Sumday Stealing: The Seven Layer Meme

Cheers to all us thieves!

Sumday Stealing: The Seven Layer Meme

Sumday Stealing? So this one is for someday or what?

LAYER 1: Tell us your...

* Name: Berleen
* Birthday (month, day): Dec. 11th (presents welcome)
* Birthplace: Melrose, MN. At least thats where the hospital was.
* Current location: Albany, MN - which is just down the road from the hospital
* Eye color: puppy-dog brown
* Hair color: I really don't remember - a shade of brown
* Height: 5'5
* Righty or lefty: Right
* Zodiac sign: Sagittarius

LAYER 2: What's...

* Your heritage: German, Austrian and a tad bit of Native American (which I'm most proud of and it was a "family secret" for years because one of my uncles wouldn't admit that my dads memory of an old blind indian woman in a rocking chair was true... he finally did and it turned out to be my dads' great-grandmother. )
* The shoes you wore today: I haven't worn any today yet.
* Your weakness: peanut butter or aqua velva aftershave
* Your fears: bears, thunderstorms and knives
* Your perfect pizza: lots of cheese... peperoni, sausage, black olives, green peppers, lots of mushrooms
* Goals you’d like to achieve: to live to be 125
* Your first waking thoughts: the dogs having to go out
* Your best physical feature: my eyes
* Your most missed memory: my mom

LAYER 3: Do you...

* Smoke: a month ago I could have said I quit 10 months ago, but now I just have to answer "yes" to this one.
* Cuss: far too much
* Sing: horribly, according to Demon #2, but well according to the husband
* Do you think you’ve been in love: I hope so... either that or this 13 years I've been married to this dude was a waste of time
* Did you go to college: A vocational college
* Liked high school: School itself, no, but it was better than sitting at home all day doing nothing I suppose. Maybe if I would have had video games it would have been different.
* Want to get/stay married: Yes I do want to stay married because every time this dude & I break up, we end up back together anyway so the divorce costs would get spendy after the first one.
* Believe in yourself: I exist, so I suppose I believe I'm here.
* Think you’re attractive: I didn't get beat with an ugly stick, but my husband once told me I'd never be Miss America so I guess I'm somewhere in the middle.
* Think you’re a health freak: LMAO No. Pass the salt.
* Get along with your parent(s): Most days.
* Like thunderstorms: See the fear question.
* Play an instrument: Sometimes I play the pop bottle.

LAYER 4: In the past month have you…

* Drank alcohol: I had a Smirnoff something on Thanksgiving.
* Smoked: Yeah, about 10 minutes ago
* Done a drug: does aspirin count?
* Made out: Not really. We skip that.
* Gone on a date: No
* Gone to the mall: Yeah, unfortunately.
* Eaten an entire box of Oreos:. No.
* Eaten sushi: God no.
* Been on stage: No.
* Been dumped: No.
* Gone skating: No. Couldn't if I wanted to. My feet don't work that way.
* Gone skinny dipping: In November in Minnesota? You go ahead...
* Stolen Anything: a kiss or two maybe.

LAYER 5: Have you ever…

* Played a game that required removal of clothing: Yeah.
* Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: A couple times in my younger days.
* Been caught “doing something”: Just by friends, not by anyone important.
* Been called a tease: I still am called that.
* Gotten beaten up: Thanks to an ex-husband.
* Shoplifted: *sigh* yes.

LAYER 6:

* Age you did get/hope to be married: 22
* Numbers and names of children (either you have or want): Taryn Christianann (Demon #1 - she's 14) & Kristina Brenna (Demon #2 - she's 12)
* Describe your dream mate: big balding guy standing in my kitchen cooking eggs & saugage. Oh wait, thats just what he's doing.
* How do you want to die: in my sleep when I'm 125.
* What did you want to be when you grow up: A vet.
* What country would you most like to visit: Australia

LAYER 7: Now tell...

* Name a drug you’ve taken illegally: funky green weedy stuff that gave me cottonmouth
* Name a person you could trust with my life: My dad
* Name a favorite CD that you own: Johnny Cash's Greatest Hits
* Number of piercings: 8
* Number of tattoos: 3
* Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: Less than a dozen, but thats because of school crap, our marriage liscence thing and the birth of the demons.
* Name a past experience that you regret: Moving out of my parents house at 18. I should have stayed put. It would have saved me lots of money.

Saturday 9: Just Like a Pill

Saturday 9: Just Like a Pill

1. What was the last pill you took? I took 2 Anacin yesterday to get rid of the headache Black Friday caused

2. What time of day do you usually feel most energized? Right after my 2nd cup of coffee

3. Who was the last person you hugged? My husband, probably. Or it was my niece-in-law, Mandy on Thursday. Seems like I'm a little lame in the hug department lately.

4. If you had a restaurant serve you a perfect breakfast, what would it be? 2 eggs over-easy, hashbrowns, bacon & toast with strawberry jelly and a big glass of chocolate milk.

5. What did you do on Thursday? Went to my parents, brought my laptop with and worked while doing the family thing.

6. If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be? I'd want to be on that list of Powerball winners.

7. What is your favorite TV commercial at the moment? The Num Yummy commerical.

8. Who would you'd be surprised to wake up and find in your bed? Anyone but my husband and kids and pets... LOL I mean, who wouldn't be surprised if anyone outside of your house would be in your bed? What a silly question.
Let's jazz it up a bit to make more sense:
Pleasantly surprised? Mel, of course. Horribly surprised? A corpse.

9. Who is your favorite 80’s band?

A $20 day

Demon #1 decided yesterday that she isn't going to talk at all today. I laughed and told her if she can do it, I'll give her $20.

I wonder if she'll do it....

Shopping & such

Well I'll be headed out here in about 1/2 hour to join the mad rush of Black Friday shoppers. I hate shopping, I hate crowds but somehow I get roped into doing this every year. Even the husband told me I had to go because "you never go do anything". Whatever. Good news is is that we are hitting the Walmart in a not-so-much shopped town and word was last year it wasn't busy at all. I should be back by noon though... LOL (then I gotta get reading the Thursday Thunks from yesterday!)
The best news of all, though, is ... wait for it.... here comes a shamless plug! We now have black hooded sweatshirts & regular sweatshirts in black and zip up hoodies (black, grey & pink) in the shops! Yippeee!!!!

Wanna see? I know you do...

Good Girls - Bad Girls : Women's Zip Hoodie

I just have to say that I hate the thumbnail version of the women's zip hoodie, but I don't have control over it, so I just have to shut up.

Got Fumes? : Got Fumes? Hoodie (dark)

Girl on Sled : Girl on Sled Snowmobile Zip Hoodie (dark)

Bassackwards : Bassackwards Zip Hoodie

Aren't they pretty? I know a lot of people have been waiting for black hooded sweatshirts, especially in my snowmobile & fishing designs.

So hey... if you are looking through InsanityWear.com and see something you want on one of these, let me know... I've added the new products to SledderWear.com & TheFishingBowl.com but I haven't gotten it all done over at InsanityWear.

Watermelon Undies, Famous Lovers, Lemon Killers & Rain

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Kimber, the color crimson and the number 34 (as in days left in the year).

click the buttwipe and play!

1. Today is the biggest day in your chosen career. You have THE job interview. Everything must be spot on. As you are getting dressed, you realize Oops!, you forgot to do laundry. You have NO clean underwear. What do you do? Go commando, wear yesterday's dirty undies, wear them inside out, buy new ones on the way to the interview or just say screw it and go back to bed? Inside out? LMAO Who the heck does that? I'd just wear yesterdays I suppose... I hate the feel of commando. The husband is usually commando, I think he's nuts. (no pun intended, of course)

2. If you took a fully cooked turkey and a ripe watermelon and dropped them from 50 ft up, which would make a bigger splat and mess? I'd say the watermelon. Lets test it!

3. An ex lover, friend, or spouse is in a serious accident, they have lost their current memory and think you 2 are still together. S/he keeps calling for you from their hospital bed. The family calls begging you to come visit until s/he regains current memory. Do you go? It honestly, completely & truly honestly depends on what ex we are talking about.

4. You have the opportunity to meet your favorite famous person. You have heard the person isn't nice in real life. Do you go ahead and meet them or choose to keep your fantasy of them real to you? Why or Why not? My fantasy man is a drunk, thinks he's holier than thou, doesn't like Jews and thinks he's the Pope... I'd still do him.

5. Do you like lemons? Do you use them to clean with or just as a food source? Never put much thought into it. I loved giving them to my girls when they were little and got them to suck on them just so I could laugh at their faces afterward!

6. If chosen to be in a horror/suspense movie, would you do it? If so, would you be willing to be the first person killed in the movie? When I first read this I thought it was asking if I wanted to be killed or kill, which I'd want to be the killer, but now that I read it.... Sure I would. Kill me whenever.

7. It's raining. It's cold. You cannot leave the house. How do you spend the day? Blogging & working.

Holidays

I am an addict when it comes to my morning rituals. I get up, let the dogs out, make coffee, go empty my bladder, grab a cup of coffee, let the dogs back in, sit down at my laptop, sip my coffee and go through a various selection of websites that include forums, Facebook and news. One of my first sites I go to is our regional newspaper to check out the obituary's. I heard you start doing that more often the older you get, so I guess I must be old because it's a daily thing for me.
I'm always saddened when I see anyone under the age of 18, especially babies. What a devastating loss to that family. Then, as the holidays approach, I am saddened by all of them. Even those 102 year old great-great grandmas that have had such a wonderful full life being a wife, mom, aunt, sister, grandma, great grandma... to lose anyone so close to the holidays is so heartbreaking. I can't imagine how these people must feel at their dinner table on Thanksgiving or Christmas knowing that in the days after they have to say goodbye to a loved one.
Whats funny about my thinking is that I should be able to imagine it. Sometime around Thanksgiving in 1980 my mom went into the hospital because of a heart attack. Just days before my birthday, which is December 11th, we lost her. Maybe this is why the obits bother me this time of year, I don't know, but I don't remember this time of year that year. I remember Christmases before she died, but I can't remember the one right after. I know we celebrated it because I've been told, but the memory has been wiped from my mind. Protection maybe? Maybe it was a sad and miserable time for my older brothers and sister and my dad, I would assume so, but I don't remember. I was 8 years old that year and I know many people who have crystal clear memories of that time in their life, but I have what I like to call a patchwork memory. Just bits and peices.
My moms parents were both passed many years ago. Her father when she was a toddler I believe and her mother when she was 16. My dad's dad died in the 60s and his mother a year after my mom died. I was telling him yesterday that one thing I miss having, which we never had, was going to a grandparents house for the holidays (grandma was in a nursing home and we did visit her, but we didn't have a "family dinner" or anything). We didn't even go to aunts or uncles... its always just been our immediate family. I envy you readers who have a grandparent to go visit tomorrow - or on Christmas - even if you are visiting in a nursing home or some other similar place. My girls have it and I hope someday they realize how special it really is. My husband even had his grandparents, both sets, up until 2 years ago when he lost both grandpas. I have "adopted" his paternal grandma as the grandma I never had. She is the picture of the perfect little white haired grandma who cooks & cleans and lives for her kids & grandkids. Luckily I get that "grandma" experience through my husband and I remind him quite often how lucky he really is.
So the moral of my rambling - if you are one of those lucky ones to go visit a grandparent during the holidays or even both of your parents... no matter how messed up your family dynamics are, remember how blessed you really are to still have them. Thats what the holidays are about afterall.

10 Things I Want for the Holidays

1. A stress-free holiday. I hate stress and I hate uncomfortable family situations. I just want it to be fun-filled.
2. 100 sales in one day at one or more of my shops
3. To meet Kimber. I had to put this at #3, because she did.
   
4. The Christmas after Max died (see previous post) I kept asking for Max back. Just to be consistent, I want him back still.
5. My kids to appreciate the giving and receiving of Christmas.
6. For 2009 to be filled with days of no funeral attendance. Or hospital visits.
   
7. An Interceptor in the crate that I can tie a big red bow on for the husband on Christmas morning.
8. A bigger lens for my camera.
   
9. To find old friends, rekindle those friendships and to make many more.
   
10. For our country to climb out of this rut and allow those suffering from it to be able to get back on their feet and live comfortable and worry-free once again.
    

A day I wish I'd stay forgetting

Demon #1 reminded me today that it was 5 years ago today that we had to put my Maxwell Knuckles to sleep. I purposley forget today because I don't want to remember it, but since I'm reminded, I feel entitled to blog about my first-born.
Max came into my life in 1992. I was looking in the paper for a German Shepard puppy and I found an ad that was giving away German Shepard cross puppies. I went to the farm and looked at all the puppies. All black. I didn't want an all-black dog. The owners told me one puppy was missing, that he was a loner. When I'd made up my mind to pass on getting any of those puppies, here comes this big ball of golden fur from a shed. Running as fast as his little legs (that you couldn't see under all the fur!) could carry him. He ran right up to me and it was love at first sight. He wasn't the German Shepard look that I wanted, but something told me I couldn't leave without him. That was my Maxwell. I had always planned on naming a German Shepard "Knuckles" in memory of a German Shepard that belonged to a friend of my brothers back in the 70s when I was just 6 or 7 years old. He was a mean, vicious dog that nobody could get near, but yet I'd climb into his dog house with him. I always said I'd have my own Knuckles. Max didn't look like a Knuckles, so that is how he was named Maxwell Knuckles. (and he knew he was in trouble when I used his full name! LOL)
He was with me through a marriage that was a mistake from day one. I had to leave him at the house my ex & I had when I moved into town into an apartment. I got a call from a neighbor that my ex hadn't been around and they were going to call the humane society if someone didn't come feed Max. I broke into the house that day to get him food & water. Soon after I asked Jason ("the husband" I talk about now) if Max could stay with him and then we went and "kidnapped" Max. I always joke on how Max moved in with Jason before I did! LOL
One thing that Max loved was snow. He had a dog house, but when it snowed he'd lay outside and let the snow fall on him until all there was was a big snow pile that would move if you called for Max. Loving the snow & cold is partly what contributed to his sore joints & muscles later on.
He loved critters... more than once we caught him letting rabbits eat out of his food dish. And our cats.. but they had to be ours. The rest he'd chase away, but he'd never hurt them. He had 2 cats in his life that he favored more than the rest. The first one was a white cat named Milo. They would spend days with Max chasing Milo up a tree and Milo waiting until Max laid down and then he'd jump out of the tree... right onto Max and they would start all over again! Max was also his body guard. Milo liked to get into fights with other cats and he sooned learned to lure them into the yard. Milo would stand just inside of the circle of Max's tie-out and wait for the unsuspecting cat to round the corner of the house and right into Max. I suppose that was another game of there's.... teasing the neighbor cats.
His other favorite was Big Boy. It's kinda funny now watching Big Boy with Saki now that she's grown. I often wonder if he remembers Max and now with his sudden interest in Saki I wonder even more.
A couple years before I made the final decision to put him down he started aching more and more. Then his bladder started giving out. This is a dog that would hold it inside the house for 24 hours (if he had to, which was only once!) because he was such a good boy and all of a sudden he just couldn't anymore. Then the pain got worse. It took me a good year to finally make that decision, but I remember the day like it was yesterday. He was laying on the couch with me and with ever breath he moaned. I looked down at him and said "Ok, ok, I get it. It's time." I remember the look in his eyes after I said that... it was like a look of peace that he knew would soon be coming.
Max was a "full boy" and loved to mark his territory outside and in the garage. Jason wanted to club him over the head with a shovel more times than not. But when I made that appointment and asked Jason to take him in for me because I knew I couldnt, he couldn't either. We had to get my brother to take him in for us. Right before he took Max away I gave Max the biggest plate of Thanksgiving leftovers a dog has ever had.
I still have Max's ashes in a box that has a "good dog" sticker on it, along with his collar that held his scent for a good 2 years. My heart broke when I couldn't smell him anymore.
For quite a while after he died I would hear his collar jingling in the backyard through the bathroom window. Always in the morning. I just got used to saying "good morning, Max". After awhile the jingling stopped. I still miss that, even if it was in my mind. Or was it?
If Max had to go outside during the night or early morning he would put his head on the bed right by my face and just stare at me. One night I woke up to the feeling of pressure on the mattress and I swear to this day, I smelled his bad breath. Maybe it was a dream... maybe it wasn't.
Soon after we got Saki, I was playing with her and she jumped up on me and put a paw on each of my shoulders. I pushed her down right away... see, if I wanted a hug from Max I'd say "give me hugs" and he would jump up and put a paw on each shoulder. She kept trying to do that and I just kept saying, "No Maxie hugs! Only Max gives hugs like that.". Was it Max's way of telling me it was ok to love Saki? I don't know. Now there are Saki hugs, which is just her head on my shoulder. There are no Maxie hugs anymore... there was only one dog who is gonna give me hugs like that.
A friend of Jason's who is a vintage snowmobiler, Drmario, as he goes by online, recently lost his cat and posted about it on VintageSleds.com. He made mention that his cat & dog that he lost 2 years ago were "once in a lifetime pets". Maxwell was my once in a lifetime. I've had other dogs throughout my life but nobody has ever come close to meaning as much as Max did - and still does - mean to me. There is just not another Max out there.
So as I type this out with tears streaming down my face (so much for the makeup I put on this morning) I miss him just as much as I did 5 years ago.

Talking to myself about stress & talents

Manic Monday #143

Do you ever talk to yourself out loud? What do you talk about? LOL I talk to myself all the time! I probably talk to objects more than myself. In fact, I just told Blogger; "yes, keep me signed in, I'm sick of having to sign in all the time!" (I wish I could figure out what I did to my computer that it keeps logging me out of everything!) But, yes, I talk to myself quite often because... well... I answer myself back and it makes for good conversation. I often call myself a dumbass, too.

What stresses you out? deadlines. I hate deadlines - of anything. I'm always afraid I don't have whatever it is done, even though I know I do. But the biggest is my husband... not him personally but I stress about him being happy. I hate it when he's grumpy so I am always trying to cheer him up. I hate it when he can't have what he wants (usually snowmobile related) and I spend hours of my day trying to come up with ways to get him what he wants.

What are your secret talents? if I told you they wouldn't be a secret anymore, so really... whats the point of this question?

I hate emailing myself

Does anyone know how I can Blogger to stop emailing me when *I* comment on someone's blog - or my own blog for that matter? I want to get everyone else's updates, but I know what I said - I don't need a stinkin' email about it.

Sunday Stealing: The Favorite Meme

Sunday Stealing: The Favorite Meme

Fill in your favorite for each of the following:

1. Political show: None. I don't understand politics so watching a tv show about it would just give me a migraine.
2. Picnic food: fruit
3. Mixed drink: slo-7 or Malibu Pineapple
4. U.S. President: do people really have a favorite president? Fine, if I have to pick one I'm gonna say Clinton just because we all know he had fun during his term.
5. Kind of student to teach: developmentally disabled high school students. (sorry... I've worked as an assistant teacher before, I know what I like & don't like!)
6. Hobby you do or wish you still did: sometimes, honestly, I wish I still drank every night like I did in my younger days. Maybe I'd have friends if I did.
7. Sports commentator: I don't have a favorite, but I'd like to take that pen away from Madden and shove it up his ass.
8. Sport to watch on TV: None really - not for any length of time that is. I guess there are a bunch that I'll watch for awhile, but not long.
9. Animal to have as a pet: Dog.
10. Halloween costume you have worn: Didn't I answer this back in October? I couldn't think of what it was called, but I figured out Debbie @ Thick & Thin was one too when she was little and she reminded me. She posted a picture and everything. It was sweet. Anyway, they were called Kooky Spooks.
11. Kind of dessert: anything with chocolate, preferably with ice cream somewhere in it. And peanut butter.
12. Comic strip: Family Circus. I hate comics, but Family Circus is quick and to the point.
13. Ice cream flavor: Peanut Butter Passion
14. News source: FoxNews & Local6.com (no I don't live in Florida, I just like their news site)
15. Vacation spot: the lake 4 miles out of town.
16. Wine: I can't even fake this one people, sorry. I don't like wine... never have. I guess it's a good thing we're not rich.
17. Way to waste time instead of working: I'm doing it baby!
18. Reality show: The first 2 seasons of Survivor. After that all reality shows went into overkill.
19. Childrens movie: Bambi
20. Celebrity you wish would retire: Mel Gibson, but just so him & I can find each other and spend the rest of our lives together. (He's starring in a new movie again!!! wooohoooo!)
But in all seriousness... I can't really think of anyone that I wish would retire, because even if they are retired, we still hear about them.
Mr Bean! Thats my answer! I hope he retires to Mars or something.

Ok, now go be a good blogger and go play....

Saturday 9: Dreaming of You

Saturday 9: Dreaming of You

1. What did you dream about last night? it's funny that you ask that because I know I had a dream about something that I hadn't thought of in a long time, but I can't remember it! It's wierd that I know it's something I haven't thought of in a long time though. I hate mornings like that.
2. Do you often have nightmares? No, not really.
3. Do you have any special talents? I suppose creativity can be considered a talent. Otherwise, I've got nothing.
4. Who is the most talent person that you know? thats a tough one - I honestly don't have an answer.
5. What did you watch on TV last? Whats Eating Gilbert Grape
6. Is there a new TV show that you would recommend? It's not really new, but New Adventures of Old Christine is a pretty good show. I've been slowly getting into Kath & Kim, too.
7. Who was the last person you phoned and why? AT&T because Demon #2's phone melted.. 2 hours later after talking with them AND Nokia, Krissy gets a brand new red Razor out of the deal... and her ring tone that I bought a few weeks ago will get put on her new phone for free!
8. Who was the last person who phoned you and why? My dad... I had to go clip their kitty's nails and bring her treats because they forgot to buy her some (spoiled!)
9. What was the last snail mail letter that you received? besides bills & such? Probably either something from church or school.

Did you know...??

That now you can search for my designs per shop? I know you are looking for that perfect t-shirt, mug or heck.. you want a sticker, right? It's the perfect thing for Christmas shopping!

Try it out...

Say you want something from our main variety shop, InsanityWear.com, which basically has something for everyone... type something in... see what you come up with!

Search InsanityWear:

Not you? Ok, so are you a snowmobiler? Try searching SledderWear for something for your snowmobile addict:

Search SledderWear:

Still not you? Ok fine. You are a fisherman, right? Maybe a hunter? Well try our 3rd shop... go ahead.. put something in the search box!

Search TheFishingBowl:

and these search boxes are right on the store pages, too! No more excuses on not being able to find that perfect gift.

Friday Fill-ins

And...here we go!



1. The last band I saw live was KISS, quite a few years ago - 10 maybe? Their makeup tour. It was pretty sweet.
2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is being with family. (if you don't celebrate thanksgiving, insert your favorite holiday)
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is giving me a headache.
4. Thoughts of nothing - this meme? fill my head.... I'm rather lame this morning.
5. I wish I could wear the jeans that I wore a year ago.
6. Bagpipes make me think of men in skirts with nothing underneath and me hoping a strong wind comes along.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to not much, tomorrow my plans include making plans because there are none so far and Sunday, I want to call all my family and friends and tell them I got the winning Powerball numbers!

I wanted to do with Food 4 Thought Friday meme but there only so many Thanksgiving questions you can answer... I'm hoping that next week all the memes don't involve the same questions about Thanksgiving.

Potatoes, sharks, Jello, pudding, keyrings, french fries and so on

This week we will answer some strange, off the wall questions, thought up by Berleen's daughters demons (ages 12 & 14). Brought to you by Berleen, the color green and the number 147. Go play here.

1. Do you like potatoes? What kind? I love all sorts of potatoes, but nothing is better than a big bowl of mashed 'tatoes smothered in butter!
2. If you were dressed up in a fish costume and you went underwater and a shark saw you, what would you do? I would use my fishy costume fin and get the hell outta there! Then I'd probably become shark-kibble.
3. Does Jello make you happy? It doesn't make me sad, does that count?
4. If you could have any animal, exotic, extinct or other type, what would it be? a cougar. They are so cuddly looking! And another golden retriever.
5. Would you fill up a pool with pudding and jump in? No. Because something tells me that you would die from it....
6. When you are feeling icky with the sickness feeling, what is your first choice for feel-better medicine?Blackberry Brandy? Or NyQuil...
7. Do you count with your fingers or in your head when it comes to mathematical equations? all fingers, baby!
8. Do you have any key chains on your keyring? How many? What kind? I just have the button to open the truck as a keychain. Everyone yells at me that I'm going to wreck my ignition when I have keychains on.
9. What do you dunk your french fries in? Mayo. Preferrably german mayo, but it's been a couple decades since I've had that.
10. When I say "Moo I'm a duck" do you think of a cow or a duck? a duck that goes moo.
11. If you had the chance, would you go to the very bottom of the ocean? Nope. I have this claustrophobia of being immersed in water.
12. Would you rather be spiderman or batman? catwoman! I can answer that, right?
13. Would you rather be in a hurricane or a tornado? Tornado. It's a lot quicker.
14. Do you like pumpkin pie? Do you cheat and buy a premade one or do you make it from scratch? Heck, do you even make pumpkin pie at all? I LOVE pumpkin pie and I've made it both ways... usually I just cheat and buy a premade one and bake it.

Below Fricken Zero!

So the husband wants me to go with him on this snowmobiling trip in February... way the hell up north in the boonies of Minnesota... way up by the Canadian border where nothing with warm blood lives. We're talking -40 below weather! Yeah, thats negative, as in below fricken zero. I'm supposed to go up there, freeze my ass off and sit behind his ass on a snowmobile. Why did I even agree to this? Good Lord, what have I done?
I still haven't committed to this 100%... I mean we're talking below zero - like instant ice. I have a low blood pressure to begin with and I've been wearing long johns since September. I ain't a cold-blooded woman!
I try to be a good wife and try to get into this whole snowmobile fiasco that he's gotten himself into, but why can't he just get into water-skipping or something? (thats where you snowmobile across water.... in the summer... when it's warm!) Maybe I'll take it up and he'll forget about snow.
Ok, nevermind that. I don't look good in a bikini anymore.
So thats my whine of the day - to go or not to go. It's gonna be cold. Cold... freezing. Ack! I don't know what to do.
He better never question my fricken love for him if I do go.

Not again! You people are killing me....

Another award? This is getting rather comical....
So this one comes from Kimber, which I suppose is paybacks because I'm slamming her with awards.

So, here are the rules to receiving this award:

1. You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous blogs in a post.
2. You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.
3. You must copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post.

Instructions:
On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them. When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well. To add the award to your post, simply right-click, save image, then "add image" it in your post as a picture so your winners can save it as To add it to your sidebar, add the "picture" gadget. Also, don't forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by emailing them or leaving a comment on their blog.

5 Fabulous Nominations
Christina - she's a fellow Thursday Thunker who started last week... it might be spelled wrong *chuckle*, but her name got my attention!
Shan - another TT'er, but she's from Minnesota so she's even more special!
Holly - yet another TT'er, she stuck out because of the big ugly turkey on her site! (sorry, I think real turkeys are ugly. Yummy, but ugly)
The Spotted Sparrow - I mean, seriously! The name itself is enough to suck you in...
Gina- There's a big fricken lily when you open your page - a girl whose heart beats the same as mine!

5 Fabulous Addictions
1. Peanut Butter Cups. No explaination needed.
2. Coffee. Through an IV preferrably.
3. Insanity Cafe. Posting on the forums and playing in the arcade. Good times. (copying Kimber)
4. Creating stuff for my shops - #1, #2 & #3. Income, obsession, fun!
5. Facebook. I am so addicted to finding old friends, pet society, and all the silly apps being sent around. (I'll just copy Kimber on this one again). She's got damn good answers.

10 Things I'm Thankful for This Year

10 Things I'm Thankful for This Year

1. First and foremost, my family. Of course, thats a given a suppose. It extends further than just the demons & the husband. I'm thankful that we have had a year of non-health issues with my dad. For those of you who know what we went through a few years ago, you'll understand. It was rough and I'm glad we got another year of non-stressful times with him.
   
2. Saki. Yep, the dog. There was always something missing after I lost Max 4 years ago and Saki has almost filled that void. She will never take the place of Max and no matter how many times someone tells me "she's better than Max was", I refuse to accept that (even though it's true in many ways LOL). And, of course, I'm thankful that the husband said those beautiful words when we were thinking of getting a puppy; "why don't we just get a golden retriever". That was almost as precious as "will you marry me". Wait... he never asked me to marry him - we just decided to get married. Anyway, on to #3.
   
3. I'm thankful that my shops have given me one more year of income so that I don't have to go back out into the workforce. It's fun, I enjoy it and I can work in my underwear! Yeehaw! Plus, I like being home with the girls - even though they are old enough to be home alone, I don't want them to be.
   
4. My friends. Melissa has blessed me with another year of her bestest friendship. I just don't know what I would do without her... it's amazing the things I can tell her and the most she will say negative is "you're a dork". I love her to death and back. I just have to get out there to see her so I can feel her prego belly before she pops. I have an obsession with her prego belly. It's fun to feel her up. Then there is Kimber... thanks to the internet I have found another friend in my life that I can throw that "best" word in front of. And the strangest part of it is that we've never met face to face. Someday. Maybe I'll hide in the trunk when my parents go south this winter.
   
5. Health. I'm thankful we are all relativley healthy. We took Demon #2 off of the anti-depressants she was on and it seemed to do a world of good. The thyroid levels on both Demons contiue to flucuate, but thats going to be a lifetime issue.
   
6. Speaking of Demons - I'm thankful that I have come to the realization that I have to accept the girls (mainly Demon #2) for who they are and quit trying to mold them into someone else. It's been a long road and we still haven't seen the end of it yet, but it's getting better. I'm hoping that next year I can add that I'm thankful that everyone has accepted her for who she is.
   
7. I'm thankful that the economy problems haven't affected us as much as most. With me at home working and the husband being a truck driver and bringing the semi (owned & fueled by the company) home each night, we didn't have to fill up gas tanks on a weekly basis like most people. This could be #8, but I'll add it here - even though it's a sucky job at times, I'm thankful the husband is a truck driver. No matter how bad things get... the world will always need trucks to haul things to stores. It's job security. No layoffs in this family. And thankfully he works for a large trucking company - they aren't in danger of shutting down like some of the smaller companies have this past year.
   
8. I'm thankful my parents found that kitty... it was one of the best things that could have happened to them. They have never had pets themselves, only whatever I brought home. My stepmom is the most anti-pet person out there, but I found out yesterday that when she puts Sassy to bed at night (she sleeps in the laundry room), she picks her up, sets her in her bed and COVERS HER UP WITH A BLANKET. That cat has them trained worse than my cat.s
   
9. Blogging. Seriously... do you know how many "friends" I have met through blogging? It's amazing...
   
10. Love, laughter & smiles. I'm thankful for those every day of my life.