Mommy Brain

I saw this at Quoth the Maven, and thought it would be a good way to continue my week of meaningless posts.

Full name: Carrie Eileen Kitzmiller.
What are you most afraid of?: Biggie: losing a child. Not-so-biggie: Spiders.
What is the most recent movie that you have seen on bootlet?: I don’t know what bootlet is. If they mean “bootleg” – I don’t.
Place of birth: Bellingham, Washington
Favorite food: Pizza.
Natural hair color: Brown. With more and more grey every day.
Ever been a Neat Freak?: I can hear my mom laughing all the way from her house. Um, no.
Ever been skinny dipping?: Mom, close your eyes – yes.
Love someone so much it made you cry?: Yes.
Ever been in a car accident?: Yes – and it was completely my fault. Thank God, no one was hurt. Except me – but only minor bruises and sore muscles.
Croutons or bacon bits?: Can I have both, please?
Favorite day of the week?: Friday.
Favorite restaurant?: Stefani’s Oak Street Grill. After years of only mediocre restaurants in our little town, we now have a restaurant with delicious food and wonderful atmosphere.
Favorite flower?: Dutch Iris.
Favorite sport to watch?: Football.
Favorite drink?: Non-alcoholic: Pepsi. Alcoholic: Colorado Bulldog.
Favorite ice cream?: Cherry Garcia or Chubby Hubby.
Warner Bros. or Disney?: Either – I love movies.
Ever been on a ship?: Does a ferry count?
What color is your bedroom carpet?: Don’t have a carpet in the bedroom – hardwood floors.
How many times did you fail your driver’s test?: None.
Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail?: Andrea, who’s working on a little secret project for me.
What do you do when you’re bored?: Read.
Bedtime?: 10:30 or 11:00.
Favorite TV shows?: House, Bones, Lost, Heroes, Jericho, and Life. If there are any other TV shows with one-word titles, chances are, I’ll like them.
Last person you went to dinner with?: Kevin – last Wednesday as an early Valentine’s Day celebration.
Park or zoo?: Parks are better for sitting in the sun and reading while the kids play – and I’ve never been much of an animal person.
Favorite colors?: Purple and dark green.
How many tattoos do you have:? None.
How many pets do you have?: None.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?: The chicken, of course.
What do you want to do before you die?: Visit Ireland. Write a book.
Have you ever been to Hawaii?: No.
Have you been to countries outside the U.S.?: Canada and Mexico.

Let me know if you play along.

Lisa at Kentucky Woman tagged me for a Hoopla. I don’t think I’ve ever done a Hoopla before.

(1) Post the rules on your post before you answer the questions.

(2) List one fact about yourself using each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name use your maiden name instead.

(3) When finished answering, tag one person for each letter of your name.

My middle name is Eileen.

E – Education – I homeschool my kids.
I – Ireland – I will visit there before I die.
L – Latin – The kids and I are learning Latin together.
E – Evergreen – I live in Washington, the Evergreen State.
E – Eggplant – I hate it.
N – Nephews – I have six.

Whew – that’s a lot of “E”s! If you are looking for something to post because you can’t think of anything else, consider yourself tagged.

Natalie tagged me for this book meme. The idea is to choose your favorite book, and write a 30-60 word review of it, then tag some other bloggers. Since I know some people don’t like to be tagged, I’ll just say that if you want to do it, you’re it!

My favorite book (one of them, anyway) is Trinity by Leon Uris. Trinity is the story of Connor Larkin and his best friend, Seamus, and their families. Connor and Seamus become involved with the Irish Republican Brotherhood’s struggle for freedom from Britain. The writing is wonderful, the characters are strong, and I learn something new about Irish history every time I read it.

Meg at Get In, Hang On tagged me for this book thing:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

The nearest book is Vanity Fair:

“Damn Mr. George, sir. Am I master of the house? DINNER!” Mr. Osborne scowled.

Not a very revealing quote. Except, maybe, about Mr. Osborne’s personality.

Okay, I tag Kris, Lisa, Andrea, Eileen, and Natalie.

I don’t have an iPod, but I do have an MP3 player that has a shuffle feature, so I am going to play along with this fun meme I saw at Praise the Lord and Pass the Prozac.

Here are the instructions:

1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question.
4. NO CHEATING.

Q: What does next year have in store for you?
Show Me the Way to Your Heart – Sara Evans

Q: What does your love life look like next year?
Cinema Paradiso – Josh Groban

Q: What do you say when life gets hard?
Blessing in Disguise – Christine Dente

Q: Song that reminds you of good times?
Tim McGraw – Taylor Swift

Q: What do you think when you get up in the morning?
Never Going Back Again – Fleetwood Mac

Q: What song will you dance to at your wedding?
Already married, but here’s the song that came up: Bold Riley – Kate Rusby

Q: Song that reminds you of your first kiss?
Bless Me Indeed – Mercy Me

Q: Your favorite saying?
No One Like You – Barlow Girl

Q: Favorite place?
I’ll Take Care of You – Steven Curtis Chapman

Q: Most Missed Memory?
Starts With Goodbye – Carrie Underwood

Q: What song describes your best friend?
The Sleepless Sailor – Kate Rusby

Q: What song describes your ex?
The First Cut is the Deepest – Sheryl Crow – ha!

Q: Where would you go on a first date?
When God Fearin’ Women Get the Blues – Martina McBride

Q: Drug of choice?
The Power of a Moment – Chris Rice

Q: What song describes yourself?
Let Me Go – Susan Ashton

Q: What is the thing you like doing most?
The Maze – Taylor Hicks

Q: The song that best describes the president?
China Grove – Doobie Brothers

Q: Where will you be in 10 years?
Only Getting Started – Steven Curtis Chapman

Q: Your love life right now?
Scribbling in the Sand – Michael Card

Q: What is your state of mind like at the moment?
Whiskey, Yer the Devil – An Dochas – lol

Q: How will you die?
Heaven Knows – Kathy Troccoli

That was fun – let me know if you play along!

I thought I had answered every book meme out there, until I saw this one at The Sleepy Reader.

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

The Iliad and The Odyssey. I know they’re supposed to be the foundations of Western literature, but I just have no interest. I’m sure we will be studying them when the kids get older, though.

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?

Can I just sit and look at Mr. Darcy, Connor Larkin from Trinity, and Kerbouchard from Louis L’Amour’s The Walking Drum? No? Okay, then I guess I would choose to have tea with Elizabeth Bennett, Anne Elliot, and Elinor Dashwood – so I could find out how things went after their respective weddings.

(Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realise it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?

I have to agree with Amy – Moby Dick.

Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?

I don’t think I’ve ever done that.

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realise when you read a review about it/go to ‘reread’ it that you haven’t? Which book?

I can’t think of any. I have, however, went to read a book for the “first” time and found out I’d already read it.

You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (if you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead of personalise the VIP).

Is the idea to just recommend a good read or recommend books that will help make the person a better leader? I guess I’d pick Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour and That Distant Land: Collected Stories by Wendell Berry, because I think those would fulfill both goals.

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?

Italian. I’d love to be able to read anything written in Italian – out loud.

A mischievious fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?

Anne of Green Gables. I’ve read it probably ten times, and I have loved it every time. I’m reading it aloud to Nan right now, and I am remembering how much I adore it.

I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?

Probably the biggest thing is that classics are called classics for a reason. Until a couple of years ago, I resisted reading anything I was told I “should” read. A little bit of book rebellion, I guess. Now I know that if a book is considered a classic, I’ll almost always like, if not love, it.

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.

Lots and lots of bookshelves, plenty of cushy reading chairs, a well-stocked wine cabinet, and all the books on my Master To-Read List. Oh, yeah – and time would stand still when I was in there. That way, I could sneak in and read for as long as I wanted, and when I left, no time would have passed.

Anyone else want to play along?

I love to eat: Nutty Chicken Alfredo from Stefani’s Oak Street Grill, a local restaurant.
I hate to eat: Peas.
I love to go: To the movies.
I hate to go: Grocery shopping. (I agree with Crissy on this one.)
I love it when: One of my kids is lost in a good book.
I hate it when: I don’t have time to read.
I love to see: A clean house.
I hate to see: Snow after January 1st.
I love to hear: Josh Groban sing in Italian.
I hate to hear: Whining.

Hat tip: Crissy at Soliloquy

A meme is the closest I could come to writing a coherent post right now. Here’s one I saw at Musings of a Bookish Kitty.

What kind of soap is in your shower right now?
Ivory bar soap and Suave Shower Gel in some coconutty scent.

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
No.

What would you change about your living room?
Double it’s size; new carpet; floor to ceiling bookshelves on one wall.

Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?
Don’t have one. There are dirty dishes in the sink, however.

What is in your fridge?
Milk, Gatorade, leftover pizza, eggs, cheese, apples, water, condiments, Gogurt, applesauce, sausage, etc.

White or wheat bread?
I know I’m supposed to eat wheat, but I like white better.

What is on top of your refrigerator?
AppleJacks, Lucky Charms, Cheerios, Wheat Chex, Ritz Bits, Granola bars, Sunflower seeds

What color or design is on your shower curtain?
It’s white.

How many plants are in your home?
Zero. I kill them.

Is your bed made right now?
Nope.

Comet or Soft Scrub?
Tilex and Lime Away and Lysol. Plus Clorox Wipes – those things are terrific!

Is your closet organized?
Not hardly. That’s where I throw everything I don’t have time to deal with.

Can you describe your flashlight?
Black and yellow plastic, but we can’t find it at the moment. No one can remember where it got put when we unpacked from the last camping trip.

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
Plastic. We haven’t had glass glasses since we had kids.

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now?
No – not big iced tea drinkers.

If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
If we had one, I’m sure it would be cluttered, but we don’t.

Curtains or blinds?
We have both on some windows.

How many pillows do you sleep with?
One.

Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
Only when I’m alone in the house when Kevin’s camping with the kids.

How often do you vacuum?
I don’t anymore – Noah does, usually twice a week.

Standard toothbrush or electric?
Standard.

What color is your toothbrush?
Purple and white.

Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch?
No.

What is in your oven right now?
Nothing.

Is there anything under your bed?
Kevin’s rifle. (Don’t worry, we don’t keep any ammo in the house.)

Chore you hate doing the most?
Cleaning out the fridge.

What retro items are in your home?
I don’t think we have any.

Do you have a separate room that you use as an office?
Nope. I do most of my writing on my laptop, sitting on the couch.

How many mirrors are in your home?
Hmm…one on the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Various hand mirrors.

What color are your walls?
White.

What does your home smell like right now?
The toasted vanilla candles that are burning.

Favorite candle scent?
Pumpkin pie.

What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now?
Dill stackers.

What color is your favorite Bible?
My new ESV Journaling Bible it terra cotta and sage, I love it.

Ever been on your roof?
No, but Kevin has.

Do you own a stereo?
Yes.

How many TVs do you have?
One.

How many house phones?
Three, but only one works very well.

Do you have a housekeeper?
I wish.

What style do you decorate in?
The “put out whatever you have and leave it until it’s time to change for Christmas, then put it back exactly the same way when Christmas is over” style. Home decorating is not a gift of mine, and it’s not something I give much thought.

Do you like solid colors or prints in furniture?
Solids, mostly.

Is there a smoke detector in your home?
Several.

In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip?
I suppose my computer, if I knew the kids and Kevin were all safely away. I would want to grab my books, but there are too many.

Let me know if you play along!

Four days ’til Christmas! Even though we had more time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, what with Thanksgiving being earlier, I still feel like it has taken me by surprise. I will be doing some wrapping this weekend – I’m still waiting on two shipments from Amazon. They’re supposed to arrive tomorrow. (Fingers crossed.)

This morning Natalie has an orthodontist appointment; this afternoon Michelle and the boys are coming over for a play date. Tomorrow, my sister and her family arrive at my parents’ house for the holidays. We will be sledding on Saturday, decorating cookies on Sunday, singing at the Christmas Eve service Monday, and then celebrating at my parents’ house for Christmas. All that to say that I’ll probably be missing from here until after the Big Day.

Here are a few links to keep you busy while I’m gone:

~ Amazon’s The Tales of Beedle the Bard page

~ The trailer for Ben Stein’s new documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

~ Amazing and beautiful video: The Inner Life of a Cell. Hat tip: Athol Dickson.

~ My brother-in-law Hans is blogging again, and I especially enjoyed this post about some of the adorable things my nephews say to each other.

~ How well do you know your Christmas carols? Take this quiz to find out.

~ Chronicle Books is holding a creativity contest for kids.

~ Remember when I was talking about Roger Whittaker’s Christmas Album, and how every kid should hear Darcy the Dragon? Well, now they can, complete with cute pictures, thanks to this YouTube video.

~ Carol at Magistramater has posted another great list of the things she is grateful for.

~ Brighter Minds is offering 40% off of all products for my readers. The offer is good until February 1, 2008. Just enter the code BLOG at checkout.

If I don’t get back here before the holiday, may all of you have a truly blessed Christmas.

I found this Christmas meme at one of the other Carrie’s blogs, and decided to play along.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Gift bags, if at all possible. Wrapping gifts is my very least favorite part of Christmas. My mom gave me a wonderful gift by offering to do my wrapping this year. Yay!

2. Real or artificial tree? Artificial – prelit.

3. When do you put up the tree? The day after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? New Year’s Day.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, but only if it’s mixed half and half with Sprite.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Fresh ‘n’ Fancy Kit. It was a kit that allowed you to make your own makeup and perfume.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, Kevin bought me one a few years ago. It goes under our tree.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My brother-in-law, George.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My dad.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can’t remember exactly what it was, but my Grammy went through a phase where she would give Amway products, like hand lotion. Usually, half-used.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas and Meet Me in St. Louis

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? When Kevin gets his Christmas bonus, which is Friday. Obviously, we’ll have to make other plans next year.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My dad’s Mincemeat Star cookies. Click on the recipes category on the sidebar, if you’re interested.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored. We had white lights until last year, when the kids got mad at the fact that Mom had chosen white and they didn’t get a say in the matter. Now, we have colored.

17. Favorite Christmas song? “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Go to Mom and Dad’s – they’re only a half-hour away.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yes.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Our parents usually let us open one on Christmas Eve, but the main presents were on Christmas morning, and that’s what we still do.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The parking lot at Wal-mart. Oh, and the songs “Santa Baby” and “Feliz Navidad” played over and over and over on our local all-holiday-music-during-December station.

23. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? Nope.

24. What do/did you leave for Santa? We never did the Santa thing with our kids. We’re not fanatical about it – we watch The Santa Clause and all the other movies, like Rudolph, but the kids have always just thought of it as a fairy tale for Christmas time. They know who the real Saint Nicholas was, and how his love for Jesus prompted him to give gifts to the poor.

If you decide to play along, let me know!

The poster above is available at AllPosters.com.