Saturday 9: Black

 

Saturday 9: Black (2016)

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

1) This song was chosen because yesterday was Black Friday, the traditional day of sales. Have you begun your Christmas shopping?  I have bought a few things for Josh.

2)  Was there an adult beverage served with your Thanksgiving feast?  no
 
3) Did any pets enjoy scraps from your Thanksgiving table?  no

4) Are there any Thanksgiving leftovers in your refrigerator right now?  Oh yes

5) Football is a popular Thanksgiving weekend pastime. Will you be watching any games over the next few days? If yes, which team(s) are you rooting for?  I will be watching the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday

6) This week's song is by Dierks Bentley. He wrote it for his wife, Cassidy Black, who appears in the video. They met in eighth grade, dated on and off, and then eloped when they were in their late 20s. Has anyone ever surprised you by going off and suddenly getting married?  Not that I remember.

7) 2016 was a good year for Bentley. This song was one of three hits he had that year, he co-hosted the CMAs and was nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year and Video of the Year. As 2020 winds to an end, do you feel it's been a successful year?  Not really.  

8) In 2016, David Bowie died. Do you have a favorite Bowie song?  I love lots of David Bowie songs...Space Oddity, Under Pressure, Modern Love, China Girl, Let's Dance.  He was fantastic.

9) Also in 2016, CBS telecast reran How the Grinch Stole Christmas for the 50th time. What's your favorite Dr. Seuss story?  Dr. Seuss is a favorite of mine as a preschool teacher, but I LOVE to read The Lorax.  It is such a great story about taking care of our environment.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.    We will be spending Thanksgiving at our house this year eating turkey and all of the fixings, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  We will probably DVR the Dog Show and we will watch football.  I am sure there will be Hallmark movies to catch up on.  Maybe some online Christmas shopping.  We shall see.  My mom will be joining us.  It will be a fun day.  Have a great one!  I will be decorating for Christmas Friday too.  I cannot wait.

Tuesday 4 Meme- The Language of Flowers

  

                   The Language of Flowers

1. What is your favorite flower?  I do not really have a favorite flower.  I love them

all.

2. Do you know your birth flower? How about your state flower?    My September

birth flower is the Aster and the state flower is the Hawthorne.

3. Is there a plant you love having in your house or garden?  I love the ones that attract butterflies

and hummingbirds and also ones that mosquitoes do not like...I believe marigolds are good for some of that.

4. If you could plant a dream garden, what would you plant in it?  I would have someone who

knows what they are doing plant me a garden.  The soil in Missouri is all rocks and clay.  It is hard to plant and not everything will grow here.  I would want it to be really colorful and attract butterflies and hummingbirds and feed the bees.  It would also need to fit our weirdo weather.

I would also just want something simple that I could take care of.  Unless I can have a gardener.

Sunday Stealing- Thanksgiving Questions

 

  

 

1. What did you do for Thanksgiving when you were

 a kid? We visited my Grandparents in Oklahoma.

My whole family would be there. We would eat 

dinner together, decorate my Grandparents

house for Christmas and my parents and I would

stay for a couple of days and go home. I miss my

Grandparents.

2 .What’s your favorite family tradition?
putting up the Christmas Tree. We turn on

Christmas music and we all help out. It is fun.

3. What’s your favorite way to give back and help others?
Give small gifts to show how much I appreciate people. We also donate to

the homeless to make sure they are eating and have shelter.

4. Name one person who can make you laugh, even months later. Why?
Josh. He has kind of a dry sense of humor, but he is so funny and quick.

5. What is the funniest thing you remember about a Thanksgiving past?
My mom is always doing something crazy. She is usually singing or dancing.

I have her on tape as much as possible because she will not always be around.

6. Do you have any unusual traditions, rituals or habits around Thanksgiving?
I don't think so.

7. What time do you eat your Thanksgiving meal? We are planning on noon.

8. Name one ancestor that you think about on Thanksgiving and tell us why.
My Grandma Oslin. She made the holidays just so much fun for everyone. 

She was a great cook!

9. Is there a family heirloom at the Thanksgiving table? What its story? no, I have

Christmas herilooms.

10. What is your favorite part about Thanksgiving Day? There are no

expectations...no gifts...we get to have a nice meal with family, there is a lot

on tv and Black Friday is coming, so it is just a fun day. We always get a 

newspaper Thanksgiving day to look at Black Friday ads, but we haven't

gone out shopping in years.

11. What is something that was done for you this year that makes you grateful this 

Thanksgiving? We finally got a new drier last week! I am thankful for that.

Seriously though...our Principal buys us Sonic drinks every so often and it

is such a treat. She probably does it twice a month.

12. What foods do you usually have for Thanksgiving?
Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade dressing, pickled beets,

deviled eggs, sweet corn, hot rolls, pumpkin pie and always a pecan pie, then

this year I may make mac and cheese (for Josh)...homemade in our InstantPot.

Just thinking about it still. We are also thinking about smoking our turkey.

So many things up in the air still. Just wanting to try some different things.

13. How has the celebration of Thanksgiving today changed from when you

were little?  My mom did it for years after my Granie died. I am doing it

again this year. Karl and I are more apt to break from tradition and try new

things like smoking the turkey and adding mac and cheese. I also do way

more decorating than my mom. I decorated for my Granie. My mom loses

everything.  I don't know where her stuff is. I did put up her Christmas wreath

last night though.

14. If you could share Thanksgiving dinner today with one person in history who

would it be? Why? (Note: it can be a relative) I would want my Granie back. 

15. What is one wish you have for the next generation as they begin to establish

their own Thanksgiving traditions? I would hope they would carry something

from their own family tradition to link them to their past. We have way more

Christmas traditions than Thanksgiving traditions.

Saturday 9- Walking on Broken Glass

 

Saturday 9: Walking on Broken Glass (1992)

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

1) Annie sings that she feels she's walking on broken glass. What's the most recent item you broke?  I have lanyards I connect my masks.  That way I can pull it down and breathe when I am alone, but it is right there in case someone walks in and I can pull it up.  Anyway, I broke my black one.

2) She sings about being cut until she bleeds. Tell us about a time you needed stitches.  I have never had stitches.

UPDATE:  Yes I have...I had a c-section and I had stitches then... I am reading blogs and I am remembering these things.  It was actually quite painful when they took them out too.  I also had gall bladder surgery and those did not have to be removed, but they closed me up  in some way.

3) This week's featured artist, Annie Lennox, was born on Christmas Day. Do you know anyone whose birthday falls on a holiday?  My mom was born on Thanksgiving day...so her birthday is not on Thanksgiving every year, but some years it is.

4) When Annie met Dave Stewart, with whom she'd form the duo The Eurthmyics, she was living in Australia and staying in a tiny apartment called a bedsit. The occupant has his/her own combination bedroom/livingroom with cooking facilities, but must share a bathroom. Tell us about one of your early apartments.  My first apartment was with a friend from college named Julie at The Park Apartments.  It was a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom.  It had a kitchen, dining room, living room and a little porch.  It was nice.  I had the big bedroom, so my bedroom had a door into the bathroom and I had a walk in closet.  I loved that apartment.  

5) After the Eurythmics broke up, Annie went out on her own. Would you rather work independently, or as part of a group?  I enjoy both.  I get a good mix where I work too.

6) Among her many honors, Annie Lennox was named chancellor of Scotland's Glasgow Calledonia University. What's the last college campus you visited? What brought you there?  I think the last college campus I went to was in Springfield at Missouri State when I was taking classes and getting certified to teach.

7) In 1992, the year this song was recorded, compact discs outsold cassette tapes for the first time. Back in the day, did you enjoy making your own mix tapes?  YES!  I loved making mix tapes.  I kept them for a long time too.

8) Also in 1992, Johnny Carson made his last appearance as host of The Tonight Show.  The catchphrase, "Here's Johnny!" was associated with the show. Can you think of another popular TV catchphrase? "This is Jeopardy"

 
9) Random question: Think of your past week. Now look ahead to the coming week. Would you like it to be more, or less, exciting?  Less.  Covid is kind of going crazy, so there are several teachers out and several kids at the high school too that are covid positive.  I am ready for Thanksgiving Break.  I am worried about going back after though.

 

Tuesday 4- Fun Times

 

Fun Times

Hey friends! Welcome to our Tuesday 4 where we remember our friend

Toni Taddeo with 4 questions each week. This week is all about fun times.


Did you as a child or do you now like amusement parks, going out to places 

of entertainment? (theaters, themed parks, etc.)  Where I live there is a theme

park called Silver Dollar City.  My mom worked there when I was a kid as

an accountant, so we were able to get in free.  I was there so much I do not

get very excited to go now.  It is a neat park though.  It is set at the turn of 

the century (1900's) and in this area, so there are

Bald Knobbers (Ozarks vigilantes) at different rides,

etc and each ride has a story.  The Bald Knobbers were

real people that started out protecting the area after

the Civil War, but they went bad, they were around

from 1883-1889.  You can click on the picture of the Bald

Knobber to read or listen to more about them. The park

has water rides, roller coasters a train that gets robbed 

by these Bald Knobbers and a boat ride through a cave.

This area is known for it's caves. The park also has it's

own cave which is gorgeous called Marvel Cave. It has

grown so much that there is a Christmas festival and a

fall/Halloween festival.  We also get free tickets working

at the school, I just never go anymore.  Maybe I will soon.

Which rides/parks did you enjoy the most or what snack foods to you enjoy

when you are out and about?  I enjoyed Silver Dollar City as a kid and probably 

Fire in the Hole is my favorite ride.  The history is the fun part of this park.

Fire in the Hole is a roller coaster...a small one where the Bald Knobbers are out

and terrorizing the town setting it on fire.  My favorite snack there is a funnel cake.

When you were a kid, what activities /games/places brought you the most

enjoyment? Would you share with us a fun time or great trip that you've experienced?

My friends and I loved going to Silver Dollar City and White Water (water park), but 

we spent the most time on boats at Table Rock Lake.  We had so much fun as kids.

There were so many days spent with friends, I cannot really pinpoint only one. 

Here is the lake.  This is a huge tourist destination and Branson is close also.  Branson

has all of the music shows and White Water.  I feel very fortunate to have grown up

with so much to do.  I was super bored when I went off to a "normal" town 

to go to college.  There was nothing to do.  If you are interested you can click the 

lake image below and it will take you to a page for "things to do" where I live.  It 

is currently showing a picture of Silver Dollar City at Christmas which is quite an 

attraction.

Sunday Stealing- Something different

 

Thanks for the suggestion by Country Dew, I'm going to start posting Sunday Stealing

 on Friday  instead of Saturday, to give everyone more time to answer.

  

Something different.  Many (most?) Sunday Stealing people post photos to their web site

so I thought I would try something different this week.  The “answers” will all be photos,

something you've taken or something you've found somewhere else.

 

 

 

 

1. Something held together with ribbon, string, or rope.

2. Something related to travel.

3. Someplace people gather

4. Something cold/frozen

5. Something with a hole in it.

6. Something striped

7. An animal.

8. Something cute.

9. A food.

10. Something warm

Saturday 9- All of Me

 

All of Me

Saturday 9: All of Me (2013)

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

1) John Legend sings he loves his woman's "perfect imperfections." Tell us something quirky or imperfect about a loved one that you would not change.  I have a hard time with calling something an imperfection or a quirk.  It is just something that is part of a person, whatever that may be.  That imperfection or quirk is what makes that person perfect just the way they are.
 
2) John wrote this love song to his wife, Chrissy Teigen. The couple recently lost their baby after pregnancy complications. To whom did you most recently send a sympathy (or "thinking of you") card or message?  We go to church with one of our local weathermen.  I sent him a sympathy message because he recently lost his dog Sarge...(this week in fact).  It was heartbreaking.  He has shared his dog Sarge with the viewers over the years, so everyone is sad.

 

3) While adventurous in his creative career choices, John admits his taste in food leans toward the tried and true. His favorites are chicken (rotisserie or fried), macaroni and cheese, and steamed vegetables. What's on your weekend menu?  I am thinking chili for the weekend.  I am planning homemade mac and cheese for Thanksgiving and John Legend has a great recipe for mac and cheese.  I guess it is pretty good.  I pinned it on Pinterest.  We will see.   I haven't decided on a recipe yet.
 
4) When he was growing up, John's mother, Phyllis, helped support the family as a seamstress. Are you any good with a needle and thread?  no, I can only do small hand stitching like buttons or hems.  I have sewn on patches...small things like that.

5) As a child, he was such a big fan of Andy Griffith and Matlock that he wanted to be a lawyer. If you grew up to have the same occupation as the TV character you liked best as a kid, what would you be doing?  I would be in the oil industry.  Who am I?  I didn't watch much tv, but I loved this show.
 

6) John is a judge on The Voice. Do you watch that show? Or America's Got Talent, or American Idol?  I watch The Voice and as I watch I text with a friend who is also watching about who we like that is singing and what we think about the hosts because they are so funny.  We have done this for several years to keep in touch.
 
7) In 2013, the year this song was popular, twin baby pandas were born at Zoo Atlanta. Their panda parents had been given to the US as a gift from the Chinese, with the understanding that any offspring would be given to China. So, in 2016, the panda cubs were flown to a Chinese conservation center. They had a hard time adjusting at first, confused by jet lag, unresponsive when spoken to in Chinese, unimpressed by their new diet. Have you ever found yourself similarly overwhelmed when you traveled far from home? (BTW, the pandas are doing just fine now in their permanent Chinese home.)  I have never traveled that far from home and every time I have traveled I have had a great time.

 
8) Also in 2013, The Pope posted his first tweet. What social media platforms do you regularly use?  facebook and Gracebook.  I have others, but I do not necessarily use them all of the time.  When I was part of the country graphics community I met a lot of talented people.  One of those people is the creator of Gracebook.
 

9) Random question: Have you ever a) written something on a public wall or b) carved anything into a tree of bench?  When I was in high school I wrote on a bathroom wall at a rest stop.  That was the only time.  It grosses me out to think I did that.

Tuesday 4 Meme- Kind to All Creatures

 

Kind to All Creatures

Hi! Welcome to Tuesday 4 begun by Toni Taddeo and kept in memory of her.
Lets discuss Kindness 


1. Do you put up birds houses or have a bird feeder or bath?   I have a bird feeder.

2. The bible says your domesticated animals are to eat before you do since they cannot

provide for themselves , what pets do you have and when do they eat?  I have 2 dogs

and they eat in the morning and the afternoon when I get home from work.  They

always eat before I do.

Do you feed the birds in winter?  I try to remember to do this.  Sometimes my

birdfeeder goes empty and I forget to fill it.  I was really good when I was home

about feeding them.

How can we show kindness to others? Suggestions?  Listen and help out if you can.  Include 

others, make new friends.  Try to be understanding of other's feelings.  Don't be a jerk.

Saturday 9: For All We Know

 

Saturday 9: For All We Know (1971)

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

1) This song is about newlyweds looking ahead to a happy life together. What are you looking forward to today?  I am looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday morning...I am writing this Friday night.

2) They look forward to getting to know one another better. Tell us about someone who knows you well. Is it the person who has known you the longest?  My friend Malinda probably knows me the the best.  I had her son in class and we also worked together later and we went out together as friends.  She takes the time to really get to know people and she shares a lot about herself as well.  She is definitely not the friend who has known me the longest.

3) The song lyrics are credited to "Robb Wilson" and "Arthur James," but those aren't their real names. Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin were founding members of the 70s soft-rock group Bread. Are you familiar with that band? If so, do you have a favorite Bread song? (Find their greatest hits here.)  I am familiar with them, they are not a favorite, but the song "If" is nice.

 
4) Richard Carpenter discovered this song on his afternoon off when he and sister Karen were on tour. He took a few hours to unwind at  the movies, heard this song in the film Lovers and Other Strangers, and decided it would make a perfect Carpenters record. How do you like to unwind?  Sometimes I read, get on facebook or watch tv.

5) Karen Carpenter drank unsweetened iced tea, every day, all year long. Do you prefer your tea hot or cold?  cold and sweet.

6) Elvis was a fan of Karen's and, according to the recollection of singer Petula Clark, hit on her when she and Clark visited him backstage in Vegas. Pet recalled Karen was very innocent and said, "I felt responsible for her so I got her out of there." Tell us about a time when you looked out for a friend.  I have a friend that is going through a hard time with her severely disabled autistic son and her school district.  She asks me questions all of the time and I try to help her out as much as I can and support her and her son.


7) President Richard Nixon was a Carpenters fan, too, and invited the duo to perform at the White House at an official dinner for West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. If you could hear anyone perform live in an intimate setting, like a dinner party, who would you choose?  I would probably not be found at a dinner party, but maybe Michael Buble?

8) Today Richard collects classic automobiles. He has a 1964 Ford Thunderbird, like the one Beach Boys sang about in the song "Fun, Fun, Fun." Can you think of another song that mentions a car?  There is a song called Beep, Beep that mentions a Cadillac and a Nash Rambler if I recall correctly.

9) Random question: Do you tend to feel more content at the beginning of the day, or at the end?  The beginning of the day.  I am excited to start the day.  It seems like by the end of the day I have a lot on my mind.  I pray before I go to sleep, so I guess I hand my problems off to God and I wake up refreshed.

Tuesday 4 Meme- Autumn School Days

 

Autumn School Days

Welcome to Tuesday 4 which we keep up in memory of Toni Taddeo.

School days help to shape our future personality.

1. Share a story of your school days that you think may have helped shape who you are today.

My dad was a football coach at our high school, so football was very important to me.  I still

get excited for football games at school and I love to watch professional football also.  I was also a cheerleader.  I am not sure school formed my long term personality much.  It seems like I

completely changed when I started going to church and that was when I was 25 or so.

I would say God formed my personality more.  I will say my dad being a teacher probably had something to do with me wanting to become a teacher, but even that had a lot to do with my son Josh.  That is another story.

2. Did you have a favorite teacher and what made them special to you?  My dad was my favorite 

teacher.  He was a great teacher and he was my dad, so I really enjoyed him.

3. Did you enjoy the rituals of school.. new clothing, pencils, notebooks, etc.?  I never have enjoyed shopping, but back to school supplies were fun.  I loved getting those for Josh too.  We would make a game of it.  Get the ads and go to all of the different stores to get the best deals.  We would shop in Oklahoma when we would visit my Granie and she and my mom would go too.  It was so much fun and he loved it.  We got his school clothes in Oklahoma too.

4. Did you walk to school or ride the bus? Do you have a story to share on that?  I walked some when I was in Jr. High, the school was close.  My dad took me to school some...and I also rode the bus some.  My boyfriend David brought me home some too when we dated in high school.  I also drove  myself in high school.