5QF - late!

Ugh, late again. Yesterday was that kinda day though. I had sooo many things I wanted to do and was rushing around.


1. Do you regift...and if so, do you have a regifting horror story? Sometimes I re-gift - you know, when I get something and it just screams someone else. Yea, then I do. Or for pollyanna type parties. Thankfully, no bad stories (yet!). At my boyfriend's family party this year though, the plan was to re-gift. It was my first time doing this with them, so I took something good: tea light candles, tea and a nice mug. I liked really them, I just hadn't used them. Well, my number was probably the second to last to be called ... and my gift was still up there, so I took it! Good thing I did because if I remember right the other gift left up there ended up being really cheap and awful lol I opened that tea up the next day too :)

2. Do you know what you are getting for Christmas this year? I know what I'm getting from my mom because she's bad at ordering stuff from Amazon.Com. So, this year she picked stuff out, I double checked everything before it was ordered and then she paid. We were making a sound attempt at NOT doing what she did a couple years ago by ordering things double or triple.

3. Who brings the most gifts in your family, you or Santa? Aunt Sally for sure! :)

4. What store do you love to buy jeans from? Charlotte Rosse. I used to love a lot of there stuff, but not so much anymore. Their jeans still fit me well though. Aside from that, Boscov's for good, cheap jeans.

5. Christmas meal: Big, All Out Meal or Snacks and Apps? The big meal is usually breakfast which we have at my aunts'. It's delicious and very filling!

5QF

Holy moly, when did it get to be December!? How in the world have I been seeing the same guy for more than 6 months (he sent me flowers a couple weeks ago to mark the occasion)? Where in the world did 2010 go?!! And last but not least: Can I hit the pause button, please? I need a time out, a break, a little breather before the holiday is actually here. That's not asking too much, right?

I didn't get much sleep last night. After a pretty busy day of hanging lights outside, moving money around (I deposited a check for Joa's Arc rescue and paid my aunts' property taxes) and trying to figure out putting a new battery in the hard to reach smoke alarm in the basement stairwell (between the lights and that, ugh, I don't want to see another ladder!), I found myself up late reading over this one site about dementia and caregivers. Then, a good show was on. Then, I needed to check my email. Then, whoa, when did it get to be midnight?! Ah, I didn't do a 5QF post yet!!

Just when I laid down to finally get some sleep: CHIRP!

Ugh... That didn't sound like the basement stairwell.

CHIRP! goes the smoke alarm above my bed. CHIRP! Really?! Butthead, life-saving gadget! If I wasn't so tired my eyes were literally drying out and shutting, I'd have grabbed a chair right then and fixed it. However, I didn't know if we had new batteries anywhere else and I was so tired, like I said, my eyes were objecting.

So, to sleep I finally went and I tackled that smoke alarm in the morning. Oh, did I mention I wasn't all that successful? Yea, a new battery went in, we "tested" it and it wouldn't stop going off ... I'm not sure what that means when none of the others pmes are screeching. Is it broken? Put back together wrong? Ugh. I think this 5QF is going to need to involve a nap at some point... :)


1. What's on the top of your holiday wish list and why?! A good, steady job for obvious reasons ... like paying off all the credit cards I had to use for this holiday. I was thrifty - buying little gifts in bulk, buying from sites that would give me a percentage back on my credit card, buying super good deals, etc. However there were still costs involved. Not to mention, without a job, I've had to pay for other things with my credit card right now, like student loans and my car insurance. :o/

Ok, more realistically, I'd like a Kindle or iPad or some other gadget I could read from. I have piles and piles of books. It'd be nice to cut back on this habit continuing to bury me with something like that.

2. What is your favorite Christmas gift from the past? Out of all my Christmas presents? This is really hard to say. I've gotten really good ones - ones that people put a lot of time or thought into, those are the best. This is also a tough question because my birthday is not long after Christmas, so looking back it's hard to tell what I got when. I can say I got a really nice camera from my aunts' last Christmas. I appreciated that and use it often. My mom also paid for a trip for me one time to go see loved ones, obviously that was a good time and good memories, so I loved that!

3. If you had life to do over, what would you be when you grow up? Well, I don't consider myself grown up quite yet :) I think I might have been a little more reckless though when I was younger. That sounds silly, right? I don't think I was reckless enough in some parts of my life when I was younger and so now I feel like I had a really limited time doing that. Not like dangerous reckless, just you know ... kissed a couple more boys, "run away" to Ali's a time or two (right down the road), stuck up for a few more causes, something. That's not really reckless though. Hmm, I guess essentially I'm saying if I'm getting a second chance, I just want more! I'd also have majored in something a little more exact in college or just applied myself more towards the end and tried to snatch up a steady job before graduating.

4. When do you put up your tree? Typically a couple weeks before Christmas when everyone is home to help.

5. What is your favorite Holiday? I like Christmas, but there's so much pressure nowadays, I think - did you get the right gift for so and so? Could you have found that gift somewhere cheaper? Are you going to get what you really want? Can you make it to all the family parties you have to attend? Is it going to snow? Will the weather make traffic worse, if not dangerous? Is the cat in the damn tree again?! Which card is the best to send to your second cousin's son and what's his wife's name again? I love the gift giving and getting that perfect present that really extends myself and my love, but all the other stuff during the holiday is just pretty overwhelming.

I love most the 4th of July, personally. I think that's a matter of where I grew up though - a parade, everyone who has ever lived in the town comes back, there are parties at almost every house that you can just wander into because you're bound to know someone and in the park, there's fire truck rides and ice pops for the kids and beer in town-themed mugs at the fire hall for adults. Then there's fireworks on what is usually a gorgeous, warm night. How can that get better??

5QF

I'm not sure where the holiday found you, but I woke up at my boyfriend's and headed home to help cook. On the drive home, I kept hearing "clink, clink, clink", but didn't see anything and nothing was hitting the windshield (like rain). I was completely confused until I got home and out of my car only to realize it was hail/snow that was making all the noise! Flurries on Thanksgiving! I was shocked and awed at the same time. Trust me, I don't like the clean up and all the shoveling that comes with snow, but it is absolutely beautiful to watch fall.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.


1. What is your favorite part of a Thanksgiving meal? My mom makes this absolutely fabulous sweet potato dish with marsh mallows on top. Yum!!!

2. Are you a host or a guest for Thanksgiving this year? I'm still home helping with the farm and my dad, so I'm kind of host and guest. My mom makes most of the meal, but my sister and I help out with other things like stuffing and pumpkin pie.

3. When you think of one Thanksgiving tradition, what comes to mind? Good family together. It's always been about family getting together - we all bring something, there's good conversations, a sit down meal, etc. My great uncle also comes, which I really enjoy. Not when he's 3 hours early and we're not ready (or showered) when he pulls up, but I like the time with him in general.

4. You have two pieces of pie in front of you and you HAVE to eat one...do you choose pumpkin or pecan? Pumpkin pie, absolutely. I make that in this house and it's gooood, if I can brag a bit :)

5. Are you a Black Friday Shopper? Not at all! Give me my internet and some good online deals. I can't stand searching for a place to park and all the crowds. That's too overwhelming for me.

5QF

I have a cat curled up and wedged in between me and the side of the sofa ... well, she's more lying on my upper shoulder pretending to be tortured, wedged and highly put out. Brat! That brat would be Candice. Dorie is curled up on the arm of the sofa by us. I love this quiet, this peace ... and it is peaceful or else crazy, afraid-of-the-world Dorie would not be so relaxed, let alone out. How's your Friday going?


1. What Christmas song do you loathe? The chipmunk one. It's a great kid's song, don't get me wrong! I'm not sure if my little record of it as a kid got stuck on repeat or something, but I cannot hear that song more than once. Once, that's enough. Over and over again is just overwhelming with those high-pitch voices and "Christmas, Christmas" - no thank you


2. Do you and your significant other cuddle at night or sleep on opposite sides of the bed? A little of both ... cuddling until one of us gets fidgety or too hot and then we'll roll over. Personally, I get cold at night and he doesn't like sleeping with a ton of blankets piled on (my bed has sheets, a blanket and two comforters!), so I like to cuddle particularly for the warmth :)

3. Have you ever had surgery? Yes, once to repair a broken (shattered) elbow when I was about 5 years old. Then, another surgery a couple years ago to remove my gallbladder.

4. When do you typically have your holiday shopping done? I like to get it done early (like I just got several things delivered in the mail today) so that I have everything ready ... but I'm usually rushing to get everything wrapped in time.

5. If money were not an issue (and you HAD to pick something), what would your ultimate luxury item be? A spacious (though not extravagant) home in the mountains of Virginia that I could travel to whenever I wanted (and since money is no object, it'd be completely paid off lol). It'd be quiet, I could take pictures, watch the wildlife, it'd have a giant, claw foot tub to soak in, trails nearby to walk dogs on ... and I invite the people I love from FL to CT since it's kind of in between.

5QF

1. If you could have any talent and turn it into an occupation, what would it be? Have you seen that show "Lie to Me"? I want that talent and occupation! Just to listen to people and so easily pick up on tells and such. That would be awesome! And I'd be so usual to lawyers, security, the police, parents of teenagers :)

2. Would you rather have a house at the beach or a cabin in the woods? The woods with all the critters for sure. The beach I like the view and all, but you get burned and there's the flies that bite and the sand gets hot, etc. Yea, definitely the woods like Snow White :)

3. Is there any meaning or reasoning for the names you chose for your child/children?Well, Mea means "mine" in latin, she's the first kitty I named. Oh yea, I'm talking about my fur-kids because I don't have any tiny humans yet. Winchester is ironically named because I got him after someone found him shot. Little Dani looked just like Big Dani did as a kitten and he was suppose to just be a foster, but he stayed. So now there's no Big Dani and Little Dani. Wilson came with his name (after the volleyball in Cast Away), but I always thought of Home Improvement's Wilson ("Howdy, neighbor"). So, when I got Wilson a friend, I named him Norm after our neighbor who used to say the same thing over the fence to us where I lived growing up. :) Oh and I named one of our sheep Penny after my latin teacher because the sheep was born on the Ides of March. :) The rest I didn't have much say in helping with their names.

4. What is your guilty pleasure? Just one?! Well, right now, hmmm ... I'll go with being lazy. I shouldn't be, there's so much I should do or that I could be doing, but there are moments I catch myself being absolutely lazy.

5. Do you live in a house that is deep cleaned or straightened? Both. Can that be the answer? :) It's deep cleaned about once a week or so and straightened the rest of the time.

5QF - late!

My mom and I both had the day off, so we went out ... I bought some new sneakers, worried over insurance issues I'm having now, took some pictures, edited those pictures, fed all the animals and watched a movie with my mom - it was a very nice day! However, in the midst of all that I (almost) forgot it's Friday - 5QF!! I'm really enjoying this, so late now or not, I'm throwing this post together!


1. If you could be a fly on any wall, which would you choose? Oval office, duh!

2. Do you budget your Christmas shopping or just get it done without budgeting? I'm guilty of being a no budget girl. However, that's gonna have to change! As discussed in a previous 5QF post, debt is catching up with me and I hate it. Looks like everyone's probably getting one special, cheap (sentimental) gift this holiday season. It's the thought that counts, right?

3. What is the craziest fad diet you have ever done? I've never gone crazy with dieting or fads for them. I guess in high school, maybe. My cousin, who I idolized, became a vegetarian and I thought, "Hey! Great way to get out of eating all that gross meat on holidays (I'm Irish, but ham - EWWWY!)." I'm 26 and I've been a (mostly) vegetarian (my mom grew up on the water, like catch-your-dinner on the water, so I either kept seafood in my diet or starved!) for over 10 years now, so that's helped. I guess it could be considered a "diet" though at this point, it's really just a habit.

4. Is there a TV show that you have seen every episode/season of? Probably Buffy the Vampire Slayer (guilty pleasure!) or Grey's Anatomy. It's gotten cheesier recently, but the first few seasons and quotes were amazing!

5. What one song always pulls at your heart? Tears In Heaven by Eric Clapton and A Song for You by Ray Charles. Oh my goodness, I tear up just reading over the lyrics. Nothing quite like If I Could Though Ugh! I can't listen to it. I would have loved that to be my father-daughter dance song and I cry knowing I'm not going to get that. I can't listen to it at all, but I'll let you...



On that note, goodnight!

5QF

1. Who is the better cook, you or your spouse? My boyfriend, for sure. I mean, don't get me wrong, I can throw things together pretty well and everyone loves my pumpkin pie and citrus-y salsa. However, the boyfriend plans ahead, has ingredients in his cupboards, knows appropriate proportions, etc. He even goes the extra step and makes my food separately if he's going to add meat to his dish. :)

2. How often do you talk to your mom? I live with my mom right now to help take care of my dad (who has frontotemporal dementia), so just about every day we talk whether it's about work or bitching about my dad's condition.

3. Are you adventurous in the kitchen or stick to the recipe? The heck with recipes. Funny this question came up for today though because I plan on trying this recipe out this weekend ... minus the random salsa add in. I might just toss a sweet pepper in instead.

4. Is your second toe longer than your big toe? They're just about the same length.

5. Do you dress up for Halloween? (Bonus question: What will you be this year?) Pretty much every year I have. I'm going as a witch this year because we're allowed to wear costumes to work and I think that's the most PC. I've also been a mob girl, a dead hooker, a catholic school girl and Strawberry Shortcake the past few years. One of my favorites though was 1st grade - the little mermaid. It was homemade with the shiny fin and everything!

5QF

Needing more reminders that I need to get my butt on here and post, I'm trying to get more involved in posting with others. Tea Tuesday is my first step. Among other things, it's my way of reminding myself that I need to make time, even just a few minutes to sip some tea, to take a break ... and reminding others to take a break from all their hard work too.

And, also as a part of getting more involved, here's my first post taking part in:


1. What is your favorite Halloween candy? reese's cups - hands down! Maybe jolly ranchers too, but only the watermelon ones. I love those! And, surprising, that's about it that has held true through the years. Even the reese's cups I'm kind of over ... unless it's Easter and they're egg shaped :) I'm not a huge candy person.

2. Do you fold your socks? Not so much. I seem to have forever been a victim to the washing machine/dryer sock gremlin that steals one of a a pair. For this reason, finding all the buddies and folding them together feels like a lost cause. On some occasions where I find pairs after washing them, I might bundle them together, but that's about it. Honestly, for those that know and love me, it's common knowledge my socks are quite unique. Like this beautiful man, I like "spiced up" socks and it's a rare day that they even match. And, yes, I wear a lot of long pants to work :)

3. What is something that you wish you had been warned about? Debt. Oh my goodness, it happens so quickly and not just to those shop-a-holic people. School, holiday shopping for loved ones, bills, an indulgence or two and life just in general. Whoa! I wish I had been better prepared on that subject.

4. What is the most significant difference between you and your significant other? Organizational skills. He's all notes, to-do lists, shopping with coupons he's set aside and everything has a place. I'd describe my life and skills in that department as a total flippin mess with no order more along the lines of "organized chaos".

5. What are three words you would use to describe yourself? Right now? Caring, creative and tired! It's been a long week