NaBloPoMo Topic: Someone gives you a million dollars with the only stipulation being you must spend it frivolously

That would be hard in this economy. Spending any amount of money frivolously is difficult without feeling like it could be used elsewhere for a better cause. But since the topic is to spend it, then here is what I would do.

After making sure it's legit, I would pick 3 family members and 3 friends to help out financially based on who needed it the most. I would hire a contractor to come in to refinish my basement, gut and remodel my bathroom, redo the landscaping in the front and back of my house, add a deck and do some other home improvements we have been wanting to get done. I would buy my son and daughter both a new car and buy Michael a motorcycle. I would also take my family on a vacation to somewhere nice and warm. We would spend an obscene amount of money in Best Buy buying the latest electronic gadgets and if I have any money left I would take my closest friends and family to the casino and let them all play away the rest.

Hidden cameras: one place you'd like to put one and one place you'd never want to find one

Today's NaBloPoMo topic makes me think of how many places there are that have cameras these days. Just the other day hubby was showing me some app on his phone that shows all these surveillance cameras in random places that you can just sit and watch from anywhere. I was disturbed by this because they were public places and businesses. One was a camera off of a hotel in Myrtle Beach. I'm sure their guests would not be pleased to know they are being shown across the internet while wearing a skimpy bathing suit or something. I know I would take my business elsewhere. Maybe they don't know this is happening. Can video cameras be hacked? I guess they could but that is just so wrong. If they do know it's streaming on the net then it's a shame that they would invade the privacy of their guests like that.

I sometimes thought it would be nice to have a camera at home for when the kids were younger and they had that time between getting home from school until I came home from work. I thought it would be nice to have the peace of mind that they weren't misbehaving or doing anything dangerous. Still I never set anything up because I felt it would be too invasive. Kids will be kids and that's all part of growing up.

One place I would like to attach a camera though is on the back of our dog, Sable. Sable is an 80 pound Lab and likes to get into trouble when we aren't home. Recently she pulled a crock pot of leftover pork roast grease off the counter. She ate some of the glass lid that shattered on the kitchen floor too. She also knocked down and busted my indoor grill from the counter. The funny thing is she has bad hips and walks a little funny. I think it's just an act, lol. I would love to see how she spends her time while we are away. I wonder what else she has attempted to do. Hmm maybe I will get that camera. Never mind, she will probably eat it.

Grampy: Christmas Comes But Once A Year, (1936) Max Fleischer Production

Although claymation has gotten better over the years I still prefer animation. Not really sure what else to say about it but it's today's NaBloPoMo topic and I'm just going with it. Yeah if I was being graded on this I would probably get an "F." I guess it's better than an "Incomplete." I CAN still turn this in right? ; )

And now for my favorite Christmas cartoon of all times....

NaBloPoMo Topic: Refrigerator art

Is this topic referring to those forgotten items on the bottom back shelf that are no longer identifiable? Or is this that cute artwork your kids came home from school with that you proudly displayed on the fridge? Could it be the mess of pictures, coupons, phone numbers and other random stuff that is only there because you want to find it quick?

Well let me tell you what's currently on mine. Perhaps it will help me clean off some of the junk in the meantime. The side of the fridge that you see when you walk into the kitchen has an expired Railcats game schedule whose only purpose is to hold up an old picture taken at one of the games.



The front side holds the meal plan for the week which as you can is currently blank. I try to work on those during the weekend but kinda slacked off on that. We got a couple of magnets we picked up in Myrtle Beach, grocery list, some "foot" notes and a coupon for a free sandwich we probably shouldn't be eating anyway. It's probably expired.



The hidden side is where all the extra magnets, phone numbers, old pictures and random recipes hang. Since it's the spot next to the counter space I use for cooking it helps to have those magnets holding those recipes up out of the mess. Not really artful but useful. Oh I forgot about those Peppermint Oreos up there. See ya ; )

Movies/TV shows you can quote

I know this blog entry is going to date me but I guess they aren't too far back. Some of my favorites to quote are:

Karate Kid (the original)
Little Mermaid
Pretty Woman
Breakfast Club
Grease 1 and 2
Sixteen Candles

I am sure there are more but my current memory database is bogged down by all the useless movie quotes I'm carrying around ; )

NaBloPoMo: One decision in life you'd change and why

This topic is a hard one for me because I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and at the perfect time. Even the mistakes that I made helped me to be person I am today. I don't regret any of the decisions that I've made. Good or bad they were my learning experiences.

Most interesting accomplishment of 2010 so far ...

It was probably doing my first 5k back in March 2010. It was the "Penguin in the Park" where I met the author/runner who inspired me to listen to my inner runner and just go. That was only 8 months ago. That same annual race is coming up again in March and I can't wait. Although my running habits have been on again off again, I have a definite goal of beating my previous time at that race. I guess I better get busy!

When it rains I like to....

Sit on my covered front porch and watch traffic go by. If it's raining really hard and the street starts to flood it's somewhat enjoyable to watch speeding cars hit the flooded area and try to slow down at the last second. Mostly it's just therapeutic to listen to the rain and be happy that I am at home instead of out driving in that.

When my son was little and was scared of storms he would hide under the coffee table. I would show him how cool I thought those downpours were. I told him this was God's show and that God is watering the grass and trees and doesn't want us to be scared. I would rave about how loud the thunder was or how bright and far the lightning shot across the sky. It didn't take long for him to get excited to see the storms. I knew he was cured when he said, "Hey Ma, let's go sit outside and watch the storm."

NaBloPoMo Topic: Today is brought to you by the letter "s"

Slacking scrapbooker sharing some "S" supplies since some spectacular scoffer shared sucha silly suggestion.

NaBloPoMo Topic: The Clip-On Tie

I am thankful to be a girl and not have to wear ties. The thought of having something tied around my throat just doesn't appeal to me. Perhaps if I were a guy I would want a clip-on to take that choking feeling out of wearing a tie. I can't imagine there are many styles to choose from though. When my son, Christopher, was little and first started wearing a tie they were clip-ons. They came with those little 4 piece sets with the dress shirt, pants and sweater. Cute stuff. Then when he got older he got help tieing a real tie. I still remember Michael showing him how to tie his tie and offering him those secrets on how to make it perfect. Now Chris ties his own ties and does a darn good job at it. I remember when he went to get his prom tux last year and asked the lady for a regular neck tie instead of the bow tie. I was surprised. Apparently the clip-on bow tie went out of style some time ago, lol. Well, that's what guys from my prom wore! Good thing this kid keeps up on what is "in".

What's your favorite food at Thanksgiving?

That one is hard to narrow down. Since I usually host Thanksgiving dinner I make all my favorites. My family's favorite would probably be my baked corn casserole. There's usually nothing left but a spoonful of that once the dinner dishes are being cleared away. I guess my favorite traditional food of Thanksgiving is the turkey sandwich the next day. This is best consumed after a LONG morning of Black Friday shopping. I come home, drop all the bags by the front door and head to the kitchen. I toast a couple pieces of wheat bread, top with Light Miracle Whip (mayo won't do) and top with leftover turkey breast. Eat in front of the tv watching something boring. Let the turkey sleepiness set in and just crash on the couch for a good hour. Wake up and go out for another round of shopping or start wrapping gifts. Sit back and smile because it's only Friday and you still have Saturday and Sunday off.

My Guilty Pleasure

Yep, Appletinis. Obviously not something I partake in every weekend but here and there is good. Should I feel guilty? Probably not but I do a little only if I can't function the next day. The guilt leaves with the hangover though. I drink responsibly so what the heck. Cheers!

NaBloPoMo topic: 40 Things I want to do before I'm 40

The following list is no particular order of importance. Some are more important than others. Some are just fillers because I really had to do a lot of thinking on this.

1. See my son finish his high school education
2. Be car payment free. Only one payment left and God willing me and my car will stay safe.
3. Run a 1/2 marathon.
4. Run a full marathon.
5. Thank John Bingham again for his inspiration to get me running.
6. Weigh less than 200lbs.
7. Go to at least two scrapbook weekend retreats. One is already booked.
8. Travel to a new place with Michael.
9. Put in a new shower and pipes in my bathroom. Well hire someone to do it ; )
10. Remember when May Day comes around and leave surprises like were left for me this past year.
11. Cut my hair shorter than normally.
12. Do the walk across Mackinac Bridge.
13. Make the cement stepping stone kits that have sat in the garage for 5 years.
14. Ride my bike for a long distance. Leaving in the morning and returning at dusk.
15. Do more for recycling and less waste.
16. Go to the Covered Bridge Festival.
17. Go see a play.
18. Buy a new entertainment center
19. Go to a White Sox game
20. Go to more Railcats games
21. Go out dancing a few times
22. Get together with old friends
23. Invent a new martini
24. Create scrapbook baby album templates for gifts or to sell.
25. Take my daughter out drinking for her 21st birthday
26. Go to a new lighthouse I haven't been to before
27. Limit my facebook addiction
28. See Danny Gokey again
29. Get a massage
30. Visit relatives
31. Build a pond in my backyard
32. Complete another Rock Band 6 hour Marathon
33. Read books by a few more authors
34. Volunteer at a race to cheer on every last person to cross the finish line.
35. See Brad Paisley
36. Go to a museum that I've never been to
37. Get my sewing machine in working order and make something
38. Master my chicken marsala recipe
39. Go horseback riding
40. Go fishing

I wonder how many of these I will accomplish. Perhaps I should print the list and hang it on the fridge so I can see it every day. Hmmm, maybe for my 40th I can post an update to let ya know how I did. OK so a few of these aren't realistic. I'm deathly afraid of heights and bridges. Do I really think I can do the Mackinac Bridge walk? I would love to fight the fear and do it. We shall see!

My prediction for 2011

I will run the Chicago Marathon. The idea consumes me. I have to do it. My inner runner is screaming to do it. It's the only thing I can visualize in 2011.

Today's NaBloPoMo topic: I wish I could be more like...

I can't really think of a particular person that I would want to be more like. I am quite happy being me. I feel like am blessed with my health, a great husband, family and friends who love me, a great job, and much more than I need.

I do recognize qualities in others that I don't possess such as people who are a better cook than me, have the perfect body, have better time management skills, decorate their homes better, etc. Those are the people that inspire me. I may tease them and tell them they have a touch of OCD or call them an over achiever but it's just who they are.

We all have our own qualities that other's may look at and think that we have it all together. Does anyone ever? I don't know a single person who is perfect at everything they do. I know I would never want to be that person. My flaws give me something to laugh about and something to work on.

You just opened your own restaurant. What are your featured items?

This is the second NaBloPoMo topic for the month. Just wanted to throw that reminder up there just in case someone thought I lost my mind and opened my own restaurant ; )

I give all the credit in the world to people who can run restaurants smoothly. For me cooking dinner after work can sometimes turn into an episode of Hell's Kitchen so I know I wouldn't have what it takes to cook for an entire restaurant. But, if I did, I would make it into some type of healthy food only restaurant.

It's difficult to go out to eat when you are trying to be conscious of what goes down the hatch so that it doesn't go straight to your Ask me I know ; ) Too many times just ordering a simple chicken salad turns into some fried breaded hunk of greasy chicken, sitting on a bed of oiled down lettuce, smothered in shredded cheese. A lot of people don't want to be a picky customer by adding a lot of instructions to their food prep. I will go as far as saying "Dressing on the side, please" but that's it. Anything else and I'm sure they are spitting on my food in the kitchen.

My restaurant would be designed to be the best place to go to have the healthiest dining out experience possible. All the meals would be designed to be completely health conscious. The food would all be made fresh to order. Nothing frozen or reheated. The cooks would be trained to make all foods with healthy substitutes for fattening ingredients. The menu would show complete ingredients and nutritional information for every item. My customers would know everything that went into their food and wouldn't have to guess the caloric intake.

My featured items would be: Garlic Shrimp served over angel hair pasta, Loaded veggie burgers with any vegetable topping or cheese that you desire, and stuffed peppers made with ground turkey and brown rice.

Of course we would have some soft serve ice cream and fresh baked cookies for dessert that taste great yet don't have any fat or sugar in them : )

What do you think your calling was/is?

Ahh it's the first of the many random NaBloPoMo topics for the month of November. I love it and I hope my 2 or so readers will as well ; )

After receiving this blog topic this morning I have been racking my brain on how I would write my entry. I guess I didn't think that far ahead when I threw this topic into the mix and now I just have to deal with it, lol.

I never really thought I had a specific calling for anything. I have had people tell me that I am already doing what I was "called" to do just by having a "melodic" voice to answer patient calls and help them resolve their aggravating medical bills. I love my job and love helping people so I guess that applies.

Another calling that I have is to be a runner. The voice of the runner inside me has gotten louder over the past few years and has got me moving in the right direction. Maybe I am being called to help inspire other overweight people to get moving. Definitely not a bad calling especially if it changes someone's life so drastically.

I asked my husband what he thought my calling was and he instantly said counselor. I thought wow a counselor? He said he sees it when I'm dealing with my teenager. It amazes him how calm and cool I am when dealing with the teenage attitude and issues at hand. I explained that's just being a mother. He disagreed and said many of parents would have gone off! Well maybe that is just the Libra in me always trying to find balance.

Other than the things I listed above I feel like my purpose is to help people in whatever capacity I can. Whether it's contributing to a cause, volunteering my time, saying a prayer or just being a clown to get someone to laugh it's all part of that purpose.

What do you think my calling was/is?