Six Word Saturday

Fighting back the tears of grief.

Curious as a Cat - Week 327

I found this fun little meme earlier today at TheDailyMeme.com and decided to play along today. I hope that you will, too. Curious as a Cat

1) Would you rather have one free trip to space or free international travel for life?

I would rather have free international travel. I would love to go to Ireland and to Italy and maybe a few other places along the way.

2) What's your middle name? Do you like it?

I wasn't given a middle name. Neither was my sister. Our mama figured that our maiden name would be our middle name once we got married, so we didn't need one. Boy, did that cause no end of teasing and arguments at school. Nobody believed that I didn't have a middle name. They thought that I had one that I didn't want to share because it was too weird for words or something.

3) Name a time when you got into big trouble with your parents

. It would be much easier to name a time when I didn't get into trouble! I was bad about back-talking to mama and that didn't go over very well with either of my parents. I remember one time calling my mama's brain usage into question. I think that what I said hurt her feelings, but it ticked my daddy off big time.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one. (Please visit Curious as a Cat to see photo!)

This picture reminds me of jelly beans, so the first thought in my mind was "pretty colors, but ICK!"

A to Z Blogging Challenge Posts

I have been participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge on my other blog named P.S. Annie! It has been fun and tomorrow is the last day.

Here are the links to those A to Z Blogging Challenge posts. I hope that you'll stop by P.S. Annie! to read and comment on them. Thanks!

Week One: April 1 - 7

A is for Annie

B is for Bruce and Bobby

C is for Cemetery

D is for Dallas

E is for Evelyn

F is for Fowler

G is for Gunter

Week Two: April 9 - 14

H is for Hula Hoop

I is for Isabella

J is for Jesus

K is for Kansas

L is for Leon

M is for Maggie

Week Three: April 16 - 21

N is for Newberry College

O is for Oliphant

P is for Pauline

Q is for Quilting

R is for Roses

S is for Sweetest Thing

Week Four: April 23 - 28

T is for Timeline

U is for University of South Carolina

V is for Vegan

W is for Wedding

X is for XXX Rated

Y is for Yesterday

Z is for Zoo

A to Z Blogging Challenge

Please be sure to visit my responses to the A to Z Blogging Challenge at my other blog, P.S. Annie! A, B, and C have been posted so far.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Just click the Wednesday Hodgepodge button above to hop on over to Joyce's place to play along.

1. What's the last job you did that required elbow grease?

I would have to say scrubbing the shower. This house had a mold problem (I think this whole part of Texas has a mold problem!) and it is most evident in the bathroom.

2. March Madness, aka the men's Division I basketball championship, is nearing an end. What sort of 'madness' has your house seen this month?

I would have to say getting ready for the graduations of both our youngest son and youngest daughter. The invitations have been delivered and the caps and gowns have arrived. The rings have shown no sign of getting here any time soon, so there may not be a ring ceremony at the graduation ceremony. We still need to order the cake and make other party arrangements. We had to change the date for the ceremony several times due to conflicts, but hopefully this one sticks!

3. What's your favorite shop for browsing?

My favorite stores are bookstores, home improvement stores and some craft stores. Generally, though, I'd rather browse online instead of in person.

4. Is there ever a time when giving up makes sense?

Yes, I think so. Sometimes pursuing something is just totally pointless or even dangerous.

5. What's a song you love that contains the name of a city, state or country in its title?

I like the song Austin by Blake Shelton.

6. When did you first begin using a computer?

We got our first home computer in 1996. I was scared of it at first, afraid that I'd end up launching a missile or something. It was probably late 1996 or early 1997 when I got brave enough to try it out.

7. Did you buy girl scout cookies this year? What's your favorite?

Yes. We got the shortbread cookies and peanut butter cookies. David loves the shortbread cookies and the peanut butter ones are my favorite. Personally, I think the shortbread cookies are great, too, especially with peanut butter on them. :)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm thinking lots about how things will go for us once all of the kids are in college. We'll have three there this fall. On the one hand this will give us opportunity to do more jobs, but it might also mean a lot more driving back and forth to the school as we only have one car and that isn't going to change any time soon.

I'm also excited about the impending release of the 1940 US Census. I am going to be an indexer and hope that I do a good job of it. Mistakes are frustrating all the way around. I just hope that I'll be able to decipher the handwriting!

You might also want to join the April A to Z Blog Challenge that I read about on From This Side of the Pond. Check it out; it looks like it will be lots of fun!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Just click the Wednesday Hodgepodge button above to hop on over to Joyce's place to play along.


This week's questions:

1. The first day of spring is here...do you enjoy working in the yard? Weeding, raking, mowing, planting-your favorite springtime garden chore? How about your least favorite?

Yes, I enjoy working in the yard, but not when it is a zillion degrees out there. I was making progress until someone interfered with my efforts, then I got sick. I just haven't totally gotten back into the swing of things yet. It is too squishy to do much of anything out there right now. But PTL for all of the rain because we sure needed it.

2. What puts a spring in your step?

My feet can't do too much "springing" right now because one of them is still recovering from a fall. But, what excites me is genealogy and visiting cemeteries looking for tombstones and statuary to photograph.

3. Describe a time when you had to spring into action?

The first thought that comes to mind for me was when one of my daughter's got a broken arm. She was out playing with the older kids and they were using a basketball as a soccer ball and it clipped the tips of her fingers. When that happened, it snapped both the radius and the ulna clean through right at the growth point near the wrist. It had to be reset and that had to be one of the most painful things that I've witnessed. They could have given her an anesthetic, but they said that would hurt her as much as the resetting. She told them to just go ahead without the anesthetic. She was maybe seven years old at the time. She was a trooper. I felt like screaming for her. It was awful. The weird thing about it was that it was healed in less than three weeks' time. I was very surprised at how fast it healed.

4. We're having carrots for dinner...would you prefer yours raw or cooked?

I like them both ways, but preferred the cooked ones...cooked baby carrots are my favorite.

5. Do you take the shampoos and other sundries from your hotel room when its time to check out?

Usually, especially if we have opened them already.

6. What's the most enjoyable team or club you've belonged to and what was it that made it so?

I enjoyed being part of Baptist Young Women. It was a fun time of fellowship and learning and growing in our faith.

7. Is cloning a sign of progress?

I suppose it could be seen as such, but I think it is more of a backing-up. Anything that has us playing God takes us further from Him, in my opinion, and isn't a true movement forward.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I wish that I were better about burying feelings on various things. I also think often about how funny some words are. Visually, they look like they would rhyme, like goes and does or goose and choose, but they don't rhyme at all when you say them. English is my native tongue, but it still doesn't make any sense to me. :)

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Be sure to visit Joyce at From This Side of the Pond by clicking the button above!

1. St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated this coming Saturday...what's a favorite article of clothing you own that contains a touch o' the green?

I own several articles of clothing that are green and one I won't go into great detail on. I have a green peasant top with white embroidery down the front and another green top that might also be considered a peasant top, but I'm not sure. It has tassels for ties and they're forever getting knotted up, but I love the shirt. I also have a pink St. Patrick's themed shirt with shamrocks on it.

2. What's a favorite 'green space' in the town, state, or province where you live?

My favorite "green space" is a cemetery. Maybe that isn't what is meant by this question, but it is one of my favorite places to be.

3. Do you wish you were taller, shorter, or think you're just about right in the height department?

My whole life I've wanted to be taller. I have been tired of being called names or having it pointed out to me (like I didn't already know!) that I am short. I am 4'10" tall, give or take, and at this point in my life I am fine with that. I'm a carbon copy of my grandma. I am the height that Heavenly Father intended for me to be and who am I to argue with what He thought best for me?

4. What's the surest way for someone to pick a fight with you?

Messing with one of my kids or my husband is a sure way to get something stirred up with me.

5. Broccoli-Spinach-String Beans-Peas...of the four, your favorite green veg? (Or the one you dislike the least if that first option's too hard. I just know there's some veggie haters out there.)

I can't choose! I love all of them very much.

6. March is National Women's History Month...besides friends, neighbors and the women you're related to, who's a woman in history you admire and why?

This question took a lot of thought because the women that I admire the most are in the categories that are off limits. I would have to say Helen Keller. She had so much against her, but fought her way through it. She didn't let it hold her back or use it as a crutch to get out of making something of herself. I think she was a very strong woman.

7. Keep Calm and ____________on.
You fill in the blank.

Keep calm and dream on...in the good way. No matter what is falling apart around you, stay calm and hold onto your dreams.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

The bluebonnets are in full swing here in Gulf Coast Texas!

Meet Me on Monday by Acting Balanced

This Meet Me on Monday was started by Acting Balanced because we missed Java from Never Growing Old so very much! Please be sure to visit both sites.




Here are today's Questions:

1. What was the first live concert you ever attended?

I believe that it was a Sandi Patty concert. She has an amazing voice!

2. What colors look best on you?

When I was a little girl, dark green looked great on me. Maybe it is still a good color for me, but I rarely if ever wear it. I generally stick to earth tones and occasionally a red slips in there. My preferred color is black.

3. What is one thing about you that most people wouldn't know?

I am an incredibly bashful person and most people know this. But, during the delivery of my first baby, I had an audience. A class of about 30 student nurses (both male and female) asked if they could be present for the birth. I apparently told them yes, though I have no recollection of this.

4. Who would you call to be bailed out of jail?

I don't know. Nobody I know has access to large sums of money at the drop of a hat. I'd just be toast.

5. What do you think is the greatest invention of your lifetime and why?

It certainly isn't Facebook, that's for sure. I'd be happy if that fell off of the planet and ceased to exist. I think that I would choose digital photography. Though I prefer the old ways and had a lot of fun watching my husband develop pictures in the darkroom, digital photography gives instant feedback to those of us lacking in patience. I can tell before I spend a zillion dollars to develop a roll of film whether the picture is worth printing or not. No wasted film, no wasted paper. Unfortunately, no physical darkroom either.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Please click the button above to join the fun!

1. February 22nd is National Be Humble Day...what makes you proud? What keeps you humble?

My children make me very proud. They aren't out there running wild and getting into trouble. What keeps me humble is knowing that I'm just a tiny speck in the grand scheme of things and He loved me enough to secure my future.


2. Where is the catch-all (aka dumping ground) in your house?

I think the whole house fits that description at the moment.


3. Do you make it a point to visit State/National Parks when you travel or even in your own hometown? What's your favorite?

It is one thing that I'd like to do, but we don't often go anywhere that is near a state or national park.


4. How would you define honor?

I think it is fighting and possibly dying for what you believe in. It is doing right even when it would be easier or more fun to do wrong. It is defending the defenseless. It is putting others before yourself.


5. Angel's food or Devil's food-which cake do you prefer?

Devil's food wins, though I'm not at all fond of the name! I think "Brat's Food" would work so much better. I'm a brat, so I should know. :)

6. What's the most recent road trip you've taken? Where did you go and how many hours did you spend in the car? Do you like to zoom to your destination without stopping or leisurely wind your way there with stops along the way? What is your car snack of choice?

We went further north in the state that had me driving for ten or so hours. If I had chosen to drive straight through Houston, there would have been less drive time overall, but there would have also been a freaked-out Suz at the end of the journey. We don't have the option of non-stop driving. One of us is diabetic and the other one is a old lady. Many stops are going to happen on any journey that we make. Generally, I like barbecue chips and Diet Coke.


7. Recent headlines told how a preschool child in NC had their packed lunch from home taken away and a school lunch substituted by a school inspector who deemed the homemade lunch unhealthy. Reportedly the parent was then billed for the school lunch (chicken nugget meal) although an update to the story says the parent was not billed. The inspector was conducting a routine inspection of the classroom-he/she was not there solely to peek in the lunchboxes. The packed lunch contained a turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple juice box, a bag of chips, and a banana. You can read the story here. Your thoughts?

Personally, I think the government is stepping way out of bounds. It should be the parents' choice what their child eats or doesn't eat. If they want to inspect the school-provided lunches, then let them have at it, but stay out of the private lunches. It is none of their business. It sounds to me like the lunch the little girl brought from home met the guidelines. She had a meat, a grain, a dairy, and two fruits. Sure, the chips aren't necessarily the healthiest thing, but how healthy are the school's extras? It just seems silly and intrusive to me to give this family grief over their child's lunch when most schools these days have soft drink vending machines all over the place. Maybe they should get their "healthy police" to get rid of those soft drink machines and leave little girls alone to eat their turkey sandwiches!


8. Insert your own random thought here.

I am wondering what happened to the little baby that I just read about in the newspaper online from back home. I'm also wondering how a family can bury two family members within four days and survive, but I hope that they do.

Meet Me on Monday by Acting Balanced

1. What is your favorite kind of soup?

I love a chicken noodle soup that I had at a pizza place a couple of months ago. The noodles were more bread-like than the usual pasta noodle. It was delicious!

2. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?

The Lion King in 3D.

3. What is your least favorite TV program?

My least favorite TV program is anything with people showing off more than what should be shown to the general public. That pretty much limits what I like as most everything has half-nakey people on it these days.

4. If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you name it?

My Walk Through the Valley.

5. What 3 places that are on your bucket list to visit?

Ireland.
Scotland.
Greensburg, Kansas.

Saturday 9

1. Do you every solicit advise on your love life?

Sometimes I talk to my friends and ask for suggestions or feedback.

2. What was the last thing you argued with someone about?

I have insecurities that cause jealousy and that is generally the source of arguments involving me.

3. Who do you hate right now?

We aren't supposed to hate anybody. Unfortunately, I am not honoring this rule at the moment. It wouldn't be a good idea for me to name the person. I am working on not hating them, but this might take a while.

4. Who do you love right now?

My husband, my children, my birth family, and my friends.

5. Where do you want to be in 6 years?

I would love to be most anywhere but where I'm at.

6. What is your craziest vice?

I find my thrill on Cemetery Hill. I stalk dead people. In other words, I like to hang out in graveyards. I totally love genealogical research and it involves a lot of this. I'm not sure if that is a "vice" or not. It is just all that my husband and I could come up with for this question.

7. How did you celebrate Valentines Day?

We watched the movie Endless Love, which is what we watched on our first date on my sixteenth birthday.

8. What is your most unique or fondest memory of a special Valentine's Day?

There are two that come to mind (my husband's, not mine; my memory is shot!).

When I was sixteen years old and living in the Upstate of South Carolina (where they do have a winter time), I wore a sundress on Valentine's Day because my then-boyfriend/now-husband loved the way that dress looked on me. Never mind that it was February and below freezing. I loved him and wore it for him. I don't remember being cold at all.

The second one is that my husband can't hide things from me. I find what he hides generally. One Valentine's Day, he decided not to fight it anymore. He bought candy and just laid it out in the open, right under my nose. I never found it. He surprised me that year. :)

If you want me to find it, hide it. If you want me to miss it, put it in plain sight.

9. Were you in the same location five years ago that you are today? Would you have expected to be?

Yes, I was. Expected? Yes. Wanting? No, but I figure I'm stuck here until I get that 8' x 4' piece of real estate.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Please click the button above to join Joyce's Wednesday Hodgepodge fun!

1. George Washington-Abraham Lincoln-Thomas Jefferson...who would you most like to meet and why?

Most definitely I would love to meet Thomas Jefferson. He's supposedly in my family tree (still working to confirm or deny that!) and I think that he was a very interesting character. I think that his house and grounds are beautiful.

2. What's your favorite chain restaurant?

I love Olive Garden. Everything about it is great. The food, the decor, and the service, it's all great.

3. I spied this question on the Bears at Home blog last week and she gave me permission to steal borrow it-

When you look back on your life, do you imagine you'll think about the goals you failed to meet with regret? Or will you look at what you accomplished and say: it was good?

There are things at this point already that I wish I had done or done differently. There's no going back. I can only hope to do better from this day forward and I'm working on it.

4. Grapefruit-take 'em or leave 'em? Given the choice between an orange and a grapefruit which would you choose? Would you prefer it served as is or squeezed into juice?

I am majorly allergic to grapefruits and have a milder allergy to oranges. The last time I drank grapefruit juice (well over 25 years ago), it wanted out of me so fast that it passed itself...as I was drinking it, it was coming back up. It didn't even have time to warm up. Yucky, I know, but it is the truth!

5. When was the last time you cleaned out a closet? Is there a closet in your home that currently needs cleaning? What are you waiting for?

All of them could do with a good sorting and cleaning out. I'm waiting for the energy to do it. And maybe for the good fairies to beat me to it.

6. You get to have lunch with three famous people...who would you like to see round your table?

I think that I would enjoy a visit with Zig Ziglar. He is a great motivator and seems to be a genuinely nice man. I also think that it would be interesting to have Frank and Jesse James there, too. I want to know if my take on the reasons for their actions is on the mark. I know what I believe; I just want to know if it is true or not.

7. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your ability to parallel park?

-1000. OK, that isn't a scale of 1-10, but it is way more accurate in my case than 1-10 would be. I stink at it. I can't do it and, personally, I think the way they require it to be done is an accident waiting to happen!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I made an interesting find today. I found a pension application for one of my great-great grandfathers on my mama's side of the family. His name was Jim Spence. He enlisted in the CSA, Company C, Palmetto Sharpshooters, Jenkins Brigade, in August 1863 at age 16 and was in service until after the surrender in April 1865. He died in October 1923. You can learn some very interesting things about family members by reading these pension applications.

Meet Me on Monday by Acting Balanced

In Java's absence, another blogger has stepped up to the plate to offer us more Meet Me on Monday questions. Please be sure to click the button above to visit Heather at Acting Balanced.

Here are today's Questions:

1. Are you planning anything for Valentine's Day?

I have been trying to think of something both special and budget-friendly to do for V-day, but haven't been able to think of anything. Any ideas?

2. What song automatically popped into your head when you saw this question?

Oddly enough, "I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me". Why that popped in there, I have no clue!

3. What did you have for breakfast today?

I had peanut butter Ritz crackers. My tummy is really sensitive when I first wake up.

4. Where do you keep your keys?

They usually live in my pocketbook.

5. Who was your favorite teacher from when you were in school?

I had lots of very nice teachers, but there are two that are my favorites: Ruth Elrod and Anna Dean Pennington. Both of these ladies demanded much and let me know of the potential that they saw in me. I worked hard because I didn't want to disappoint them. I have a great deal of respect and love for the both of them.

Please be sure to add the link to your Meet Me on Monday post below. Thanks!

Saturday 9

1. Do you enjoy going to a casino now and again?

I've never been to one and don't really think that I would enjoy it. I don't enjoy a lot of noise or crowds.

2. What makes you happy most of the time?

Knowing that Heavenly Father is there for me makes me happy. My genealogy work, my family, and pretty flowers make me happy. There are frustrations that come along with each of these at times, but overall these things make me happy.

3. Are you jealous of someone right now?

In a manner of speaking, yes. But at this point it has gone beyond any jealousy over alienation of affection to downright loathing.

4. You're stranded on a desert island with one fictional character. Who is it? Why?

Eeyore would be my character of choice. He's the only one that I can think of that would understand my way of seeing things.

5. Have you ever been in the emergency room? If yes, for what (most recently)?

Yes, I have been many times for myself and with my children. The most recent time for myself was 18 June 2010. It was when they diagnosed severe anemia and the tumors.

6. Where is the last place you drove to just for fun?

I haven't been anywhere "just for fun" in ages. There are lots of places that I go to that are work-related that are fun sometimes. The last one was in Nacogdoches, TX.

7. If you were to make your living as a photographer, what would love to shoot?

I would love to be able to shoot beautiful landscapes, rural scenes, florals. I also would really enjoy photographing teeny-tiny things and making them look huge.

8. Tell us about a band you like that we might not have heard.

I don't know about any bands, per se. But one of my favorite is a one-woman wonder: Enya.

9. Where was the last place you went shopping? Why?

HEB was the last place that we went shopping. We had to buy groceries.

Five Minute Friday: Trust

Please click the button above and be prepared to be inspired by The Gypsy Mama's writing. Join the rest of us as we write life five minutes at a time, unedited.

This week's prompt is: Trust.
===

Trust is a hard one. We're asked to trust in things that we cannot see and we're asked to trust in spite of things that we do see.

Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

We go to the doctor and trust that he will make us better. We go to work and trust that we'll get paid. We leave the house and trust that we'll make it back. We raise our children in Christian homes and trust that they'll turn out fine and faithful.

It is easy to trust when life is going great. But how do you handle it when the world seems to be falling down around you? We are to trust in Him, in the good and in the bad, that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Psalm 62:8 "Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah."

For better or for worse, can we be trusted to fight through the bad to get to the other side, or will we run at the first sign of trouble, or give up just because things aren't going our way, on our time table?

Psalm 56:4 "In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me."

Saturday 9

Saturday 9's questions this week are as follows:

1. I read that Bud Weiser & Kathy moved into their new house! When was the last time you moved? Where to?

The last time that we moved was in September 2004. We moved from the upstate of South Carolina to the Texas Gulf Coast. This was the biggest move that either of us have ever made, both as children with our parents and as adults. All of my previous moves were usually various places still in Anderson County, South Carolina (and one time to Greenwood County, SC). David was from Atlanta, Georgia and moved to South Carolina as a little boy.

2. If they were making a Hall of Fame for the blogosphere, name a blogger or two who you think should make the list. Why?

There are so many great ones out there, I can't pin it down to one or two!

3. What are couple of funny things you remember your parents saying? (Like, “They're starving there in China, so finish what you've got.” - John Lennon) Do you say them to your kids?

I can't remember anything funny that my parents said when I was young. We did have laughter in our home and tickling was a big feature, but I can't remember any funny sayings.

4. What is something that has happened to you that you would consider a miracle?

The fact that I am still alive to be typing a response here is a miracle. In May 2010, I laid down fully prepared to die, knowing it was imminent. I couldn't move, could barely breathe and couldn't speak above a whisper. My husband was having to ice me down, going through many pounds of ice a day. It wasn't due to hot flashes (though those were happening, too). Somehow the ice was helping me to breathe. I closed my eyes and felt myself leaving this life and, then, heard my aunt telling me that it wasn't my time to go to Heaven yet. I was diagnosed with severe anemia and the tumors were found. I wasn't able to get surgery to remove the tumors until October 2010, but they were removed and declared non-cancerous. Although I have mostly recovered, I am much weaker than I was before the anemia took over and am wondering if I will ever be strong again.

5. What is it too late for?

It is too late for listening to the stories of my grandparents, the ones they were so eager to tell when I was young and I was too fidgety to truly listen to. It is too late to ask them how they met and where they got married. It is too late to ask them the things that I'm only learning now that I should have asked. It is too late do a lot of things.

6. What do you try to stay away from?

I try to stay away from things that are going to cause arguments. Somehow those things always find me.

7. When you get into a disagreement or fight, how often are you the first to apologize?

If I feel that I am in the wrong, I will apologize. Generally, I don't feel like I am wrong about whatever the situation is, though. If I did, there wouldn't be an argument in the first place.

8. Tell us about a current issue that you’re unhappy with.

I am unhappy with our current financial status and my memory issues.

9. How often do you update your blog/site and why?

My goal is to update my blogs every day. I'm doing good these days if I get it done a couple of times a week. I enjoy blogging, but I have a very hard time coming up with things to write. As I wait to get my brain back, the memes are a big help.