Thirteen recent/random websites I have enjoyed lately.

1. 5 Minutes for Mom - This site rocks and I visit often. It makes me feel good about myself and I love reading the daily blogs. If you are interested in a possible job with them, be sure and visit this link and apply.

2. The Daily Dish - a daily recipe AND article dedicated to helping parents feed their families for less.

3. Horse Riding Game - a highly addictive game (even if you aren’t a horseback rider) that our trainer sent us. Too fun!

4. Mighty Optical Illusions - an awesome site that has all kinds of optical illusions. Our favorites are the sidewalk/street art. (see 3D Chalk Drawings)

5. The Archive of Misheard Lyrics - I don’t know why we love this one so much but we can sit and giggle for an hour or more looking through the lyrics. Some we can totally relate to.

6. Think Geek - Great website full of geeky toys. I just love this site.

7. Blog Writers - Imagine why I would like this site? Be sure and watch the video at the bottom of the front page. So funny!

8. CuppacinJoe - I love this guys blog, all about….coffee!! Yum!

9. The Lazy Organizer - This chick is cool, funny and motivational. I love the fact that she knows what a real person is like and makes organizing easier because of it.

10. I’m an Organizing Junkie - Another awesome organizing website. I just love her blog template and it makes me motivated to do things. Plus she runs menu plan Monday which I plan to start participating in. We are changing our eating habits and this will be an awesome way to incorporate that (and be held accountable!)

11. Kristine Kane’s blog - Love her. Enough said.

12. Simple and Delicious - Put out by Taste of Home. I just bought two magazine style cookbooks from them THIS WEEK! We’ve tried several things out of them and YUMMY!!!

13. Be Centsable - Want to learn to save money on food and other items. Here ya go!

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I found this while blog surfing a couple of days ago and finally had a chance to do it. I am such a book addict I thought it would be super easy and really fun. However, it was a lot harder than I at first thought. I think I’ve read TOO many books. Anyway, here are my answers. If you do this, leave a link in my comments so I can come read your answers.

The Book Meme

• One book that changed your life: Honestly there are a whole slew of them that pertain to the writing genre and doing it better, that certainly have played their role in changing my life. There is even a fictional title that paid a greater impact in my desire to become a writer. However, by far one of my favorites is Heather Seller’s “Chapter After Chapter”. (I promptly read Page After Page when I finished it. Both books have been read numerous times now). It was extremely motivational for me and even though I have had the strong will, desire and drive to become a writer, it definitely helped broaden my thinking and move beyond where I was originally headed.
• One book that you have read more than once: Well, I could have listed the book above, but lets be different. It was an easy question anyway, the first one that popped into my head: “Catcher in the Rye”. It was one of my favorites.
• One book that you would want on a desert island: “Coconut Delights Cookbook: A Collection of Coconut Recipes” by Karen Jean Matsko Hood.  For obvious reasons.
• One book that made you laugh: I couldn’t pick just one, so I want with the Ted L. Nancy series “Letters from a Nut” I have picked those books up again and again throughout the years when I am looking for a good true to life laugh out loud experience. Companies can be quite idiotic if you want to know the truth. LOL
• One book that made you cry: Almost any single one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. They have also made me laugh too.
• One book you wish you’d written: “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult. What an amazing gift she has to put words out there that can make you totally feel for the “bad guy”. It’s an amazing read where you will laugh, cry, get angry and possibly feel emotions you never knew you had. That would be the EXACT type of book I would want to write.
• One book you wish had never been written: Honestly. I cannot list a single book. There are dozens of books that I have read that I did not like. Alright, more like hundreds. But I will honestly say as an author, I am proud of every book that is published. The good, the bad, the ugly and even …. anything Philip Pullman would write.
• One book you’re reading: I always have about five books going at a time, but right now I am reading “The Spinster Sisters” by Stacey Ballis. I am in love with Ms. Ballis’ writing ability, her style and her book is absolutely funny, cute, poignant and perfect all wrapped up into a cute little library copy book.
• One book you’re going to read: I have had “The Secret Life of Bee’s” on my darn bookshelf for over a year now. I want to read it so badly, but I am waiting for some uninterrupted time so I can basically devour the book. I know I am going to like it. I am dying to see the movie when its released.

My mom loves to send me these things, so here we go.

Four things you may or may not know about me:

A) Four employers:

Chocolate Soup (a clothing shop for kids that many women are familiar with! - my first job!)
Price Chopper (Bakery Dept.)
Maggie Moo’s (Ice Cream Shop)
Two Scrapbook Stores (I taught classes)

B) Four People who e-mail me:

Lisa, Erin, My CTMH girls, Mike

C) Four of my favorite foods:

Steak, Grilled Shrimp, Chicken/Turkey, Chocolate (oh, and those terrible for me cheeseburgers!)

D) Four places I would rather be right now:

At Lisa’s with a hot cup of coffee and some serious girl talk, Visiting my mom in PA, In my bed, At O’Charley’s (I’m hungry!)

E) Four people I think will respond:

Nobody because I don’t plan to actually send this out or tag anyone.

F) Four movies I would (do) watch over and over:

The Notebook, St. Elmo’s Fire, Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken, The Day After Tomorrow

G) Four places I have lived:

Dallas, Texas, Mesa, Arizona, Miami, Florida, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

H) Four TV Shows I Watch:

House, Law and Order: SVU, American Idol, Grey’s Anatomy

If anyone decides to do this one, just leave me a comment and it will link to you. I have “Do Follow”. I will also come visit you and leave you a comment. Look forward to reading your answers.

I stole borrowed this from Kristie over at Life With My X-Men.

MOUTHOLOGY

Q. What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Wendy’s. Unless you count Mr. Goodcents or Jimmy Johns as fast food. They are sub shops. Those are actually my favorites, but I am just not sure they count.
Q. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? It’s a toss up between Macaroni Grill and O’Charleys
Q. On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? 15-20%. The whole thing depends on the service. (couldn’t have said it better myself Kristie)
Q. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? cheeseburgers
Q. What are your pizza toppings of choice? Light or no sauce. Extra Cheese. I like pepperoni and ham, but not necessarily together.
Q. What do you like to put on your toast? peanut butter. Sometimes I just like buttered toast. I also really like cinnamon and brown sugar with butter. Its AWESOME.

TECHNOLOGY

Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer? I have one with horses that I adore, but it eats up memory like crazy so I don’t use it anymore.
Q. How many televisions are in your house? Four. And two that need to go get repaired but they are HUGE so its not as easy as it sounds. LOL

BIOLOGY

Q. Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right.
Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body? No. Well, a baby or two. LOL
Q. What is the last heavy item you lifted? A 6′ Table for my Scrapbooking Area.
Q. Have you ever been knocked unconscious? No.

BULLSHITOLOGY (If you’ll excuse the term.)

Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? No, I prefer to live every day to its fullest, so I’d rather not know because I think then my outlook would change.
Q. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? I wouldn’t. I took my middle name (Nicole) that was the name I wanted. I might give myself a different last name. (*hint* *hint* Mike)
Q. What color do you think looks best on you? Blue
Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? I’m not sure. Maybe a bug or two on accident?
Q. Have you ever saved some one’s life? Well, I was a lifeguard for four years, and we had to pull a child or two out. I don’t know if I actually saved their life, but I did have to give CPR a few times.
Q. Has someone ever saved yours? No.

DAREOLOGY (You can stop here if you’re bored.)

Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? Depends on what kinda kiss we’re talking here. I kiss my sister, I kiss my female kiddos. I kiss my mother.
Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? Nope.
Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000? Sure. Then I’d just create a pseudo name cause I gotta get them words out. hehe
Q. Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? Never.
Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Sure, why not? (Kristie, good answer)

DUMBOLOGY

Q: What is in your left pocket? Nothing
Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie? Thankfully I have no clue. Never saw it and it is not one I intend to ever see.
Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower? Most of the time I stand, except we have this little ledge thing and I sometimes sit to shave.
Q: Could you live with roommates? I have several times. So yes, I suppose I can.
Q: How many pairs of flip flops do you own? two
Q: Last time you had a run-in with the cops? I have a friend that is a cop and occasionally we “run into” him. LOL Actually he has been known to pull us over in the past “just to be funny”. That was about a year ago or so though.
Q: What do you want to be when you grow up? I think I am grown up. I’m living the life I want to live and I’m being the person I want to be. I wanted to be a writer, I am living that and getting paid. I wanted to be creative in a job, and I’m a scrapbooking consultant, I get paid for that. Love it! I’m all I want to be.

LASTOLOGY

Q: Last friend you talked to? Lisa
Q: Last person who called you? Lisa
Q: Last person you saw? Mike

FAVORITOLOGY

Q: Number? 3 - I don’t know why. I also have a fascination with digits by 7. (ie. 14, 21, 28, etc.) No clue why.
Q. Season? Fall

CURRENTOLOGY

Q: Mood? Happy
Q: Listening to? The dog and cat play together and some strange FX movie on TV.
Q: Watching? My computer screen. I am not watching the movie.
Q: Worrying about? my two sick kiddo’s.

RANDOMOLOGY

Q: First place you went this morning? uhm..the kitchen?
Q: What can you not wait to do? See my article published in print in April. Yay me!
Q: What’s the last movie you saw? Face Off last night on TV. I have never watched the whole thing (and I still haven’t - I fell asleep) but it was so interesting now I want to watch it.
Q: Do you smile often? Yeah. A lot.
Q: Are you a friendly person? Yep. Especially if I know you. (Kristie your response works for me too) - I have occasional social anxiety, so often it takes someone else to start something out but then I’m chatty as can be.

Yes! You finally made it to the end of this looonnnngg Meme. I am not tagging anyone to do it, but if you do, let me know and I’ll link you. Thanks Kristie, for a fun meme.

While blog surfing I came across this meme and was captivated by the concept, so well….I did it. I’m not tagging anyone, I just wanted to do it myself.Here ya go!

1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back to them.
2. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months (see below).
3. Pick your month of birth (see below).
4. Highlight the traits that apply to you.
5. Tag 12 people and let them know by visiting their blogs and leaving a comment for them. (However, I am a rule breaker and I don’t have the heart to tag 12 people…so if you do this, lemme know) Essentially I’m tagging all my blogging buddies because I’d love to see their answers, but I won’t be offended if you don’t do it.
6. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve done it!

I’m an August baby and I have done something similar before. They are eerily close to accurate:

AUGUST:

• Loves to joke. (very true, ask Mike)
• Attractive. (Mike says I am. Thanks baby!)
• Suave and caring. (I think so)
• Brave and fearless. (Well, I’m not afraid of much, but I am not sure how brave I actually am)
• Firm and has leadership qualities. (So true.)
• Knows how to console others. (Very true. It has been a downside for me sometimes because everyone comes to me.)
• Too generous and egoistic. (I know I am extremely generous, but I had to look egoistic up. I’m not sure I fit that one)
• Takes high pride in oneself. (yes, this is true.)
• Thirsty for praises. (aren’t we all?)
• Extraordinary spirit. (yup, that’s me)
• Easily angered. (I wish I couldn’t say yes, but yep)
• Angry when provoked. (this is a given seeing the one above)
• Easily jealous. (I can be, but I have worked hard on that in my walk with God - so not so much anymore, content is better.)
• Observant. (Does the title private investigator mean anything, yeah.)
• Careful and cautious. (yes.)
• Thinks quickly. (It should read Thinks Quickly and Far too Much!)
• Independent thoughts. (yep)
• Loves to lead and to be led. (yes)
• Loves to dream. (yeah I am a major dreamer)
• Talented in the arts, music and defense. (yes - arts, yes - music, not sure about defense)
• Sensitive but not petty. (too sensitive at times)
• Poor resistance against illnesses. (I disagree with this, I have been relatively healthy this year even when others were sick!)
• Learns to relax. (if I am learning than how does it fit me?)
• Hasty and trusty. (I don’t even understand this one. I’m fast to trust? - if that’s what this means, then yep!)
• Romantic. (VERY! Love notes hidden all over, sweet gifts for no reason, cards just because, remembering particular dates because of what they mean, etc. etc. etc. I’m also OCD about my romance. )
• Loving and caring. (That’s why my step-daughter’s attached to me so quick)
• Loves to make friends. (yes/no. I enjoy the friends I already have and really enjoy being with them. I am not the type to seek out new friendships, but if it happens I’m certainly okay with it.)

THE MONTHLY FLAVORS, WHICH ARE YOU?

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

My friend Allison has tagged me for a 7 Random Things about Me meme. Alli I love ya but I’m not sure I am that exciting to find things out about. LOL I might steal all yours!

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and posts the rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.

3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are my 7 Random Things about Me

1. Most people who read my blogs know I am a writer. Those people might be surprised to know that I began writing at age 5 and have never stopped. In addition, while it wasn’t professional, my first work was published when I was 8.

2. I love Christmas, absolutely adore the holiday season. If I could change things a bit, I’d have us all put our trees up in October just so I could enjoy them a little longer.

3. Knowing about my love for Christmas, you might be surprised to learn that I wish that the whole “hooplah” didn’t occur. In other words, I don’t like the shopping, the wrapping, and I really don’t need gifts. I just like the sounds, smells, lights and more.

4. I am an organization junkie. I mean I LOVE organizing. However, I have lovely “organized” piles of stuff everywhere in my house so it really appears I am not organized. I recently organized my friends house (clean sweep style) and have had two other requests since then. I love doing it.

5. Totally not a fashionista (I’m with ya Alli!) Could care less about what is in fashion, or what not. My typical attire is a pair of blue jeans that are comfy and fit and a long sleeve plain solid colored shirt. I wear work out clothes a lot just to be comfy (no I don’t really work out LOL)

6. I do NOT need an alarm clock. I have not used an alarm clock since I was a teenager. When I need to get up early in the morning, my body just wakes me. Apparently I have the most finely tuned internal alarm clock ever. It’s weird.

7. While I would love to be published (what writer wouldn’t), I am not seeking that avenue as strongly as most writer’s would.

I am actually not going to tag anyone with this, but if you do it, please leave me a comment so I can come visit. I love reading these.

Ok, I had to ask a bunch of questions and it only seemed fair that I answer them myself. If you haven’t answered them yet, please click here and read them, answer them and either post in the comments or on your own blog and give me the link.

Here are my answers:

What types of things do you normally or are you going to put into stockings this year?
We do a variety of items. Usually we try to pinpoint our children’s interests and do things like that. We also include practical items like special bubble bath, toothbrushes, hair things, etc.

How many gifts do you typically purchase per child?
This is one of those hard to answer questions. With five children we have to be careful that nobody feels left out. Sometimes a gift costs more than someone else’s gift, so that is where the problems occur. What we have done to supplement that problem is to purchase little items that don’t cost a lot for the person with the large gift so that in some way it equals out. Most of the time they get about five things each on Christmas morning. Christmas even they always get three things. (this year it will be four because we came up with a creative idea for the girls and had to do something for the boy too)

Do you put a cash cap on a gift? For instance, they probably want that $200 camera, but would you actually purchase an item like that for your child? Or lets say it is some remote control thingy that a child really wants - do you spend the $70 or $80 the thing costs? What is your cap?
So far we have never actually put a cap on the cost of a gift, simply because most of the time they don’t ask for anything too expensive. Of course last year my eight year old daughter decided she really wanted a laptop and a digital camera. We said no. LOL
If I had to cap it, I think it would depend on the gift. Obviously if I was purchasing a digital camera for them, the cap would have to be higher because a good camera costs a lot. Normally we spend less than $100 per child so they don’t ask for huge things.

Does Santa wrap his gifts?
When I was growing up he did. And it drove me nuts. When have you ever seen Santa with a sackful of wrapped gifts? Never. He doesn’t wrap anymore.

What do you do with all of those handmade ornaments our precious children come home with?
We used to hang them on the tree each year. Our kids are older now so they don’t make many anymore. What I started doing a few years back, was I purchased a small tree and it went in the hallway outside their rooms. I allowed them to add all of their school creations, as well as any fun things they made at home to that tree. The downstairs tree was where we hung all the other ornaments. We’ve saved some of them to give to them someday, but they are content with not adding them to the tree anymore.

Do you open any gifts on Christmas eve and if so, are they different every year or the same “type” of thing each year?
I never got to when I was growing up, so I wanted to do something different when I had my own children. Since my son was two, and then when my daughter was two (I waited until they could open gifts themselves), they have received three gifts on Christmas Eve. An ornament to hang on the tree, a pair of pajamas (for those Christmas morning pictures!!) and when they were tiny, they received a book that we read before they went to bed. Now we alternate between a new book, a stuffed animal to sleep with, or something else (one year I did mugs with hot cocoa and cookies - a great bedtime treat).

Are you finished with all of your shopping yet?
For the most part I am. One child is seriously lacking gifts, only because they didn’t have a big list this year. We are working on that child, but everyone else is done or their gifts are still in the mail. I have to do a couple more things for Mike and then I will finish up friends and extended family. I’m not doing a lot outside of our own family this year.

So did you answer them? Let me know!

Now that I did that Christmas Meme thing I got through my email, I started thinking about other people and what they do for Christmas with their kids. Plus blog hopping sparked all these questions when I saw pictures, and read posts relating to what some people do.

I am not normally the curious, nosy sort, but right now I’m just eager to hear what others do.

I have some questions. Feel free to answer them and post them in the comments field, OR you can post them to your blog - just come back here and leave me a comment with a link so I can come read them. I will answer them in another post.

1. What types of things do you normally or are you going to put into stockings this year?
2. How many gifts do you typically purchase per child?
3. Do you put a cash cap on a gift? For instance, they probably want that $200 camera, but would you actually purchase an item like that for your child? Or lets say it is some remote control thingy that a child really wants - do you spend the $70 or $80 the thing costs? What is your cap?
4. Does Santa wrap his gifts?
5. What do you do with all of those handmade ornaments our precious children come home with?
6. Do you open any gifts on Christmas eve and if so, are they different every year or the same “type” of thing each year?
7. Are you finished with all of your shopping yet?

Okay those are all the questions I have for now. Mine are in the next post.

I received this through email, but thought I’d post my answers here.

Okay, here’s what you’re supposed to do and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy this entire email and paste into a new blank e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so they apply to you. Then, send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person who sent it to you. It’s the season to be cheerful!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper for the family, but giving gifts away to friends and others its usually a gift bag.

2. Real or Artificial tree? Artificial

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually its the day after Thanksgiving but we were out of town this year, so it was the first week of December.

4. When do you take the tree down? The first week of January. Usually after the kids are back in school. They come home, and everything is taken down.

5. Do you like Eggnog? ugh- no.

6. Favorite gift you received as a child? I think it was a keyboard I asked for. I can’t remember anything else that stands out in my mind that much.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? yes, two.

8. Hardest person to buy for? my step-father

9. Easiest person to buy for? my daughter

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? I can’t think of one that could be dubbed “the worst”.

11. Christmas Cards…Snail mail or E-mail? Always snail mail to my r/l friends. Always email to my online friends.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?I’m not sure I have one. I love Holiday in Your Heart (LeAnn Rimes) and most of the Holiday related Lifetime and Hallmark and Oxygen and WE movies.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? January - no seriously, I do.

14. Have you ever ‘recycled’ a Christmas present? yes.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas cookies - which we bake about 12 dozen cookies!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? well, for me- clear and only clear. But my family prefers colored, so I settle with a small Charlie Brown like tree that I decorate with clear lights, and blue and silver ornaments.

17. Favorite Christmas Songs? I have a ton. Holiday in Your Heart - LeAnn Rimes, The Gift - Jim Brickman and absolutely anything and everything by Trans Siberian Orchestra. Oh and I also adore Manheim Steam Roller. (I went to a TSO concert last year. It was amazing!!)

18. Travel at Christmas or Stay Home? stay home. Unless you are talking about visiting family in town. We will be going to my mom’s Christmas evening.

19. Can you name Santa’s Reindeer? Yes, and I can even spell them correctly (lol nobody ever knows how to but me - I’m pathetic) Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder (his name is not Donner), Blitzen and Rudolph.

20. Do you have an Angel or a Star on top of your tree? Well, I have a Santa on top of the family tree, and a snowman on top of the other tree. So uhm…nope.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Morning? We give our kids PJ’s, an Ornament, and one gift on Christmas Eve - the one gift is typically a stuffed toy or a book (depending on what they asked for). The rest is all on Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Honestly, I love the Christmas music that is played, what annoys me is the hustle and bustle that comes from those that push their way through stores to get this and that and the rudeness that tends to surface around the holidays.

23. Shopping mall or on-line? Both (though I hate the mall!)

24. Do you decorate outside for Christmas or just inside (or at all?) Both.

25. Favorite Christmas cookie? I absolutely love cookies period. But I especially love the Peanut Butter Blossoms that we make each year. Yummmy!!

26. Do you own Christmassy clothing or jewelry? I have little gold earrings that are bells

27. Do you believe in Santa? absolutely