Showing posts with label ScrapShare Blog Challenges. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ScrapShare Blog Challenges. Show all posts

Saturday, September 13, 2008

ScrapShare Blog Challenge #30 - What is My Favorite Color and Why

Super Simple today.....From Sarah:What is your favorite color and why. Add a picture so we can get the "feel" for your favorite color.

My favorite color has always been red. Especially the deep rich shades of red. I just love everything about the color. It's a happy color, a warm inviting color. It makes me think of love, my favorite holiday Christmas, sweet smelling roses, and the beautiful flowers in my garden (like the one pictured below) that blossom in the spring.

Photobucket

Monday, November 27, 2006

21 Christmas Questions - Here are my answers.

These 21 questions were presented to me on the scrapbooking message board I frequent and in several emails that I have received. I thought it would be fun to share my answers to these questions here on my blog.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate??
Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
Santa wraps some presents and also puts some of them under the tree unwrapped, especially the bigger presents.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
White lights on the tree, colored lights on the house, a mix of white and colored lights on the bushes, and red lights outline the grass in the yard.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
DH and I do a lot of decorating both inside and outside our home, and it usually takes me a good 4 or 5 days to decorate, so we start putting decorations up as soon as possible after Thanksgiving. DH and I usually start putting lights up on the house before Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Hard to say. I like it all. If I had to pick a favorite it would be a tie between stuffing and ham.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
Waking up on Christmas morning at the crack of dawn and sneaking out of my room to go and look under the Christmas tree to see what Santa brought my sister and I and then going back and waking her up to tell her what he brought us. I'm 6 years younger than my sister, and now that I look back on those years I think there were times she wanted to strangle me for waking her up so early and spoiling the surprise. I've never been a morning person, but that was always the one day of year I could wake up before everyone else without an alarm.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I can remember the exact age, but I probably started to get suspicious at about 8 or 9 years old. My dad was a volunteer firefighter and also owned a dairy farm. Every year he would play Santa Claus at the fire departments annual Christmas party. I think I started to wise up and get suspicious when ever year dad would get a call that a fence broke and the cows got out, or there was another problem on the dairy that caused him to have to leave the party for a bit, and he never was able to return before Santa arrived at the party, but showed up shortly thereafter. Now I look back and just love those memories of knowing my dad was Santa and that some years my mom was Mrs. Claus and I was totally clueless at the time.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
It depends on who's side of the family we are spending Christmas Eve with. If we are spending it with DH's family, then yes, we open presents from his family. If we are spending it with my side of the family, then no, we don't open presents. My mom sends them home for us, so that DH and I have more presents to open at home on Christmas morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
I usually change it up from year to year, but we always use the same ornaments, just different ribbons or accessories. When my DH and I got married we carried on a tradition that has been in my family since I was little, and that is to buy one or two dated Hallmark ornaments a year. DH and I unbox all of our ornaments onto a table and then he hands them to me as I place them on the tree. The current year's Hallmark ornament always goes in the front of the tree.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
I love to drive up to the mountains and see the snow every winter. We don't ever get snow here where I live so I have no reason to dread it.

12. Can you ice skate?
No.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
I've had so many over the years, it is hard to pick just one. As a child I would say it was a pair of white professional quality roller skates. We even got to take roller skating lessons at the local roller rink. As an adult it would have to be the beautiful ruby and diamond bracelet that my DH surprised me with on our very first Christmas together a few months after we had started dating.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Spending that special happy time with DH and my families and doing my part to make people smile. Last year after Christmas DH and I got a nice little note in our mailbox addressed to "My Neighbor". It was from the elderly neighbor two doors down that we don't know very well. She sent us a note just to tell us how much joy seeing all of the lights and decorations in our yard bring to her each year. It is a lot of hard work to decorate the way DH and I do each year, but for us that is what it is all about, bringing joy and a smile to someone else's life.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
My Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pie or Egg Nog Cake that has become famous among family and friends the past several years.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Decorating my house for Christmas and also attending the children's mass on Christmas Eve. Seeing the children act out the gospel reading always brings a smile to my face and makes me misty eyed every year.

17. What tops your tree?
A big bow ribbon. I'm making a new one this year out of some new Christmas print ribbon that I purchased.

18. Which do you prefer.. giving or receiving?
I love them both equally.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Silent Night

20. Candy Canes! yuck or yummy?
I have to be in the mood for them. One or two a season is enough for me.

21. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Christmas Vacation and the original animated version of The Grinch.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Blog Challenge 5 - Countdown List

In honor of Shuttle Atlantis, which finally blasted off yesterday, and because my friend Cara likes it when I make lists like this, this week's blog challenge is a Countdown List. 10...9...8...7...

10 Things I Wanna Do Before I Die
9 Places I Last Spent Money
8 Sounds I Routinely Hear Around My House
7 Real Restaurants Where I Last Ate Out
6 Things I've Recently Scratched Off My To-Do List
5 People I Don't Know by would Like to Hang Out With
4 Songs That Make Me Happy
3 Things I Hate To Do
2 Things I'm Really Good At
1 Bad Habit


10 Things I Want to Do Before I Die

  1. Have and raise two wonderful kids
  2. Own a new home
  3. Visit New England in the Fall
  4. Vacation in Hawaii
  5. Vacation in Italy & Portugal
  6. Shop for and fit in to clothes from a non-plus sized shop
  7. Take singing lessons
  8. Own a fun car, just ‘cause it’s fun, not ‘cause it is practical
  9. Learn to play an instrument
  10. Take a cruise to Alaska
9 Places I Last Spent Money
  1. McDonald’s
  2. Office Max
  3. Comp USA
  4. Beverly’s Fabrics & Crafts
  5. Golden Hour Chinese Restaurant
  6. Pacific Pride Fuel & Mini Mart
  7. McDonald’s
  8. Arco Fuel
  9. Home Goods
8 Sounds I Routinely Hear Around My House
  1. Cars going by
  2. Chirping birds
  3. My husband’s voice
  4. The hum of my computer
  5. The sound of the TV
  6. Emergency Vehicles responding to calls
  7. My cat meowing
  8. The neighbor’s dogs barking
7 Real Restaurants Where I Last Ate Out
  1. Familia Juarez
  2. Golden Hour Chinese Restaurant
  3. Stockton Joe’s
  4. Ming’s Chinese Restaurant
  5. Chef’s of New York Pizza & Pasta
  6. Perko's
  7. La Parilla
6 Things I’ve Recently Scratched Off of My To-Do List
  1. Hooked up wireless Internet connection
  2. Finished designing forms needed for our new business
  3. Washed Sheets
  4. Sorted Laundry
  5. Paid a bill
  6. Scrubbed the toilet
5 People I Don’t Know, But Would Like to Hang Out With
  1. My deceased Grandfather Manuel (He is my dad's father who passed when my dad was 3)
  2. Dr. Phil
  3. GeorgeStrait
  4. Many of the ladies on ScrapShare
  5. Keith Urban
4 Songs That Make Me Happy
  1. If Your Going Through Hell by Rodney Atkins
  2. Amazed by Lonestar
  3. YMCA by The Village People
  4. Better Life by Keith Urban
3 Things I Hate to Do
  1. Clean the toilet
  2. Fold & put away laundry
  3. Wake up and get out of bed early in the morning
2 Things I’m Really Good At
  1. Desktop Publishing/Document Design
  2. Making Egg Nog Cake & Carmel Chocolate Pecan Pies
1 Bad Habit
  1. Procrastination!!!!!

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Blog Challenge 2: Remarkable

Note: This is my response to the second of our weekly blog challenges that have been posted on the message board I frequent, ScrapShare.com.

This week our challenge is to write about our "Remarkable" life.

The following is part of the text for the challenge that was posted:

Admit it. You've said, "I have nothing to
blog about. My life is boring." Haven't you. Haven't you? Your challenge
is to write about it anyway about your less than remarkable life. Write
about your routines, your habits, your schedule. Find the unremarkable things
about your life and CELEBRATE them.

My Response:

For some reason this week's challenge was so much harder for me to write about than last week's color challenge. Perhaps that is why it has taken me the whole week to write out my response. I have to admit that I will be shooting from the hip as I write this response. I have tried and tried to come up with a great response, or at least a focused starting point, but I have been unsuccessful up to this point, so I've decided to just write as it comes to me.

Maybe it is because this weeks challenge delves into a much deeper more personal aspect of me, a part of me that I'm not always happy with, my everyday life. For the most part I love my life, but sometimes it is hard for me to see the greatness in my everyday life and routines, or as is sometimes better stated in my case, my lack of scheduled everyday routines. Sometimes I feel like I should have achieved so much more greatness in my life than I have at this point. Sometimes I feel like I should be doing so much more every day than I seem to get done, but there is also a little voice in my head that speaks up every now and then and tells me that maybe I am doing just what God has intended for me to do. This blog challenge made me really think about myself and I have come to realize that, for the most part, I do love my life, even if in my eyes it doesn't seem all that remarkable.

When I am out and about or meeting new people for the first time I can sometimes feel embarrassed or ashamed to admit to other's that I don't work outside of the house. Sometimes I feel like I'm in one of those scenes in a movie where I'm sitting there with a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. The devil keeps telling me I should be ashamed of not having a "real" job, while the angel keeps telling me to be proud of who I am and to not be ashamed. In a world where so many women juggle careers, children, and married life it is sometimes hard to explain to others and to justify my decision that I made, after loosing my job nearly 3 years ago, to become a stay-at-home wife. However, both my husband and I realize that it was the best decision for me and for him.

I love being a stay-at-home wife., a very part-time Tupperware consultant, and as of recent months/weeks & thanks to my husband's push and encouragement, a budding entrepreneur. I am not and have never been a morning person, so I love knowing that I don't have to wake up to the squeal of an alarm clock every morning just to hurry up to get ready and on the road as I join the morning commute rush to a job that I don't love with a boss who tells me when to jump and how high. I love knowing that my schedule can be adjusted to fit perfectly with the non-traditional schedule and days off of my husband's job as it changes every several months. I love knowing that when he has his current Tuesday and Wednesday "weekends off" that I can be here with him and enjoy spending our days together in each other's company, whether we are doing things around the house, running errands, enjoying a leisurely drive, or a mini vacation away together. I love knowing that when we do get the chance to take those mini vacations on his weekends off we almost always get great mid-week hotel rates. I love knowing that I have a husband who has always been there for me. He has always encouraged me and believed in my talents, abilities, and my intelligence. I love knowing that my husband sees the good in me, even when I can't see it myself. I love knowing that he knows just when I need that extra push to get me going in the right direction, even if more often than not I put up a fight. I love knowing that he saw a perfect opportunity for us to start a business which will utilize my God given talents & my education, and it will help me to continue to be a stay-at-home-wife, and hopefully God willing, a stay-at-home-mom someday soon. I love sitting here in front of this computer and working on projects that will help build our business as I imagine our success and set my mind to doing my part to make it happen. I love being able to dream about my future as I envision my husband and I purchasing our dream home, raising children, and being able to provide them with all of the love, attention, and great experiences that were provided to both my husband and I by our parents when we were children.

Mostly, I love knowing that no matter what the future holds for me it is ultimately in God's hands. So far in my life God has been very good to me and he hasn't let me down yet.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Blog Challenge: Color – Whatever You Do, Don’t Color My Life in Black & White

Note: This is my blog in response to a new weekly blog challenge that was started on Scrapshare.com by Cowtown Stacy. This is the first week of the challenge. Each week we are going to be given a new topic and challenged to blog about that topic. I look forward to working on each new challenge after it is posted each Sunday.

I have always seen myself as an artistic person ever since I was very little, so for me seeing and picking out color has always been interesting, fun, and important to me. I was the kind of kid that always wanted to have the biggest box of Crayola Crayons they sold. I didn’t want to be limited to coloring in my color books with just 5 or 6 different colors. I wanted choices, and lots of them. After all sometimes navy blue just won’t do it. When you want to color a daylight sky, you need sky blue.

I LOVE colors, and for the most part that includes all colors, I really am not all that picky when it comes to color. It is amazing to me to realize that we are surrounded by quite possibly millions of colors everyday because of different shades, different tints, and different hues and that each one of those colors can evoke a different feeling, mood, or mind set within all of us. I usually find myself drawn to wearing bright, happy color hues like deep red and fuchsia pink, but my color interests also tend to change with the seasons.

For instance, I absolutely cannot wait for fall to arrive, but not just because of the cooler crisp weather and the upcoming holidays. I absolutely LOVE the colors of fall. For me, the colors of fall awaken my soul. They bring me to life. There is something about being surrounded by the hues of burnt orange, deep purple, sunflower yellow, rust and brown that renews my spirit and brings out energy in me that I can’t explain. Ah, it gives me energy now just thinking about looking forward to the fall colors! I can’t wait!

Come winter, I am ready to give up those beautiful fall colors to surround myself with the colors of winter and Christmas. During that time of year I love to surround myself with shades of forest green, royal blue, cranberry red, and silver or gold. It is always such a joy for me to dig out our boxes of Christmas decorations come December and then proceed to transform our house into a Christmas wonderland with decorations in all of these beautiful shades.

By spring, as the weather warms up and the flowers start popping out of the ground I am ready to surround myself with beautiful pastel shades of pink, yellow, mint green, and baby blue. I think these shades of color seem to mellow me out a bit. I still love my bright colors in the spring too, don’t get me wrong, but it just seems right to tone things down a bit in the spring. Maybe it is because spring has always been known as the season of rebirth. Think about it, in the spring the flowers start to bloom again, the animals start having their babies, there are so many things start anew. What do I think of when I think new babies and flowers? I think pastel.

I think that summertime is the only time of year that I tend to be all over the rainbow when it comes to picking a favorite color of the moment. During the summer I could be in the mood for wearing a teal blue one day, and the next day I am ready to wear bright orange.

It really does all depend on my mood at the moment and the feelings of the season. Today I was in the mood for brown. Tomorrow, who knows! I may be in the mood for pastel pink or bright red. We’ll have to wait and see.