25 Random Things You Don't Need to Know

I've enjoyed reading numerous other people’s “25 Random Things” and I got tagged by the Seven Chicks for this. It was harder than I thought to give you things you're not likely to know about me, so these are indeed random.

1. I met my husband when I was 15 years old and he’s the only man I’ve ever been in love with. When we got engaged, we had just reunited from a break-up and were anxious to move ahead. We talked to my parents on the 4th of July and the wedding was Labor Day weekend. Looking back, I can’t believe I did that to my mom. : )

2. Hong Kong is one of the few places I’ve visited that I don’t want to return to. It’s really far and I didn’t care much for the congestion. I didn’t like the food at all. Glad I went- but one time was enough for me.

3. I rarely get really angry. But when I do…. Stand back, cause “Thar she blows!” As a natural peace-maker, I tend to stuff my frustrations until they just overflow. All at once.

4. When we got married, I drove a hideous red 1964 Mercury Comet. (That was in 1978). My parents believed I should work to buy my own car, and I’m telling you, it wasn’t much. Builderman thought it was a great car.
5. I love my Lexus RX300. When we bought it, I had to push really hard for it – Builderman thought a Ford Taurus would do nicely. Some things are worth fighting for. (I pick my battles carefully) He liked it so much that we now have 3 of them in our family. (No, he doesn’t drive one; he drives an F-250 truck.)6. I don’t think I ever spanked our children. It’s a good thing Builderman was good at discipline and order and rules. I think they would have turned out wonderful and well-mannered anyway, just from the osmosis of being with me. ; ) And I’m also known as Pollyanna.

7. I have burned more dinners than some people have ever cooked. I’m the queen of multi-tasking and don’t focus my attention like I should.

8. I’m a great cook. This is my family’s claim. I didn’t consider myself one because I don’t do gourmet and I have to have a recipe. I’m not creative and intuitive in the kitchen and I burn things. They say I’m a great cook because I cook everything from homemade pizza and yeast rolls to fresh vegetables to yummy cookies. I like to use fresh vegetables and make things from scratch. And I do have years of experience.

9. If you want a shopping companion who can justify almost any purchase, I’m your girl. As long as we’re indulging on someone else. I am not very indulgent when it comes to stuff for me. Is that the result of motherhood?

10. I rarely wear perfume. Builderman is very sensitive to smells. But when he commented about the lady of the house’s perfume from a home he was building, I called her to find out what she wears and went and bought Carolina Herrera perfume. He was embarrassed that I called that lady. I wasn’t. : )

11. I have entertained thoughts of being a foster parent and never spoken that out loud. So now I blogged it. What do you do with all the nurturing instinct that remains when you have an empty nest?

12. I have also entertained thoughts of running for public office. Since these 2 things are so compatible, right? This is actually more probable than number 11. And I’d have to be insane to run for office. I know that.

13. I am an auditory learner. If a speaker has an annoying voice, I have a real problem listening – especially on a CD or the radio. I also have trouble listening to an out -of-tune choir or soloist. It’s like fingernails on the chalkboard to me.

14. When I am concentrating on reading (in other words, engrossed by a good book), I totally tune out other conversations. You can be talking straight to me and I won’t hear you. Go figure.

15. My first job was cleaning silver in a jewelry store. Pretty things, awful job. I hate the smell of silver polish to this day. My second job was in a bakery; it smelled much better.

16. I really loved my part-time job at Selby Botanical Gardens while I was in high school. That job impacted my decision to major in ornamental horticulture at Univ. of FL. I’ve never worked in that field since. 17. I am an over-achiever. I was always obsessed with having As in school. Yet I was embarrassed when I was the valedictorian of my graduating class… probably because I was the principal’s daughter and I didn’t want people talking about me.

18. I can actually remember the turmoil when schools were de-segregated. It’s amazing to think how much has changed, and yet how much hasn’t changed when it comes to prejudice.

19. My drawers and my closet are never neat unless Cupcake goes in and organizes everything for me. (Which she does!) I can keep them that way for awhile and then… not so much.

20. I have always been really into vitamins, herbs and homeopathic remedies. Anyone at my house knows if they complain of an ache or pain, I have a natural remedy ready for the need.

21. Our youngest child did not have immunizations. Though my first 2 did, I felt strongly led not to go this route with her. It wasn’t easy on a lot of levels (like dealing with the school system) but I have always been confident in that decision.

22. I love to shop for designer clothes in consignment boutiques. It thrills me to pay $20 for something that retails for $150.

23. My favorite jeans are Calvin Klein. I have several pair and I didn’t pay retail for them!

24 I want to be a Hospice volunteer. I also want to continue to volunteer in a school, even though my kids are grown. There are just not enough hours in the day to do all I want to do!

25. I don’t have a goal to ever retire. I want to re-fire and keep on making a difference until I move to heaven. Since LouLou is 102, I might only be halfway through this pilgrimage!

Hurray for you if you’re not asleep by now! If you haven't done this and want to, Tag, you're it!

Bliss in Every Bite

If you are concerned about calories and fat, stop reading NOW. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I picked up this recipe over at Pioneer Woman’s while on the hunt for a homemade chocolate cake for our son’s birthday this week.

I was intoxicated by the chocolate fumes while making it. And I would make it again just for the chance to lick the bowl. To eat it is bliss.

From the comments on PW’s site, it looked like this is a classic recipe. When I was telling my Mom about it, she said my grandmother used to make it. She described it perfectly from memory, sheet cake baked in a jelly roll pan with finely chopped pecans in the icing. Thankfully, I sent most of it home with our big guy. This cake would be the perfect Valentine treat for a chocolate lover.

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever (Chocolate Sheet Cake)

Combine in a mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat.

Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Add:
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make icing:
Chop 1/2 cup pecans finely.
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add:
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

My picture taking is not called photography, but here’s a snapshot:


I found out the great advantage of a sheet cake; I didn't have to worry about it caving in the center like my bundt pan cakes do! For more great recipes, check out Saturday Stirrings.

Fashion Friday – I’m No Frump

I’ll admit that if I had not given birth to two fun and fabulous fashion mavens, I might look like a frump. A fun frump, but still a frump. But no, I knew I would have a lifetime of free advice when my then 4-year old daughter remarked on an outfit, “You need to change that belt. It’s not appropriate with that.” She was right.

It was Uncommon Blonde who told me about Huggable Hangers. You really need these. I never knew I would care about hangers. But it’s really unsightly to walk around looking like you have growths on your shoulders from crummy hangers.

So when you’re at Target this weekend, spend $5 to try these. The hangers save space, keep your clothes from slipping off, and don't leave little hanger marks in the shoulders of your tops.

Now scoot on over to Big Mama’s Fashion Friday Fest and pick up as much advice as you can handle.

Portrait of the Peaceful One

This is week 2 of an impromptu review of Hippocrates’ ancient personality classifications. This week's spotlight personality spotlight is the opposite of last week's Choleric. The choleric (leader's) animal link is the lion. Today, I want you to meet the Phlegmatic, or Peaceful as I prefer to call them. Everyone needs at least one friend in the group that’s Peaceful. We’re talking NO DRAMA. The golden retriever is a portrait of the peaceful.

Faithful and loyal, competent and steady. The Peaceful personality is somewhat of an introvert and is of the slow and steady wins the race mentality. They are able to bring harmony to a group because a primary motivation is keeping the peace. They are great under pressure and have administrative abilities.

They can be frustrating in their flexibility when decision-making time comes. If you ask them to decide where the group is eating, it’s hard to get an answer. They’re the ones who say “anything is fine”. They are not very self-motivated and can become couch potatoes if you leave them alone. They tend to deal with conflict by trying to ignore the problem.

George Bush, Sr. was a peaceful personality, proving that they can be leaders too. He was often criticized for being clueless because he was slow and thoughtful in his responses. He was also considered to be wishy-washy; surely a factor in losing his bid for re-election in 1992 to Clinton.

Natural professions for the Peaceful would be teacher, diplomat and social worker.

My son, who I told you a little about yesterday, is primarily a Peaceful personality. Clues in what I told you – he was an easy child and he didn’t care for team sports. He is everybody’s friend.
I would venture to say that a well-known blogger who fits this personality profile is Lysa TerKeurst. Bear in mind that rarely do people fit neatly into one type but are often a blend of two types. Both of these mentioned have a good dose of the Sanguine as well.

As we mature, we usually consciously develop certain attributes that assist us in accomplishing our goals. Thus, it is often a person’s weaknesses rather than her strengths that reveal more about natural temperament.

Next week, I’ll tell you more about the Sanguine. This is a playful otter type.

I'm saving the most complex for last... the Melancholy (Analytical) , represented by the beaver.

Wild At Heart

Our son is 24 years old today. I was told when he was a toddler not to blink – that he would be grown if I did. I blinked.

I love how women recount childbirth stories like men recount their best hunting adventure ever. I went into labor with him about 11 P.M. after we had gone to bed. Since labor was 18 hours with our then-4 year old, I decided to let everyone sleep until I was in serious labor. When I awakened Builderman an hour later, it took some convincing for him to understand that we needed to waste no time in getting to the hospital. I was in transition labor in the car! The labor and delivery were swift; I really didn’t have time to think about much more than the fact this baby was coming fast. He was born at 3:02 am, 9 lbs 7.4 oz and 22 inches long.

He has always been a pleasure. Adventurous is his middle name. He didn’t like team sports much when he was younger- he was much more interested in “extreme sports.” He started with skateboarding and went on to surfing, wakeboarding, motorcycle riding, rock climbing, body building and just returned from snowboarding in Colorado. He’s a firefighter in his work hours.

When he and his bride were engaged, she bought him the book “Wild at Heart” by Steve Eldridge. I read it and it strengthened my heart to know how well his wife understands him.

Look what happened when I blinked…

Squall Line 6 - Song of the South, Sweet Potato Pie & Shut My Mouth

This squall is dedicated to those of you from the South. I'll tell you straight up, I stole the idea for this post from the Seven Chicks.

Have you ever heard someone say, “Bless your heart”? Perhaps this was spoken by a well-meaning old lady with clucking tones and good intentions. I heard a comedian say this figure of speech has evolved into something that’s said when you’re struck speechless. Translated, it means, “You’re so stupid”. That’s delivered with a smile, by the way.

When you don’t know how to respond to a judgemental, insensitive or just plain annoying remark, in the South, we say “Bless your heart!”

Case in point: I was in a line with my mother (who is 30 years older than I am) and a man of indeterminate age (in other words- old) said, “You two look so much alike you must be sisters!” The best response I could come up with was “Well, bless your heart!” In other words, “Do you need glasses or do you want a sock in your mouth?”

I am inviting you to share your own version of a “Bless your heart” response.
I borrowed the examples below from the comments section of the Seven Chicks post on this subject last week.

“You think that just because I stay home with my kids that my husband must be rolling in the dough? Would you like to see our pay stubs?” Bless your heart!

“You think that just because I have a demanding career that I don't have my priorities right? Bless your heart!

This is for the ones at my office who are upset because you are asked to work all 8 hours at your job. Bless your hearts!

“I don't have children and you want to know why I have failed to produce at the ripe old age of 31." Well, it is really none of your business. Bless your heart!

"I don't know if I could adopt, because I’m not sure I could love it like my own."
Well let me assure you I love mine and he is my own and babies are not called IT. Bless your heart!!

“What do you think Jesus thinks of your tattoo?” WELL BLESS YOUR STINKIN HEART.

Okay, it’s your turn. Leave a bless your heart comment. You’ll feel better. ; )

And if you have a squall you want to link here for others to read, Mr Linky awaits. Please be sure to put the direct link of the post.

Monday Miscellanea

1. I am thinking about the opportunity to attend something this week called “Books Alive”, sponsored by the county library and held at the community college. There are a dozen well-known authors offering workshops.

I have a dream to write a book … one day. The dream seems rather remote, I admit. However, it seems that hanging out with people who could be mentors and role models is a smart thing to do. Pondering this opportunity.

2. We actually attended a Super Bowl party last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. (Builderman is not normally much of party-goer.) When we were on the way, Builderman laughingly said “Shoot, I forgot my rifle.” He explained by saying that where the couple lives, we would probably see deer right behind their house at dusk. Sure enough, they were there at the edge of the woods with a big buck in the lead. I didn’t even have my camera.

3. Even more picture-worthy than the deer were the cakes our hostess made. They were worthy of Southern Living magazine. Low –cal too, I’m sure. Especially the chocolate almond Hershey bar cake.

4. I pulled out our tax stuff on Sat. Ugh. I used to procrastinate terribly and found out it only made the task worse. So I am starting this dreaded task. I wish I was more interested in investments and numbers. I can’t generate any enthusiasm in that department. My sister belonged to an investment club and my feeling is I’d rather stab myself with toothpicks than go to something like that. Now a book club… oh yeah.

5. Tomorrow is Squall Line time and it’s going to be a fun one! Imagine that. Thursdays are Personality IQ days for the next few weeks. I wish I could figure out how to put this personality test online. A worthy project. We’ll see.

My wish you for this week is that you find delight in the little things. And may audacious hope warm your heart and lift your mind.