DEFINITELY a Wednesday in JANUARY!!

1. It was decided on Sunday the Denver Broncos will meet the Seattle Seahawks in this year's  Superbowl. So when was the last time you bowled? Not where you thought this question was going is it?  Do you like to bowl? Are you any good? 

I think it was in 2006 and I wasn't very good, but the kids in our "Winter Camp" youth group found me... entertaining...

2.   Should sports stars be role models? A repeat question from some time ago and YES, sports stars should be and in fact, ARE role models. 

Some of them are very good ones, and some are extremely bad :-(

3. January is National Oatmeal month...are you a fan? How do you like your oats? 

Oats can be cooked and eaten with brown sugar; mixed into cookie dough and baked; mixed in with hamburg, egg, onion and tomato soup for meatloaf! Mmmmm!

4. What is one book on your reading list for 2014?

Only one so far, and it comes out in February:  Saloma Furlong Miller's 2nd book, "Bonnet Strings" and here's her blog: http://aboutamish.blogspot.com/  Her first book was very interesting; growing up Amish and making a break for personal freedom which included higher education. So refreshing to read of a "real" Amish girl who tells it like it was and probably still is for most - caught in the middle of their church's rules and regulations.

5. What would you like your future self to say to your present self?

 Keep it up! Pass it on! Well done!

6. When scrolling through the TV guide, what is one movie title that makes you want to stop, grab the popcorn, and watch for a while?

I watch very few movies but at Christmastime, it could be "Holiday Inn" or "Miracle on 34th Street" as I don't have them on VHS or DVD.

7. What are two style trends you hope never come back into fashion?

Easy!  Bell Bottoms and Stirrup Pants and lets add Leisure Suits for good measure!!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Two bird feeders were covered with Goldfinches! Made me think a big storm was coming but it didn't; no clue why they converged like that, but I'm glad the feeders were full.

I was Right on Time and Forgot to Post!

(Cause I'm too lazy to think up my own subjects for my blog!) 

(Thanks, Joyce!)

1.  Are you a force to be reckoned with? In what way?

Not normally, but if I sense an injustice, I'll step right in! I can take on the best in 'verbage' :-)
2. What are two things you love about the wintertime? Or, if love feels like too strong a word, what are two things you 'like' about winter? 

I love snow. Really, I do! I love it when it falls from the sky both in dance patterns and in heavy blanket form; love how it piles up so quickly and when I was younger, I could see the intrinsic pattern of each flake on the black sleeve of my jacket!  I love being outside in the cold, fresh air when the sun is shining - usually in late February or early March; the air has such a sweet smell after a fresh snow;  I can also smell snow before a storm hits - it's different than the smell of rain, similar to the sweet smell after it snows but more mellow. I can't smell snow squalls or flurries so it must have something to do with picking up moisture from the Atlantic Ocean, maybe?

3. Pomegranate, kumquat, persimmon, kiwi, and guava are all fruits said to have health benefits, particularly during the winter months. Do you have a favorite on the list? Are there any on the list you haven't tried? 

I like to eat kiwi by cutting one in half and then taking my spoon and scooping out the insides as one might do a grapefruit - no mess and delicious right out of its own little bowl! I do not care for guava or pomegranate and have not tried a kumquat.

4. I passed a local church yesterday and noticed they had this on their outdoor sign- 'When all else fails, do the right thing.' Your thoughts?

Kind of an odd way for a church to advocate truth -  I think I would not belong to a church where one is not expected to do the right thing the first time around :-/

5. Do you ski? According to one list I've seen, the top 5 ski destinations for 2014 are-St. Anton Austria, Whistler Canada, Cortina Italy, Tahoe USA, and Zermatt Switzerland.  Of the five listed, which would you most like to visit? We can make skiing optional if that helps the non-skiers with their answer. 

I cross country ski so they would have to accommodate my style with great trails :-)   Perhaps one of the ones in Europe and I could get in a little genealogical research, too!
6.  What's the last thing you looked for online? (Besides my blog!)

Ancestry hints for James Lines from Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland (see 2nd half of #5)  or  if I have any substitute jobs being offered for work tomorrow - I don't remember which I did last! 

7. What saying, slogan, quote, or motto have you seen lately that inspires you for the new year?

Oh, I don't know. There have been too many of them floating around Facebook for me to choose just one. Some are clever, witty, etc., but most are lame and have spelling and grammatical errors that bug me to no end!

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm always to tired to have a random thought but I do love pictures :-)  My 6 year old granddaughter and I played Jenga tonight and she did very well, especially not getting upset when they tumbled down.

"I'm Late! I'm Late! I'm Late! "

1.  Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English.  Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse or just general uselessness (go here to read more about how the words were chosen).  Here are the words/phrases they'd like to see banished in 2014-

selfie, twerk/twerking, hashtag, Twittersphere, Mr. Mom, T-bone, _______on steroids, the suffixes-ageddon and -pocalypse added to anything and everything, from the world of politics the words-intellectually/morally bankrupt and Obamacare, and from the world of sports the words-adversity and fan base

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why?  Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?

TWERK/TWERKING and anything/one associated with it. 

2. What one unfinished project nags at you begging to be completed in this new year?

One? *sigh* I want my "green" room back to looking like a library or den. It became a store room after our heating system burst 7 years ago and just has not been cleaned out since! 

3. When did you last have a bowl of soup?  What kind? Homemade or from a can? What's your favorite soup?

Last night, for supper I had some vegetable beef soup that I made from leftover New Year's dinner. Spicy and delicious with mushrooms, potatoes, carrots and onions to go along with the beef. However, once in a great while, my husband and I both get a hankering for good 'ol Campbells Condensed Tomato Soup, made with milk and a pinch of sugar, of course, and served with grilled swiss cheese sandwiches!

4. Snowed in, snowed under, snow job...which one most applies to your life in recent days, figuratively speaking?

Snowed in, I guess, though we have lots of ice and very little snow at the moment. However, the temps have been pretty cold and no one wants to leave the house. Being "retired" and not having to go to work unless I want to, (substitute teacher) I have relished my early mornings where I have not had to get up until I felt like it!  This is a "snowed in" feeling that I just love and is reminiscent of my childhood days when, from my bed,  I would hear my mom's radio announce "Cairo Central" on their list of school closings; but now I don't have to wait for the snow!

5. What's the funniest movie you've ever seen, or at least one of the funniest?

"The Muppet's Christmas Carol" is probably the funniest and followed close behind by "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!"  I watch them every year and every year I laugh and can even speak the parts as they are being spoken!

6. In general, would you say you're clumsy?

In general? No. I'm not as graceful as I once was, but I maneuver on x country skis and snowshoes without major embarrassment.

7. Elvis Presley was born on Hodgepodge Day (January 8th) back in 1935.  Are you an Elvis fan?  What's your favorite Elvis tune?  If that's too hard, which Elvis tune do you dislike the least?  Click here for a list of his songs. 

Not a big Elvis fan. I really disliked his fast songs, but liked some of his slower ballad type songs. "Love Me Tender" came to mind.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Thinking back on #6, sometimes this happens: