How 'Bout a Contest?

I know that I've been a bit sparse on the posting around here lately, so I thought I'd do a contest for all my readers who check back often only to find that I (still) haven't posted anything new. (And I promise you that I've been working on a little series of tutorials- as well as updating some old ones, with videos even. So that's exciting.)



The contest is also a good way to thank my sister for all the amazing pictures that she contributes to this blog.

The Prizes
-1 Aromatherapy Necklace of your choosing
-1 8 x 10 print of one of Jenny Gay's photos (anything from her entire photostream that you'd like)

The Requirements
-Go to the Laughter and Kinship set.
-Look through the pictures.
-Decide which ones you like best and which ones don't do much for you.
-Either mark them as favorites, leave the comments right there on the photos, or email me with a list of them and your thoughts. (mamagay74 at comcast dot net)
-You'll get one entry in the contest for each comment... so if you love 8 of them and are unimpressed with 5 of them, you'll get 13 chances. (8 plus 5 is 13, right? My brain's feeling a bit soft this morning.)

The Catch
-You've got to do it by Friday night.



It'll also give you a chance to, once again, gaze at the awesomeness that is my bald head.

So there's that.

[Link]

Added Note- Congratulations to Wendy Darling, who was the winner (and also happens to have a bunch of fantastic pictures herself!) But I really want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who took the time to look through the pictures. Your comments really helped Jenny narrow things down.

Mr. Helpful

Kam (helping Jenny put away laundry and finding a bra): I got da boobs here, Mama.

Myers Briggs Personality Typing

I had sworn off taking these tests, but then I saw this one here.

I've read several books on the Myers Briggs personality typing already and was curious if this one would agree with the results I've found previously. It got me spot on. So, if you don’t want to read the whole book, this test (at least for me) gave me the same response as I got from longer, more involved tests.

You Are An ENFP

The Inspirer You love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends. You are also unconventional, irreverent, and unimpressed by authority. Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives. You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're quite the storyteller! In love, you are quite the charmer. And you are definitely willing to risk your heart. You often don't follow through with your flirting or professed feelings. You break a lot of hearts. At work, you are driven but not a workaholic. You just always seem to enjoy what you do. You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist. How you see yourself: compassionate, unselfish, and understanding When other people don't get you, they see you as: gushy, emotional, and unfocused

What's Your Personality Type?

Best Valentine's Poem Ever

(but I might be biased.)

By my lovely daughter Joey.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
I smell like pizza
You smell like poo



Added Note- This poem was not written for anyone in particular, just to be funny.

Finny, We're All Self-Involved

OK folks. If you don’t really want to get to know me better or are squeamish about sex or just the f-word in general, you should probably back away slowly at this point. This is because I recklessly offered to let Finny interview me. She sends the questions and I answer them. I did this because I am not a chicken. Or because I am stupid.

And just for the record, here are the questions that she answered from her interviewer…

1) What one song always reminds you of a particular event or time in your life? And what was the event or time?
2) What's your favorite thing about your husband?
3) What's the single best food or dish you've ever eaten?
4) What's the worst food you've ever cooked yourself?
5) How (or from whom) did you learn how to knit?

Here is what she sent for me (along with this warning)… Ok, challenge accepted. And don't get all, OH THESE ARE WRONG, because you knew what you were in for. You. ;)


(You can pretend this is a picture of my side of the interview process. Finny serves snacks. Isn't she gracious?)

If you could undo one thing you've done in your life, what would it be?
-This is an interesting one for me. There are times, long-ago, bad times, when I would have given years off my life to be able to go back and undo certain actions. I’m talking laying in bed all night, willing time to run backwards kind of wishing. Then many many years passed, and it isn’t so much that I no longer regret what happened, because I can still feel the distant pain of it, but I realized that if anything in my life had happened differently, not only would my life be different, but *I* would be different. I wouldn’t be me. And every single thing that’s happened, both of my choosing and of others, has put me right smack in the middle of my life. And I like it just how it is. Even when I don’t.

What is your biggest WT food indulgence?
-If we’re competing here about which meal is the most WT, I may win. Our mom used to make us Shrimp Creole (for special occasions, of course), but I haven’t eaten in years. Here’s the recipe… white, instant rice mixed with homemade cocktail sauce (or sometimes just ketchup if you're out of Worcestershire and horseradish) and baby salad shrimp. And we used to get so freakin excited when she made this. Actually, it sounds pretty good right now, but I doubt I could get my family to go for it.

If you could be The Best at anything - ANYTHING - what would it be?
-Wow, this one’s really difficult. I’m definitely a Jack of All Trades and a Master of None. Let me first say that I would only do this as long as I wouldn’t have to give up doing all the other stuff I do in order to become the Best. Because I just can't do any one thing for too long. Having said that, there are two things that being the Best might provide enough variety for me... The Best Mom and The Best Blogger on Earth. I guess I’d have to chose Mom (and eventually, years from now, Grandma) because I think that sort of thing spreads out from you and can affect the whole world for the better.

What crafty hobby do you find to be totally fucking pointless?
-For me, no crafting is pointless, even the most tedious, mind numbing activities. If I’m making something, even if I’m going to squash it up into a ball when I’m done, I still love doing it. I even like ripping out seams. I carved Stephen King on a pumpkin, for Christ’s Sake, I will do anything for the sake of Making.

What celebs are on your "Free Sex List"? You know, the list of celebrities or well-known people with whom, given the unlikely opportunity, you could engage intimately without any negative relationship consequences. Like, you can get with them and your husband can't get pissed.
-I had no idea there was such a thing. "Oh, it's OK Honey, Finny says I can." There are a few guys that I'm attracted to (Keith Olbermann, Ryan Gosling, Mike Rowe), but honestly, given the opportunity, I don't think I actually would. The only 2 people that would even stand a chance are K.T. Tunstill and Sarah McLaughlin. What can I say, I love a hot chick who can sing.

So, Finny, are you going to answer your own questions?

And if anyone out there would like to play this game, leave a comment letting me know and I'll send you your own set of questions.

A Birthday Card from Jaden

Some time ago, Kenzie received this card from Jaden.



It says...

Dear Mackenzie,
I love money too and I ask my mom for money when she goes to the ATM.
Love,
Jaden

A Quilt of Our Own

Each of our kids has received a quilt that was handmade by Jeff’s mum, Ann. Over the years, she and I have talked about how I’d like to eventually make one myself and how, for me, it’s all about the fabric.

I really love fabric. I grew up playing in my mom’s sewing room and I learned to appreciate the different colors, patterns and textures. I just honestly love to own fabric; it doesn’t even need to be made into anything. I simply enjoy seeing it sitting there, folded on the shelf. (Which is probably a good thing, since that's where most of my fabric stays.)

Anyway. Ann listened to my thoughts, how I didn’t like too fancy of a pattern and how I seemed mostly drawn to batiks. And then she secretly made this gorgeous quilt for us.

In a way, it's almost like a beautiful stack of fabric. And I love it.



She said that she wasn’t sure about matching the color of our walls, so she tried to include all the colors. She used 3 twin-sized kits from Quilted Strait. It's called Jungle Fever and uses Tonga Batiks. I found it here.

When I first saw the quilt, I really liked it. Every single day that I wake up underneath it, I love it even more. It’s damn near perfect. And I can guiltlessly move "Make Quilt" to the bottom of my To Do list, clearing space for activities like "Plant Orchard" and "Learn to Weld".