People think I’m shiny!

Last Saturday, I posted about receiving the Sunshine Award from my friend Sheri.  This week, I’ve received it from two more of my friends – Jodi & Tim. 

Do you ever have days/weeks when you feel anything BUT sunny?  Well, I had one such week this past week.  Seems like just one thing after another came up to throw clinkers in my path and make my days maddening or depressing.  Sunshine?  Not me!  But apparently Jodi and Tim saw a different side of me; and, for that, I’m very thankful!

Let’s see if I can come up with 7 more random things about me (or do I have to do 14 since I got the award twice?!)

1. There are approximately 6 years between each of my kids.  This can come in very handy sometimes – like, for example, I’ll have 6 years to recuperate from Ashley’s learning to drive, before we have to do it all over again with Gracie!
2. I’ve lived in PA all my life, but I’m not a fan of winter and/or cold.  My dream is to one day be a “snowbird” in FL.  Brian doesn’t share this dream, so I guess a bit more prayer is in order before he retires.
3. I don’t like sports.  I have a phobia of balls.  It’s fine if I’m throwing them away from me (like in bowling or when serving a volleyball); but when they are coming toward me, it’s a different story.  Needless to say, I was not a real big fan of gym class in school.
4. I took piano lessons for 10 or 12 years.  Now, I hardly ever take the time to sit at the piano and play.  So not a waste, though, since my piano teacher was the one who introduced me to Brian!
5. For years, I prayed that I could find a job that I could truly do from home (not like a home party plan where you have to go out and do parties) and that it would be something related to one of my passions.  When I got my current job for The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, my prayers were answered.
6. I always hoped that one of my children would take an interest in the violin.  But, it wasn’t until I gave up that hope, that Gracie finally decided that she’d like to try violin lessons!  Now, she balances both violin and piano lessons and is doing quite well with both.
7. I always wanted to learn to play the  guitar.  So, when Ashley got a lovely Martin guitar from my parents for Christmas several years ago, I found a nice Fender guitar for lefties on e-bay and splurged.  Now, Ashley plays quite well, and my guitar is sitting in the attic.  Hmmm . . .
8. My fingernails grow out really square.  I hate that.  They’re nice and strong and I’d love to let them  grow and paint them up pretty (because I have issues with fake nails); but, alas, they are just too weird, so I always cut them off short.
9. One of my pet peeves about my house is the # of (huge) windows that it contains.  Sure, it’s nice to let the sunshine in and they look pretty from the outside; but it definitely limits the way we can rearrange our rooms.  And, I’m a major room-rearranger.
10. I’m a stress-eater and my favorite comfort foods are ice cream, chocolate, and chips (not necessarily in that order).  Stress-eating + lots of stress = weight gain.  After the year I’ve just been through, let’s just say I have lots of weight to lose!
11. I get headaches if I don’t drink my coffee in the morning.  And, once I get the headache, I’m pretty much stuck with it.  I had one such headache yesterday and went to bed at 9pm (that’s an unheard of bedtime for this chick!)
12. The grocery store is not my favorite place.  I try to plan my meals like 3 weeks in advance, and have Brian stop in between for “incidentals” because I just don’t like the grocery store. 
13. I like trying new recipes and I love cookbooks.  I have so many of them that it’s not even funny.  (Should I confess that I’ve got a few more coming in the mail to review?!)  I’m not a gourmet chef though – I’m much more of a pinch & dump type cook.  I almost never follow a recipe to a tee – I know what my family of picky eaters will enjoy, and I can adapt most any recipe to fit our tastes.
14. My first  car was a 1988 1/2 Ford Escort Pony – red – 4-speed – and we kept it until 2002 when we traded it in on our van.  The trade-in value was, of course, nothing compared to what that car meant to me.  I still miss it.