ESG: List 5 x 5 - September

ESG: List  5x5 September

This is a quick and easy swap - Simply list 5 answers to the following 5 questions and send them to your partners.

You may email, use Swap-bot message or share a link to your answers on your blog. Please send on time and rate promptly!

Besides Swap-bot, what are 5 websites you visit most often?

1. YouTube
2. Facebook
3. Amazon
4. Google
5. Netflix

Name 5 places you'd take someone from out of town.

1. Findlay Mall
2. Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
3. Cedar Point
4. Brown Derby Roadhouse in Mansfield. They have the best STEAKS!!
5. One of the two Drive-In movies in my area

Name 5 books you've read or would like to read.

1. The Complete works of Edgar Alan Poe
2. Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
3. All the books by Dean Koontz
4. All the books in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
5. All the books written by Nora Roberts as JD Robb (In death series)

Name 5 teachers you've had over the years.

1. Mr Kelegigas (?spelling) He was my high school home room teacher. I remember his because I used to help him sort baseball cards into complete sets.
2. I have something called repression amnesia and I don't really remember anything before the age of 17 except for bits and pieces here and there. I don't remember any of my teachers other then #1. 

List 5 words that start with the same letter as your First Name.

1. Anonymous
2. Altruistic
3. Apathy
4. Adventurous (Not me)
5. Awesome (That's me, hahahaha)

That's all there is to it! Thanks for signing up - Have fun!

ESG: Show Me Your Workspace

This blog post is for the Electronic Swap Group's Show Me Your Workspace swap.

I have to admit that when I signed up for this swap I had been planning on cleaning my desk off first before it came to the point of needing to take the photo.  Thing is, time got away from me and well, I never got that done.  So here is the way my desk look the day the swap partners were assigned. 

Well I got a little clutter shamed!! Things had been piling up for awhile and I never got around to cleaning things off.  So I decided to do a Redo on this swap and actually clean my desk off.  It only took me about an hour because I had to sort through all the junk but in the end it was so much better looking.  I even watched a little YouTube as I was cleaning. Win Win!  Clean desk and watching my favorite channels at the same time :)  

I feel so much happier now. HA HA HA This swap was just what I needed to get myself motivated. 

30 Questions

30 Questions

Another fun electronic questionnaire from Swap-bot swapping. This one is hosted by HappyMom. 

My partners for this swap are tonat80, nataliec07 and catandacecreations. 

1. What was your first job? 

I worked at a retirement village in the dietary department. I truly loved that job. 

2. Have you ever met anyone famous?

Not that I know of. I have this vague thought that I met someone but I can't remember who it was. 

3. What are you reading right now? 

I'm reading Dean Koontz's "The Whispering Room".  He is my all time favorite author and I have every single one of his books that I can find. I usually buy them in several formats. hahahaha.  The last book I ended up getting in Hard back, e-book and audiobook. 

4. If you could pick up a new skill in an instant what would it be? 

There are actually two skills that I would LOVE to have. I'd love to be able to be able to pick up languages quickly. I've always wanted to speak several languages.  The other skill/talent that I would love to have is to have a great singing voice. 

5. Who's someone you really admire?

My mom. She raised both my brother and I on her own as she worked full-time, and went to college then theology school full-time. 

6. Seen any good movies lately you'd recommend?

I watched Geostorm the other night and it was really great! I like natural disaster movies. Also, recently watched a movie called The Hitman's Bodyguard. It had a lot of strong language but I thought it was pretty good considering it didn't have the best reviews that I saw. I've always liked Ryan Reynolds though so that always helps :) 

7. Got any favorite quotes?

I can't think of any off the top of my head but I will update if I can think of one later. 

8. Been pleasantly surprised by anything lately?

Not really, It takes a lot to surprise me. 

9. What was your favorite band 10 years ago?

10 years ago I went through a trash music phase. I was listening to things like Eminem, Hinder and Theory of a Deadman.  Basically groups I wouldn't let my son listen to now-a-days. 

10. What's your earliest memory?

Walking to the Turkey Hill convenience store with my Mom and brother. 

11. Been anywhere recently for the first time?

No, we don't go new places very often. But I am going to Savannah, GA in March for my sister-in-law's wedding :) 

12. What's your favorite family tradition?

Putting up the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving day. 

13. Who had the most influence on your growing up?

Of course it was my Mom. 

14. What was the first major thing you bought with your own money?

Probably candy? Hahahaha

15. What's something you want to do in the next year that you've never done before?

I'd like to finish every craft project that I start, hahahaha. 

16. Seen anything lately that made you smile?

Everyday my son does something or says something to make me smile.

17. What's your favorite place you've ever visited?

I've been to California and Florida. I would say I really don't like hot weather places. My favorite place I've been would be right here in Ohio when we go to the Renaissance Faire. 

18. Have you ever had your 15 minutes of fame yet?

Nope, and I don't really care if I ever do. I don't want all that attention. 

19. What's the best advice you've ever heard?

Be yourself, Everyone else is taken. 

20. How do you like your eggs?

Over medium or scrambled. I go through phases where I can't eat eggs for years. Usually after I get eggs with the egg white still slimy... GAG!

21. Do you have a favorite charity you wish more people knew about?

I don't know about a lot of charities. I do like the Mid-Ohio food-bank though. I've done a few volunteer shifts there and I always feel uplifted after completing a shift. 

22. Got any phobias you'd like to break?

I'd deathly afraid of deer and have trouble driving after dark because I am afraid of hitting them. I've forced myself lately to try and get over this phobia but it's slow going. 

23. Have you returned anything you've purchased recently? Why?

Nope, I don't buy a lot of stuff that would need to be returned. I usually buy clothing items at thrift stores so if I get something that doesn't fit then I just donate it back to the store. hahahaha

24. Do you collect anything?

Oh my! I collect everything. Lighthouses, salt-n-pepper shakers, elephants, miniatures, postcards, playing cards, Marvel vinyl pops, monster high collectibles,  small wind-chimes..... I could keep going...

25. What's your favorite breakfast cereal?

Depends on my mood. Some of my favorites are; Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Mini Wheats, Lucky Charms, and Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. 

26. If we were having lunch together, what would you want to know about me?

About how you day has been.

27. Who was your favorite manager or boss, and what did you like best about him or her?

My favorite supervisor has been Kelly B. she really cares about the people on her team. She is always on time for chats and meetings and always keeps us in the loop so we know what's going on. She is also great at engaging her team. I'd never been part of a team that I felt so attached to and cared about  by every one on the team before and I'd never felt as valued as a person as I did when I was on her team. I was truly saddened when I found out recently that the teams were being realigned and I was going to have to switch teams.  Already I feel less attached. I like my new boss, he is great but he's not Kelly. 

28. What's your favorite way to spend an unexpected day off?

Sleeping, ha! I know it sounds lame but I never get to sleep past 7 a.m. even on weekends so when I get a day where I can sleep in, I feel like I've won the lottery. 

29. What did you find exhilarating?

Ex-hil-a-rat-ing: Making one feel very happy, animated or elated, thrilling.  I think it's all a mind-set. I try to always be very happy, thereby animated.  I don't see out thrills, nor am I a thrill junkie. I get my exhilaration through living life daily and trying to be the best person I can be. Being a  mother exhilarates me also. It's a daily blessing.  

30. What's a career or job you would never be interested in?

I could never be a doctor. I don't do well with all the body fluids and seeing someone hurt or wounded would wig me out. I have a lot of respect for those in the medical field. 

7DaysOfFood

Seven Days of Food :) 

This is another of those fun swaps on Swap-bot.  I joined a electronic swap  called Seven Days Of Food.   I needed to take photos of some of the meals we had during a seven day time frame. I am totally terrible at remembering to take photos BEFORE I start eating so some of these photos were taken partially into the eating process, hahahahahaha. 

Meal 1: You are going to see a lot of pizza in this blog because my family is pizza crazy!!

This is one of those frozen pizzas from the store. By far my favorite, Jack's Canadian Bacon pizza. 

Meal 2: 

We went to a new restaurant in town that has a brick fired pizza oven. These are my son's leftovers which I ate the next day for lunch. hahahaha

We ordered a dozen cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes. It was a late birthday treat from my family. Kinda expensive but you have to admit that they look YUMMY and they were too! 

These pictures are not in order for the days I ate them, They just are randomly uploaded.  We got this sundae bowl at a local ice cream shop.  Ice cream in January you ask?? Well of course!

Enjoying some snacking from one of those cheese and sausage gift boxes that we got for Christmas from Swiss Colony!  My family loves these boxes. 

I little bit healthier breakfast for a change. This is not normal for me at all. hahahaha Normally I'm a grab and go kinda girl. You will see what I mean later on in this blog.  This is a couple of medium over eggs and a bit of leftover steak :) 

We made mini tortilla pizzas.  So good. We can never get too much pizza. At least my 5 year old and I can't.  My husband does get a little tired of it at times. :) 

We made crock-pot Scalloped Potatoes with Ham!

We went to one of my favorite local Ma and Pa family restaurants after church on Sunday.  This is my go to meal.  I love love love their club sandwich.  Real Turkey, Real ham and bacon. I add cheese and mayo! This sandwich lasts me two meals. It is huge!!

I  have to confess that a lot of times this is my go to breakfast. HAHAHAHA.

Well there you go. Hope you laughed a little at the sneak peak into weekly eating. We usually cook a lot more but this has been a crazy week!  I'll have to do this again and actually do some cooking :-P

StockingStuffer

Stocking Stuffer Swaps

I had to make this blog post today! I totally love all the stocking stuffer swaps at swap-bot. I've been participating all year long in every one of these swaps that I could find. Halfway through the year I ran out of room in my stocking and had to switch to a basket. I also joined two advent swaps. Actually one is of the swaps was a 12 Days of Christmas swap hosted by CraftyMommaOnABudget.

This woman is one of the best people I've "met" and has become a sweet friend of mine. 

Even though my husband and I decided not to exchange gifts this year and just focus on our sons, I will still have a wonderful Christmas morning with all the goodies from my friends. 

30 Questions

I’ve been kind a slacking on the whole blog lately so I thought it would be nice to post the answers to the latest Swap-bit electronic swap that I recently joined. There are 30 questions that we needed to answer for this swap, so here I go. Enjoy!!

Here are the questions: What bill do you hate to pay the most?   A consolidation loan that I took out over a year ago that has a high monthly payment. I feel like it sucks our bank account dry each month lol When was the last time you had a romantic dinner?  It has probably been a couple years ago to be honest. What do you really want to be doing after answering these questions? Decorate our Christmas tree!! How many colleges did you attend? Zero, I started working right out of high school. Why did you choose the shirt you have on now? It was one of the only two I took with me to my mom’s house this weekend. Thoughts on gas prices right now? Not too bad but could be better in my opinion. It’s around $2.34 a gallon here. First thought when the alarm goes off in the morning? Ten more minutes please! Last thought you have before you go to bed? 7 am will be here too fast. Do you miss being a child? Not really but I do miss my twenties. What errand/chore do you despise the most? Washing dishes, even with the dishwasher I still hate it. Do prefer to wake up early or sleep in? Sleep in if I was able to. Found love yet? My son is the love of my life. Favorite meal to eat for lunch? Some kind of sandwich or leftovers from dinner.  What do you get every time you go grocery shopping? Milk, eggs, bread, cheese, pizza Ocean, river or lake? Ocean. I like to walk along the ocean's edge and if I go into the water I don't get that slimy feeling like from a river or lake. hahahaha Is marriage overrated? It can be the greatest heartbreak or the best thing ever. Depends who you marry. Ever crashed your vehicle? Not personally but I’ve been in a few car crashes. Somewhere you've never been, but want to go? Hawaii is a dream destination and Ireland also. At this point in your life, would you want to start a new career? No, but I’d like to keep this job until I can retire. How many days until your next birthday? 41 days!!  Who is your go-to person when you need to vent? My journal. It keeps secrets and doesn’t judge. Are you where you want to be in life? Not even close. Growing up, who were your favorite cartoon characters? Scooby-doo and the smurfs. I also liked the Thundercats. What do you think has changed about you, since you were a teenager? Everything. Appearance, temperament, patience etc Looking back at high school were they the best years of your life? Not even close. I hated high school. When do you still feel like a kid? When I am playing with my son.  What was the make, model and year of the first car you owned? A chevette with rusted floor boards. Were you the type of kid you'd want your children to hang out with? I think so though I was very clingy and I also was too empathetic.  I would become who my friend was.  What radio stations did you listen to when you were a teenager? Didn’t listen to radio. But I do remember listening to records with my Mom.  Who was your high school 'crush'? Didn’t have one honestly.

Getting To Know You #3

Another round of getting to know you questions hosted by yvonne401

The picture above is a picture I colored from a adult coloring book and I love the way it came out so much that I decided to use it as my page picture. So that's one extra freebie "getting to know you" fact that you may not have known about me.  I love to color 😊

On with the questions and answers. Have fun!

1. What is your favorite family vacation? 
 When I was 18, my family went to Disney World. That is the only family vacation that I really remember. Most summers we spent with my grandparents while my Mom had to continue working.

2. If you could hire someone to help you, would it be with cleaning, cooking or yard work?
Neither, we would hire a handyman to help finish a bunch of half started improvement projects at our house.  We want to enclose the side porch, install a bathtub in our bathroom and patch a hole in the ceiling of our kitchen where my husband had to tear the ceiling out because to remove a hive of bees last fall!!

3. Have you ever had a nickname? 
Yes, my dad called me Ali, and I had a friend that called me Kat for a bit.

4. In the evening would you rather play a game, visit a relative, watch a movie or read? 
How about all four? I've done that before. But if I only can choose one it would be, watch a movie.

5. How would your friends describe you? 
I'm not sure, you'd have to ask them. hahahaha

6. Whart are your hobbies?
I love to crochet, make homemade cards, play adventure/problem solving computer games, read and do other paper crafting.

7. What is the best gift you have been given?
I really can't remember past gifts to be honest. My favorite swap-bot gift was a miniature teddy bear that I got. Oh and a miniature deer.

8. What is the worst gift you have received?
A powder blue track suit with butterflies embroidered on the leg and shoulder.


9. What's your favorite zoo animal?
The elephant. I love elephants.

10. How many pillows do you sleep with?
A lot. I sleep sitting up. I actually sleep with a sofa cushion/pillow and then another pillow on top of it.

11. Would you rather trade intelligence for looks or looks for intelligence? 
That is hard to choose. I'd hate to be ugly or stupid. But I wouldn't mind being highly intelligent and rather plain looking. I don't need to be pretty.

12. What's your favorite holiday?
Christmas without a doubt.

13. What's your favorite snack?
I love soft pretzels with honey mustard.

14. What's your favorite type of foreign food?
I really love chinese food but only restaurant chinese food. If I try to make it at home I never like it.

15. What's your favorite fast food chain?
I would say Burger King's burger, Mcdonald's Fries and Wendy's baked potatoes.

16. What's your favorite family recipe?
Chicken and Dumplings. I always ask my Mom to make it for me for my birthday. Her version is always best.

17. Do you love or hate roller coasters?
I like junior rollercoasters but I hate adult roller coasters where you loop upside down.

18. Do you collect anything?
Yes; salt and pepper shakers, lighthouses, windchimes, anything miniature.

19. How many languages do you speak?
Only speak English fluently but I love playing with Duolingo. I took 4 yrs of spanish in high school but I don't remember much of it other then the basic phrases. I want to learn Swedish and Spanish fluently. I'd also love to learn mandarin.

20. What is the one thing that you will never do again?
Get married.