a little surprised...

(pleasantly, of course!)

I was nominated by Rose for an Over the Top blog award! Shocking, since I have been neglecting my poor ol' blog for a long time now - I couldn't believe I still have a reader! Thanks Rose!

For this award, I'm supposed to answer this list of questions using one word. So, here's a little bit of information about me:

1. Where is your cell phone? bag
2. Your hair? short
3. Your mother? forgiving
4. Your father? strong
5. Your favorite food? starches
6. Your dream last night? bad
7. Your favorite drink? water
8. Your dream/goal? happiness
9. What room are you in? kitchen
10. Your hobby? paper crafts
11. Your fear? abandonment
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? unsure
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something that you aren't? tall
15. Muffins? YUM!
16. Wish list item? paper!
17. Where did you grow up? BC
18. Last thing you did? TV
19. What are you wearing? PJs
20. Your TV? off
21. Your Pets? doberman(s)
22. Friends? wonderful
23. Your life? blessed
24. Your mood? melancholy
25. Missing someone? husband
26. Vehicle? garage
27. Something your not wearing? socks
28. Your favorite store? scrapbooking
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? today
32. Your best friend? Shawn
33. One place that I go to over and over? Starbucks
34. Facebook? yeah
35. Favorite place to eat? depends

Here are the 5 creative people (well, actually, 5 blogs, 6 ladies) I'm nominating for this award. I enjoy their blogs and think it would be fun to find out more about them! I hope you ladies will please play if you have the time!

1. Karin & Julie
2. Lauren
3. Beth
4. Carol
5. Lynn

1. When was the last time you went to the bathroom outside? uhhh...no clue...no time recently!

2. When was the last time you saw one of your parents? Sunday we had dinner at their place

3. Which family member do you most resemble? my dad

4. Do you wear cologne/perfume? sometimes... mostly Orange Cantaloupe body mist from Fruits & Passion

5. Do you wear deodorant? um, yes!

6. Do you ‘clean up nice’? try to!

7. When was the last time you tripped and fell? last summer (July 1st) when I fell into a hole and broke my foot!

8. where was the last place you slept besides your home? does the hospital count?

9. What are you listening to right now? the ellen show on TV

10. Have you ever started an uncontrollable fire? nope

11. Ever run out of gas on the road? nope

12. Would you rather cut the grass or rake the leaves? cut grass

13. Your name spelled backwards? ARAT

14. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? crafty downloads and digital photography freebies...

15. Last time you swam in a pool? last summer

16. Have you ever been in a school play? nope... not 'my thing'... lol

17. How many kids do you want? none

18. Type of music you dislike most? rap / punk

19. Are you registered to vote? yep

20. Do you have cable? yes

21. Ever prank call anybody? yikes!! *blush* yes...

22. Best friends? yes, the best!

23. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving? YES! Been bungee jumping... can't WAIT to go sky diving!

24. Do you have a garden? nope... not much into playing in the dirt

25. What’s your favorite comic strip? Calvin & Hobbes

26. Bath or Shower, morning or night? shower, in the morning... I also enjoy a nice, hot bubble bath occasionally... usually after a long day at work.

27. Best movie you’ve seen in the past month? Slum Dog Millionaire

28. Favorite pizza topping? pepperoni & mushroom or veggie

29. Chips or popcorn? unfortunately, chips

30. What color lipstick do you usually wear? not much of a lipstick kinda girl...

31. Have you ever smoked peanut shells? um... no

32. Orange juice or apple? ick!

33. Favorite type of chocolate bar? peanut butter M&M's or coffee crisp

34. When was the last time you voted at the polls? last election

35. Last time you ate a homegrown tomato? mmm... last summer... can't wait for the ones coming this summer!

36. Are you a good cook? decent

37. Ever order anything from an infomercial? nope

38. Sprite or 7-up? Sprite

39. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work? yep

40. Ever thrown up in public? yep

41. Would you prefer being a millionaire or find true love? love, for sure...

42. Do you believe in love at first sight? yes

43. Can exes be 'friends'? I don't think so... at least not for a (long) while...

44. Who was the last person you visited in a hospital? Shawn's dad

45. Did you have a lot of hair as a baby? yes... and dark brown!

46. What message is on your answering machine? pretty standard...

47. What do you think about most? losing weight, being happy in my job, our wedding...

little known bits & pieces...

Copy this list, bold what you've done and share it on Facebook or your blog (let me know so I can read it!)...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had Chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

me from A to Z...

A is for Age: 34

B is for Burger of choice: bacon mushroom cheeseburger

C is for the Car you drive: Toyota Matrix

D is for your Dog(s) name(s): Harley & Milo

E is for Essential item you use every day: my Starbucks Barista espresso maker

F is for Favorite TV show at the moment: Grey's Anatomy

G is for favorite Game: Wii games!

H is for Home state/province: British Columbia

I is for Instruments you play: used to play clarinet

J is for favorite Juice: grape!

K is for whose bum you'd like to Kick: Shawn's at Wii bowling and RRR TV Party!

L is for Last restaurant at which you ate: Christopher's Steak & Seafood

M is for your favorite Muppet: the Swedish Chef & Beaker!

N is for Number of piercings: 7

O is for Overnight hospital stays: yes, for kidney stones!

P is for People you were with today: Shawn

Q is for what you do with your Quiet time: check e-mail, read, play word games on FB, do crafty stuff, take pictures, post on my blog, play with my puppies

R is for biggest Regret:

S is for Status: restful

T is for Time you woke up today: 6:05am

U is for what you consider Unique about yourself:

V is for Vegetable you love: broccoli

W is for Worst habit: procrastination

X is for X-rays you've had: dental, broken foot, kidney stones

Y is for Yummy food you ate today: leftovers - roasted broccoli & risotto

Z is for Zodiac sign: Leo

tagged. again.

I got this via email, and then I found it on a fellow crafter's blog (looks like I'm going to be trying her bon bons too... YUM!!!), so I took it as a sign that I should just go ahead and answer it!

Welcome to the Christmas Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends! Okay, here's what you're supposed to do (and try not to be a SCROOGE!): just copy the questions and answer them on your blog or via email - simple! If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real

3. When do you put up the tree? last week of November (when I have a tree... don't have one up this year because we have a new young puppy who we think *might* use it for his personal 'facilities'...)

4. When do you take the tree down? After Ukrainian New Year (mid January)

5. Do you like eggnog? Blech! I only like my Mom's 'Eggnog', which is not actually eggnog at all, but a yummy concoction of coffee, vanilla ice cream, and rum... lots of rum!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I loved my stuffed animals... and I got many over the years!

7. Hardest person to buy for? my Dad

8. Easiest person to buy for? my Mom

9. Do you have a nativity scene? yes, a couple

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail... hand deliver ones in town!

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I remember a couple of years of lovely sweaters from one person in particular. 'Nuff said.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? recent: Elf; all time: Miracle on 34th Street, or Muppet's Christmas Carol

13. When do you start shopping? Boxing Day!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? um... maybe...

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mom's baking!

16. Lights on the tree? White

17. Favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night, Mary's Boy Child (Boney M version)

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? prefer to stay home, but have traveled most of my life to get to family

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer,
Vixon, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen... and the most famous
reindeer of all - RUDOLPH

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve we open one present each, or a family present... Christmas morning we open Santa's presents & anything else!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? All the stress with too much to do.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? snowflakes & snowmen

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Mom's turkey & stuffing

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Got it already! Shawn bought me a Cricut on sale at W a couple of weeks ago... So, now I just want to relax & spend the days with my family, eat Mom's good food, and get to know the rest of his family that I haven't met yet!

tagged...

If you get tagged copy this survey and paste it to your own blog, & then change the answers so that they apply to you. Then, visit the profiles of some of your friends and "Tag" them by simply leaving a comment, asking them to visit your blog, and state that they have been Tagged! The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known. Some of you may get tagged several times, so they can always refer back to your blog for your answers.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 10ish... no alarms this weekend!
2. Diamonds or pearls? diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Four Christmases
4.What is your favorite TV show? Grey's Anatomy
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? yogurt & fruit, Bagel-fuls (chive), toast, mini mandarin oranges... depends on the day!
6. What food do you dislike? liver! Blech!
7. What is your favorite CD at the moment? no one in particular (lots of iTunes downloads!)... it's Christmas music in this house at this time of year!
8. Favorite sandwich? BLT w/ cheddar on toasted multigrain bread, with mayo (not Miracle Whip!)
9. What characteristic do you despise? intolerance, know-it-all-ism
10. Favorite item of clothing? green hoodie
11. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? India, Belize, Thailand, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Africa... it's a LONG list!
12. Favorite brand of clothing? No real favorite... whatever looks decent and is, preferably, on sale!
13. Where would you retire to? Probably here in the Okanagan area - I love it here!
14. What was your most recent memorable birthday? the most recent one just passed - 34
15. Favorite sport to watch? hockey or baseball
16. Furthest place you are "tagging" this? Grande Prairie
17. Person you expect to send it back first? dunno
18. Are you a morning person or a night person? night owl!
19. What is your shoe size? 7 - 7.5
20. Pets? 2 dogs - Milo & Harley
21. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? Most of my holiday cards are made and in the mail, and my shopping is done!
22. What did you want to be when you were little? a doctor
23. How are you today? good... had a nice evening out with Shawn at a neighbour's dinner
24. What is your favorite candy? dark chocolate
25. What is your favorite flower? Gerbera daisies
26. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Christmas Eve... my favourite part of the holidays!
27.What are you listening to right now? the hum of our laptops and the snoring of the dogs...
28. What was the last thing you ate? roasted pork tenderloin & purple potatoes
29. Do you wish on stars? occasionally
30. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? green... a nice green, not too bright
31. How is the weather right now? cold - lots of snow the past couple of days so it's pretty & Christmassy!
32. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? Kelli
33. Favorite soft drink? Coke Zero
34. Favorite restaurant? it varies... I like ethnic foods (Indian & Japanese & Thai), but I love Shawn's home cooking!
35. Real hair color? dirty blonde
36. What was your favorite toy as a child? light bright? don't really remember
37. Hugs or kisses? Hugs
38. Chocolate or Vanilla? chocolate... but real chocolate, not white "chocolate"
39. Coffee or tea? coffee
40. Do you want your friends to email you back? yes!
41. When was the last time you cried? December 8th
42. What is under your bed? dust bunnies... (well, really, I'm sure it's much more than "bunnies" now!)
43. What did you do last night? read blogs & looked for card ideas, watched Surviving Christmas (kind of funny!), helped Shawn make truffles

44. What are you afraid of? dying alone
45. Salty or sweet? depends, but usually salty
46. How many keys on your key ring? 5
47. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
48. If you could choose your talent, what would it be?
49. Do you make friends easily? it takes me quite a while, but when I do I'm a friend for life
50. How many people will you tag this to? everyone who reads it
51. How many will respond? dunno... hopefully everyone!

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

five things...

I got this email today & thought I'd answer it here since I'm being harrassed to blog more!

Five things I was doing 10 years ago...
1. finishing my Pharmacy Tech diploma
2. spending too much money on too many throwaway items
3. looking for a Pharmacy job
4. working at the Canada Games Aquatic Center in Kamloops as a lifeguard / swimming instructor
5. working as a care aide for brain injured adults

Five things on my to do list today...
1. get up before 10am
2. vacuum up dog hair
3. laundry
4. create something!
5. grocery shopping

Five things I will do when I'm a millionaire...
1. spread the wealth
2. renovate my house
3. buy the vehicle I really want
4. travel
5. open my own SB store

Five things I'll never wear again...
1. spandex
2. 'Hammer pants'
3. leggings
4. pink
5. uncomfortable shoes

Five of my favorite toys...
1. camera
2. computer
3. PVR
4. Purple Cows paper trimmer w/ interchangable blades
5. iPod

Five banes of my existence...
1. alarm clocks
2. dog hair
3. diagonal walkers
4. clutter
5. dust bunnies

I would like to tag Kelli, Fern, Colette, Andrea W., Pauline & Debby... post your answers on your blog, in my comments or email me!