Is Anyone Still There?

Yes, I'm still around. I apologize for the leave of absence that I didn't know I was going to take, but once I get behind I have a very hard time catching up. And I have felt very "behind". I feel even more slack than I already felt!! I'll get back in the swing of things here shortly.

The company I work for moved from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor which doesn't sound like a big deal. It turned out to be a major move in some ways though, such as getting cables and cords set up correctly and finding paperwork that seemed to disappear for a while. I couldn't believe what a mess a short move like that created. For over a week I just collapsed every evening when I got home. I've developed a couple of health issues that have kept me on my toes lately too, but nothing that I can't handle. It's amazing to me how the body can become something totally different after you hit 50!

I've also been busy with some really positive things. A fundraiser at my church for our Shoe Ministry went very well, as did our Youth Auction, and I've had a handful of purse orders to fill for local people which has been a pick-me-up for me. My dd's sports schedule has eased up now and we actually had a home cooked supper Thursday night - together - at the table. It was the first time in weeks! It felt so good. I don't know that it meant much to her, but it meant a LOT to me.

I signed up for the Sweet Goodness Sisters Holiday Swap a month or so ago and received my October swap package from Vallen yesterday. (My package to her shipped out Saturday.) And what a fantastic package it is! I don't have pictures yet, but I'll try to show them soon. I was supposed to have answered 20 questions about myself for the swap (to help my swap partner know me better) but I haven't done that yet so I'll try now. Vallen and I have read one another's blogs long enough to have a "feel" for what each other likes, and Vallen definitely knows me well because I just love everything she sent in her box. She doesn't need this list, but I feel guilty that I haven't done this yet, so....

1. Favorite Color - On me - brown, gray, turquoise, off-white and red. At home, I use different colors - the sofa is off-white so I use pillows etc. in different colors.

2. Chocolate Lover? Milk, Dark, White or none of the above? All of the above. I luuuuuvvv the chocolate!

3. What is your favorite craft hobby? Sewing

4. What is a craft/art hobby that you would like to start? I'd love to learn to crochet. I recently bought a book to learn (I'm left-handed) but I haven't taken the time to sit still and learn it. For some reason I'm intimidated by it and feel kind of defeated before I start.

5. What craft do you NOT have an interest in or just not great in (so your partner doesn't send something you wouldn't use)? I can't draw or paint, and I no longer even try.

6. Do you have any allergies? (We don't want to send anything with peanuts if it'll make you blow up like a balloon.) I'm not allergic to any foods - only bees and fire ants!

7. What's your favorite part of Halloween? Decorating, candy eating, costumes or something else? A combination I guess. When Halloween comes around I can't help but remember how exciting it was when I was a child, and when my dd was small. The anticipation and the excitement of the costume and the candy was great!

8. Do you decorate for Thanksgiving/Fall? Like Vallen, I decorate for Fall as a whole. I have some things here and there up until Halloween and then I remove them to leave just the fall decorations.

9. December Holidays - what holiday do you celebrate? What type of decorations do you like to put up in your house for that holiday? We celebrate Christmas. I have things all over the house! The tree is decorated in ornaments that each have a special meaning to me or my dd - many of them handmade. I have a smaller tree for the living room that I decorate with old wooden doll house furniture and "outdoorsy" ornaments like pine cones, etc. I hang ornaments on ribbons above doorways, and we put up a Christmas village and a dear aunts Nativity set that we can't celebrate the season without.

10. Do you have any children. If so, what are their ages, boys/girls? Yes, one daughter who is now 17.

11. Do you have any pets. If so, what kind? Our dog EJ is part terrier and part Lhasa and is my 2nd child. lol. Our cat Skipper keeps her nose in the air unless she's hungry, and then she's our best friend.

12. Are you a reader? If so, what type of books do you like? I enjoy "women stories". Not romance stuff, but stories about getting through life and overcoming obstacles with a combination of your own good sense and your female friends surrounding you. I also love the Left Behind book series and the Mitford series by Jan Karon, although I've not completed either series yet.

13. Are you celebrating a birthday or anniversary in October, November or December. No I'm not.

14. Do you collect anything. If so, what type of things do you collect? Not really, and just like Vallen - I'm a textile freak - fabric, linens, old sheets, etc.

15. What type of things do you like to cook? Are you an appetizer person, cookie maker, dessert freak or take out type of person? I enjoy cooking, but it isn't what I want to spend a lot of my time doing. I'm not a great cook either but I love making cassaroles, and I'm always asked to bring my potato salad or blackeye pea salad or yeast rolls or cheese ball or baked ham - so those must be pretty good. I'm a by-the-recipe kind of cook I think. I'm not one who will take a chance on adding an ingredient that isn't called for, although I wish I were. Those are the BEST cooks. I hate that my dd will probably tell her children that their grandmother didn't cook more than she had to, but that she loved to wear a handmade apron and to make tablecloths for the table. Go figure.

16. What is your favorite scent? Is there one that you can't stand? In candles I like scents with names like 'rain', 'linen', 'clean breeze' etc. But for some odd reason, I can't stand vanilla or peach candles. I have no idea why. I love the taste of vanilla and I can't eat too many fresh peaches all summer long but those scents in candles make me immediately breathe through my mouth!

17. What's your favorite song? I Bowed On My Knees And Cried Holy (and) Bob Away My Blues

18. What's the last movie you went to see at the movie theater? I can't remember the name of it. But I loved it. It was that musical, and John Travolta was the mother. Ya'll know what I'm talking about.

19. What's your favorite candy? Anything chocolate.

20. Tea or Coffee or other? Tea for sure. Brewed iced tea. I'm not a coffee drinker. I've tried, but I just don't like it. I love the smell of it though. That's a good memory of growing up - always smelling my parent's coffee brewing when I got up.

I've got no pictures to show right now, but hopefully I will soon. In the meantime, I'm going to gradually try to catch up on reading some of my favorite blogs.