilling Goodness With Tina And Friends~ 12

GoldenGoodness

It's that time again...Time for some more "Grilling Goodness." If you would like to join in all of the fun, just click here. Tina would love to have you all participate!

Now, on to the grilling.....

1. If you could have done something different in 2008, what would it be?

While in Sicily, I would have had a second cannoli.



Mmmmmmmmmm.

2. What is something that you know will happen in 2009?

I love what Benjamin Button's mother in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has to say about the future: "You never know what's coming for you."

I'll have a little more about that movie on my Wednesday post.


3. What is something that you hope will happen in 2009?

I have several things that I would like to see happen in my life, but I won't bore you with all of that nonsense. However, once my back is all healed, I hope to finally get my house completely organized and keep it clean all year.



Shannon is all for this hope of mine. ;)

4. Do you already have a vacation planned for this year?

Shannon says that I have done enough traveling for a while.



But I may try to get back to the Mediterranean in another 38 years or so. ;)

5. Are you relieved that the holidays are over?

I am glad for life to get back to "normal," but I have to admit, I will miss listening and singing along to my Christmas music all the time.

6. Did you make a resolution? Will you share it?

I have many things that I want to improve on this year in my life, but it is basically a long, long, long, very boring list. And since I don't want to put the tens of you who read this blog completely to sleep, I won't be sharing that today.

I will, however, share something that I saw on my friend Amy's Facebook page that really spoke to me. It is a quote from Nancy Leigh DeMoss, and it is full of wisdom that I hope to carry with me through 2009.

So without further ado, here it is:

Once we settle the issue of why we’re living, all of life takes on a different perspective. Once we settle the issue that:

It’s not about me.
It’s not about my convenience.
It’s not about my comfort.
It’s not about my happiness.
It’s not about who likes me, who accepts me.
It’s not about, “Am I fulfilled in what I’m doing here in life?”
All that matters is that God is glorified, that He is pleased with my life.
Then we can endure and bear up under circumstances and challenges that we might not otherwise be able to face if we know that, “My sole purpose for living is to bring glory to God.”

~Nancy Leigh DeMoss


7. How old will you turn in 2009?



But let's just keep that between us, Mmmkay?

8. What did you do to celebrate the New Year?

I got all dressed up and beautiful......



...and rang in the new year with my sweet hubby at home! ;)

Just a few more things.

There is an awesome giveaway going on at $5 Dinners.com. If you are interested in winning a $25 Kroger gift card, hop on over here and enter the contest.

Nikowa at the Knowledge House Academy blog is also having a book giveaway. If you would like to win a book, click here to enter.

And last, but certainly not least, don't forget to click on the link on my side bar that says: Angela's Birthday Bash. She is giving away a prize every day this week in celebration of her birthday at her blog called Becoming Me.

Good luck to all of you!


Friday, December 19, 2008

Grilling Goodness With Tina And Friends~ 11

GoldenGoodness

It's that time again...Time for some more "Grilling Goodness." If you would like to join in all of the fun, just click here. Tina would love to have you all participate!

Now, on to the grilling.....

1. What pain reliever do you swear by?

The kind that they give you in the hospital. ;)



2. Have you gotten up-to-date with a flat screen HDTV?

Yes, we have. All the better to see Tristan with I like to say. ;)



(Psst, Tina, have you watched the movie yet?)

3. Have you honked at anyone lately?

Not really. Mostly people just honk at me.



So, I just yell out the window, while waving wildly, "Go around, go around!"

Seriously, just ignore me.


4. What is your favorite household product?

I love all of my Swiffer products. They are wonderful.



Without the help of these little miracle workers.....



.....My sweet little house might be taken over by dust bunnies.



5. What is the earliest you've gotten up this week and why?

I get up early almost every morning with Shannon. The alarm usually goes off by 4:30am. But we usually stay in bed until 5:00am. Why so early you may ask? Well, watch this clip and you'll find out. (It's only 30 seconds long.)



LOL!:) I'm just teasing, Shannon. You know my world revolves around you.;)
I love you, Baby!


6. Do you travel out of town for Christmas?

No, we just spend Christmas in Crazyville with our family. But when I was a little girl, we used to spend Christmas with my granddaddy at his house.



I loved him.



And he loved me.



*Sigh*

7. Have you been listening to Christmas music? (Favorite?)

Yes. I listen to Christmas music every single day from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I love all Christmas music. Here are just a few of the songs that I love to sing along to. Much to my family's dismay, of course.




8. When do you exchange gifts with family?

We open some gifts on Christmas Eve, but mostly we wait until Christmas Day.
However, the most important gift of all on Christmas, you must simply open your heart for, and you can open it at any time.




Luke 2:11
"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."


Merry Christmas to all of you!
God Bless,
Amy
:)

Monday, December 15, 2008

Grilling Goodness With Tina And Friends~ 10

GoldenGoodness

It's that time again...Time for some more "Grilling Goodness." If you would like to join in all of the fun, just click here. Tina would love to have you all participate!

Now, on to the grilling.....

1. How many Christmas parties have you attended or will you attend?

Hmmmm, let me see. Oh, that's right.



None.

I mean if you don't count hanging out with my family on Christmas as a party.




2. What is your favorite dish to take to a party?

Usually, when we are invited to a party, we are asked to bring my very famous cheese dip and chips. It is a crowd pleaser.



I'm just saying.

If you would like to know how to make this cheesy yummy goodness, click here.


3. When you're at home and your feet are chilled, do you wear socks or house shoes?

Since I have Raynaud's Disease, when it is cold I usually have socks and house shoes on. If I don't wear both, my feet turn purple and black.

I know. It's gross.

When it's really, really cold, I also have to sleep wearing two pair of socks, gloves, a sweat shirt, and a hat.

It's a very sexy look. Just ask Shannon.
;)

4. What are your plans for this weekend?

Since Tina really asked this question last Friday, I will tell you what I did this past weekend on Saturday. I went to see one of my bestest blogging buddies. You all know her as Smiling Shelly from the Smiling Shelly's Stories blog.

I went to see her new house. For some strange reason, Shelly wanted me to see her new house before the dust began to settle
. ;)



I had SO much fun at Shelly's house, but I will tell you all about that tomorrow.

5. What is the most expensive Christmas gift you are buying for your children this year?

Since my boys are 16 and 13, they just want cash for Christmas.

You know, for sentimental reasons.

And, since we are a bit low on cash this year, it is quite expensive.


6. Do you have a family portrait made each year?

Yes.

Absolutely.

Whether my family wants to or not.

I make them pose with me at least once a year for a family picture. We have had some professional family portraits made over the years, but my favorites are the candid ones.

Here are several of our family photos from over the years. I like to call these our "Fictional Family Photos." Why you ask? Well, it takes about forty four tries to get one good one, so by the time we get a good one, Shannon and the boys are all fussy. They are all sporting 'fictional' smiles by the last shot.

(And me too, but let's just keep that between us, Mmmkay?)












7. Do you drive your kids around looking for decorated homes?

As a little girl, I loved to drive around with my parents and look at Christmas lights. Something like this would have thrilled me to bits.



My boys, however, not so much.

One year when they were little, we decided to drive them around Crazyville to look at all of the Christmas light displays, and they were less than impressed.

They were critical even.

Daniel grumbled from the back seat, "This is dumb. And besides, we're just wasting gas."

*Sigh*


8. What is your least favorite thing about cold weather?

Refer back to question number 3. ;)