Almost as brief as a tweet.

Stealing this one word meme from Emily, since my thoughts tend towards the terse today:

1. Where is your cell phone? Counter.

2. Your significant other? Tall.

3. Your hair? Flighty.

4. Your mother? Creative.

5. Your father? Kindhearted.

6. Your favorite thing? Food.

7. Your dream last night? Wacky.

8. Your favorite drink? Cola.

9. Your dream/goal? Peace.

10. The room you’re in? Paneled.

11. Your church? Warm.

12. Your fear? Failure.

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Wiser.

14. Where were you last night? Couch.

15. What you’re not? Snooty.

16. Muffins? Chocolate chip.

17. One of your wish list items? Couch.

18. Where you grew up? South.

19. The last thing you did? Grumped.

20. What are you wearing? Cut-offs.

21. Your TV? Large.

22. Your pets? Sweetness.

23. Your computer? IMac.

24. Your life? Mine.

25. Your mood? Restless.

26. Missing someone? Best friend.

27. Your car? Honda.

28. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes.

29. Favorite store? Meijer.

30. Your summer? Flying.

31. Like(love) someone? Husband.

32. Your favorite color? Yellow.

33. Last time you laughed? Kitten.

34. Last time you cried? Gone.

35. Who will repost this? You.

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Hark! What meme through yonder window breaks?

My new bloggy friend Michelle tagged me for the 7 random things meme, which I’ve done once before here. Since it seems to take such things to get me to write a blog post these days, I will gladly participate.

1. I am a whiner. Sadly, my kids are too. I’ve mentioned that I’m the youngest of 4 girls. When I was little, one of my older sisters (*cough* the one who wanted to make sure everyone knew she was not the baby *cough*) used to call me “Elaine the Pain.” How could you not whine when that happens? See? It’s happening again. At least my kids don’t cry as much as I did.

2. I am a good mom. I’m trying to give my kids the tools they need to move beyond their whiny heritage.

3. I am, finally, after 13 years of marriage, a good cook. Last week, I threw together a little home-cooked comfort-food meal of baked chicken, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, and rolls within an hour. No one was harmed in the process (I don’t even think there was any whining!). When I was first married, that surely would have taken the whole afternoon. I did not inherit a complex culinary heritage from my mom.

4. I am a mystery shopper. I started picking up a few local mystery shopping jobs in February after reading about it in my frugal blogging travels. My husband says I’m the perfect mystery shopper. Probably because I’m one of those people who flies low under the radar. You wouldn’t notice me. And I’m detail oriented and have a good memory. Which could mean I’d be really good on ‘Survivor,’ except for that whole whining thing.

5. I love small things. In a really big way. So does ‘Nell.’

6. My husband and I are thinking of opening an Etsy store selling his pottery and sending a percentage of the proceeds to various relief efforts in Rwanda. You could pray about this.

7. I love making new bloggy friends, especially when they read my blog faithfully even though they don’t know why. I feel a new tag line coming on…

If you need blog fodder, consider yourself tagged. And since I still need blog fodder, I’ll be accepting your questions in the comments.

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She’s got my number…which, apparently, is 6

You’ll love this little writing exercise I found out about from Stephanie at Bad Mom. I had fun looking around her links to SMITH magazine’s Story Projects and NPR‘s slideshow version.

Without further ado, here are a few!

Momma, I am scared. Hold me!

This described my life for more years than I care to admit.

I love her. She is so cute.

Until…Aaaah. The angels sing. The sun glistens all around. I am cured of my low self esteem.

Real love. Real life. Real good.

And I finally come into my own.

Here are a few that describe my life in a more timeless sense:

Barbecue in the summer is nice.

Dogs that don’t slobber are sweet.

Cat purrs nightly on my pillow.

This was what my brilliant husband came up with:

Born smart. Likes art. Kids fart.

which I would edit to:

Born smart. Like art. Old fart.

Let me know if you try it. (This definitely has Toni written all over it).

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13 things I love to purchase at Aldi

Amy at MomAdvice is doing a review of her Grocery Game trial. She’s a big Aldi fan (the Aldi Queen, in fact), so I’ll really be interested to hear what she has to say.

In celebration and solidarity, I thought I’d do another shamelessly commercial Thursday Thirteen to share my love for all things Aldi.

While doing random research for this post, I discovered that Trader Joe’s and Aldi are kissin’ cousins, which comes as no surprise to this gal. Some of my favorite products at Aldi, I once purchased at Trader Joe’s. I was especially glad when I stopped having to trek over to TJ’s for #3. Don’t get me wrong, I still head over every once in a while for a special treat, but it’s definitely something I do for special occasions rather than routine shops.

In my very unscientific trial, I am finding that I can often get things cheaper at Meijer using my Grocery Game list. But I do love many Aldi items, and their prices usually cannot be beat if you don’t combine sales with coupons. Here, in no particular order, are some of my faves:

1. Milk and Honey hand soap
2. Jasmine rice
3. Frozen ‘haricot verts’-style green beans
4. Canned baked beans
5. Dee-licious canned corn
6. Cat litter
7. Tandil oxygen activated stain remover (don’t make me live without this)
8. Their version of the Magic Eraser sponge (you need one)
9. Apple juice (It is not pretty if we run out of apple juice in this house)
10. Chex-style snack mix (I occasionally run out of this just on principal)
11. Peppercorn potato chips (heaven)
12. Ground turkey (haven’t found a better price)
13. I love their frozen “crispy” chicken (combined with mashed potatoes and green beans for a quick, easy, comforting, kid-friendly meal)

What about you? What are your favorite Aldi products?

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13 things I love about shopping at Meijer

Actually, this would more accurately be titled: 13 things I love about shopping at Meijer with my 3 year old.

If you don’t like crass commercialism, click away now. But of late, I have been struck with how close to pleasant it can actually be to shop with a 3 year old in tow while searching for specific bargain items. I’m definitely an Aldi fan, but my Meijer-love grows bigger each week. So, I thought I’d take the opportunity to see if I could finally come up with 13 items for a Thursday Thirteen.

1. the “doggy bones” candy my 3 y.o. likes to get out of the $.25 candy machines
2. the chatty greeter who always has my cart ready while I’m trying to keep the 3 y.o. from dropping all the “doggy bones” and then eating them off the floor
3. $1.00 snacks on sale
4. my Grocery Game list which nets me even bigger bargains
5. Michigan produce; I have some deLIcious apples in my fridge (Empire)
6. the joy my 3 y.o. gets from going to look at the fish in the pet section
7. my favorite grocery clearance rack right beside the fish; up to 80% off regular retail
8. Starbucks samples — most recently toffee nut latte
9. great coupons that print at the register to stack with other deals
10. cheap gas
11. plus 5 cents off gas with the Meijer credit c@rd
12. the Meijer M@sterCard gives money back
13. And last but certainly not least. “For Meijer customers” : free kiddie rides on the mechanical horsey

(Next time I ride it, I’ll be sure to post a picture)

Thank you, Meijer, from the bottom of my poor, frazzled, stay-at-home mom’s heart.

What about you? Got any tried and true tips for shopping with a child in tow?

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If I were a shoe

If I were a shoe, I’d be a red silk flip flop.

If I were a city, I’d be Paris.

If I were a season, I’d be summer.

If I were a car, I’d be a Volkswagen bug.

If I were a vegetable, I’d be a pea.

If I were a fruit, I’d be a grape.

If I were a color, I’d be orange.

If I were furniture, I’d be a bed.

If I were a song, I’d be the first two lines.

If I were a country, I’d be Denmark.

If I were a beverage, I’d be Coke.

If I were clothing, I’d be a comfy pair of yoga pants.

If I were weather, I’d be a warm summer rain.

If I were an animal, I’d be a big cat like a lion or tiger.

If I were a dessert, I’d be shortbread.

If I were a plant, I’d be a hibiscus.

If I were a word, I’d be fuzzy.

Thanks to Stephanie for this fun little writing exercise. Let me know if you play along.

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I should have a blue Christmas?

You Should Have a Blue Christmas Tree

For you, the holidays represent a time of calm, understanding, and peace. You avoid family fights, and you don’t get too stressed out – even when things are crazy!You like to make Christmas about making everyone’s life a little bit better. You don’t get caught up in greed or commercialism. You’re too sincere for that. Your blue tree would look great with: Lots of silver tinsel You should spend Christmas Eve watching: It’s a Wonderful Life What you should bake for Santa: Chocolate chip cookies

What Color Christmas Tree Should You Have?

(hat tip to Fried Okra)

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Random tidbits @ moi

Stephanie, aka bad mom, tagged me for the 7 random things meme. And I realized it’s about 100th post time for me! woo hoo! Consider this a little foretaste of the traditional 100 things list.

1. Eggplant makes me throw up. Do not try to sneak it into my food. ‘Nuff said.

2. Buy now, save later! I am becoming addicted to bargain shopping at CVS and at Meijer stores using The Grocery Game‘s list. I’m not sure this is a good thing. But, yes, it is fun. If you’re interested, I can hook you up and you can take it for your own test drive. I am learning things…about bargain shopping, and about myself.

3. One of the things on my thankful list this year is Barney. Yes, I was one of those people who swore he would never be watched in my house. And, no, my kids are not particularly interested in him at this stage of the game. But I don’t think I would tell my kids ‘I love you’ nearly as much if it weren’t for Barney. Those words didn’t come easily in my family when I was growing up. But good ‘ole Barney said it enough for several lifetimes. It flows effortlessly from me now.

4. I love Hello Kitty. I’m not sure why. But apparently this unexplainable love was genetically transmitted to my daughter.

5. I don’t have cable. (Blogging is the new cable, isn’t it?)

6. In college, I won the Margaret Beatty Courtney poetry prize. This was my last major literary honor until my honorable mention in the Haiku Buckaroo contest.

7. Even though I am an introvert, after we moved to Illinois I went knocking on neighbors’ doors to find playmates for my extroverted child. I am not sorry.

I’m tagging Sincerely Anna, Knightly Chats, Jill @ The Diaper Diaries, David @ Conscious and Occasionally Organized Ramblings and Cindy @ Happy Chaps. If I haven’t tagged you, you’ve either already done it — or you don’t seem to be much of a meme-er. So if you’re reading, and you want to play, consider yourself tagged…and take pity on me and leave a comment! It’s my 100th post!

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150 Before 150?

I’m entirely too close to 40 to do a 40 before 40 list. But THIS list? THIS is the perfect list for a procrastinator like me to think about maybe possibly doing some more of these someday before I die. I do not, however actually desire to do all of these. Saw it over at MamaLady’s. (She says she doesn’t like memes. Wha?)
You bold all the things that you’ve done. Let me know if you play along. Bad Mom, this one’s got you written all over it.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive – This had actually never occurred to me. Hmmm.
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris - This one’s worth doing more than once.
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise – It seems like I should have done this, but obviously the memory was not memorable so I’ll have to try it again.
14. Seen the Northern Lights – Extremely memorable
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa - Can you even do this one anymore?! Lucky thing it’s crossed of my list!
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg – Lettuce, yes. Antarctic, no.
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon – My daughter wants to do this one.
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can - We liked to call this ‘keening’ in college. Fabulous stress reliever.
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster - Really best for the young’uns.
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two harddrives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states – Almost. Just need to hit Alaska, Hawaii, and visit some of you guys in the Pacific Northwest.
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had/Have amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country – Again, possible, but not memorable.
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe – I think I missed out on this one. I’d rather travel a little more elegantly these days.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving – Snorkeling, yes. Scuba, no.
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater - Again, seems like I should have done this. But there is a GREAT one nearby for next summer.
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo (Does henna count?)
81. Rafted the snake river
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in a Rocky Horror Picture Show
96. Raised children - in progress
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold - not for the reason you’re wondering about
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds – I hope it never comes to this
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth – My cat had kittens when I was young, but I don’t think I actually helped.
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept 30 hours in a 48 hour time frame
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read “The Iliad”
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office – Does church council count? : )
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair - Well, I’ve sat with Hubs in his
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ – Oh yes. WPLS. The Pulse of Furman University. Check!
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

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You know you’re tired when…

…you put conditioner on your underarm hair. Oh, yes. It’s true. I have the softest underarm hair in the ‘burbs. And I had just shaved; so who really knows? Perhaps I was thinking about this.

It’s germ city around here. I have been trying to scrub and Lysol in between pretending to watch television while drooling too much on the couch pillows and listening to my children argue about whether it’s time for Spongebob or Thomas. (PLEASE, do NOT tell SAHMmy.)

Look Ma, it’s a meme! Stephanie of bad mom AND A-lister has tagged me for yet another meme. This one’s called the Fab Four Meme. I am grateful, for I have nothing else to say at the moment.

4 jobs I have held ~

1. Camp counselor at a music camp in Maine – not great for the pocketbook, but Oh so nice for the spirit. Summer in Maine is like nothing else. Got my first peek at the Northern Lights.
2. Language Lab Assistant – I was the person who started the tapes you had to listen to in your intro college language course. I could even listen in on you practicing your pronunciation; or whisper in your ear if we were pals.
3. Reference Librarian – Doesn’t require that you know everything, just how to find everything out.
4. Second violinist – Because I am a Lutheran. As Garrison Keillor says, “The second violin section is attractive to Lutherans because these people are steady, supportive and helpful, but look who it is they help–they help out the first violins. You want to play second fiddle to that crowd? (No, I hope not.) One thing you may not know about second violins is that the parts are so easy they never practice and they wind up staying out late in singles bars on the freeway near the airport and dancing with software salesmen. But I guess that’s their way.” — from Young Lutheran’s Guide to the Orchestra

4 films I could watch again and again

1. Princess Bride (“Have fun stormin’ the castle!”)
2. It’s a Wonderful Life
3. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – the 1970′s version
4. The Sound of Music

4 TV shows I watch (if “watching” means listening to a bit every few weeks while I clean the kitchen or cook dinner, or finding a moment on Saturday when no one else requires me or the television) I don’t really watch TV much anymore. And I don’t have cable:

1. Oprah
2. Dr. Phil
3. Real Simple
4. Simply Ming

4 places I have lived (not including my current home):

1. Woodruff, South Carolina
2. Kent, Ohio
3. Chapel Hill, North Carolina
4. Charlotte, North Carolina

4 favorite foods:

1. eggrolls
2. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
3. tempura shitake maki
4. Coca-Cola

4 websites I visit everyday:

1. Google Reader (to check on my blog BFFs)
2. My Yahoo
3. Gmail
4. My blog stats (do I care too much?)

4 of my favorite colors:

1. the many shades of brown
2. the green of God’s green earth
3. the yellow of my childhood bedroom walls
4. pink on anyone but me

4 places I’d like to be right now:

1. lying on the massage table listening to cheesy New Age music and smelling the aromatherapy oils that are being kneaded into my back
2. on a beach in Hawaii sipping a frosty drink with a little tiny umbrella inside it
3. in a cafe on the Rive Gauche sipping a deep red wine
4. on a romantic overnite with my man

4 names I like but wouldn’t or couldn’t use myself:

1. Clyde
2. Naomi
3. Grayson
4. Grace

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