Happy Homemaker Monday 08/03

Linking-up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Happy Monday!!  Had a good weekend, it was extremely hot out here.  Took the boys to a Back to School event on the Lakefront…see below for more on that.  The dragonflies out there were crazy, I felt like I was in a creepy movie.  I’ve seen more than usual around the house as well.  I Googled it and it seems to be a thing along Lake Michigan due to the weather, heavy rain, migration and wind patterns.  Whatever it is…it’s creepy to me. Anniehow…on with my post.

 THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

A beautiful week ahead!!

weather0803

CURRENTLY READING/HAVE READ:
I haven’t started reading this one yet, I just got it, it’s called First and Goal – What football taught me about never giving up by Jake Byrne.  It’s a devotional book that has a devotional to go along with the terms used in football.  Jake Byrne was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 14, but went on to play football in high school, college and the NFL.  Looks like a very encouraging book for anyone to read but especially the young people.

ON THE MENU (so far):
Chicken Parmigiana, Salad, Fettuccine Noodles, Toasted Bread
Dorito Casserole
Spaghetti and Meatballs, Garlic Toast

NEW RECIPE I TRIED OR WANT TO TRY THIS WEEK:
There are quite a few I would like to try, I keep adding them to my recipe folder, I just need to get at them.  Recently I have found recipes for S’mores Dip, Peanut Butter Cup Cookies (which are gluten free too) and Deep Fried Lasagna Rolls.  You see I always lean towards the snacky food, LOL.  But the Fried Lasagna Rolls look delicious, I’ll let you know when I try them.

WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN AUGUST:
There’s a Murder Mystery program at the library, where you try to figure out the murder by going from place to place in the library asking questions to the different characters.  I’ve never been to one, sounds like fun though.

Sidewalk Chalk drawing contest for the boys, they each participated in one at the library already, and my 14-year old won 1st place and my youngest won 2nd place for their age groups.

Oh yeah…and school.  I have a 5th grader and a freshmen this year to home school.  Been there, done that and have two amazing young adults to show for it!! 🙂 (My twins will be 20 next month!!)

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA:
Here are are a couple of photos from the event we went to over the weekend on the Lakefront.  It was a Back to School Mascot Extravaganza.  Our city is planning on having a Mascot Museum built here in 2017, so the Mascots come out for a lot of our events.  There were several NBA mascots as well as Tommy Hawk (Chicago Blackhawks) with a fake Stanley cup, Clark the Cub (Chicago Cubs) and Bennie the Bull (Chicago Bulls) who also did some tricks with the Acrodunk team.

This is the Acrodunk Extreme Dunking Team that performed.  It was hotter than blue blazes out there, but this was a lot of fun to see these guys perform.  Check out their web site acrodunk.com  I had video, but couldn’t upload it 😐

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES (PRAYERS OR DEVOTIONALS):

 

Flirtin’ with 50

Today I turn 47. 😐 , fifty is right around the corner.   So I thought I would have some fun with it.  I of course researched my birth date as well as the number 47, here is what I found.

17,166 days have passed since the day I was born or 2452.3 weeks

351,000 babies were born on that day.

If I had never cut my hair since the day I was born, it would be almost 20 feet long (6.01 meters long)

Cost of Living in 1968
Average Monthly Rent $130.00
Gas per gallon:  .34 cents
Cost of new car:  $2,822.00
Movie Ticket:  $1.50

Number one Song:  “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel
Number one Movie:     2001: A Space Odyssey

I found a website for The 47 Society.  It is a society that is dedicated to exploring the phenomenon that is 47.  It is the quintessential random number, meaning when a number is picked at random, more often than not the number will be 47.

Here are some random 47 facts:

• The length of a pit stop service area in the Indianapolis Speedway is 47 feet long.

• Americans eat an average of 47 pounds of chicken a year.

• In Monsters, Inc., the factory floor went 47 days without incident before a monster came back with a kid’s sock on his fur.

• Babe Ruth’s career home run record of 714 home runs stood for 47 years until Hank Aaron broke it; the last day Ruth’s record stood was 4/7/74.

I have also found that I am a Quadragenarian.  Here are how a few things have evolved in my lifetime so far.

 

Clothing
We’ve gone from Bell Bottoms to Skinny Jeans

TVs
We’ve gone from 12” black and white to 70” High Definition color

Game Systems
Pong vs. PS4

SOME of the Hair Styles

Evolution of Music
Shut Up and Dance

Evolution of the phone
Can you hear me now?

Age is just a number.   They say 40 is the new 20 and 50 is the new 30, so…if that’s the case, it’s only going to get better right?…am I right? 🙂

I might be getting a little old, since this made me LOL.

Liebster Award!!

wpid-wp-1429333764248I have been nominated by the oh so talented Candice Coates for the Liebster Award.  Please stop by her blog when you get a chance, her fictional stories are just brilliant.  It has taken me a few days to properly accept this nomination as I was trying to find the perfect outfit for such a joyous occasion!!

Thank you Candice, I am honored to accept this nomination, and therefore I am following the strict guidelines for accepting such a prestigious wonderful award.

Once you are nominated, make a post thanking and linking the person who nominated you.

• Include the Liebster Award sticker in the post too.
• Nominate 7-10 (supposed to be 10) other bloggers who you feel are worthy of this award. Let them know they have  been nominated by commenting on one of their posts. You can also nominate the person who nominated you.
• Answer the ten questions asked to you by the person who nominated you
• Make ten questions of your own for your nominees.
• Lastly, COPY these rules in the post.
• ALL THE NOMINEES ARE FREE TO ACCEPT OR REJECT THE NOMINATION

Here are my questions:

1. What do you find most fulfilling about blogging and writing/creating visual art?

What I find most fulfilling about blogging is being able to share all kinds of things with other people, whether it’s a story, a good book or a recipe that I have tried.  I also have enjoyed meeting so many wonderful, like-minded people.  

2. What genre do you tend to read most and why. (What medium do you prefer to create art with and why?)

I tend to read romance novels, because I’m just a frantic romantic at heart.  I also enjoy romantic suspense novels as well.

3. As a writer, what genre are you most afraid to attempt writing or just the least interested in and why? (Artist, which style of art or medium?)

Western and Historical Fiction.  Anything that goes back in a time I cannot relate to would be difficult for me.  Even though I love the concept of time travel, I could only go back so far.

4. What inspired you to become a blogger?

My 40th birthday.  I felt like I was getting old, fast, and always wanted to write, so I started a blog.  I realized that anyone could start a blog, so I said why not?  The mommy blogs and parenting blogs were popular then, and since I was a mom, I started one.  It was more so for myself, to just get writing, only a handful of people were probably actually reading it.  But over the past year I found different link-ups and that has encouraged me to write more.

5. Do you have a hidden talent? What is it?

It’s not very hidden when you witness it.  I can whistle really loud with my fingers, great for hailing a cab, sporting events, graduations, concerts, or rounding up all the neighborhood dogs in one central location.  😀

6. Do you have a routine you follow for writing/creating art? If so, what is it?

I usually do a lot of writing in my head for awhile either hours before or days before I sit down and type anything out.  I try to work out concepts, ideas, plot twists, conversations all in my head before I write anything down.  It’s hard for me to sit down at my laptop with a blank page and just start typing.  I don’t like to type and then backspace, type some more, backspace some more.  I like to have some things worked out first.  A lot of times I actually like to use a notebook and actually write out ideas in (*whispers loudly*) cursive.

7. If you could hold any profession, past, present, future or fictional, what would it be, and why?

The owner of a Bed and Breakfast.  As a mom, I’ve gotten pretty good at cooking and cleaning, and accommodating my family, why not get paid for it, lol.  I do like to make things comfortable for people, and I think it would be so interesting meeting people from various places.  Not to mention a great character study for my novel writing at night. 🙂

8. Do you have a favorite author/artist? Who are they and what is it about them that draws you to them?

I have so many!!  I’ll try to narrow it down.  I have always enjoyed Carla Negger’s Romantic Suspense novels.  I love the Irish influences in her writings, so much so I can hear the Irish accents from some of her characters.  Recently I came across two authors Tracey Brogan and Maria Murnane. Their books are so fun to read with some really likable characters, that literally make you laugh out loud.  I like the dry humor and sarcastic remarks of the main female characters in the books that I have read so far.

9. When did you finally decide to give your writing/art  the time and attention you have decided to give it now?

I have had my blog for awhile, but just recently I came across the blogbattle and joined in.  Doing the weekly blogbattle, when I can, is really the first time I have actually written fictional short stories.  I’ve enjoyed it so much, that I will probably be looking for other opportunities to write more fiction.  It has also helped me realize that my dream of writing at least one novel is not so unattainable, and these are the stepping stones to get there.

10. If you could live/vacation in any book or piece of art, which would it be?

Hands down I would LOVE to vacation in Nora Robert’s Inn Boonsboro Trilogy.  This is the Trilogy about the restoration of the Inn that Robert’s herself bought and restored.  It is located in Boonsboro, Maryland.

Great questions!!  That was fun!!  Now for my nominees.  I am only listing 7 since Candice already nominated a lot of the ones I enjoy so much. 🙂

I Came for the Soup
Pheonix Grey
Northwoods Scrapbook
I Will Bloom
So not organized
Diary of a Stay at Home
Writing Straight

Now for the ten questions for my nominees:

1. When you were a child, what did you want to grow up to be?  Have you fulfilled that dream?

2. Who was your favorite teacher and why?

3. Do you have any musical talents, and what are they?

4. What decade, that you have lived through, is your favorite and why?

5. When was the last time you really laughed and what was it that made you laugh?

6. Do you like or dislike surprises?  Why or why not?

7. What is your favorite holiday and why?

8. What is your proudest accomplishment?

9. Shuffle the songs on your iPod or Phone, which song comes up? Or what is your favorite song and why?

10. If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have and why?

Remember, all the nominees are free to accept or reject the nomination, I look forward to reading your answers if you do accept this nomination.  I enjoy reading each one of your blogs, and always look forward to your posts.  Thanks for allowing me a glimpse into a part of your world.

Shut Up and Dance!!

Found this video as I was cruising the interweb.  I absolutely LOVE this song, it will definitely be my go-to song for the summer…makes me want to get up and move regardless of what is going on.  This video has way too many of my favorite movies in it…love dance movies too!! 🙂 Oh to be a dancer…*sighs* with that far away dreamy look in my eyes…Anniehow.

Needed something to put a smile on my face, and this did it.  It’s been a cold…40 degrees cold..and rainy weekend, UGH!!

Enjoy!!

 

Memorial Day

Taking a break today from my usual Happy Homemaker Monday Post.  Our town has a small memorial service with a parade that my dad used to take part in every year, since he was very active with our local veterans.  They end the ceremony with a 21 gun salute, they do a normal salute with the veterans using rifles, then behind our house near the lake, they have someone shoot off 21 M80 type fireworks for an awesome finish.

For me it is also the official start of barbecue season.  I will be grilling all kinds of stuff today, and making all kinds of food!!  Enjoy your day today, and remember the reason that we are able to do so.