Monday Morning Meme

Monday Morning Meme: September 13

Good Morning!

Aren’t you glad I’m here to give you something to blog about?

I thought so. 😉

All you have to do is answer the questions below either in the comment section, or on your blog. And elaborate! Make these questions show your unique and special personalities. This meme entry will post at 12:01 every Monday morning and will be the first postentry listed on WFK all day Monday. (This is an all-day Monday meme, so please, play all day!)

Monday Morning Meme at writefromkaren.com

September 13th Questions:

1. What’s the coolest item you’ve found at a garage sale, flea market, etc?

2. Describe how your day went yesterday, but in the third-person voice. (example: Even though Karen went to the store with a list in hand, she didn’t buy one thing from her list).

3. Do you have issues with people entering your personal space? What do you do when your personal space is violated?

4. What is the one meal recipe you think you’ve mastered?

5. Bonus: Write a caption, poem or short story inspired by this picture:

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(please be patient, it’s a little slow sometimes)

Want to see next week’s questions? Your wish is my command.

Monday Morning Meme

Monday Morning Meme – November 3rd

All you have to do is answer the questions below either in the comment section, or on your blog. And elaborate! Make these questions show your unique and special personalities. This meme entry will post at 12:01 every Monday morning and will be the first postentry listed on WFK all day Monday. (This is an all-day Monday meme, so please, play all day!)

Monday Morning Meme at writefromkaren.com

November 3rd Questions:

1. When do you need soothing? And, what soothes you? Tell us about the last time you needed soothing.

2. What makes today special for you? And you’re not allowed to say “nothing.” Everyday should be special – life is short! If you can’t think of anything that makes today special, then tell us something you’re thankful for, right now, right this very minute.

3. What is the most you’d be willing to spend on the perfect pair of blue jeans? What about shoes? Tell us about the last time you purchased jeans. Now tell us the last time you purchased a pair of shoes.

4. What is the oddest thing you ever bought for yourself?

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NaNoWriMo Progress

Getting Started

Monday Morning Meme

Monday Morning Meme – October 13th

All you have to do is answer the questions below either in the comment section, or on your blog. And elaborate! Make these questions show your unique and special personalities. This meme entry will post at 12:01 every Monday morning and will be the first postentry listed on WFK all day Monday morning. (This is an all-day Monday meme, so please, play all day!)

Monday Morning Meme at writefromkaren.com

October 13th Questions:

1.If your children are going trick-or-treating this year, what costumes are they wearing? Do you take them door-to-door or do you take them to a sponsored event? Tell us about the last time you dressed up for Halloween. How do you feel about Halloween in general?

2. Do your friends and family read your blog? How does this knowledge affect your writing? Do you feel like you can totally be yourself on your blog? Where do you draw the line when it comes to disclosing too much about your life on your blog?

3. Are you an early bird or a night owl? What do you like to do in the early morning hours or late at night? How do your sleeping patterns affect the rest of your family?

4. Do you lie about your age? Why or why not?

Monday Morning Meme Participants

1. Marianne
2. Jodi
3. Judy
4. Dawn\’s Daily Life
5. Sue
6. Rachel
7. Oregonsunshine
8. Nicole
9. PhoenixTheBloggingMama

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Monday Morning Meme

Monday Morning Meme – July 21st

All you have to do is answer the questions below either in the comment section, or on your blog. And elaborate! Make these questions show your unique and special personalities. This meme entry will post at 12:01 every Monday morning and will be the first postentry listed on WFK all day Monday morning. (This is an all-day Monday meme, so please, play all day!)

Monday Morning Meme at writefromkaren.com

July 21st Questions:

1. Have you ever played hooky (from school or work)? If so, what excuse did you use to get out of school/work? What did you do instead of going to school/work? How often do you play hooky? If you’ve never played hooky, why not? What one thing HAS to happen before you would consider playing hooky (again)? Has your significant other every played hooky? If so, tell us about it. If not, why not? Has anyone you known ever gotten caught playing hooky?

2. I can’t tell you the number of posts I read from bloggers who were going to BlogHer about what sorts of clothes they were going to pack for the trip. If you went (or wanted to go) to BlogHer, describe the outfit you did, or would have, worn for the first day of the conference. Remember, first impressions are everything (most of the time) so you want to impress your blogging buddies. Don’t forget to describe your shoes/accessories! Better yet, link us to your outfit so we can “see” what you’re talking about. Why did you pick this particular ensemble?

3. If you could be guaranteed an honest answer to three questions, what questions would you ask, and who would you ask them of?

4. If you could give a single piece of advice to the film industry in Hollywood, what would you say? If you were a powerful film producer, what sorts of films would you produce? Why?

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Friday Fun

Friday … Ten?

I’m not sure if anyone will be around today to actually read this, but if this happens to catch your attention in between hotdog bites and watermelon drips, WELCOME! Sit a spell, catch your breath and let’s chat …

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From the Friday5 community:

I wasn’t sure I wanted to answer the first set of questions because food? Doesn’t interest me much. As long as I can satisfy the grumbling in my stomach, I’m happy. In fact, I routinely smash deli meat in a cheese roll for lunch, that’s how much I could care less about fancy-schmancy food. But, I’m in the mood for something challenging today while I wait for my guys to wake up from their much needed lazy morning so, here goes —

1. If a traveling food show were to visit your neighborhood, what are some unique, regional foods it would spotlight, and where would it go to get them?

AARGH! My pea brain can’t take this pressure. Regional food? Here? Uh … I live in the Ozarks so … uh … I THINK we have foods special to this area (see how much I suck at this?). Okay fine, the only sort of food that I think might be special to our area is what Silver Dollar City offers. Gads, I’m pathetic.

Here are some recipes you might find interesting:

Skillet Cookery Рwhich consists of potatoes, saut̩ed corn, squash, okra (okra! We eat a lot of okra in these here parts), peppers, onions, carrots, chicken and ham.

You say Ozarks, I say SKILLET FOOD! And I can assure you, this is DEE-LISH.

OH! And funnel cakes. OH. MY. GOSH. Funnel cakes are to die for – of course, they are greasy and chock full of BAD calories, but dang it, the grease is what makes ’em good! (*YEEHAWS like the hillbilly she is*).

OH. OH And … Cashew chicken. Now THAT’S specific to Springfield, Missouri. It originated here and we couldn’t find it in Washington D.C., so I’m assuming it’s not offered very many places outside our hick zone. (But what do I know, I don’t get out much. *grin*)

2. On an American cable show, a celebrity chef surprises people by challenging them to a contest featuring their own specialties (he usually loses). If he challenged you to your specialty, what dish would you prepare? If he challenged someone you know, what would that dish be, and how might the competition turn out?

First off, I wouldn’t challenge the man – suck I do at food, Mmmhmm. *Yoda accent* But now my husband … my husband can wield a wok like no other man. (And looks mighty sexy wokking, I might add. Ignore the wonky word). He routinely cooks us Spicy Chicken and Broccoli, Beef and Broccoli, Chicken and Zucchini, and anything else you can imagine would taste good in a wok. I’m pretty confident my husband would win a wok cook-off.

3. What are your feelings about cooking shows on television?

My husband and I love them and usually watch them together. We go through spurts, usually when we’re getting tired of the same ole menu and in the mood to try something new and different. He watches them for new and cool ideas, I watch them because it amuses me how much trouble people go to make something that people will just eat and poop out without nary a thought to the time and trouble it took to cook it.

See? A food connoisseur I’m not. 🙂

4. What kitchen gadgets have you purchased because you saw someone using them on television?

A wok. I KNOW, we didn’t have a wok for the longest time and now I (er, the husband) can’t imagine cooking without it.

5. You get to (or have to, depending on how you feel about it) host your own food show on television. What will it be called and what’s it about?

Oh easy … it would be called “Eat and Run” (you heard that here first. If anyone takes that title for a food show, I want royalties! *grin*) and of course it would be about cooking fast meals easy, with no muss, no fuss and certainly not a lot of clean up time! I think that’s another reason I abhor cooking, the need to dirty up every single pot and utensil in the kitchen and then spending another hour cleaning up. Ugh, no thank you. Give me a sandwich and let’s call it a meal. 😀


And from the Friday Five Community:

1. What drink wakes you up best in the morning?

You know how you hear people say they can’t think straight until they’ve had their first cup o’ coffee? *points to self* Well yeah, it’s true. My brain cells REFUSE to jiggle (or however brain cells behave) until I’ve had my morning jolt of caffeine. AND, I have to get up at least an hour before my family because I LOATHE to even utter words before I’ve had my morning cup of coffee. Seriously, I’m a grouch when I first wake up … and that’s putting it nicely.

2. During the day, what do you drink to keep going?

Well, I would LIKE to say more coffee, but I have to stay away from caffeinated drinks in the afternoons (at least, on a daily basis) because I then get these caffeine headaches from hell that stay with me for 24-straight hours and which no drug will knock out so it’s not worth getting a temporary buzz when I will be suffering for hours afterward. I usually drink water or juice.

3. Do you drink the recommended 8 glasses of water per day? Why/why not?

Oh yeah. I LOVES me some water. We have a water cooler, therefore we drink distilled water and WOW, that stuff is delicious. I don’t care what you say, there is a HUGE difference between distilled water and tap water (which makes me gag) and it’s cool, clear and crisp and I can’t get enough of the stuff (we routinely go through fifteen gallons of distilled water in two weeks – that’s how much we drink water).

4. What are the ingredients of your favorite mixed drink? (Doesn’t have to be alcoholic!)

This is going to sound pathetic? But … I don’t know. I haven’t really had a mixed drink in … oh, ages. I honestly only drink water. Or, if I’m feeling wild and crazy, I drink Propel (but the husband likes to point out how much sugar is in Propel, which makes me feel guilty for drinking it so then I stop, unless he makes me mad or irritates me and then I drink it out of spite. Oh yeah, I’m a mama bear all right). I used to drink lemonade, but geez, when did it become SO SWEET?

AARGH! I’m turning into one of those disgustingly boring people who turn their noses up at sugar! What’s WRONG with me?!

5. Are you a coffee drinker? How do you take your coffee, if so?

OH whew! Finally, a question I can answer without feeling mentally challenged. YES. I love coffee. I love flavored coffees with lots and lots of sugar because I can’t stand for my coffee to be bitter. And I love creams and milks in my coffee, but I have to remember to take a Lactaid when I drink it like that or I suffer for days afterwards. And that’s ALL I’m going to say on that. *ahem*

Don’t you love how I turn these simple question/answer memes into novels?

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Friday Fun

Friday Five, er, Fifteen

15
This post is brought to you by the number 15.

(Please feel free to answer any, or all, of these questions in the comment section. I’d be curious to read your answers).

The first two sets of questions came from the Friday 5 website , the last set of questions came from the Friday Fiver website.

Sorry, I just felt like answering questions today and I thought the following questions were interesting:

Sediment

1. When was the last time you had your hands in dirt?

Do you mean on purpose? The day before yesterday when I had to dump the plant MK gave me for Mother’s day into the trash. I TRIED to keep the thing alive but my thumb is not only black, it’s charcoal. I can’t keep plants alive to save me. So obviously, I’m not a gardener, so obviously, I don’t put my hands in dirt very often.

2. When was the last time you had your hands in clay?

I’m not sure I’ve ever had my hands in clay. Maybe when the kids were little and we played with Play-Doh. So to recap, I’m not a gardener and I’m not artistic. Geez, I’m boring.

3. When was the last time you had your feet in mud?

Ugh, never! My mother once told me that one of the first words out of my mouth was “dirty.” I don’t like being dirty, I don’t like feeling dirty and I’m certainly not going to put myself into a dirty situation. (Unless it’s something naughty with my husband, but we won’t go there. *winkwink*)

4. When was the last time you had your feet in sand?

Let’s see, that would probably be when we went to Florida for a family vacation about … three or four years ago. We drove/flew to Florida four years in a row and we got so burnt out on beach vacations that we really have no desire to go back any time soon. Doesn’t that sound trite – burnt out on beach vacations. Pfft.

5. What part of your life could use a serious cleansing?

Wow. What a loaded question. However, I’m pretty satisfied with my spiritual life (Christian), personal life (everything is going well and I don’t feel any discontent), and emotional (solid as a rock, thankyouverymuch). So, I’d have to say my life is pretty seriously cleansed right now. I’m a happy, well-rounded individual. And why do I feel guilty admitting that?

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Annoyances

1. What’s something people do in public that really annoys you, even though it’s probably not a big deal?

The fact that people are CLUELESS when they’re shopping. I ESPECIALLY dig the people at the grocery store who take up the whole freakin’ aisle (angle their cart so that the entire aisle is blocked) while they thoughtfully stand there and tap a finger against their lips as they decide on which brand, of the same food, to buy so that I’m FORCED to wait impatiently while they make up their damn minds. HELLO?! You’re not the only shopper here! Make room dork! (This doesn’t really upset me … heck, who am I kidding, having no courtesy for others annoys the ever-loving-crap outta me).

2. How readily do you ask strangers to stop their annoying behavior?

I don’t. I just fume and think really evil, bad thoughts in my head. However, I’ve been known to give them the stink eye a time or two. (Hey, don’t discount my stink eye, it’s QUITE rude, let me assure you). Unless it’s my family and then I’m QUITE verbal, let me assure you.

3. What’s something you do in public that probably annoys others?

My aggression. I can not stand indecisive people. And this bears repeating – I can not stand indecisive people. Make a decision, yes/no, this way or that way, this brand or this brand … ACT. Grr. So, I have a tendency to park my cart in an out of the way place at the store and simply muscle my way through, or reach around the clusters of indecisive people to get what I need so I can move on and end this little tortuous activity we call shopping. I’m on a mission people, it really is in your best interest to get the hell out of my way.

I’m sure that’s annoying to some people. *grin*

4. What’s your theory about why it’s so easy to get annoyed when one is behind the wheel of a vehicle?

Two reason, really. Stupidity and distractions. Honestly, I think a vast number of people were born without common sense, or a lick of sense, as the saying goes. Some people are simply incapable of seeing the big picture or anticipating the consequences of their bad decisions. Honestly, some of the things people do while driving – what are you thinking? Oh wait, you’re not.

And seriously folks, hang up and drive. Stop telling your life stories to your passengers. Buckle those children in and let them cry (I promise their emotional well beings will survive until you have a chance to pull over somewhere and tend to their needs). You are not only responsible for getting the people in your car safely to their destinations you’re responsible for not crashing into other people so they can safely get to their destinations. And if you think I’m an aggressive driver now? Just wait until my boys start driving – you haven’t SEEN aggressive until that happens.

I’m just saying. *shrug*

5. What regular, minor annoyance have you learned to tolerate?

Oh, let me count the ways:

1. The silence my husband greets me with after I’ve asked a question and I’m waiting for him to digest what I’ve said and answer me.

2. The fact that my oldest son hunches his shoulders and acts like he’s scared of the world.

3. My youngest son’s distractions with EVERYTHING and his unwillingness to be rushed, under any circumstances.

4. The fact that I can not eat chocolate, in it’s purest form, without bloating up like a woman in her third trimester and farting every time I walk from the gassy build up.

Seriously, I could go on forever, but you have lives to get back to … so let’s just say pretty much everything annoys me. Some days, other days, I’m completely laid back and nothing bothers me.

Wow, answering these questions was therapeutic – I feel so RELIEVED! (Hence my sidebar emotion for today. hehe)

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1. What’s your weather?

Right now? It’s raining. In fact, our weather guys were calling for tornadic activity last night but to my knowledge, nothing happened (unless I slept through the sirens and I somehow doubt that because a pin could drop and I would hear it – OH! Another annoyance, I’m a super light sleeper. Okay, I’ll stop now).

Here’s a picture of our current radar:

Current Radar

Nothing too major at this time but check back in an hour – the whole state will likely be a lovely mixture of greens, reds and yellows. (Our weather is insanely unpredictable).

2. Where are you on your way to?

I’m on my way to pick up my nephews. I promised them they could spend all day today, tonight and all day tomorrow with us. My boys are WIDELY excited about them coming over. Me? Not so much. Not because of THEM (they are sweet, well behaved boys) but because I know I will get little to no sleep tonight. Two reasons: 1. I never sleep well when the guys have buddies over – I’m responsible for their well beings! This haunts me! and 2. I have to sleep with my husband (whom I don’t normally sleep with because he snores something FIERCE).

3. Are you good with directions?

Yes and no. I’m good when I’m feeling confident and well rested. And no, when I’m feeling hormonal, edgy and tired. I Mapquest everything. I also suck at GIVING directions.

4. Do you know your neighbors?

Nope. Well, I semi-know the neighbors to our north. He’s a pretty well-known radio disk jockey and his grandson used to come over to our house every Friday night (before he grew up and started driving) so we talked through that experience. But the rest of my neighbors? No. And I have no desire to get to know them. Oh sure, I’m nice when I run across them, you know, the dainty wave and polite smiles, but they are all older adults and well, I just never made the effort. (I’m such a wuss).

Now, the neighbors to our south I dislike, pure and simple. They are sloppy, messy, lazy folks who can’t be bothered to pay their trash bill (their can is currently overflowing with trash because our trash truck, the same company who picks our trash up, has bypassed them for the past few weeks) or PICK UP the trash in their yard (I usually end up doing it when I simply can’t stand it anymore). They also have several years worth of phone books still littering their front stoop and their house is rotting away because they haven’t bothered to have it painted or repaired. The simple fact that they don’t take care of their responsibilities discourages me from wanting to get to know them.

5. What do you smell?

Right now? Warm flesh. I’ve been tanning and I smell like sunshine, lotion and melatonin.