Brand New Meme!

I'm a little late posting today. Darcie from Such the Spot tagged me for a brand new meme -- but I needed to noodle this one around a little. It's a long one, so make yourself comfy. Here goes...

Favorite person (outside family)? Wow, that's a tough first question! It's impossible for me to narrow it down to just one person. I have a handful of great friends (y'all know who you are) and they mean the world to me.

Favorite food? I love Thai food. Pad Thai and Panang Chicken Curry are my favorite.

Quirks about you? I check for bugs hiding under the sheets every night prior to getting in bed. Then I scan the ceiling for spiders (they have a habit of descending on me, which totally grosses me out). I trap bugs under water glasses for my sweet husband to dispose of when he gets home (noticing a trend here?). Oh, and I absolutely cannot go to sleep at night if the kitchen is not cleaned up.

How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less? I asked my mom on this one: warm, caring, loving, compassionate, generous, honest, trustworthy, beautiful, talented, tenacious, accepting. Okay, I'm so blushing right now.

Any regrets in life? Adding "fine china" to the wedding registry. All that money for something we never use. (It would have been helpful had I known then, what I know now: dishes with gold banding cannot go in the dishwasher.)

Favorite Charity/ Cause? There are a lot of good ones. We support the Salvation Army's work in the UK and Samaritan's Purse is also a favorite. Locally, I volunteer for a group dedicated to improving childhood literacy.

Favorite Blog recently? I have a bit of an internet shopping addiction -- the lovely Mir over at wantnot.net helps to fuel it. Also, Gourmet Momma is one of my new favorite sources for recipes. Every recipe that I have made from Nikki's site has been a winner.

Something you can’t get enough of? Chocolate.

Worst job you’ve ever had? My very first after-school job was as a clerk at an eye doctor's office. My primary responsiblity was refiling patient charts. There are a lot of patient charts at a doctor's office. It was was a never-ending alphabetical nightmare.

What job would you pay NOT to have? Easy. Bug exterminator. See question #3 if you need elaboration.

If you could be a fly on the wall, where? My son's preschool. It's a great school and I get reports from his teacher, but I'd love to see him in action without me around. My daughter always gives me a blow-by-blow account of her day at school, but my son just isn't programmed that way.

Favorite Bible verse right now? I've always loved Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." (NIV)

Guilty Pleasure? People Magazine.

Got any confessions? None that spring to mind...

If you HAD to spend $1,000 on YOURSELF, how would you spend it? Clothes. I'm a hopeless clothes horse. What Not to Wear is one of my favorite shows.

Favorite thing about your house? The natural light. We live in a ranch that was designed so you would never have to turn a light on during the day. Lots of windows, lots of skylights. Lots of light.

Least favorite thing about your house? Because our house was designed the way it was, it is very long (140 feet). So, walking the clean clothes from the laundry room to the bedrooms is quite a workout.

One thing you are bad at? Definitely math. The mere mention of numbers has me breaking out in a cold sweat and searching for the nearest calculator.

One thing you’re good at? Word scrambles. I can unscramble words with amazing speed. If only it had a more practical application in my daily life. ;-)

If you could change something about your circumstances, what? I wish I could find a cure for my daughter's eczema.

Who would you like to meet someday? Kelly Ripa. I just think she's great and she cracks me up.

What makes you feel sexy? My new bathing suit! Sister Honey Bunch helped me find the perfect one! Just the right amount of coverage for someone who has birthed three children. (It's option three.)

Who is your real life hero? Jesus

What is the hardest part of your job? Trying to fit it all in -- how do I do all the chores and necessary things like cook dinner and keep the house from collapsing, while also taking time to play and have fun with each of my kids.

When are you most relaxed? After a glass of wine.

What stresses you out? Screaming children is pretty high on the list. Especially if they're mine.

What can you not live without? My faith.

Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists? I disagree. In the case of mom blogs, I think the majority are authored by women who are just looking to build a sense of community around a job that can be very isolating at times.

Why do you blog? I blog because I'm a writer. It was my job in the "real world" and it's just part of who I am. Blogging is a great creative outlet for me, but also allows me to document and remember this time of my life.

Who are you tagging?

New/Newer bloggers - Finding Me in the Madness and A Superhero, Princess & Monkey

Bloggy friends - Domestic Spaz and Raising A&C

Bloggers you’d like to get to know better - Fried Okra and Ni Hao Y'all

Bloggers who you don't think will respond, but you hope will -
Toddled Dredge and This Ain't New York

Phew! That was a workout!

Okay - rules:

1. Answer the questions (Did I really have to include this as a rule? Duh!)
2. Link back to whoever tagged you
3. Tag eight bloggers to do the same, 2 from each category.
New/ newer bloggers (since we want to share the love and send them traffic)
Bloggy friends
Bloggers you’d like to get to know better
Bloggers you don’t think will respond, but you hope will

Good luck and have fun!