Archive for March, 2007

Christine over at her fabulous and gorgeous blog, Fruit in Season, started a new discussion on Mondays about marriage. Of course, me and my ever forgetfulness totally forgot about it until last night. I hate that I never seem to remember to visit the best blogs! But now she’s in my blog roll, so it should be all good from here on out. ;o)

Today Christine reviewed the book The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. I have not personally read this book nor have I heard Dr. Laura speak, but I have heard a lot of things about her and her book, both good and bad. I have a few friends who regularly recommend it to people. She also asked the following questions for participants (that would be meee, finally! lol) to answer:

Honestly, most of the media makes me realize how good I have it. Not that I easily forget otherwise, but it makes me really realize it if that makes sense. My husband and I have had this discussion more times than I can count (it’s a very vent worthy pet peeve of mine!) but the way the media portrays marital relationships and the dynamics between a husband and wife more often than not leaves me feeling sick. Take sit-coms, if you will. One we regularly enjoyed was Everybody Loves Raymond. The show is hilariously funny, but when you examine the marriages in it, it’s not quite so funny anymore. You have one pair who have been married probably twice as long as I have been alive, who obviously wouldn’t recognize the word respect if it bonked them over the head with a 2×4. Then you have the other couple who are a little better, at least that’s what you might think, but in reality they really aren’t. They are the classic overbearing, controlling wife and dumbed down husband who is only useful for bringing home the bacon (which, apparently, the wife can’t cook well anyway), mowing the lawn, drinking beer, stinking up the joint and watching sports. You see this type of scenario over and over again in modern sit-com land. The part that bothers me the most is the dumb down husband roll. I can’t think of many things I find more disrespectful than portraying a husband (whether he be yours or one you’ve made up) as incompetent. Yeah, it’s funny, and yeah we enjoy those shows (Home Improvement is another one that comes to mind)… but it still bothers me and makes me grateful that I not only have a very intelligent husband, but that I also recognize it and stroke his ego build him up. ;o)

As for family and friends, I wouldn’t say they influence my attitude, but rather they give me a glimpse into other real life relationships and help me to see what I may be doing as either right or wrong. I’ve learned both good and bad from watching other people’s marriages, and that’s ok to me. The good encourages me to do better, and the bad encourages me in what I’m already doing right.

Well, I already mentioned friends and family. They really are a big source of encouragement to me, especially a few people in particular. Other than that, early on in our marriage I read several good books that I found encouraging including The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie O’Martian and a few by Ed Wheat, M.D. I tried to get into the Created to be His Helpmeet craze, but honestly, the author disturbs me. I’m normally pretty good at eating the chicken and spitting out the bones (despite being vegetarian – teehee – perhaps I should say eating the pistachios and spitting out the shells? *giggle*) but I couldn’t finish that one. I think perhaps someday I will have to read Dr. Laura’s book. I would probably enjoy it.

If the answers to the last 2 questions don’t match up, how can you remedy that?We have a very straight forward and honest relationship so I asked him. Quote: “I’m up there”. ;o) He says for the most part he’s at the top, but not always. I want him to feel like he’s always at the top and I think I do a decent job at that, but I am human and there is always room for improvement. I’m not exactly sure what I should do to remedy that. I guess that’s a topic for tonight over dinner (which I will painstakingly and lovingly prepare just for him, by the way. *wink, wink*)

Happy Monday to everyone. )

Aprons- Y/N? Nope, but my clothes don’t really get dirty when I cook anyway.

Baking- Favorite thing to bake? Brownies!

Clothesline- Y/N? No way. Too windy.

Donuts- Ever made them? Umm, that’s what Krispy Kreme is for, hello!

Everyday- One homemaking thing you do everyday? Straighten up the kitchen.

Freezer- Do you have a separate deep freezer? Yes, and both it and the fridge’s freezer are PACKED. lol

Garbage Disposal- Y/N? Yes, but the only things that go down it are the bits left on our plates.

Handbook- Y/N? Huh?

Ironing- Love it or hate it? What’s ironing?

Junk Drawer- Where is it? Where is it? Don’t you mean where are they? Let’s see. There is one in the kitchen, one in the TV stand, one in our master bedroom, and a couple in the office. *grin*

Kitchen- Design and decorating? Right now the walls are green and the accents are beige-ish and lavender. We have a gorgeous stainless fridge which does not match the rest of our appliances, but that’s ok. ;o) Eventually, if we stay here long enough (which is highly unlikely if the idiots of our city continue to be idiots!), all the appliances will be stainless, the countertops will be black-ish, and the walls will either stay green or be painted a warm color. Maybe red. I don’t care if red and stainless are on their way “out” I love them. They match my hair. Duh.

Love- What is your favorite part of homemaking? Does bumming around count?

Mop- Y/N? I use a Swiffer Wet Jet and LOVE it. I confess though, I don’t mop very often.

Nylons- Excuse me while I stop laughing. Nylons? Really? Do people still wear those things when they’re not robbing banks?

Oven- Do you use the window or open it to check? Mine doesn’t have a window.

Pizza- What do you put on yours? Lots of cheese and black olives. Sometimes sauteed onions. Sometimes fresh tomatoes and fresh basil. YUM.

Quiet- What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? My days are almost always quiet. Lately I’ve been reading a lot and wasting entirely too much time online.

Recipe card box- Y/N? I have a ton of recipes that I love to read but never follow. (I’m more of a fly by the curve of my spoon kind of girl.) They are either on my computer organized by category, or not on my computer and in complete disarray. I think I print the same ones off of the computer at least three times each.

Tablecloths and napkins- I would only cover up my beautiful new table to protect it! We never eat on it though, so it’s all good. ;o) We use generic paper towels. lol

Under the kitchen sink- Lots of cleaning products. Not organized at all.

Vacuum- How many times a week? Once.

Wash- How many loads do you do a week? It varies, but I’d say on average about three.

X’s- Do you keep a list of things to do and cross them off? Nooooo.

Yard- Who does what? Lately, no one. Seriously… our yard looks like crap.

ZZZ’s- What is your last homemaking task for the day? Straightening up the kitchen and getting the hubby’s lunch prepared and packed for the next day. That is the last thing I do before hitting the sack.

So now you know the whole messy truth… tag, you’re it! )

Appetizer
Name two things that made you smile this week.
“The muscles around the corners of my mouth. And my brain.”

Soup
Fill in the blank: Don’t you hate it when ________?
Don’t you hate it when “your face falls off”? ROFL!

Salad
When you can’t go to sleep, what is your personal remedy to help yourself drift into Lullabyland?
“I start counting the number of times that the ceiling fan squeaks.”

Main Course
What is something about which you’ve always wondered but have not yet found a good answer?
“Why is it when I put dull black shoe polish on a dull black boot, it becomes this shiny mirror-like image? And why does adding water help the waterproofing process?”

Dessert
What is your favorite pasta dish?
“Pasta in a bowl. With a sauce on it.”

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins (I’ve helped rescue a wild, beached baby dolphin!)
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa.
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business (two, in fact!)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured an ancient site
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played Dungeons & Dragons for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo (hopefully someday…)
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently well enough to have a decent conversation
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised (raising) children (child)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (doesn’t almost count? I would have had I not run out of
time.)
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
151. Finished a marathon

I completely forgot to set deadlines for the contests. ) OOOPS!

Ok, the deadline for both is Monday, March 12th. At that point, my panel of judges and I will review all the answers and pick winners! I hope to have the winners chosen and announced by Wednesday the 14th.

)

Good luck!