Saturday 9- Money for Nothing

Money for Nothing (1985)

Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here.

1) Sweatbands are prominent in this very 1980s video. What's the last thing you wore on your head?  I had a small clip pulling up some hair to keep it out of my eyes.

2) The lyrics are from the point of view of a man who delivers and installs appliances. What's the biggest purchase you've made lately? Was it big in size or expense?  We had to get a new washing machine back in the summer.

3) The delivery man of the song imagines the worst thing that happens to a musician is a blister on his little finger or thumb. Do you have any minor aches or pains bedeviling you as you answer these questions?  not really, I am relaxing.  My back was pulled out the first week of school, but I am better now.

4) The term "dire straits" describes a troubling situation that's difficult to extricate oneself from. When's the last time you found yourself in dire straits?  It has been a long time.

5) There's a dinosaur called masiakasaurus knopfleri. It's a prehistoric, predatory lizard, and the paleontologists who discovered it were big Dire Straits fans, so they named it after lead singer/guitarist Mark Knopfler. Do you find dinosaurs fascinating, terrifying, or both?  I love dinosaurs, the preschoolers love to play with them and they are high interest for my kiddos.

6) Prior to his music career, Knopfler was a junior reporter, covering the entertainment beat for the Yorkshire Evening Post. Do you believe you would make a better musician or journalist?  I would not be very good at either. 

7) In 1985, when this song was popular, rib eye steak was $3.89/pound. Today it's more than twice that. Do you have any beef in your freezer right now?  Yes, my husband's family has cows and so we have our own beef from their farm.

8) In 1985, Michael Jordan won the NBA Rookie of the Year award after his first season with the Chicago Bulls. It was the beginning of a career that made him a hero and a household name. Who do you think today's young people look up to?   I do not know.  My son does not look up to the same types of people other young people look up to.

9) Random question: Friends take you to dinner for your birthday. The menu you're handed doesn't have any prices on it. Do you try to estimate the costs and choose what you guess is the least expensive entree? Or do you figure that since your friends want you to have a good time, you should order whatever you want?  I would definitely try to guess the least expensive entree, but I am not good at that.

Tuesday 4 Meme- Art Imagination

Art Imagination
1.   If you could paint a landscape what would it be?  I would enjoy painting an ocean landscape...just so I could sit by the ocean and see and hear it again.

2.   If you could paint a portrait who would it be?  Josh (my son)

3.   If you could paint a geometrical form what would it be?  Cross

4.   If you could paint any object what would it be?  My dogs


I wish I could paint!  *CRIES*

Sunday Stealing- Love Me Some Questons

1. Has anyone ever made fun of your taste in music?  My son does all of the time.

2. Is anyone’s birthday coming up? My birthday is coming up September 9th.

3. Do you remember who you liked in grade eight?  Darren

4. When was the last time you burned any part of your body?  I got a sunburn on my face and hands at a St. Louis Cardinals game back in the Spring...April or May.

5. If I gave you ten dollars, what would you spend it on?  I would probably save it for later.

6. What are you most excited about right now?  We have a new Superintendent at our school and he wants to talk to every staff member.  I get to talk with him on Thursday.  I am excited about that.

7. Does / did either of your parents serve in the military? no

8. Are you somewhat of a perfectionist?  yes

9. Do you like sour candy?  not really.  I like sweet candy.  My son likes sour.

10. Are all nighters something you have grown used to?  goodness no.  I like my sleep.  I do not have trouble sleeping, so I go to bed at night.  I did pull an all nighter once in college for a test, but I never did that again.  I do not really think it helped.

11. Do you usually wear sunglasses when you’re driving?  yes, I almost always have on sunglasses when I am outside.

12. Do you wear your shoes around the house?  I do!  I am always ready to go.

13. What clothes are you most comfortable in?  sweats, t-shirt and tennis shoes.

14. Are you good at painting nails?  not really, I do the press on nails if I want them to look nice.  I have a friend that does nails, but I do not like my nails long because of working with little bitty kiddos.

15. Smoothies or slushies?  I do not drink either very often, but I like both.

Saturday 9: No One's Here to Sleep

Saturday 9: No One's Here to Sleep (2013)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is the theme of How to Get Away with Murder, the legal drama that premiered in 2014 and airs on Thursday nights. Are you a fan?  I have never watched it.

2) The song's refrain says, "I'll never catch up with you." Behind the wheel, do you carefully observe the speed limit? Or do you have a lead foot, making it hard for anyone to catch up with you?  I go just a little over the speed limit, but not much.


3) How to Get Away with Murder is about Annalise Keating, a law professor at a top Philadelphia university. She has a reputation for being tough, demanding and able to turn her students into successful defense attorneys. Tell us about a teacher who helped prepare you for life after graduation.  I am just going to say my dad.  He was a teacher and talked a lot to me about what it would be like after graduation about college etc.  I do not really recall a teacher from school preparing me for life after graduation besides just being good teachers.

 

4) The students she feels show the most promise -- and are recruited to help her solve murders -- are known as The Keating Four. Did you ever sense that you were your teacher's favorite?  no

5) Viola Davis was just nominated for an Emmy for playing Professor Keating. Ms. Davis was born on a farm in SC. Have you spent more of your life in a rural, suburban or urban setting?  most of my life in rural, but I have lived in all settings and I have enjoyed them all.

6) Next to Annalise Keating, Viola Davis is best known for her Oscar-nominated role as Aibileen in the movie, The Help. Have you seen it?   I have, it is fantastic.

7) In 2014, the year How to Get Away with Murder premiered, we lost two famous comedians: Robin Williams and Joan Rivers. Who was the last person to make you laugh out loud? (This means actually, literally laughing out loud, not just keystroking LOL.)  My co-worker Kris makes me laugh out loud every single day.  We have so much fun.  Here we are...I am on the left.  This was at curriculum training last year.

 

8) The 2014 Olympics were held in Sochi. Have you ever been to Russia? If not, is it a dream destination of yours?  I have a fascination with Russia since watching the tv show about Catherine the Great, I would love to visit....not sure how safe I would feel.

9) Random question: The sign on the railing says, "Wet Paint." Do you touch the railing to see if it's really wet?  no

 

Sunday Stealing- Swap Bot

1) What do you enjoy about summer?  I like being home, sleeping in and getting to do what I want to do...this summer it was reading.

2) Do you like snow? Why?  I LOVE snow.  I think is looks magical when it is falling.  I know it causes all kinds of problems with driving, but I still love it.

3) What do you think about dogs?  I LOVE dogs.  I have 3 of them.

4) Have you ever gotten lost?  Oh yes.

5) What are your favorite type of socks?  I enjoy those fuzzy warm socks you wear in the winter.  We usually do a sock swap at the school and I wear those all winter.  The parents give them as gifts sometimes too.  They are not my normal go to socks, but I just think they are fun.

6) What is your favorite style of shoes?  tennis shoes.

7) What would you name your boat if you had one?  Princess Mandy (after my corgi)

8) What common misconception do you hate to hear repeated as fact?  That people with mental illness are dangerous.  My son suffers with mental illness, but he is the gentlest sweet soul.

9) What was the last shop you went into and what did you buy?  I think it was when I went to Dress Barn and got my outfit for my nephew's wedding.  I wore that for Open House at school too.

10) What's your favourite thing to do to pass the time?  read!!!   This is what I am reading now.

11) What is a way to die that scares you the most?  drowning or catching on fire, well alzheimer's too...my dad had that and that was not fun for anyone.

12) Travel or home body?  I love to travel, but we never go anywhere, so I am actually a homebody...wannabe traveler.

13) Have you ever gone to a Bingo hall?  no

14) What is the longest plane trip you have taken?  I have never been on a plane.

15) Do you text more or call more? Why?  text.  I can end a text quicker than I can get off the phone.

Saturday 9- Where You Lead

Where You Lead (1971)

Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here.

1) This is the theme of The Gilmore Girls, a TV show that ran  from 2000 to 2007. It recently enjoyed renewed popularity as a reboot. Were you a fan?  I was.  I loved that show.  I watch re-runs these days though, and I think it is so dumb...weird.

2) The show is about thirtysomething Lorelai Gilmore, her teenage daughter Rory, and her parents, Richard and Emily. The four of them had dinner together every Friday night. Who did you have dinner with on Friday? What was on the menu?  I have dinner every Friday night with my mother...sometimes Josh goes and sometimes he doesn't.  We had salad, spaghetti and meatballs and hot rolls.  Josh stayed home.

3) Lorelai is outgoing and talkative. How about you? Are you seldom at a loss for words?  no, I am very shy.  I am so awkward...now once I get to know people I can talk fine, but I sound ridiculous if I do not know a person very well.

4) Rory dreamed of going to an Ivy League school and then becoming a broadcast journalist. When you were in high school, what were your ambitions?  This is terrible, but I had no clue.  I was going to go to college and just try to figure it out. 


5) Rory's grandfather (and Lorelai's dad) went to Yale and performed with the Whiffenpoofs, Yale's famous a cappella group. Have you ever sung in front of an audience?  yes I have.  I was in choir in high school, college and church.  I have sang in small groups and in the whole choir.  I did a solo once, but like I said...shy...I hated it.

6) Rory's grandmother (and Lorelai's mother) Emily was very active in civic organizations and worked hard on the Hartford Zoological Society's Annual Silent Auction. Have you ever attended an auction?   no

7) Alexis Bledel, who played Rory, went on to appear in Mad Men and The Handmaid's Tale. Of these three shows -- Gilmore Girls, Mad Men and The Handmaid's Tale -- which would you prefer to binge watch?  I would be interested in binging The Handmaid's Tale.  I believe it is on Netflix, and I do not have that.  I read the book in college.  It was so interesting.


8) Carole King originally wrote this week's song, "Where You Lead," for her Tapestry album. Do you have a favorite Carole King song?  Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.

 
9) Random question: If zoo animals could talk, which animal do you imagine would be the rudest?  Cats

Tuesday 4 Meme- Diet! What Diet?

Diet! What Diet?
1.   Favorite Cake:  I had a really good coconut cake in the Spring, it was the best cake I have ever had.  I usually like chocolate.

2.   Favorite Cookie:  chocolate chip

3.   Favorite Pie:  coconut cream

4.   Favorite Candy:  candy bar, but I am moody with them, I love many different kinds and it depends on what I am in the mood for.

Sunday Stealing- Friday Five

1. Have you ever had a great conversation with a complete stranger?  I am kind of shy believe it or not.  I cannot remember having one.

2. Where did you go on the very first vacation of your life?  Aside from the visits to see family that my parents said were vacations, my first vacation was actually to Florida with  my husband on our honeymoon.  I saw the ocean for the first time.  I cried when we left.  The next time we went we went for two weeks.

3. Open the door of your refrigerator. What is the first thing you see?  Sprite

4. What is your favorite place in your home.  It used to be my bedroom, the sunlight the way it is in there is so peaceful.  I kind of spend most of my time in the living room now though.  When it is nice out I enjoy my gazebo.

5. If you had wings to fly about the universe, where is the first place you’d land?  I think I would fly to Hawaii and spend some time there.

6. What is the first thing you do when you get in your car?  I set my things down, start my car and put on my sunglasses.  Then I find a good song on the radio and take off.

7. What is special about the town you live in?  We are home of the World's Smallest Cathedral....or we used to be.  It was in the Guinness Book of world records, but I just checked and I did not find it.  When I was teaching at the preschool here in my town, I took the kids over to see it.  They also had a nature trail.  My town is tiny.  This was across the street from the preschool.

8. What is the last thing you heard about your first love?  I do not really hear things about him.  He lives in New Mexico I think.

9. If you had created the world in seven days yourself, what would you have created on the First Day? dogs

10. How do you beat the summer heat?  I stay in and read.  I used to go out and swim...we always had a small pool.  We do not have one anymore.

11. Did you enjoy your Senior Year in high school?  I loved it!

12. Who is your favorite First Lady of all time?  Jackie Kennedy or Laura Bush.

13. Post a link to your first blog post.  This is the link to my first post in this blog, I had two blogs before this one though.  The first blog post from this blog was about Memorial Day weekend  It was 9 years ago.  My other blogs have been deleted.

14. When was the last time you needed First Aid?  Maybe when I burned myself with my curling iron?  I really don't know.

15. Can you explain what a first down is in football?  The first down is the first of a series of 4 plays attempting to score a touchdown or get another first down...you must go 10 yards to get another first down.  I am watching my KC Chiefs play preseason football right now as I type this!  They just scored a touchdown.

Saturday 9- Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs

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Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs (1993)

1) This is the theme from Frasier, a TV show that ran  from 1993 to 2004. Were you a fan?  I LOVED Frasier!

2) The show is about a radio advice show host, Dr. Frasier Krane. When you listen to the radio, do you tune in for talk or music?  music

3) The theme's composer explained that tossed salad and scrambled eggs are both "mixed up," like the people who called Frasier's radio show. Which did you eat more recently, tossed salad or scrambled eggs? scrambled eggs

4) Peri Gilpin played Roz, Frasier's coworker at the radio station. The actress originally cast was Lisa Kudrow, but the show's producers didn't feel she was "right." Being released from Frasier gave her the opportunity to accept a bigger and better part: Phoebe on Friends. Can you think of a time when a setback was really a blessing in disguise?  In my case, I used to teach for a special education coop.  The coop served several counties in Southwest Missouri.  I worked there for 10 years at a school in walking distance of my house and the last year they wanted me to teach in one of the schools an hour away.  I quit.  I felt awful.  I am with one district now though and the people I work with are fantastic.  I did not realize how toxic of an environment I was in until I was gone.

5) Dr. Krane shared his home with Martin, his retired dad. Martin's favorite chair was well-worn recliner, held together in parts with tape. Frasier tried to replace it by giving his father a brand-new, expensive leather chair as a gift. Martin wanted his old recliner back. Tell us about a present you either gave or received that wasn't a hit.  My in-laws used to give me Nascar stuff for Christmas...I am not a fan...so a lot of money spent to just sit in my house and not get used.

6) Kelsey Grammer played Dr. Krane on three different series (Cheers, Wings and Frasier) over 20 years. What job have you held the longest?  Probably that teaching job with the coop for 10 years, this will be my 5th year at my current job.

7) Before he found success on Cheers, Grammer played bit parts on the daytime dramas Ryan's World and Another World. Have you ever followed a soap opera?  Oh goodness yes, I love the drama.  My Granie got me hooked on As The World Turns when I was little...it is off the air now.  I watch Y&R and Bold and the Beautiful in the summer.  CBS soaps.

8) In addition to work in front of the camera, Grammer has done voice over work on commercials for Dr. Pepper and Cheerios. Are either of those products in your kitchen right now?  nope
 
9) Random question: You're invited to a party where dinner is served buffet style. There's spaghetti with tomato sauce, barbecue spare ribs and buffalo wings. When the evening is over, how likely are you to have a food stain on your clothes?  very likely!  I would choose the ribs and I always make a mess with ribs.

Wednesday Medley- NATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE DAY

  

NATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE DAY

1.  Let's start with a number! How many lighthouses have you visited? 1- The Pensacola Lighthouse in Florida.

2.  Have you been inside a lighthouse and did you walk to the top?  yes, we went inside and went to the top...177 steps, I do not think I could do it now.  Here are Josh and I at the top.  I am so glad we did this.  My sisters-in-law plan our trips and do not really think about what Josh and I want to do.  They did not want to stop here.  There was one sister-in-law that went up out of three.  She took the picture.

3.  Do you seek them out when you are traveling the coastlines or are you not that big a fan?  We went to this lighthouse when we went on our trip to Orange Beach.  We spent a day in Pensacola seeing the Blue Angels. Josh was fascinated with lighthouses at the time and had never been to one living in Missouri.  I did not know about this one, we just happened to drive by it.  I said, stop!  We need to go to that lighthouse for Josh.  He may never get to see one again.  We stopped.....I was with my sisters-in-law and my nephews.  This was not on our agenda because a few of my nephews are afraid of heights and were scared to go up.  I am glad we stopped though, because we have not been back to a lighthouse and it was a great memory for Josh at the time.  This was our view.  It was beautiful.

4.  Do you have a favorite scripture or another reference to share with us concerning a guiding light in your life? 
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 
Psalm 119:105

5.  If you don't collect lighthouses when you travel, is there something tangible that you tend to collect as a souvenir when you are on vacation or a road trip?  I just pick up random things.  I like to get beach towels at the beach and key chains.

6.  Please share something with us about your week.  This is my last week before school starts.   I am not going to lie, I am always sad right before school starts, but once it starts I am fine.  I miss the kids.  It is Open House this Friday night.  I am reading these good books.  I am going to miss being able to read so much.

Tuesday 4 Meme- More About You Again...

More About You Again...
1.   How late did you stay up last night and why?  This summer I have stayed up until 12:00-12:30 and I have been reading.  I do not get much quiet time because Karl has the tv on all of the time.

2.   What's your favorite way to spend your free time? reading

3.   Which of your friends lives closest to you?  My friend Malinda lives just a few miles away.

4.   Who was the last person you took a picture of?  My nephew Dalton and his wife Aubri on their wedding day.