Knowing Me, Knowing You ~ May, 2011

I was just over reading a few recent posts over at The Life of a Sippy Cup Mom and saw that she participated in a fun getting-to-know-you type blog hop over at Tales From the Fairy Blogmother.  I love these types of hops.  It's fun to post about something a little different than my normal topics and these types of hops make it super-easy since the host thinks of the questions (topics)!  Perfect for those writer's block sort of days! 

I almost didn't make it in time for this month's Knowing Me, Knowing You! 

Here are the questions for May: 

1.  What was your wedding song? 

• We didn't have a traditional ceremony or reception.  We were married on the beach with just about 30 guests (10 of them being children), so we decided to skip the whole first dance tradition.  Instead, I walked down the aisle to "She" by Elvis Costello and once the ceremony was over, the song playing was "At Last" by Etta James.  We chose "At Last" as a way to poke fun at ourselves since we were together for a ridiculously long period of time before getting married! 

2.  If you could guest star on any TV show which would you pick? 

• Hmmm.  That's a tough one.  I am really shy.  I do not like to draw attention to myself.  At all.  See above where I mention our tiny wedding with only 30 guests?  That was mainly because I didn't want to get married in front of 100+ people even though most of those people are family and friends.  So, all of that said, I'd probably pick Grey's Anatomy as long as I could just lie there and not say a word....like in surgery or something.  Just so I could be close enough to McDreamy (but not have to say anything)! 

3.  What is your favorite children's book? 

• When I was a kid, my favorite book was Charlotte's Web.  I remember sitting in a circle in class while the teacher read it to us.  Now, my favorite children's book is Goodnight, Gorilla.  Joe's niece bought it for Grace when she was a month old.  It was one of the first books that we introduced to her and although she refuses to allow us to read to her, she loves looking at the pictures (she studies each page) and giggles at that book every time! 

4.  Did you watch the Royal Wedding? 

• No, I didn't!  I wanted to watch it.  I really wanted to.  But I was so busy in the days that led up to the wedding, that I just didn't have the energy to get up earlier to watch it.  We don't have TIVO or DVR yet, so recording it wasn't an option.  Maybe Prince Harry will get married soon and I'll make sure to watch it then!  I wonder how Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie will top those crazy hats! 

5.  What's your favorite thing to have off the barbecue? 

• A salmon filet rubbed with some barbecue seasoning and then grilled....Mmmmm!  I can't wait to make a Costco run to pick up a big pack of salmon filets.  We usually get 4 or more meals from one pack of salmon! 

So, there you have it!  A little bit about myself!  I'd love to learn more about you!  Join me over at Tales From the Fairy Blogmother for Knowing Me, Knowing You.  Or, if you prefer, leave your answers here in the comments!  Hopefully, I'll get my answers for June posted sooner! 

Meet Me On Monday ~ January 24th

Since I managed to get my menu plan posted and linked up super-early today, I decided I would take advantage of Grace's naptime and join in the fun over at Never Growing Old.  Each week, Java hosts Meet Me On Monday and each week, she asks (and answers) five questions in the hopes of learning more about her readers and fellow bloggers. 

Here's what Java asks us this week: 

1. What is your favorite kind of fudge?
2. Is there snow outside your window?
3. What is your favorite meal of the day?
4. Do you text on your cell phone?
5. Waffles or pancakes?

Here are my answers: 

1.  What is your favorite kind of fudge? 

• My favorite fudge is from the boardwalk at the Jersey shore.  Any boardwalk shop on any of the Jersey shore points.  I just love the whole candy shop atmosphere and must buy a pound of fudge and box of salt water taffy when I'm there.  Sadly, I don't visit the shore and it's many fudge shops very often.  Good thing I know how to make some homemade fudge!  Cranberry Walnut Fudge (with marshmallows) is my current favorite! 



Cranberry Walnut Fudge (with marshmallows)


2.  Is there snow outside your window? 

• YES!  I don't think I've seen my grass since Christmas!  Everytime it seems to be melting, we get another storm!  I heard we'll be getting more snow this week.  Grace has been out to play in the snow twice.  We were out less than 10 minutes each time!  She's still little.  She understands the concept of needing gloves on to keep warm.  She "gets" the whole bundling up in her snow suit and hat and gloves, but keeping them on is another story!  So, once she touches the snow with her bare hands, she lets me know it's time to come in! 

3.  What is your favorite meal of the day?

• Dessert was the first thing to come to mind when I read this question!  I love my sweets!  But seriously, I'd have to say dinner is my favorite meal of the day.  On most days, dinner is the one meal we eat together as a family.  Joe has his breakfast before Grace and I are even awake in the morning.  By the time we get up, Joe is at work and Grace is full of energy.  I usually give her something she can munch on while she's running around the house and playing.  All of that playing makes her tired, so on a typical day, she naps through lunch.  So, I eat my lunch while trying to catch up on some blog reading.  She gets a snack to hold her over until dinner.  By that time, Joe is usually home from work, just in time to sit down to dinner with us. 



Chicken a la King



4.  Do you text on your cell phone? 

• I love being able to text on my cell phone!  Really, though, I don't text too much.  I usually only text 2 people:  I text my sister-in-law some pictures of Grace every once in a while (she shares pics of my niece, Bella, too!) and I text Joe pretty much every day.  Joe gets pics of the baby and a list of stuff we need from the store!  Let me tell you, he gets mostly everything on the list now that I text him the shopping list!!!  Other than that, the cell phone barely gets used.  I'm not much of a phone person.

5.  Waffles or pancakes? 

• Definitley waffles.  I'm not a fan of pancakes and will only eat blueberry pancakes.  Joe and Grace both eat pancakes and Joe will usually make a huge batch and I'll freeze the leftovers for easy breakfasts for Grace.  As far as waffles go, I don't eat them too often.  We don't have a waffle iron, so it's the frozen ones for us for now.  My favorite way to make them is to spread some peanut butter on them while they are still hot.  The peanut butter gets gooey and melty!  Mmmmm!  Sorry, I don't have a picture...you'll have to use your imagination!  :) 

Okay, so that's a little bit about me!  Now it's your turn!  Want to join in on the fun?  Click on the Meet Me On Monday logo at the top of the page to go to the linky over at Never Growing Old.  There you will find the rules for the blog hop as well as the linky.  Plus, you can see who else joined and find out their answers to this week's questions! 

Note:  I intended to get this posted much earlier.  Halfway through the post, the power went out in our town causing me to lose my internet connection until power was restored!  I get a few minutes to myself and the power goes out.....figures!  :) 

Follow Us Monday Morning ~ October 18th

Being Frugal and Making It Work has joined Frugality is Free in hosting Follow Us Monday Morning.  There's a new topic of discussion this week, too!  

If you want to join in on the fun, click the Follow Us Monday Morning button at the start of this post. 


Here's the Question of the Week: 

When was the last time you went camping and what's your favorite camping destination?

It's been a few years since we've gone camping.  While it's something we love to do, Joe's crazy work schedule doesn't really allow for too many quiet weekends in the woods. 

While growing up, I spent many weekends camping in one state park or another.  I'm pretty sure I wasn't even a year old yet when my parents took me on my first camping trip!  Back in those days, we camped in tents or cabins.  A lot of my best childhood memories are from the trips we took to Bass River State Forest.  Not only was it a great camping weekend, but it usually ended in a visit to my grandparents' house before we drove back home to Philly.  I also joke that those were the best years since those were the years that I was an only child!  Then my parents had my brother...sigh!  :)

During the summers of my high school years,  my parents rented a campsite at a family-run campground in Bucks County.  We had a trailer for several years before then. We spent every weekend of those summers there and I met a lot of great friends there.  I haven't seen them in many years, but thanks to Classmates.com and Facebook, I've been able to find most of them again and keep in touch. 

Out of all of the many places we've camped in almost 40 years, Bass River State Forest and Beaver Valley Campground would have to be my favorites.  Sorry, no way I could possibly narrow it down to one favorite!  Too many great memories of both places! 


Oh, speaking of almost 40 years....next month I am celebrating my 40th birthday.  Starting this week and running until next month, I'll be announcing a few giveaways to honor the occasion!  So, be sure to keep checking back to find out the details! 

Tuesday Blog Hops

 I found a new blog hop to participate in!  Well, it's not really new...but it's new to me!  I've been  having so much fun meeting new blogger friends, I thought I'd join in on the fun over at Follow Me Back Tuesday! 

Click the Follow Me Back Tuesday button at the top of the post and start meeting new friends! 

Hope everyone has a wonderful day! 

Follow Us Monday Morning

Hey, everyone!  I'm back for another Follow Us Monday Morning!  I had to skip a few blog hops recently due to some computer issues, which aren't fully cleared up yet, but I really missed meeting new friends in blogland.  So, technical difficulties or not!  I'm back to hopping! 

Here's the question of the week over at Follow Us Monday Morning: 

How is your favorite way to spend your weekend?

Joe works most weekends, so I really enjoy the RARE weekends that all of us are home together.  Especially, when those weekends are spent at home and not running errands.  Those weekends that we can just be lazy and enjoy watching Grace run around and play, or when we take Grace and Remmy for walks.  Family weekends are the best! 

How do you like to spend your weekends? 

Follow Us Monday Morning: I was featured!

 Hey!  I'm the Follow Us Monday Morning Hot Blog of the Week over at Frugality is Free!  How fun is that?  I'm super-excited!  I've only been participating in the blog hops for a couple of weeks now, but I've been having a lot of fun meeting new friends and reading new blogs! 

Thank you to everyone that has been to visit me Under the Big Oak Tree!  I love the company!  I'll be sure to pop over to your neck of the woods for a visit as well!  I blog during nap time and Grace's down time, so it might take me a little bit to get over to see all of you, but I'll get there!   See you soon! 

And if you haven't participated in Follow Us Monday Morning before, click the button at the top of the post and join in on the fun!!!! 


Now to answer the Follow Us Monday Morning question of the week! 

What birthday has hit you the hardest?


For me, the hardest birthday was year I turned 26.  It just hit me that in 4 years I would be 30 and I was nowhere near where I wanted to be in my life.  Joe and I were dating at the time and we had a date to go to breakfast on my birthday. Joe worked night work at the time, so we usually only saw each other on the mornings that I had off from work. 

We didn't live too far from each other, so that morning I walked over to his house and let myself in, walked upstairs, climbed into bed with him and cried!  Really!  All because I turned 26!  Silly, I know!  We laugh about it now but I think  he was really worried about  how I was going to react when I actually did turn 30.  Turned out, I was fine with 30.  Still not where I wanted to be (goal-wise) but 30 wasn't too bad! 

Boy, I sure wish I was turning 30 this year!  :) 

Relax & Surf Sunday: Labor Day Weekend

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Labor Day weekend!  I really cannot believe that the summer is already over.  It really seemed to pass by quickly this year. 

This weekend, we're getting a sneak peek at some nice fall weather!  Saturday was so breezy and beautiful!  I'm wishing for more of the same for Sunday!  I'm sad to see summer go, but the fall is my favorite time of year. 

The past couple of weeks, I've been having a lot of fun participating in a few of the many blog hops available in blogland!  If you haven't tried the blog hops yet, Relax & Surf Sunday is a great one to start off with, since it's a very easy-going blog hop.  Only rule is that there's NO RULES!!!! 

Follow Us Monday Morning: Better Late...right?

I really planned on posting this much earlier today....um yesterday!  Joe had a rare day off today yesterday and we spent the day doing stuff as a family.  It was a very-much-needed day! 

This is my second week participating in Follow Us Monday Morning.  I'm enjoying finding new blogs and meeting new friends.  All in all, just adding to my blog addiction!  :) 

I made some readers sad with my post about my first days of school last week.  I'm sorry.  That wasn't my intention at all.  I guess now, my mom and I can look back at those days and laugh.  But I guess it still hits too close to home for all of you with school aged kids.  I still have some time before I have to deal with Grace's first day of school and I do worry that I will have to deal with separation anxiety issues with her.  If not her anxiety, but my own! 

I decided to answer this week's question, too! 

What is your favorite season? 

During my high school years,  my favorite was summer.  From sophomore year until the year after graduation, my family rented a campsite year round about an hour from the city.  (Not far from where I live now.)  I met some of my bestest buddies there and since we all lived in different areas, once summer was over, we didn't see each other again until the following spring/summer.  I don't get to see my old friends from those days, but I do keep in touch with many of them (thanks to facebook!).  Great memories of those days always seem to be more prominent during the months between Memorial Day and  Labor Day! 

Now, as an adult, autumn is my favorite season.  I love cool, crisp days outside when you can smell the smoke from a fire in a fireplace or burning leaves from one of the nearby farms.  Pumpkin patches, caramel apples, bright colored leaves on the trees and ground!  I'm really looking forward to enjoying the fall with Grace this year.  I can't wait to show her the fun of running around and jumping into a pile of leaves! 

Follow Us Monday Morning: First Day of School

I decided to try something new this week: I participated in a couple blog hops over the weekend.  (Thanks for following, ladies!  I'll get over to your blogs very soon!) 

When I found out about Follow Us Monday Morning, I figured this will be something fun to join on a blah Monday morning!  Well, the Monday morning itself isn't blah.  It's really nice and sunny this morning.  It's just me that's feeling blah.  I really could have used a bit more sleep last night!  I wish I had time to nap with Grace today. 

Every week, at Follow Us Monday Morning, there is a new topic question.  This week's question made me laugh!  Really, I laughed out loud!  Mom, you'll get a chuckle out of this one! 

Question of the week: 

• Do you have sweet memories, or memories of terror from your first days back to school?

My answer: 

To say that I hated the first day of school would be an understatement.  I had terrible separation anxiety as a kid and I have vivid memories of my Mom trying to get me into the classroom, carrying me, while I grabbed everything I could to try to keep her from taking me in there. 

I spent most of kindergarten in the bathroom.  My crying would disrupt the class so much that they set a chair in the bathroom for me.  I don't know why I wouldn't stop crying, since I remember LOVING my kindergarten teacher.  Mrs. O'Donnell. 

Sometime before Christmas vacation, I started to warm up to being in school.  I no longer had to sit in the bathroom. I don't remember exactly how it happened,  but we have evidence that I actually did participate in class.  Evidence in the form of Christmas decorations that we made in school: 

• a tennis ball can covered in yarn, then spray painted.  (A candle holder, maybe?)
• an angel made from egg cartons, a foam ball and some glitter and pipe cleaners.
• and my favorite, a cardboard christmas tree painted green decorated with beads.  (I actually remember making that one.)

And then, that first day of school after Christmas break, it all started again!  The separation anxiety.  The screaming.  The crying.  The wrestling match to get me into the classroom.  My little chair in the corner of the kindergarten bathroom.  Same thing happened before and after Easter break, too. 

I blame it on the fact that I was too young for kindergarten.  The cut off dates for starting school was different then.  I was 4 when I started kindergarten in September.  I turned 5 in November.  That was way too young to start kindergarten.  I don't think pre-school was available then. 

The crying on the first day of school continued until the 2nd grade.  But even after that, I always dreaded the first day of school. 

 
If you want to share a story about your first day of school, click on the Follow Us Monday Morning button at the top and join in on the fun! 

Oh!  Speaking  of Back to School...My friend Lisa is hosting a product review and giveaway on her blog.  One lucky reader will win an Easy Lunch Box System from easylunchboxes.com!  Just in time for back to school!   Click here to find out how to enter!