Day 20 - My Bucket List

Today I am to share 5 items from my Bucket List. I do have a Bucket List and there are currently 40 things on it, 1 of which is crossed off, because I DID IT! Another item will be crossed off later this week. But, I won't share all 40 with you, I will do what I am told, and pick only 5.

Here goes:

1. Go to the Cherry Blossom Festival
2. Kiss at the Eiffel Tower
3. Take my kids to the Boston Childrens Museum
4. Stay the night at a castle
5. Catch fireflies in jars with my kids

And here are the next 5 topics:

21. Share a random high school memory.
22. What was one of your favorite games or activities when you were a kid?
23. What is one tradition that you do with your family?
24. You’re leaving on a jet plane. Where are you headed and why?
25. What is your favorite Bible verse?

Day 19 - Could You Take My Picture? Cause I Won't Remember

Today I am supposed to share a picture. But, I am going to share THREE. And a quick note, I am well aware that my kids need to get trims....yes they have some shaggy hair going on. It is in the plans for this upcoming weekend.

Day 18 - Biggest Accomplishment

So it might sound cliche....but I feel my biggest accomplishment is being a mom! There is NO harder job out there. It is exhausting. It is sometimes thankless. But the rewards are worth it all. Although I make mistakes, I am definitely NOT mother of the year, I know deep down, that as a mommy, I do one heck of a job! And I DO feel quite accomplished, if I do say so myself. :D

Day 17 - My Style

Okay this was fun! For day 17, I headed over to Shopstyle.com to put together a collage or two of styles that I feel are "me".

So here you go:

Shortsleeve Tops by Oasis
Platforms by Pelle Moda

Can you believe that black ruffly dress is over $4,000?!?!?!

Cocktail Dresses at Macy's
Pumps by Christian Louboutin

Day 16 - The Written Word

Today I am supposed to share my favorite book, magazine and poem. These change often...but here are my current favorites:

BTW, I picked 2 books.

BOOKS:
1. One Child by Torey Hayden


















2. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
















MAGAZINE:













POEM:
Hope is the Thing with Feathers - Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Day 15 - A Moment in Song

Today I am supposed to share a song and the moment it brings me back to each time I hear it. Since I love music, I of course can't for the life of me narrow this down to just ONE song....soooo you will be serenaded several times.

1. What A Feeling from Flashdance

This song brings me back to my childhood home in Connecticut. My mom and I would put on leotards and leg warmers and dance all around the family room to this song...over and over and over again.

2. Sullivan Street - Counting Crows



This is the song that during my teenage hormonal phase, I would blast in my room when I was sad. I would sing and cry and sing and cry. I still LOVE this song. :D

3. American Pie - Don McLean



Each time I hear this song, I am brought back to many car rides with my dad as a little girl. He would always sing this song on the top of his lungs, and I'd join right on in.

4. Rhythm of Life



I was a part of the Phoenix Girls Chorus for over five years and we always sang this song with fun motions at most concerts. This video's version is a bit different than ours, BUT it was such a fun video I had to post it. :D



Oh, here are the next 5 topics:

16.What is your favorite magazine, book and poem?
17. Go to Shopstyle.com and make or choose an outfit that best represents your style. Post it.
18. What do you feel has been one of your biggest accomplishments?
19. Take a photo today and share it with us.
20. What are 5 things on your bucket list?

Day 14 - WORST ADVICE!!!

When you "read" somewhere that it is smart to try to clean vomit off of the carpet with coffee grinds, use your common sense. Obviously coffee STAINS.....so, um, yeah.

That's all I have to say.

Day 13 - Sound Advice

I can't remember who said it, but it did stick with me.

Some great advice that I once received:

"You are the only one that can make your well-being your top priority. You owe it to yourself to pay attention to the needs of your body, mind and spirit."

Day 12 - My Ultimate Comfort Food

So today's question reads, "What is your ultimate comfort food? And yes, you can only pick just one." This is tough for me, because I have three that come to mind right off the bat....potatoes, pasta and ice cream.

But, I think one does beat out the others. My ultimate comfort food is potatoes.....either mashed with the works, or chopped up in a yummy potato salad. And if either is made with red potatoes, THAT is even better. (I love sweet potatoes too.)

My mom used to make THE BEST mashed potatoes and THE BEST potato salad. In fact, I really, really, REALLY miss my mom's potato salad and wish I knew how to make it. She used hard boiled eggs and carrots in her potato salad. AND pickles or relish NEVER entered her potato salad...which is why I loved it soooooo much.

But if you want to make me smile in a split second, just throw a giant plate of mashed potatoes in front of me. I will love you for life. And for fun, if you are ever at a barbecue with me, take note of my plate.... 3/4 of it will be potato salad. NO JOKE!

These look yummy. The recipe is over at Life's Ambrosia. I SOOOO have to give these a try!

Day 11 - My Day

My day was pretty nice. Thanks for asking.

It started bright and early. I had a Girl Scout meeting this morning (I am the trusty leader of the Daisy Troop) but I was a bit unprepared. I started getting all ready for the meeting last night and realized I was out of ink for my printer. The boys were already in bed for the night, so I had to make a Wal-Mart run at around 7:45 this morning for ink, glitter and markers for the meeting.

I did get everything done that was needed and Audrey and I headed to the meeting.

I spent a part of the afternoon cleaning a bit...mainly clutter. I did clean out the fridge, freezer and pantry, which I am not a fan of. Once I cleaned it all out, I realized just how little food I had. So after dinner, I took the kids grocery shopping. AND they surprised me, by actually behaving in Wal-Mart for the entire hour that we were in the store. Miracles do happen. :D

That's about it for my day. I just put my oldest to bed not too long ago, so I am going to watch a little bit of The O.C and then head to bed here soon myself.

Day 10 - Right Now

Today's topic is REALLY EASY. I just fill in the blank.

Right now I really want a __________________________.

Do you want to know what I REALLY want right now? I really want a house cleaner who will also do yardwork. I feel like my house is SUCH a mess. I am so behind on laundry. I need to dust in a bad way. There are crayon and marker scribbles all over pretty much every door and wall in my house. It needs a serious cleaning.

I think the reason I haven't done much about it yet, is because it feels like too much. I am so overwhelmed that just the thought of tackling it stresses me out. So I pick up the clutter, as to try to disguise how dirty my house really is, and tell myself that it's good enough. But, really, it isn't. It NEEDS a good cleaning.

Oh, and the yards, don't get me started on the yards. Lots of weeding and cleaning to be done there too.

So yes, send me a house cleaner who will also spruce up my yards, and this gal would be one VERY HAPPY gal. :D


Here are the next 5 topics.
11. How was your day?
12. What is your ultimate comfort food. And yes you can only pick just one.
13. What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received?
14. What is the worst advice that you have ever received?
15. Some songs bring us back to a moment. Share with us a song and the moment it reminds you of.

Day 9 - Isn't All of High School an Embarrassing Moment?

Today is all about my most embarrassing moment from high school. The problem is, there isn't one moment that really stands out to me. I am sure that I had tons. I was teased quite a bit and have always been very clumsy, so I am sure I did many dorky things.

I do still remember my very first day of high school. That was rough. I was tiny. I think I was like 4'9" and maybe weighed 90 pounds. I definitely did NOT look like a high schooler. And on the first day of school, I was told repeatedly throughout the day, by at least a dozen high school guys, that the Jr. High was actually down the street a ways.

Yep...a great way to start high school.

Day 8 - Least Favorite Saying/Quote

So I couldn't think of any quotes that I really don't care for.  As far as sayings go, I do know that... "I know, right?" bugs the crud out of me...BUT I also think I have said it recently, several times...sooooooooo I am not too sure if I can count that!

BUT, I do know that I have one least favorite word.  It's a word that I hate. In fact,  it makes me cringe. Here it is:

Yep, I hate it!!!!

Day 7 - Favorite Quote

For me, trying to pick one favorite quote to share, is like trying to pick only one favorite song. It is impossible. I love quotes. I collect quotes. I have notebooks filled with quotes.

So I will share some of the ones that speak to me the most today.

"Begin to weave, and God will give the thread." - German proverb

"Remember, two watermelons cannot be held under one arm." - Turkish proverb

"Calm seas don't make strong captains." - Anonymous

"God knows the secret plan of the things He will do for the world, using my hand." - Toyohiko Kagawa

"Tell Him about the heartache, and tell Him the longings too. Tell Him the baffled purpose when we scarce know what to do. Then leaving all our weakness with the one divinely strong, forget that we bore a burden and carry away a song." - Phillips Brooks

Day 6 - Annie Camden

Day 6 - Which TV character do I think that I am most like?

So first of all, I do know that in her show, she had 7 kids, and I only have 3, but really, some days it can feel like 7. BUT, I think I relate to and am a lot like Annie Camden, the mom from 7th Heaven. Like Annie, I want to instill morals/values into my kids. I want them to grow up loving God. I want my children to be loving, giving and responsible people. I strive to be a great mom and also a nurturing person to those I meet and care about.

Also, I think I feel a lot like THIS on many occasions:

Day 5 - If I Could Turn Back Time

Today's Question: If you could relive one year of your life, without making any changes to it, which year would you choose?

I have such fond memories from my early childhood growing up in Connecticut. So if I were to relive a year of my life and not make any changes, I would go back to 1986.

I think it would just be fun to be a carefree little girl again...running around the neighborhood, taking dance classes, loving school, singing my heart out to my albums with my Fisher Price record player. Yep, 1986 was a great year. :D

Man, gotta love the old floating head profiles that they used to do in the late 80's. :D

Here are the next 5 questions I will be answering this week:

6. Which TV character do you think that you are most like?
7. What is one of your favorite quotes and why?
8. What is your least favorite quote or saying and why?
9. What is something embarrassing that happened to you in high school?
10. Fill in the blank. Right now I really want a ___________________.

Day 4 - Perfect Saturday

A perfect Saturday for me....would just be one where I could relax, have fun, spend time with friends and/or family. Today was a perfect Saturday!

Day 3 - Something Funny

I am supposed to share with you something funny that happened yesterday, but I can't come up with a whole lot, which is odd. Usually many funny things happen throughout the day.

I did have a weird dream that involved the Kardashians. I was at a hotel with them and our room was supposed to have a bed shaped like a Porsche, but it didn't, and we were quite bummed. But, I think that is more strange than it is funny.

I did have an Erica moment, when I fell down some cement steps outside of a store and looked like a fool. But I think that was more embarrassing than funny...well for me at least. It was probably funny for those who happened to witness it.

So there you go. That's the best I can do! :D

Day 2 - My Strengths

So yesterday I shared some flaws, so today it is all about the strengths.

Let's see -

• I like to think of myself as a very positive, upbeat, hopeful, happy person. I definitely always see the silver lining. I am not down often, and when I am, I don't stay that way for long.
• I have an enormous amount of empathy.
• I am usually a good reader of people.
• I am a hard worker and a pro at multi-tasking.
• I strive to make sure others around me are happy.
• I am good with kids.
• I love to learn and try new things.

Day 1 - My Flaws

Welcome to the next installment of 30 things. My friend, Sara, and I had so much fun with the last 30, we got together and came up with a new list of topics that we think are going to be quite fun. Here are the first 5.

1. What do you feel are your biggest flaws?
2. What do you feel are your best strengths?
3. What funny thing happened yesterday?
4. What would your "perfect" Saturday look like?
5. If you could re-live one year of your life, without making any changes to it, which year would you choose?

You can see the whole list here.

So today I am supposed to talk about my flaws. Here goes nothing.

• I tend to take on too much and then get pressed for time and overly stressed. For the most part, I am a procrastinator who usually ends up with tons of things needing to be tackled at the same time. This usually leads to some sort of stress freak out session.
• I am horrible at returning library books and rented dvds on time. I have no idea what my problem is in this department, but I seriously can NOT return something on time to save my life.
• I am horrible about getting stuff out in the mail on time as well.
• I am really not the best at budgeting and managing finances. Yep, I pretty much stink at it.
• Perhaps I just don't do well with deadlines.
• I am a really bad driver at night. I have an astigmatism which I like to blame for the fact that I feel drunk whenever I am on the road at night...especially on roads that are very dark.
• I can sometimes be a little too sarcastic with people, especially those I am very comfortable with. In the past, good friends have had a hard time knowing whether I was serious or joking.
• When I am very angry, I yell...loudly. It takes A LOT, and I mean A LOT to get me to that point though.

So there you go. :D

JUST WATCH

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