41 things that contRibuTe To MY CRazY liTTle LiFE~

This week was very busy, but dull...so I don't have much to write a post about BUT...trying to keep up with my "traditional" Sunday blog update I decided to "put myself out there" a bit. I am normally a semi-private person, I don't talk about myself or like to talk about myself (because really, I am a very boring person)...but trying to get out of my shell a little I thought that I would post 41 (because yes, that's how old I am...see I am already coming out of my shell a bit) things that you may or may not know about me...I guess it all depends on how well we know each other~

1. I'm a very schedule oriented person. I make lists for everything. I have a weekly list that breaks down my days and has what I plan on doing for each day, whether its where I have to go or little things like doing laundry etc...and then I cross them off when they are completed. I love looking at the list at the end of the day/week and seeing what I've accomplished.

2. I work out every day except Sunday. I power walk on my treadmill for 50 minutes at a 7% incline. I hate every single minute of it, every single day...but I do it because I want to be healthy and I know its good for me.

3. I don't listen to the radio unless I am in the car. I like it quiet in my house when I am home. I don't turn the TV on unless I am going to sit down and watch it...which is very rarely. I just prefer to have quiet time while I go about my day.

4. Lilacs are my favorite flower...and I wished that they bloomed all summer long. I love taking pictures of nature, I love being among nature and I would live outside from May until the snow flew, if I could.

5. I collect Rooster/Chicken stuff and have more than 50 rooster/chickens...my kids keep count.

6. I love Spring and Summer, every single thing about it...and I am learning to love the beauty that Autumn has to offer (I just have a hard time enjoying Fall because I know that winter is right around the corner).

7. I suffer from seasonal depression. I've tried to conquer it, but it seems impossible.

8. I love to read. Its one of my favorite things to do when I have some "me" time....the only problem is, it makes me sleepy. I never make it through more than a few pages before

my eyes are closing...so needless to say, I don't read as much as I would like to.

9. If I were rich and could have "hired help"...I would hire a maid to put clean sheets on my bed every single day. BUT they have to be bleached and hung out on the line to dry ( I love that smell).

10. I love growing things. Gardens are my favorite because they "give back" in the fall when they produce all that yummy produce. I don't grow flowers very well... for some reason, I didn't get my mom's green thumb.

11. I've always loved being a stay-at-home mom. I never lack for things to do, in spite of what others might think....even though my kids are either gone (moved away) or in school I always have plenty to do. I don't get bored by any means!

12. I love to travel. Part of the fun in traveling is the journey getting from point A to point B. I love seeing new things, experience new things and taking tons of pictures to capture the memories.

13. I drink 5-6 quarts of water every day...yes that means LOTs of potty breaks!

14. I hate change. I really don't deal well with big, negitive changes in my life. I like my life to stay "normal" (to me)... like living in the same place, same house, same job...etc.....little changes like, hair cuts, new clothes, going out to dinner instead of staying in, new additions to the family etc...those are all okay and don't upset my life, but BIG changes are very upsetting to me.

15. I love the smell of a thunderstorm, homemade bread, babies, Spring, the mountains as the sun comes up, bacon cooking while we are camping (but only then, otherwise I don't like the smell of it), BBQing, fresh air, cut hay, cut grass, and the swimming pool water.

16. I make a 2 week menu for both breakfast and dinner. It keeps me organized and on schedule. It doesn't hurt that it saves me lots of money too.

17. I am not a very good speller. I use to be a wonderful speller when I was in high school, but as the years have gone its a skill that I have let go...thank goodness for "spell check" so that I can at least pretend to still be able to spell.

18. I have always dreamed of having a gazebo with a hanging swing in it. I would love to sit under it during the summer evenings and read a good book or watch the sun go down (or~ come up, for that matter)...I guess I will just keep dreaming.

19. I love to reminisce about all the wonderful times I had when I was a child. I love watching movies from my childhood and eating comfort food that remind me of when I was young. I didn't come from money or a family with lots of frills. We lived in the country, lived off of what we raised in our garden, fed in the fields and canned with our own hands. We had to make our own kind of fun and adventures. But I loved it, especially because I didn't know any different. I didn't know what I was missing. It was a fun little life. My mom forced me to learn to sew my own clothing. At the time, I threw every fit there was to throw, but now having that skill has been a huge benifit in my life and I am so grateful that she taught me to not only sew, but to like to sew....(I don't sew my own clothes much, except maybe a skirt here and there...but I use to sew my kids clothes when they were little)

20. I despise the dentist. At my age- I still cry when I have to go for a visit. I have to hype myself up in order to just make the appointment and make it for as far out as I can so that I can get up my nerve to go. I think it stems from a really bad experience at the dentist that I had in 4th grade. We have never had dental insurance and so going for preventive appointments have always been a "costly" matter that is never in the budget.

21. I consider myself a hard worker and I'm not afraid of hard work. I have tried to instill this in my children because I think that by being a hard worker, you can get anywhere you want to go in life.

22. On days that I don't have plans to leave the house, I shower...but I don't do my

hair (I use a hat to hide the wet mess) or put my make-up on...that way I can use the time that I would usually take to "get ready for the day" to clean or do yard work or whatever it is that I might be working on that day. So if you ever pop in on me, on one of those days, don't be surprised to see me looking a little "out of sorts".

23. I am still a kid at heart. I love to hang out with my kids at amusement parks, in the mountains, at home, anywhere....it keeps me young. I have been known to do "CRAZY" things late at night, in the car, and when there are only a few select people around. I don't know why, but my kids bring out "The Kid In ME"...and I love them for it!

24. I've always been afraid of dying...lets just say-its not at the top of my "to do list!"

25. I am addicted to Orville Redenbacher's 94% fat-free popcorn and I eat it every single day!

26. I am not a fan of red meat. I don't hate it, and it certainly doesn't bother me that other people love it, and I even eat it sometimes...but its just not something that I eat (or like to eat) on a daily basis...now put me in front of a seafood buffet and I could eat it all day...I know, go figure, you would think that meat was meat, BUT alas, its NOT.

27. I love bread, its one of my favorite foods in the world...BUT I don't eat it often because I have a hard time not eating a ton of it. I guess you could call me a "recovering Breadaholic" and I know my limits so I steer clear of it...most days. I have to "fall off the wagon" sometimes but I limit those times to~ few and far between.

28. I've always wanted to have a gym membership. I think that going everyday with people that are working toward the same thing, would be great motivation for me.....but since we don't have one within a 5 minute radius (rural living has its disadvantages), I opt to do it alone and its not near as much fun as I think it COULD be!

29. I like to people watch (not in a perverse way). I wonder what their lives are all about. What they do for fun, what their trials in life might be, where they have been and what they've overcome. I wonder what brought them to that point in their lives and where they might be going from there....its just a weird thing that I do...but its interesting none the less.

30. I hate being in a bathing suit. I've NEVER in my life been confident in being seen by anyone, anywhere at anytime in swim wear. IF by chance that you have been somewhere and seen me in a swimsuit, just know that it took DAYs if not WEEKS to hype myself up into going there in that skimpy attire....maybe it stems from me having a poor body image my entire life.

31. I like to cook, but don't like the clean up. I like trying new recipes and then blogging about them. I made a recipe book for all of my children. It has the recipes in it of the foods that they grew up with, their favorites and even some of their "NOT so Favorites". (It has recipes that the 3 older kids grew up on, the 3 younger ones haven't grown up yet) and I am working on volume 2...(this one will have the recipes that the 3 younger kids ate alot of, loved and even hated...but I made anyway.)

32. I have a "Bucket List" and I am actually working on accomplishing the things that are on it...I don't want the things that I wrote to be in vain, I really plan on making things happen.

33. I color code my clothes in my closet and I am a little OCD about it. I know, I shouldn't stress about such things, but we all have our little nitches don't we?!...and that's ONE of mine.

34. I'm scared of wood ticks and skunks...they absolutely freak me out.

35. I have a huge dent in my head that would look like I was beat with a baseball bat if you could see my scalp...here's praying that I never have to have chemotherapy and lose my hair.

36. I have many pet peeves (don't we all?), some of which I won't divulge here...but some of them are laziness (especially if it directly affects me), dishonesty in any shape or form, dirty dishes in my kitchen when I get home from anywhere (especially if the kitchen was clean when I left), those who are in a hurry and cut in front of me on the road when there isn't any reason to, gum in my dryer, an un-made bed and when people say mean things to others and then say, "Just kidding!" (like that's going to take all the hurt away and as if that hurt person isn't going to analyze the mean comment later, words always hurt...been there)

37. I don't like to talk/discuss or be in a room where others are talking/discussing anything to do with politics, especially with friends and family. I think that every person has the right to chose what political party they choose to affiliate with and support that party. Because I believe one way, doesn't make it the one and only or correct way. And just because I believe something doesn't mean that someone else can't believe another. Political conversations aren't meant for group settings with those you love....in my experience it only causes feelings of hurt and anger....SO "If you can't say anything nice, don't say noffing at all" ~Thumper (from Bambi)

38. I always wished that I was musically talented, (like played the piano or the Cello or the harp)....but not enough to do anything about it.

39. I am a big fan of Oil of Olay anti-wrinkle cream. I think it works wonders on my face and I hope they never stop making it.

40. Three things that I couldn't live without (besides the obvious, like my hubby and my children and family, money, shelter, food and water etc...)~ 1. clothes....they hide so many of my physical flaws 2. My toothbrush...it makes the world a happier place to be when we all brush our teeth 3. My stove...I don't ever want to go back to cooking over a fire like the pioneers had to do...I'm a big fan of Modern DAY conveniences!

41.....last but not least~ this one's for you KIM (because I told her to ask me a question that she didn't know about me, but wanted to know)

If I could have any job (and she said being a mom doesn't count as an answer) in the world, what would it be....I have many that I would love, being a pediatrician would be great. I love kids, medicine intrigues me, I love learning and helping others and I would love that job...plus the mullah wouldn't be so bad either. When I was young (high school) I always thought that I would love to be a high school teacher or a marriage councilor or even a beautician.....but being a wife and mom was always my biggest dream job....so here I am, living out my dream.

There you have it...41 things that make me..."ME". As crazy, unique, strange and even lame as it all might seem, those 41 things are part of what makes me who I am.