Ok, I probably could think of something to blog about, but I don’t feel like it.  So I am copying this meme from gaviesgal.

1. Do you like blue cheese?  I like the test, but ever sinc ei learned that the blue was mold, I cannot eat it.

2. Have you ever smoked? Yes, on and off for years. I still smoke very occasionally (like one cigarette every 4-6 months if I am with friends who smoke…when I am not pregnant of course.

3. Do you own a gun? No.

4. What flavor of Kool Aid was your favorite?  Red

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? sometimes

6. What do you think of hot dogs? Like the taste, but I only buy all beef  or all chicken ones with no byproducts.

7. Favorite Christmas movie? The Grinch–the cartoon one, not Jim Carrey.

8. Favorite thing to drink in the morning? Orange Pekoe Tea with cream and sugar (though I usually have milk).

9. Can you do push ups? not so much.

10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? my engagement ring.

11. Favorite hobby? Blogging, reading, belly-dancing (though I have not done that in a while).

12. Do you have A.D.D?  Probably!

13. What’s one trait you hate about yourself? I have no filter. I really need a filter. Oh, and I have no portion control. I need that too.

14. Middle name? Heather

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. 1) Why is the girl not asleep? 2) Where is the man gonna put all the stuff that is STILL living in the nursery? 3) Man, I am ready for bed.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?  Tea, Coffee, Diet Coke.

17. Current worry? My migraines staying after I have the baby.

18. Current hate. My migraines.

19. Favorite place to be?  The mall.

20. How did you bring in the new year? With friends, dinner out at a Chinese Buffet, and then drinks at their place.

21. Where would you like to go?  India, Turkey, London.

22. Name three people who might complete this: No one?

23. Do you own slippers? Yes. I prefer fuzzy socks though.

24. What shirt are you wearing? Old Navy light blue oversized T-shirt the man bought me today.

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I’ve never tried. But the girl has a satin comforter, and I like that.

26. Can you whistle? Nope, never have been able to. 

27. Favorite color? Purple

28. Would you be a pirate? No.

29. What songs do you sing in the AM? I don’t.

30. Favorite Girl’s Name: Zoe

31. Favorite boy’s name: Oliver

32. What’s in your pocket right now? No pocket, I am in pyjama pants.

33. Last thing that made you laugh? The cat, she was pretending she was going to commit suicide over the side of the stairs. She does that whenever we ignore her.

34. What vehicle do you drive? Saturn Ion

35. Worst injury you’ve ever had? I haven’t had any bad ones.

36. Do you love where you live? Yes, but I wish my house was in better condition. It needs a lot of work.

37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2 that work, a few broken ones in the basement.

38. Who is your loudest friend? I cannot say here.

39. Do you have any pets? 1 cat, Princess. The girl has an almost dead fish named Laura.

40. Does someone have a crush on you? I hope so!

41. Your favorite book: Pillars of the Earth

42. Do you collect anything? Handbags.

43. Favorite Sports Team? I don’t have one.

The marvelous C has tagged me for the Think Different challenge. Urgh, more challenges I don’t need…but I am gonna be a good sport and take her up on it anyways!

(copied and pasted direct from C’s Blog, because I am feeling lazy):

The Think Different Challenge is all about
finding something in your life you currently have negative thoughts or feelings toward (eg work or your mother-in-law), and deciding to look at it differently. It is about realizing that some things are just a part of life, so we may as well try to find the positives in them.

The rules for this writing project are:

1. Write a new blog post in which you “think different”. Follow my suggestions above, or be a bit different and interpret the challenge the way you want .
2. State that the post is a part of the Think Different Challenge and include a link and/ or trackback to this post so that readers know the rules of the challenge. Feel free to use the above banner (inspired, of course, by Seth Godin).
3. Include a link and/ or trackback to the blogger who tagged you.
4. At the end of your post, go ahead and tag some fellow bloggers. Don’t forget to email them to let them know they have been tagged.
5. That’s it! Just sit back and enjoy reading peoples’ responses to the challenge.

OK, So I am gonna think different about…Healthy Eating, fruits and vegetables in particular! I try to eat healthily and get in my 5 a day, but I am not very good at it. Left to my own devices, I would never eat a fruit or vegetable again and live on pasta, cheese, fried foods (preferably fried pasta and cheese) and sweets. I force myself to eat fruits and vegetables and make healthy(ish) choices about what I eat mostly so I don’t get too fat…and because it is healthier, admittedly to a lesser degree. So, i am going to challenge myself to start seeing eating healthy as a joy and pleasure, instead of a a necessary chore and sacrifice. That means that I will make healthy veggie-laden meals that I really enjoy (because there are some, I am just often too lazy to cook them), search lout healthy recipes that are also appealing to my palette, and just try to eat healthier even more in hopes that it becomes my taste (I have done this in the past and eventually gotten to point where fruits really did seems like a desirable “snack”, but I lost it somewhere along the way!)

So, who shall I tag? C has already tagged several of my blogging buddies. I am gonna go with D’rae, Jen and Wendy!

By Karen,  for a great big huge mammoth meme

FOODOLOGY

Q. What is your salad dressing of choice?
A. Walden Farms Sweet Onion

Q. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
A. Taco Bell

Q. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
A. OOH, hard one. I think I’ll go with…Banfi.

Q. On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?
A. Usually around 15%.

Q. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
A. Swiss Cheese Crepes.

Q. What is your favorite type of gum?
A. Trident Vanilla Mint

TECHNOLOGY

Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A. Picture of the girl.

Q. How many televisions are in your house?
A. 3, but only 2 being used.

BIOLOGY

Q. What’s your best feature?
A. My eyes.

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A. Just teeth.

Q. Which of your five senses do you think is keenest?
A. Smell.

Q. When was the last time you had a cavity?
A. A couple years ago.

Q. What is the heaviest item you lifted last?
A. The girl, at 32lbs.

Q. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A. No.

BULLSHITOLOGY

Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
A. No.

Q. Is love for real?
A. Very real.

Q. If you could change your first name, what would you change it to?
A. I have always wished I had a very cute and unusual name…but not unheard of. Cora or Chloe, something like that. I must say thought, the older I get the more I appreciate the name I have.

Q. What color do you think looks best on you?
A. Blue, like cornflower blue.

Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
A. I’m sure I  have, but I blobked it.

Q. Have you ever saved someone’s life?
A. No.

Q. Has someone ever saved yours?
A. No.

DAREOLOGY

Q. Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000?
A. No. Yes, Maybe.

Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
A. No. I only kiss for love. 

Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000?
A. No.

Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000?
A. Um,  yeah sure.

Q. Would you pose nude in a magazine for $250,000?
A. No. I think I’d have to pay for them to want me.  

Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1,000?
A. I would try.

Q. Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000?
A. No.

Q. Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000?
A. Yes.

Q. Give up MySpace forever for $30,000?
A. Yes. Never been on it.

DUMBOLOGY

Q: What is in your left pocket?
A. Nothing. I don’t have pockets right now.

Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A. Yes, very funny.

Q: Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house?
A. Both.
Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower?
A. Stand.

Q: Could you live with roommates?
A. Sure, I have in the past.

Q: How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?
A. 4 pairs.

Q: Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
A. Got 2 speeding tickets in early 2006.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. A bubbie.
LASTOLOGY

Q: Friend you talked to?
A. A co-worker I am very friendly with.

Q: Last person you called?
A. My mom.

RANDOMOLOGY

Q: First place you went this morning?
A. Toilet.

Q: What can you not wait to do?
A. Go out in my new sun-glasses.

Q: What’s the last movie you saw?
A. Borat.

Q: Are you a friendly person?
A. No. I am very shy and standoffish.

I tag…da da da da…Denial, Kelli and Jen (remember ladies, don’t link back to me, k? Thanx!)

Questions supplied by Kind of Crunchy Mama.

1. Are you religious and/or spiritual? How does that affect your daily life?No, I am not. I am Jewish, however not religious at all. I am not even sure what, if anything, I believe in. My husband is more observant than I am, so it affects my daily life in concrete ways, like needing to buy Kosher food, and keep separate dishes to maintain certain kosher laws. As well, although I am not sure what I believee in the the sense of organized religion, I do believe in some sort of higher order, and that for the most part things happen as they are meant to and we don’t get more than we can manage.  That belief helps me through hard times.

2. If you could choose anywhere in the world, where would you like to live? Why? South Korea. I lived there form 1996-1999, and loved it. I cannot even say why exactly. I mean, sure I loved the food and shopping and such…but I could say that about many places. It was more the feeling of being there. When I was there, even when things were really rotten, I would think “at least I am still in Korea” and feel better. It felt like home somehow. I even learned the language somewhat, in spite of sucking big time at languages! Maybe there is such thing as a past life, and mine was there. I am not sure. Even though I am happy with my life and home and community, and love where I live…I still miss Korea often. I dream I am there all the time, and sometimes even dream in Korean that is far better than my true usage of the language (which is now limited to ordering in restaurants. Sometimes I get that wrong, I once ordered a co-worker a plate full of fish heads!)

3. What do you hate about being a mom? The whining. The fact that I can no longer sleep whenever I want to.

4. Name three people you would miss if they went out of your life (family not included). And why you would miss them. This is hard. To be honest,I am not close to a lot of people outside of my family. I lived overseas for so long, and then met Adam almost as soon as I came back, before I developed a new circle of friends.  I would miss Dina, of course. She is the sister I never had. Another friend of mine, who shall remain nameless but who has a great sense of humour and shares my love of food.  I cannot come up with a third. I mean…sure I would miss many of my online friends, but that seems like not quite the right answer somehow. Robert Downey Jr. also does not count, I suppose?

5. What is your favorite material possession?

My engagement ring. It was made form my grandmother’s earrings, and custom designed by me even though I am generally awful at anything artistic. Somehow I was able to incorporate 2 centre stones into the design. I think it is very lovely and unique, and it means so much to me as it is both my engagement ring and cherished jewellery form my grandmother. She always told me that whatever she left me I could do with as I wished, and I know she would love what I did with the earrings, making them into a piece of jewelry that is meaningful and that I wear every single day.  A close second would be my Coach evening bag. I LOVE it. So cute and yet classic.

If you want to play along, leave a comment and I will send you some of your very own questions to answer on your blog.

Posty today, aren’t I?

turns tears

 into smiles.

 Stolen from Thordora.I think you can figure out what to do!

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) READ IT
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) READ IT
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) READ IT                                                                  

 4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) AGAIN AND AGAIN*
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) READ IT*
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)                                                            

12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) WANT TO
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)                                                          

14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving) READ IT
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) READ IT                                                            

16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees(Ann-Marie MacDonald) READ IT*
18. The Stand (Stephen King) READ IT
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) READ IT                                                                           

21. The Hobbit (Tolkien) READ IT
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) READ IT                                                           

23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) READ IT
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold) READ IT
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel) READ IT
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) READ IT
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) READ IT
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand) READ IT                                                                             

34. 1984 (Orwell) READ IT                                                                                                   

35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett) READ IT*
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb) READ IT*
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant) READ IT*
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) READ IT*
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella) READ IT
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) READ IT*                                           

48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt) READ IT
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb) READ IT
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) READ IT*
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) READ IT
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence) READ IT                                                           

57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough) READ IT
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) READ IT
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger) READ IT*                                         

61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) READ IT
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand) READ IT
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice) READ IT
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) WANT TO
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) READ IT
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding) READ IT
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez) WANT TO
73. Shogun (James Clavell) READ IT
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje) READ IT
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) READ IT                                              

76. Tigana (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith) READ IT
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving) READ IT
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White) AGAIN AND AGAIN*                                                

 81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of  Mice And Men (Steinbeck) READ IT
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen) READ IT
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) READ IT
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields) READ IT
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago) READ IT
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer) READ IT
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje) READ IT
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)                                                                                  

94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd) READ IT
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum) READ IT
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton) READ IT
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch) READ IT                                                                           

 98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield) READ IT
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Stolen from Denial! If you play, leave a comment and let me know!

A: What Accessories do you wear everyday?
My wedding set, earrings, a handbag, and my watch.

B: What is your beauty routine?
Shower, lotion, cosmetics, brush teeth. Evening, I wash my face with a cleansing wipe, and use some night cream if my skin is feeling dry.

C: What was the last item of clothing (for yourself) that you purchased?
It has actually been a while…hmmm…I think it was the Old Navy gauchos I bought for my belly dancing class (very comfy!)

D: Do you use a dresser, closet, or both?
Closet.

E: What type of earrings are in your ears right now?
Gold hoops with tiny diamonds in them, a birthday gift from my husband a few years ago, in the bottom holes. The rest of the holes have tiny fake diamond studs.

F: What type of figure do you have?
5′4 and curvy, with large breasts and long legs.

G: Do you wear glasses?
yes. usually contacts

H: What type of handbag do you carry?
Usually my Coach Leather bag. I have redand brown leather bags I wear when the outfit requires it, and a black Coach evening bag. In the spring I will switch my everyday bag form the leather one to my Signature Jaquard Hobo.

I: What is your ideal style?
Trendy, with an edge.

J: What jewelry are you wearing right now?
My rings, watch, earrings, navel ring and nose ring.

K: Do you wear knee-hi stockings?
Nope.

L: Do you *have* to wear matching lingerie?
No. I have to buy my bras at a plus size store, so the panties are too big for me and not my style. I usually buy black or nude though, so I can coordinate nicely.

M: Do you wear makeup?
Yes, I love it.

N: Do you wear nightgowns?
Yes, often. If I get cold in the middle of the night, I pull on pyjama pants and a sweatshirt of Adam’s.

O: What outerwear do you put on when going out on a typical winters day?
I have either an everyday wool coat or a dress wool coat, a scarf and gloves.

P: What is your favorite perfume?
I don’t wear it, it gives me headaches. Just smelling it does, so I don’t know.

Q: Is your motto “quality over quantity” when it comes to clothing and accessories?
No, I tend to go with cute, trendy and flattering and will make it through the season. I re-vamp my wardrobe every season, so I see no need to my expensive high quality stuff since I’ll never wear it the next year anyways.

R: Do you wear rain boots?
No.

S: Do you wear socks or slippers when your feet get cold?
Socks. or Slipper socks.

T: Do you have a set of travel luggage?
Not really, some hand me downs from my parents. We are not big travellers.

U: What is your daily uniform?
Usually pants and a sweater of some sort.

V: If you are married, did you wear a veil with your wedding dress? If not, how did you do your hair?
Yes, for the ceremony, not the reception. My heair was in a curly updo, with a tiara.

W: Do you wear a watch?
Yes.

X: What item of clothing always makes you feel eXtremely beautiful?
A sparkly low cut dress.

Y: What is your favorite type of yarn?
Yarn? What’s that?

Z: Do you prefer zippers or buttons?
Depends on how the outfit is.

I was reading The Queen of the Mayhem, and decided to take up the Queen’s challenge and pick the three songs  I listen to over and over again, my 3 all time favorites.

 This is really kind of tough for me, as I tend to be someone who gets “into” a song, and then cannot get out of it.

In the last few months, songs that I’ve been playing a lot have been Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado, Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira, Not Ready to Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks, and Buttonz by The Pussycat dolls. But they don’t count. They are recent loves, and I know that sometime in the next few months, I will have forgotten about most of them, except for, likely, NRTMN.

So, I am thinking more along the lines of timeless classics, songs I played over and over again years ago, and still do today. Songs that take my breath away and make me stop whatever I am doing for a moment whenever I hear them unexpectedly in an elivator or store or on the radio (where I rarely hear them). This is harder…there are  many…yet somehow, I must cut them down to 3.

I’ll start easy. Breathe by Faith Hill. It was our wedding song. I love it. Sometimes it makes me cry. Sometimes it makes me smile. Sometimes both. It always makes me think about my husband, who I have been falling in love with all over again the last while…

The line that makes me shiver:  In a way I know my heart is waking up, As all the walls come tumbling down, Closer than I’ve ever felt before, And I know, And you know, There’s no need for words right now. It makes me think of all my favorite moments with Adam, those moments in the dark where words don’t matter and all there is is touch.

Next is, I hope you dance, by LeAnne Womack. I heard this song the first time when I was pregnant, and it brought tears to my eyes, and it so perfectly encompassed all the dreams I had for the child inside me. Now, that child is a spirited little 4 year old who loves to dance and always will. When I am in the car, far from home, and thinking about her, it is the song I play. I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance, Never settle for the path of least resistance, Livin might mean takin chances but they’re worth takin, Lovin might be a mistake but its worth makin,
Dont let some hell bent heart leave you bitter, When you come close to sellin out reconsider, Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance, And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance. I hope you dance….i hope you dance. I hope you dance….i hope you dance. These are the lessons I want to teach my girl. Lessons I someimes need to re-learn for myself.

Lastly, a song I don’t quite understand, but love. I have heard it over and over for years, and gave it very little though. Then it played as the background to the Big Fish (a movie I LOVE) commercials, and since then it has just made me feel so good. Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel. I know every word, yet haven’t a clue what it means. But just listening to this song makes me happy, and what is better than that? If anyone actually gets it, let me know, eh?

Climbing up on solsbury hill
I could see the city light
Wind was blowing, time stood still
Eagle flew out of the nightHe was something to observe
Came in close, I heard a voice
Standing stretching every nerve
I had to listen had no choiceI did not believe the information
Just had to trust imagination
My heart was going boom boom, boom
Son, he said, grab your things, Ive come to take you home.To keeping silence I resigned
My friends would think I was a nut
Turning water into wine
Open doors would soon be shut

From Christine!

1. What’s your #1 comfort food? Oatmeal.

2. If you were on a deserted island, what one food would you want to have with you? Pizza. Always good. Even when it is bad, it is good. I never get sick of it.

3. What is/are your signature dishes? (What dishes are you ‘known’ for?) My salads and my Tiramisu.

4. It’s Friday night, you don’t know what to cook. You opt for… Fish with roast potatoes, salad and Asparigus. Or I’d order in.

5. What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to food? Pasta. I love it and could eat it once or twice a day. I used to…hense the 190lbs I weighed about a year ago! 6. What food can you absolutely not eat? There are actually many. Olives. Pickles. Liver. Shrimp. Anything with a head. That is the short list.