Answer Me This....

I really like Answer Me This... Thanks Kendra for posting questions.

A quick "Did You Know"-- When John and I first started dating, we did Five Questions on a regular basis.  We were both at desks for part of the day and several times a week, we'd send random questions.  Sometimes the questions were fluff... and sometimes they were thoughtful.  I do miss that part of dating... but I so am glad I am on this side of dating :)


1. What is your favorite room in the house?
Does outside count as a room?  I am an outdoor person. 

I like my home. It's comfy and cozy... I recently decided to put aside my desires for cute and cottage-y for workable and convininet.  Therefore, on our painted antique hutch, we have a basket of bibs, a bowl of bows, and colored pencils.  Utilitarian is a must right now :)

2. Do you subscribe to any magazines or other periodicals?

I use to subscribe to a ton of mags.... and newspapers.  But now I can barely read books and blogs... so I have cut back.  I get my mom's copy of Real Simple which I love.  And I get my own copy of Sunset Magazine... that's a fabulous mag IMO.

3. How do you feel about the sign of peace in Mass? Enriching? Awkward? Overdone? Just right? Some combination of the above.

I loved reading about this last week.  John and I went to mass alone yesterday and had a post-mass discussion.  He thought it was just silly to question it... I totally get it but think it can be reigned in at times.

What I do love about it... It is a great tool to teach for toddlers... for us, it was the first real connection I felt they had to mass (aside from being blessed during communion.)

4. What is your least favorite sound?

Oh, my dear Betsy... love her to pieces but she wears her feelings on her sleeve... and they tend to come out vocally.  Her crying is tough on me.  She is a whiner and crier... and she's happier and expresses joy openly.  I am thankful that she is such a happy girl. It's the ointment for my ears after hearing her penetrating cries.  

Non-child noises-- the quite sound of dry hands on paper bags. Uck!

5. What was your favorite TV show (or shows) growing up?

I was a huge lover of old shows like Leave it to Beaver and I Love Lucy.  My mom would watch them with me and I loved it.  I also loved Little House on the Prarie.  I may have been that strange kid that wore a bonnet all of third grade when I wasn't at school ;)

6. What are your favorite TV shows now?

• Amazing Race (satisfies my travel bug)
• Next Food Network Star (satisfies my whimsical cooking)
• Downton Abbey
• Sherlock
• Community (what a smart comedy for geeks and nerds like John and me!)

Have a wonderfully calm week!

PS-  Baby Jack turned one year old on Saturday!  He's such a good baby... oh, how I'd like another one.... St William of Rochester, pray for us.  St. Antohony of Padua, pray for us... and for our baby Jack's namesake saint, St. John-Charles Cornay, Pray for Us.

Answer Me This...

Answer Me This... also known as the only time I take to sit and write something on this blog...

1. What do you still want to do this summer?

That list is a long one...

We knocked one off this weekend-- we went to the Natural History Museum to look at Dinosaur Bones... we couldn't get in to see the butterflies and that's okay... the girls were amazed at the bird eggs.  Go figure... tiny little eggs and giant eggs.  

Unfortunately John goes back to teaching this week so our summer is sort of over.  We still want a beach day (we live a mile away and only make quick stops.. I want a nice afternoon.)  Swimming at the public pool but we need a babysitter since it's we are outnumbered by our little people by one (and pools require 1 x 1 adult supervision.)   We also want to go to a small local amusement park geared to children under 6.  Unfortunately the prices are higher than I remembered... I just don't see blowing $100 for a Merry-Go-Round.


2. What's your favorite kind of pie?

Easy... berry pies!!  Yummmm!!  I took a peach pie to a 4th of July party and had the best comments--- "Best pie ever" said my SIL and nephew.

3. How much sleep do you need each day? How much do you get?

I need a good seven hours.  Eight is great but seven is my magic number.

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4. Do you prefer to swim in a pool, lake, river, or ocean?

Swimming pool!  I love swimming... and I am most comfortable in a pool. I was a lifeguard in HS and a bit in college.  Also taught swim lessons for years.  I am so glad my girls are getting comfortable swimming.  I am contemplating Fall swim lessons and/or a pass to our local university pool so we can swim into the warm Fall months.

5. Do you know any poems by heart?

Um... do nursery rhymes count?!    
In all seriousness, I want to memorize e.e. cummings "I Carry Your Heart".  It became a poem that unites us to our children's birth moms.  

6. Do you use the public library?

I am terrible about returning things on time.

There, I said it.

In theory I love the library but I am a bad patron.  Well, maybe I am a good patron since they make money off of me.

I grew up going to the library so I want to become a library mom as my children get older.  

Answer me this....

1. When driving, are you more likely to listen to the radio, to CDs or an iPod, or nothing at all?

Talk radio.  If I am driving "Mama Car" aka our family car I listen to the Catholic Channel.  I am sometimes blessed with Cardinal Dolan.  Normally it's just pure entertainment from The Catholic Guy, Lino Rulli, or Broken Halo with Father Dave Dwyer.  Both shows have me laughing.

If I am in a commute car w/o Sirius radio, I'll listen to all sorts of talk.  My favorite, though, is Dave Ramsey. I get so excited as I hear families get out of financial debt.  Totally inspires me to be thrifty!

2. Do you prefer window or aisle?

The answer to this one depends on the type of flight.
International-- a window seat so I can sleep.  

Short domestic flights-  aisle for quick access out.

3. Do you fall asleep on your side, back, or stomach? What position are you in when you wake up?

I tend to fall asleep on my back and wake up on my side.

4. When is the last time you attended a zoo, circus, carnival, county fair, or parade?

Zoo-  a year ago.  We had membership for a year and would regularly go.  Sort of miss it and debating whether it's a good investment or not.

5. Do you have a favorite quote or inspirational saying?

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” 
― Plato

6. What's the best thing about summer?

Watermelon :)  Love everything watermelon.
Oh, and swimming.  Is there really anything better than a swim on a hot day?
I have friends that won't swim because they won't get in a suit.  Psssh!!  I'm chunky and out of shape looking but I love swimming with my children.