What She Learned In Seattle

My daughter recently returned from a visit/babysitting job with my sister in Seattle.  She came home more in love with Seattle than she was before, and frankly, she was totally in love with the city before her latest visit!

She came home with a desire to cook a tofu fried rice dish she'd helped make, and while I knew her dad was anti-tofu, I said sure.  She made it and it was good here too.  Tofu will now make an occasional appearance in our menu plan. We'll just let her dad and brother think it's funny tasting chicken!

She developed a love for really good coffee after walking herself to the local coffee shop a few blocks from my sister's house.  She stressed "really good" coffee as I was making a pot of coffee from a giant tub of generic grounds (it was on sale and I had a coupon).

She learned to set aside a few water balloons for the one little guy who is taking a nap because when he wakes up and finds the broken pieces in the grass, he will bring them to her and ask her to fix it so he can have his one of his own.

She re-learned that the Disney Channel is actually chock-full of funny shows, and watching Phineas and Ferb with a 7 year old is not a hardship at all.

And she learned that her five year old cousin knows all the words to this song, The Cave by Mumford & Sons.....which is just beyond cool.

Why I Have An Empty Bucket

I have washed and saved a plastic tub that held an insane amount of only okay ice cream.  I have no where to store  it really, but I'm saving it because it has a wonderful handle attached to it.

I have it sitting where I can see it every day, and every day I think I should just recycle it, but every day I don't.  You never know, I tell myself, you never know when you'll need a just right sized bucket with a sturdy handle.

It's perfect for berry picking, that's for sure, and while I haven't gone out hunting for wild mountain blackberries in a while, that is only because no one has found a good patch hereabouts.

But if I got that call, the call of discovery, I have a perfect bucket to grab as I run out the door.

And you can bet your sweet patootie, I'd be running!

So I will keep this empty bucket on standby, just in case.  It'll work great for blueberries or raspberries too, if the elusive wild mountain blackberry remains elusive again this year.

Absence Makes Fonder

It's so true what they say: absence makes the heart grow fonder.  I was very aware of this truth when our kids were younger and my husband and I would seize a chance to leave the babies at home and go out to dinner.....it didn't matter if before we left, we were ready to tear our hair out over those lovely terrors, by the time we got home, we missed them terribly.

With these older kids, when they roll in from a day of work or return from an extended sleepover, I am so glad to see them!  I want to hear all about their day, I want to sit with them and have milk and cookies, I want to hug them tight....

I am very aware of their away times, and I am very aware that these times are preparing me for the longer haul of college.  I'm not ready!  And that's all I have to say about that.

Except, making cookies is on my to do list for tomorrow.

Laying My Cards On The Table

Today was my dental cleaning visit.  And while I am serious when I say I'd rather go to the dentist than get my hair cut, I'd rather not be at the dentist either.  And while I am serious when I say I love our dentist, I'm not in love with going to see him.

All because I am a sporadic flosser.  I know all the reason's why I should floss daily and I really do have every intention of doing so, but flossing turns out to be one of those things that slip through the cracks (and rarely in a crack of teeth).

So I started my visit like I start every visit, laying my cards on the table, the cold, hard, honest truth.....I haven't been flossing like I should.  As in, hardly at all.  As in, we ran out of floss (I know, that is a good thing to run out of) and I kept forgetting to buy more.  As in, even if we had new floss, I'd rarely use it.

After telling the truth, the cleaning can begin.  And guess what?  Look Ma!  No cavities!  And my gums are super healthy!   Which turns out to be more of a concern to me than cavities.  I wonder if that's a sign of getting older?

Music To Dream On

This morning I heard the most disturbingly beautiful music ever.  I swam up from the depths of my dreams, all the while hearing this lovely music and when I finally broke the surface and could sort of be classified as awake, I looked to the TV because I was that positive it was on and that was where the music was coming from.

It was not.

The music was my alarm clock, and it took me forever to figure it out.  My tired brain could not process the noise I was hearing as the usual discordant blaring alarm.

It was music!

This leads me to believe that I really am tone deaf and have no musical talent because the alarm is just that: an alarm.  It blasts a shocking squawking noise designed to give me a jolt out of sleep.  And also, I believe I am exhausted!  I had better go to bed early (or just a little earlier) tonight....

All I Need

Creativity is a fickle thing

I'm not feeling clever or witty or funny

My mind rolls around

Searching out the dusty corners

Desperate for an idea....

Any idea....

And I've come to the decision

I'm uninspired tonight

All I want is a glass of ice water

And a good book

And the fan blowing right on me

And maybe a dog or two sharing the couch

And "the ashtray, the remote control, the paddle game, and this magazine and the chair."

That's all I need.

From A Mountain To A Mole Hill

The dirty clothes hamper is always full.  Sometimes I am on top of it, or near as, and it's just a little mole hill of a chore.

And sometimes I am not even close to scaling the Mt. Everest of laundry, and it takes over the corner of the room.  Clothes that missed the hamper aren't worth complaining about because the hamper is full anyway, and the missed the hamper pile grows and grows and suddenly I am literally climbing the mountain to get to the closet it is blocking.

This is one of those Mt. Everest times.  It didn't help that I'd gotten behind last weekend, when we went camping, or that one of the kids brought down all the dirty clothes that carpeted her bedroom floor, or that everyone and his brother showered at our house and towels were handed out like Halloween candy.

The washing machine is chugging away, the must-wash-I'm-out-articles of clothing are done and folded and I've only missed 2 quarters and a cell phone in the pocket check.

The quarters sparkle and the cell phone lived up to it's promise of being water proof!

This mountain is back down to a mole hill and that is a very good thing.

Forecast Some Sun Please

I'm not sure the weather man and I are on the same page.

On the days I have to work, the forecasts are for sun and warmth and perfect for working outside weather.

On the days I have off, the forecasts are for rain, rain, and a little bit more rain.

I'd like a little sun, please, on a day I can actually enjoy it!

Saturday Morning Update:  Sunshine and blue skies!!! I'm heading out to enjoy it while it lasts.

SM Update Part 2: It was lovely!  And I'm so glad I hustled and got the dogs out for our walk while we could see blue sky because now it is all gray again.  Rain, here we come!

The Cereal Craze

I wish there was a manual with feeding instructions for teenagers, a schedule that would help with grocery shopping.

For example: these three weeks, buy extra bacon.  Bacon will be cooked for every meal and snack.  Followed by weeks of a terrible bread shortage, as in, a loaf will disappear in a day (and no, it wasn't because the dogs took it).    The need for fruit snacks, goldfish crackers and pudding cups will alternate, just have a box of each on hand at all times.

That sort of manual would be very helpful in this situation.  Three days ago, I bought 4 boxes of cold cereal.  Four boxes lasts two weeks.

Or it would have, except there is a cereal craze going on here, and every box I checked (including the boring  cereal!) has about 1/4 cup left in the bottom.  I should have been forewarned when I came home and saw the number of cereal bowls lining the counter, or this morning when I saw boys lined up in the kitchen and at the table, all with bowls of cereal, but I still had no idea how much cereal was being eaten until I picked up four almost empty boxes.....

Some days I do not mind tossing it all in a bowl and trying a new flavor combination, but today was not one of those days.  I'll have toast, thank you very much!

Only Mad Dogs

I've begun to realize the old saying "mad dogs and Englishmen go out in midday sun" is correct.  And I wouldn't have gone out walking in the hot sun except I hadn't walked the dogs, early morning was sooo early, and I was sooo tired, so I thought I'd combine an errand down town and the need to exercise into one lunch hour.

One unbelievably hot lunch hour.

It's hard to believe that just yesterday I was rocking a sweater and keeping it buttoned up tight as I walked, but today, whoa, nelly, sweaters would be a gift from no one on a day like today!

Brilliant sunshine, blindingly wonderful, and ever so scorching.

As I walked back up from downtown (because literally, our downtown is down from home and work) I was miserable.  Hot, sweaty, bangs curled out to their natural Q's, checks tomato red, and I wondered at the sanity of the other older gals at our office who walk at lunch.  Daily.  Rain or Shine.

I did not enjoy it.  In fact, I thought only crazy people choose to walk at the hottest time of day.

Give me the cool morning hours, when birds are waking up and the whole town seems to be yawning and stretching and trying to come alive ala Dolly Parton 9 to 5, or the evening hours, when the sun is setting in a pink golden glow, and the town has heaved a huge sigh of relief that another day has been done, any time of day but  the hot sun of midday.

Only mad dogs go out in that.

I may be mad about dogs, but I am not a mad dog.  I will stick to reading my lunch hour away, a sensible past time on a hot day!  Or a rainy day for that matter.

Tuesday With A Monday Kind of Feel

Today is Tuesday,
Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday
With a Monday kind of feel
Slow going
Can't believe the weekend's over
Too many days to count till the next one coming
Ready for bed
Right after I get up
But I persevere
And I get myself together
And I go to work and run errands and walk the dogs and cook dinner
And I listen to the kids and I trade stories with the hubster
And I'm still ready for bed all day long
9:30pm seems just right for a goodnight
On this Tuesday with a hint of Monday

Rainy Camping Trip For Two

Camping in the rain
Don't bother us none
Damp camp chairs
Wet canvas tent sides
Muddy trailer floor
Dashes to the restrooms
None of that matters
A camp fire still blazes
And chairs dry out
The trailer is warm and cozy
Just husband and me this trip
Nice and sweet and restful
But we missed the kids and dogs!

The Father Of My Children

When I think of Father's Day, I think of my husband.  I think of him changing our newborn son's diapers in the hospital, his first time changing diapers and he handled it like a pro. I think of him snuggled up with our newborn daughter wearing her 'I love Daddy' pajamas. I think of him singing funny little songs to our babies as he supervised baths, because he was the bath guy.  I think of him waking up in the morning and remarking that our baby had slept all night (when I was bleary eyed from exhaustion because that baby actually did not sleep all night long.) I think of him wrestling with the kids during their evening play time with Daddy.  I think of him knowing "The Sneetches" by heart and loving to recite it to all who would listen (still).  I think of him staying calm when keys were locked in the truck on a camping trip.

I think of him and the myriad of events that have come along his path of fatherhood, and how he has met every one with love, patience and a good deal of humor.

We are so blessed to have him in our life!   Happy Father's Day!

A Place I'd Like To Shop....Maybe.

I've read a lot about Goodwill outlets, the place were things that did not sell in a regular Goodwill get one more chance.  There are huge bins of merchandise that you dig through.  I've heard it's crazy, cut throat, serious bargain hunters only, and you buy items by the pound.

I've also heard you might need gloves and a mask, if you are even a little bit of a germaphobe.

I'm not sure I am a germaphobe exactly, but while my daughter was sick on the couch yesterday, in between taking care of her, I was sanitizing every single thing she might have touched.  If I touched the glass she was currently using, I immediately washed my hands.

And I sanitized things like the TV remote and the telephone again today.

So while I think I'd like to visit the Goodwill outlet, and am positive good deals are waiting for me there, I can't get past the part where everyone who has ever been to one says it is very dirty.

If I need gloves to shop, I don't think it's the right place for me!

But even as I wrote that, I wondered what it would be like to try it once....

It's a place I'd like to shop.  Maybe!

Good News, Bad News

The bad news first: my poor daughter has the stomach flu.  She was up in the night, sick and miserable.

The good news: finally, finally, finally, I have two kids who can recognize when they are about to toss their cookies and can make it to the toilet.  It's been a long road, and when she knocked on our bedroom door in the night to tell us she was sick, I was struggling to get up and deal with cleaning up the floor and trying to remember what might gotten caught in the cross fire.

I asked if she'd thrown up in the living room and she said no.  She'd made it to the toilet.

I'm trying to not be giddy over this (and that fact that I feel giddy might be related to lack of sleep) but after almost 17 years of knowing the first vomit of  an illness would be on the floor, this is very big news!

I Will

Today I will dawdle
I will dilly and I will dally
I will lolly-gag and I will linger
I will bask in the sun's warm gold
I will turn my face to the breeze
I will notice the bees and the butterflies
I will not run screaming from either one
I will not let their delicate winged bodies freak me out
I will appreciate their part in God's plan
I will appreciate all....

Tis The Season For Shedding

I know we have three dogs, and I know three dogs make three dog messes, but holy cow!  This last week has seen their shedding reach unbelievable proportions!

 I swept on Friday and gathered enough fur to make a small dog.  On Saturday I brushed and bathed and brushed and brushed and brushed some more, and thought okay.  That might have helped the insane problem.

Nope.

I sat on the couch on Sunday morning, and fur was just drifting through the air.  It was on the rim of my coffee cup, it was on my eyelashes, it was settling onto my buttered toast.

More brushing happened, more sweeping and even vacuuming all the furniture and later that afternoon when my daughter was making home-made cinnamon rolls, she uncovered her rising rolls to discover dog fur on them too.

It is a very good thing I love dogs.  I could easily go bonkers trying to live through this season!

Pop The Cork, My Dear

I know I'm going home soon
One week shy of 60 wedded years
I've still got time for one more toast
So pop the cork, my dear
Let's celebrate our years

We've been blessed and we've been lucky
Even through some trails and tears
This is just another grand adventure
I'll be waiting for you, my dear
Just around the bend

I've lived my life to the fullest
I'll go with few regrets
The one, of course, is leaving you
Lift high your glass, my dear
And wipe away your tears

Kiss me once for all our love
Once more for our good life
Then hold my hand as I hold yours
Fill my glass again, my dear
We'll drink this bottle dry



I wrote this after hearing a co-workers story of a father in law on hospice, and the honest truth from his doctor that the end was not too far away.  He asked his wife to open the champagne, and they shared a glass (or two), he called all of his children and spent the last few hours surrounded by family, blessed to the end.

Let's Talk Motherhood

I think that I would rather go through childbirth again instead of watching my child's heart break.  Childbirth was easy!  There's an end in sight, I've just got to push this baby out.

Heartache, on the other hand, is something only time will ease.  And all my love and care and fierce devotion can not fix those hurts.

It was easier when they were babies.  They cried, I held them or fed them or changed them or sang them a favorite song and all was better just because I, Mommy, was there.  Every mother since the dawn of time has experienced this, it is nothing new.  We take our hearts and have them live outside of us and it hurts to the quick when they are hurt.

It's not just growing up, it's life.  Sometimes life kicks and even as a grown up, it stings, and I'm sure my Mom feels the same way about me.  Your child's actual age does not matter when it comes to how you feel when you look at them.

These are my children, my babies, my hearts, and they will be even when I'm 101 and they are 80 and 78.

Spaghetti Sauce

This is for Deb at Kicking Corners.  My go to comfort food is a combination of the spaghetti sauce of my childhood and my adult self needing to cut back on some sodium.  Not all of the sodium (because I need the black olives in my sauce) but I did cut back some!

You will need:
1/2 pound of lean ground beef
1 c chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic (I'm lazy and use a jar from the fridge instead of doing my own mincing)
2 (14 1/2 oz) cans no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained + one can of water
6 oz can no salt added tomato paste + one can of water
6 oz can black olives, any size, undrained
4 oz no salt added sliced mushrooms, undrained
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp salt (or more if sodium isn't a worry!)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
splash of red wine vinegar

Saute beef, onions and garlic over med high heat until the meat is no longer pink, 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently.  Drain beef.  Wipe pot with paper towels.

Add tomatoes and juice, mushrooms and juice, tomato paste, water measured in cans and pour the olive juice (sans olives) into pan over med high heat.  Cut olives in half (except one, I always drop one whole one in and the kids love to be the lucky one to find it), add to sauce.  Add all the seasonings.  Stir to mix well, bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered or uncovered (just depends on how clean you like your stove top) for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

And that is all there is to it!

June's Top Ten

Ten things to do
In the month of June

1. School to let out
2. Celebrating to start
3. Fire pit to inaugurate
4. Wood to burn
5. Hot dogs to roast
6. Marshmallows to toast
7. Ice cream to cone
8. Summer to welcome
9. Sleeping in to commence
10. Except on work days

This post inspired by prompt # 1 at Mama's Losin' It!

Blast From The Past

This morning I had an idea that I needed a basket and I knew where the perfect one was.  I plucked it from the tip top scary shelf in my closet (the one where I am positive spiders are congregating) and was pleased to discover it only held dust, one pair of black 'bad' angel wings, and a plastic bag of letters.

I dumped everything out on my desk and ran out the door with my basket, figuring I'd sort through the letters and feathers later.

And I wouldn't have at all, except, I wanted clean sheets on my bed and I always stack my pillows on my desk and I saw the letters (and feathers) and I decided to take a moment to open an envelope to see what it was.

Turns out, it is a collection of letters our kids sent my husband when he was deployed nine years ago.  I brought the letters out to the family and we sat down, reading and laughing and reminiscing and were reminded once again, our kids are really clever.

I love the unsolvable guessing games they made up and sent to their dad, I love the 'translations' I tried to sneak into their envelopes so Dad would be able to understand little kid handwriting and I love the pictures they drew.  I like the one our daughter drew of our son strangling her, and my husband loves the one our son drew of terrorists.

The kids wrote about their every day life, about sisters crying over something silly, about wanting to see a certain movie.  They asked questions, how are you and what does your TV look like, and stated facts like they knew Dad wouldn't be home for their birthdays, but every letter started and ended with love.

I'm pretty darn proud of these kids....then and now.

Random Thoughts On A Rainy Walk

1. At the same time my umbrella half collapsed (yes, I'm still using the old broken one) and got caught in my hair (yes, that worry was valid), I realized I was still wearing my rubber finger tip from the office.  Well, my finger does feel naked without it.

2. The ability to master buttons is amazing.  As a kid there is the struggle to push a button through the right hole, and here I am now, the boss of these buttons, doing them up with one hand as I hold a collapsing umbrella in the other.

3. Maybe the rubber finger helped with the buttoning?

Good News!

I heard good news today!  After several smallish goofs at work, I admitted to my coworkers that I was just not firing on all cylinders.....And they agreed they weren't either.  Good news!  It wasn't just me!

We all had a case of the Mondays...and no, in our workplace, saying that will not get your tush kicked.  Saying that will have us all nodding in agreement and understanding, for a case of the Mondays is truly a dreadful, horrible thing.

It makes you forget how to talk so instead of answering the phone in a human way, you might make some sort of  coughing, clicking sounds and have the person on the other end of the line ask confusedly, "Is this the doctor's office?"

Yes, it is.  Sorry.  Let's blame it on the Mondays!

I'm It, Part Three

This is the last, I promise!  Judy at Life....Minute By Minute tagged me and I like the number 33 better than I like the number 22, so I set out to answer her eleven questions.  Thank you Judy!  It was fun!

1. Dogs or cats or neither?  Dogs all the way, baby!  I'm a little dog crazy, but I'm sure in a totally adorable way.

2. Your favorite holiday and why? The 4th of July.  It's all wrapped up in my hubby...being almost 16 and watching our home town parade go by when this tall, cute guy in a ball cap walked by, and my friends and I gasped.  Was that really Erik?  He'd changed so much in the weeks since school got out!  We called him over and he stood by me to watch the parade and I was hooked.  He was so funny and cute and all around nice.  The next years 4th of July, we would spend together again, him and his eye patch and me with a knowing that he was a keeper.  For us, the 4th is more romantic than Valentines day.  Give me hot dogs and cherry pie and fireworks and holding hands as we watch the parade, and I will show you true romance.

3. What is the greatest life lesson you've learned so far? I believe that forgive and forget is impossible.  It is possible to choose to forgive each time I remember the hurt and since I've got a memory like an elephant and I don't forget, I have ample opportunity to forgive, 70x7 all the way.  

4. Is it easy for you to say "I'm sorry?" H-E-Double hockey sticks, no! I hate hearing it and I really hate to say it.  

5. The one place in the US that you've always wanted to visit and why? The Florida Keys.  It seems so laid back and beautiful and hip in a kick ass Jimmy Buffett way.

6. How do you deal with anger? Not well.  I'm a yeller.  I've mellowed with age, but I can still scare the birds out of the trees when I feel particularly gruesome.

7. Comedies or dramas? Favorite? I'm going to say both.  I love Wes Anderson's movies.  One of my  favorites is "The Royal Tenenbaums" and that is a wonderful example of a comedy drama!

8. When was the last time you laughed out loud? I went out a few nights ago with my husband and his brother to a free comedy show.  The first act was okay, but the next two had me rolling  Now I am 100% positive it was because they were truly funny and not because of the Long Island I'd gulped.....anyone who says he's not comfortable with a $1.49 hot and fries speaks to my own worries as to why on earth the food is that cheap.

9. Are you who you want to be?  Anything you would change about yourself?   I'd be able to give up soda and chocolate chip cookies with ease, but otherwise, I'm pretty good with who I am!

10. Do you have a hero? Who is it? Why? Hmmm.  This question did make me want to burst out in song....Did you ever know you're my hero?  You are everything I wish I could be!  I love that movie.  Can I go back and change the answer to number 7?  Nah.  Too much work!

11. Have you ever lied about your age or weight? Yep.  And I'll keep lying about my weight as long as the CG ID desk keeps asking me in a loud voice if I am still 5'7" and ??? pounds. 

I'm It, Part Two

I was also tagged by Sarah at  My Life in Contradictions.  She had some good questions too and I couldn't resist!  After all, this blog is all about me and answering questions about me fits the bill.

1. Do you or did you before blogging, also write in any other formats? I have so many journals filled with embarrassing, angsty crap, I shudder to read it.  But I can't toss them out, those words I wrote might hold a nugget of good buried in all that other junk.  Blogging is better.  It makes me refine what I write, gives me an outlet but at the same time I am aware that people read what I write, so I try to write good things.  Not so much of the angsty stuff now days!
2. Why did you start blogging? I wrote about that here but the simple story is I wanted to write funny bits of life that my husband could read when he was deployed.  I know for a fact he fell off his chair laughing once, so I count that as a huge success!
3. Do you ever stop reading another blog because the grammar or spelling makes you crazy? No.  I've got a soft spot for poor spellers, being as I am a poor speller.  Case in point, I naturally did not spell grammar right!  I have stopped reading another blog because I was tired of ridiculous pity party rants.  It seemed like every comment I left turned into a disagreement with her.  Since I don't know her at all, and it is her blog to blog about whatever her heart desires, I felt it was rude of me to be all up in her business.   I graciously quit her and have been happier for it.  I'm sure she feels the same!
4. Have you ever met the author of a blog you follow? Nope.  Here's a terrible secret, my blogging friends, I'd probably throw up with nerves.  Who wants to met that?
5. What is your all time best thing you ever ate? My Grandma's little wild mountain blackberry pie.  Let's just say, it is an honest to God slice of heaven.
6. If you had one week, and an unlimited Visa card to go anywhere in the world, but you had to spend that week alone, where would you go and what would you do? I'm with Judy on this one.  Not take the hubster?  Not going to happen.
7. What is your one pet peeve of all time? I hate to be ignored when I'm talking to someone.  You'd think it was just little kids, but at work I can call back to a desk I know a person is at and not get answered.  If I'm taking the time to talk, it's nice to be given the courtesy of a listen!
8. Have you ever visited a place and felt that you belonged there? The beach.  My soul is satisfied with the smell of the sea and the feel of the sand.
9. Do you prefer to have a grocery store employee pack your bags or do you prefer to do it yourself? I have gotten so used to the commissary baggers packing my bags, I would not even now how to do it myself.  That's kind of embarrassing!
10. How big was your graduation class and have you ever attended a reunion? I don't know.....160?  I can't remember how big our class was!  We did go to our 10th reunion, and now we have rsvp'd for our 20th.  Both my husband and I hated high school, but love the idea of showing up at the reunions, still together, still in love, which I'm sure makes us slightly less good people!
11. How do you feel about salon care: hair coloring/styling/manicure/pedicure/massage/facials? Hate it.  Hate it all!  I can barely stand to get my hair cut.  I die a ticklish death with pedicures.  I'm a bare minimum fuss kind of girl and that is a good thing.

I'm It, Part One

I was tagged by Sleepy Joe and I've given her 11 questions some serious thinkage....and here are my answers!

1. Who is your literary hero? I have read so many books and have characters I love like Anne of Green Gables, Beany Malone, Mrs Mike, but if I had to pick a hero it is Mrs. Weasley.
2. Why? She loves her family, she loves Harry, she knows when to send a howler and when to give a sweater and in the last book (my favorite of the series) she wipes the floor with Bellatrix, proving once again that you should never poke a mother bear. She's fearless, ferocious, and has one goal: to protect her cub.  I quite like that.
3. What is your favorite children's book? "My Daddy's Mustache" by Naomi Panush Salus. I picked this book off the Scholastic book club flyer when I was in kindergarten and I still have it, barely holding together, tucked away in the top of my dresser, treasured.  When I read it, I always think of my Dad.  He never had a  chance to read it to me, but the fact that it is devoted to a dad's mustache makes me remember him.
4. Are you a closet reader, are there some books you won't admit to reading? Oh yes.  And that is all I have to say about that!
5. Do you have any regrets in life? In the song, "My Way," Frank Sinatra says, 'Regrets, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention.' That sums up how I live my life.
6. Name one ambition, not including getting your writing published. My highest goal, my greatest ambition is  to see my children grown and pursuing happiness.  I don't care if they write books or stock shelves at Costco, as long as they are happy and satisfied.
7. Heels or flats on a night out? Depends!  If I think I'm going to be standing around a lot, I wear sensible flats. I've been too close to a mosh pit to think heels are the right choice in that situation!  But for a romantic date, I will wear my heels.  Notice, I do not think romance and mosh pits are one in the same!
8. What is your comfort food? Homemade spaghetti sauce.  I make it for celebrations or for days I need a pick me up. I love the aroma of simmering sauce, I love pasta, I love that the whole family anticipates the meal.  No matter how stressed or bummed out I was when I started cooking, I walk away from the stove content and happy.
9. Normal clothes or comfy PJ's? I will split the difference with my yoga pants.  I love the comfort of them and in a pinch, can still go to the store without looking too out of place.  P.S. My husband hates them!
10. What is your favorite film?  I have so many favorites!  "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much" are two that I can watch again and again.
11.  Coke or Pepsi? Coke all the way!  At a restaurant when they ask, "Is Pepsi okay?" it never is.  I'll just have a glass of tepid tap water, thanks all the same.

Thanks for the tag, Sleepy Joe!  I enjoyed your questions!