Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

I’ve been feeling a bit deficient lately in the areas of coherent thought and comprehension. It could be related to the fact that I’m 31 weeks pregnant and chasing an 18 month old, but it could just be that my brain is taking a break. Therefore, I’ve decided to go the meme route today with this one I saw at Lauren’s the other day.

Two names you go by…Momma and Pooh

Two things you are wearing right now… maternity jeans and my Belly Hugger

Two things you have (or would want) in a relationship… a strong, God-seeking man and intelligent conversation

Two of your favorite things to do… read and eat

Two things you want very badly at the moment… Little to take a long nap and a nap for myself

Two pets you have or have had… a daschund named Taggles and a cat named Calico (childhood pets)

Two things that you did last night… went to Life Group and watched part of Pride and Prejudice

Two things you ate today… homemade vegetable soup and salad

Two people you last talked to… Matt and Lindsey (adult conversation, I last spoke to Little)

Two things you’re doing tomorrow… showering and watching The Biggest Loser (Tuesdays are exciting around here)

Two longest car rides… Nashville to Anaheim, CA and Nashville to Houston, TX

Two favorite holidays… Christmas and Thanksgiving

Two favorite beverages… sweet tea and strawberry lemonade

Two people no longer alive who you’d like to talk to… my GrandBill and Ruth

I saw this meme at Lauren’s and thought it would be a fun one for the holidays.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? most of the time wrapping paper, but sometimes I’ll use gift bags for oddly shaped gifts or if I’m being lazy
2. Real tree or artificial? artificial
3. When do you put up the tree? usually the weekend after Thanksgiving, this year, well, it remains to be seen
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year’s eve or day
5. Do you like eggnog? yes
6. Favorite gift received as a child? probably my Cabbage Patch Kids
7. Do you have a nativity scene? no
8. Hardest person to buy for? my dad or brother
9. Easiest person to buy for? Little
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I really can’t think of one
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail (if I remember to send them)
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I don’t really have one
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I start thinking about it in September, but usually don’t buy my first gift until late October or early November
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? white elephant gifts, definitely
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? I just enjoy eating, especially holiday foods
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear, on all 3 or 4 trees
17. Favorite Christmas song? I can’t pick a single favorite song, so let’s go albums here – Sufjan Stevens’s Songs for Christmas
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? this will be the first year we don’t travel until after Christmas day
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? probably, although I haven’t tried recently
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? often both – just whenever
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? the focus on consumerism
23. What I love most about Christmas? time with family, decorations, music – I just love the Christmas season

If you decide to play along let me know so I can check out your answers.

I saw this meme over at Adventures in Babywearing and thought it was quite funny…

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Calico Subaru

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Cookies & Cream Chocolate Chip

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl� NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name),
Jgra

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal),
Blue Penguin

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, hospital where you were born),
Catherine Baptist

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first),
Graja

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (�The� + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),
The Purple Fruit Tea (and exactly what superpower would someone by that name possess??)

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers),
William Joseph

9.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ),
Ann Michael

10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter),
Coleman Cleveland

11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower).
Christmas Tulip

12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie� or “y�)
Banana Shortsie

13. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree),
Bagel Japanese Maple

14. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (�The� + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour�),
The Reading Rain Tour

If you decide to play along, let me know; I would love to read your names.

Steph at Adventures in Babywearing tagged me for the “Four Faves” meme. For all of you inquiring minds out there, here are things about me in groups of four.

Four jobs I’ve held:
1. lifeguard
2. administrative assistant (to an engineer, then to 2 salesmen)
3. human resources assistant (including payroll processing)
4. operations coordinator for a computer training company

Four movies I can watch over and over again:
1. About a Boy
2. The Princess Bride
3. Monty Python’s Search for the Holy Grail
4. Sense and Sensibility

Four places I have lived:
1. my parent’s house
2. a college dorm room
3. a small cottage on Matt’s grandparents farm
4. the house in which I currently dwell

Four tv shows I watch:
1. The Office (of course!)
2. Prison Break
3. Lost
4. Hell’s Kitchen (as my husband rolls his eyes)

Four places I’ve been on vacation:
1. the Cayman Islands
2. Paris, France
3. Navarre Beach, Florida
4. Walt Disney World

Four of my favorite foods:
1. chips with salsa &/or guacamole
2. mashed potatoes
3. fried green tomatoes
4. tuna noodle casserole

Four websites I visit:
1. ESPN
2. reinvigorate (site stats)
3. eBay (sometimes more than I should!)
4. Drudge Report

Four people I’m tagging: (if you would like to play along, of course)
1. Lu
2. Lauren
3. GiBee
4. Barb

I’ve been tagged by Sheryl at Peanut Butter and Jelly Boats for a five things meme. It’s a pretty long one, so here we go…

Five things I was doing 10 years ago:

1. graduating from high school (May)
2. working as a lifeguard at summer camps
3. deciding where to attend college (final decision was made in late June/early July)
4. attending the birth of my oldest nephew (June 14 – happy 10th birthday M!)
5. meeting Matt for the first time (August)

Five snacks I enjoy:

1. ice cream – particularly cookies & cream right now
2. microwave popcorn
3. salt & vinegar potato chips
4. chocolate (preferably m&m’s or chocolate chips)
5. Edy’s strawberry popsicles

Five songs that I know all the lyrics to:

1. Sweet By and By as sung by Bart Millard
2. most songs on Chris Tomlin’s Arriving or See the Morning CDs
3. Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee
4. You Are My Sunshine
5. Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam

Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:

1. donate a large portion to my church and other charitable organizations we support
2. pay off our car, mortgage, and the debts of a family member or two
3. put some aside for Little’s college fund
4. buy gifts for people whenever I had the urge
5. go on a nice vacation

Five bad habits:

1. “popping” my knuckles
2. biting my lips
3. snacking on not so good for me foods (see snack section above)
4. making a concious choice not to do what I should do
5. interrupting people in mid-sentence

Five things I like to do:

1. hike (although we haven’t done much since we moved from East Tennessee)
2. swim
3. take walks with Little
4. read books
5. drink coffee

Five things I would never wear again:

1. a side-ponytail
2. tight-rolled jeans with slouch socks
3. my brother’s clothes
4. stirrup pants
5. leg warmers

Five favorite toys (some are then, some are now):

1. dolls (especially my Cabbage Patch Kids)
2. play kitchen
3. big wheel
4. books (then and now)
5. iPod

Five people I tag (if they are interested in playing, of course):

1. Lu at Hyperactive Lu
2. Jill at Who Could Ask for Anything More
3. Diane at Chateau Smith
4. Lora Lynn at Vita Familiae
5. Nan at Life is Like a Lunchbox

A few days ago I was tagged by my wonderful SIL Lu to play along in a meme. I know you have all been anxiously awaiting my great and insightful answers, and you shall wait no longer…

1. Last year I experienced the miracle that is life for the first time – pregnancy and childbirth – what amazing and beautiful experiences.

2. In 2004-2005 I experienced buying and then selling (11 months later) a house for the first time. I learned that when you offer your life, your marriage, your home to God and truly mean it, He sometimes takes you up on the offer.

3. In the last four years I’ve learned how very difficult it is to leave a group of friends who are like family and that the work involved in maintaining a strong friendship across the distance of hundreds of miles is worth it.

4. Over the last four years I’ve grown in my understanding of God, His will, and His church and learned to trust and believe in new and increasing ways.

1. I want to have more children if it is the pleasure of God to bless us in that way.

2. I would like to experience the freedom of living a debt free life (we’re almost there!).

3. I want to teach Little to read.

4. I would like to learn at least one new skill or hobby.

I honestly can’t remember who all has already participated in this one, so I’m not going to tag anyone. If you would like to play along, let me know in the comments so I can read your responses.

Today I’m playing along with Lauren and doing a themed “things about me” meme. Lauren gave me three themes to choose from – family, marriage, and colors – and I thought it would be fun to see what I could come up with for colors. So, here we go…

1. Blue is my favorite color, and it has been since I was but a wee child. Growing up, my bedroom had blue paint and carpet. I’m fond of most shades of blue, but my current shade of choice is periwinkle.

2. White is the color of choice for all wood work in my house (baseboards, door frames, mantle, built-in bookshelves, etc). This has created a lot of work for Matt since we’ve had to paint all of the wood work in both houses that we’ve lived in. He has, however, thusfar refused to paint the kitchen cabinets white.

3. The kitchen in our house in Knoxville was painted bright yellow and a bright orangey/terra cotta color. The colors made me feel very happy. Here’s a picture:

4. I prefer to have colored walls and neutral color furniture. I’m sure this puts me in some minority of weirdo home decorators, but it is true. It is significantly less expensive to paint a room than to purchase new furniture when I get tired of a color.

5. My foot and toes were once a nasty shade of purple/black/green as gravity pulled the bruising from my sprained ankle down into my foot.

6. Little’s room is painted Spring green and decorated with light pinks, yellows, and greens.

7. I always gravitate toward Spring colors; this could have to do with the fact I was born on the first day of Spring.

8. My favorite flowers are bright yellow daffodils and orangey-pink tulips with yellow tips.

So now you know a bit more about me. If you would like to play along, let me know in the comments and I will e-mail you with some topics from which to choose.

I’ve been tagged by my dah-ling SIL Lu for a “7 Things About Me” meme. I’m having trouble thinking of seven things, but here we go…

1. I lived in the same house from the day I came home from the hospital until the day I got married (my parents still live there).

2. I bowl much better on Wii than I do in real life.

3. I was in the delivery room when my oldest nephew was born; it was one of the neatest things I’ve ever been able to do.

4. Matt and I met in our first class our Freshman year of college; it was a MWF 8am American History class.

5. I have a degree in Biology; from 3rd grade until my Sophomore year of college I was planning to go to medical school.

6. Although I’ve lived in Tennessee all my life, I was not a Vols fan until we lived in Knoxville.

7. I played Jo in my high school production of Little Women.

I think I will tag Tanya, Katrina, Laura, and my IRL friends Diane and Michelle if they are interested. If you decide to play along, let me know so I can come check it out.