Fifty Things About Me (41-50)

{See my motivation and items 1-10 HERE,

11-20 HERE, 21-30 HERE, and 31-40 HERE.}

41. One of my ears is slightly higher than the other.  I learned this the last time I was fitted for glasses, and was reminded recently, when I picked up another new pair.  They tell me that this is quite common.

42. My beverage of choice: a cup of hot tea with Splenda.

43. Favorite holiday: Christmas -- because of all of the time spent with family.

My mom baking Christmas cookies with her 5 grandkids (and the Pillsbury dough-boy).

44. Least favorite holiday?  I confess, I am a Halloween hater.  I'm just not into the costume thing (the creating OR the wearing), or the creepy decorations.  But, I'll take your candy if you're not going to eat it.  (Just trying to be helpful...)

45. Much to my own chagrin, I'm better at e-mails and texting than snail-mail or phone calls.

46. I believe in the power of prayer, and also the "power" of positive thinking.

47. I am an aunt to 6 nephews and 7 nieces.  Two nephews and one niece are adopted from India.

48. I can't fall asleep with music playing, because it makes me want to sing.  I also sing in the car, sing along with my iPod, and occasionally sing in front of the mirror with a hairbrush.

49. I have an irrational "fear" of window treatments.  I think it has something to do with the combination of making a final decision, committing to the expense, and putting holes in the walls.

50. I keep a week-at-a-glance calendar, and write down things "to do," and I totally add something that I've already done just so that I can cross it off.  Hey, everybody likes to feel productive.

Oh my gosh!  The end.  The end.  The end.  Is that angels I hear, or is that you singing "THE END?"  That's my "list of 50," folks.  I will be 50 years old tomorrow.  I don't expect anything magical to happen overnight.  I'll just be the same old me when I wake up (only probably relieved that I don't have to think about anything more for this list!)  In the meantime, if any of you start your own list, be sure to leave me a comment with a link so I can check it out!

If I've totally lost you along the way, remember my inspiration?  It was all about embracing the number.  50 that is.  Truth is, it's only one more silly little factoid than 49.

To all of you bare-footed, broccoli-loving, dangly earring-wearing, Atlantic Coast vacationing, Downton Abbey fans who Google and live to eat... Thanks for telling me a little bit more about yourselves too!  That made this whole project worthwhile!

Now, if I promise not to write any more posts in the "about me" category for a long, long time... will you come back and visit?

Thanks!  ~Sal

p.s. I'm "unplugging" for the next week or so,

but I'm sure I'll be thinking of all sorts of things to share here

in the future, so... stay tuned!

Dinner is Served...

A few weeks ago on a Saturday, I ran a bunch of errands with my son.  He was to start a new job the following day, so one of the things we did was drive there to make sure we knew the route, and to make sure that there wasn't any construction along the way.  I gave him $20 to help fill his gas tank, and he treated me to a chocolate milkshake at McDonalds (oh how we love those!)  On the way home, we hit the grocery store, and I let him decide what we should make for dinner.  He decided on sloppy joes.

When we got home, I said, "how 'bout you make the sloppy joes?" -- and he agreed.  So, I coached him through the making of sloppy joes.  Not rocket science, I know -- but he had never done it before.

As we sat at dinner, I noticed that he wasn't eating with his usual gusto.  "Tastes good..."  I said.  "Does it taste good to you?"  He paused and said, "It's not the same when you make it yourself."

And I said, (say it with me, moms) "Welcome to my life!"

I love to cook for my family, but I always enjoy a meal more when someone else makes it, don't you?"  Somehow being removed from the process allows me to appreciate the end result more.  To linger over each bite... and enjoy.

I'm looking forward (in the not-so-distant future) to a great get-away dinner here:

                                                                      Source: mavericksouthernkitchens.com via Sally on Pinterest

Our oldest nephew is a chef at S.N.O.B., and I am excited to see him in his element.  I hope to be able to tell you all about it -- in delicious detail.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the way... are you a "no-reply" blogger?  Do you know what this means?  It means that your e-mail is not linked to your blogger profile.  This is kind of a big deal if you leave comments on blogs, and enjoy receiving a response!

Amanda at Royal Daughter Designs recently did a post about this very subject.  You can find it HERE.  It's very informative, and contains a tutorial for just how to link your e-mail to your blogger profile.  If you follow through and do this, bloggers will be able to respond to your comments easily via e-mail.

I can tell you that I've had my e-mail linked since the beginning of my blog, and it has never been abused.  It's just another way for us bloggers to connect.  Think about it.  There's nothing more frustrating to me (blog-wise) than not being able to respond to a great comment.  Just sayin', friends...

Looks Like We Made It!

The other day, I heard a commercial on T.V.  Turns out Barry Manilow is coming to a local outdoor concert venue this summer!  I tweeted this:

I have to admit, I kind of wondered what it would be like to go to a Barry Manilow concert at 50.  I wondered what the average age of the concert-goer would be?  Meanwhile, on the other side of town, my sister Jill saw my tweet, and wondered if I knew what she was up to.

Today, she found out that I had no clue... because, I literally SCREAMED when I opened my birthday gift, and saw this:

I was SO SURPRISED, and obviously had NO CLUE what Jill had been scheming! She even had my daughter secretly check the family calendar to make sure there was nothing already scheduled for that date!  Pretty devious, those two!

So, on August 2, Jill and I are going to be partying like it's the 1980's (and by partying, I mean going to a Barry Manilow concert.)  The 1980's were some very good years!  During that time, I probably attended at least two Barry Manilow concerts at the same venue -- maybe more.  I never left disappointed.  I don't expect this one to be any different.

Thanks, Jill,

for the great surprise!

I can't wait!!

Time Lapse: Torch Lily

I've been watching a few different plants take shape this spring.

If I step outside each day, I can see the subtle changes in them, which is fun.

This plant is known as a Torch Lily, or a Red Hot Poker.

You can see the buds here, as it begins to bloom...

...from the bottom...

right up to the top!

The Burpee site said, "spikes glow, blaze open fiery red,

then pale and wither."  I'd say that's an accurate description.

Of course, the "fiery red" color may vary depending on the variety of plant.

Have you watched any interesting transformations

in your garden lately?

linking with:

This Is What Happens...

Both the Rosemary and the garden hose got left out all winter.  This is not typical.  Both usually get taken into the garage. Apparently, we didn't really take winter too seriously this year. Though the rosemary has been revived (the first time I ever remember that happening), the garden hose isn't looking so good.  I've noticed that it has sprung a leak. Perhaps we'll fix it, or perhaps we'll enjoy that little shot of cold water in our faces when we reach over to turn the water off after a morning of pulling weeds.  (Not that this has happened to me...)