Five Fun Facts

Lucy is hosting a game which I've always called "bull crap" or some variation of it :) Here's the deal. I'm going to list 5 "facts" about myself, but 2 of them are false. You have to guess which ones are false! (this should be fun before I list out my 100 things post! by the way...you still have a few hours to ask questions. I've had some fun ones so far!)

So here's my 5. Leave a comment on which 2 you think are false. I'll reveal later! Also, head over to Lucy's blog and link if you want to play...but please let me know in your comment so I can come play too!

1. My favorite food is ice cream, followed closely by chocolate.
2. I have nieces and nephews that are older than me.
3. I entered college as a music education major, flute as my applied instrument.
4. I grew up in one of the largest cities in Indiana.
5. I taught middle school for 4 years and loved most moments of it.

Thursday's Ten

As for my drive in today...may I please refer you here?

In the (anti)spirit of today's weather, I'm going to tell you 10 things I love...about SPRING

1. 7 days after the official beginning of spring is my birthday (the 28th!)
2. trees are budding and blooming, and even though the Bradford pear trees aggravate my allergies, they're worth it
3. jonquils (daffodils according to some of you)
4. warmer weather is on the way!
5. for just a few weeks, no heat OR air needs to be on in the house. yay for ceiling fans. and cheap electric bills.
6. working in my garden--even though I truly don't know what I'm doing out there!
7. sunroof open in the car 24/7
8. summery drinks become more appropriate (mojito, anyone?)
9. flip-flops also become more appropriate. not that I haven't worn them some all winter long...
10. we jump forward an hour and FINALLY I get out of the funk I've been since we "fell back".

(by the way, 3 more posts until my 100th! If you haven't asked me a question...or you want to ask me more...you might want to do that soon!)

Recipe of the Week -- chicken salad

I know. EVERYONE under the sun has a chicken salad recipe. But it seems like everyone under the Southern sun puts apples/grapes/nuts/or a combo of those into their chicken salad. Ugh. I can't handle that.

Sooo...after perusing several versions of a chicken salad recipe, I've come up with Lora's version. It's a little out there. But if you have weird tastes like I do, you may just like it :0) I should just mention right now that the measurements I'm listing here are approximate and I adjust it every time!

Chicken Salad
6 frozen or thawed chicken strips
1/2 cup mayonaise
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon Tabasco or other hot sauce (adjust this for your spiciness preference)
1/4 packet of ranch dressing mix
freshly ground pepper

Boil chicken. Cut/shred into pieces (your preference on size) and mix with all other ingredients. Serve with a great slice of white bread or crackers. YUM.

SITS Spring Fling Day!

All righty. So I'm new to this whole giveaway thing, but I think I have the general idea down. Here's the deal...

1 entry = 1 comment
extra entry = ask me a question for my 100th post on this post
extra entry = become a follower (or already be a follower!)

If you would like to just get something free without worrying about entering, just go to my etsy store anytime between now and March 17 (St Patrick's Day!) and make a purchase. I have recently reopened, so the store looks a bit bare at the moment, but should be much more full by the weekend! Mention in seller comments that you saw this offer on my blog, and tell me which pair of earrings from this blog OR item ($10 or less) in my store you would like...it's yours!
(Guess the link would help: http://www.lorastudio.etsy.com)

There will be 2 winners drawn--one for the red square earrings, one for the allegra earrings. If you have a clear preference (ie, don't want one, but like the others) please specify that in your comment and I will only put your name in that specific drawing.

Without further ado...

Red Square

Allegra

Oh yeah--you don't have to be a member of SITS to win. Enter away!
Giveaway ends this Sunday, winner will be announced by Tuesday (March 17th). Good luck!

Titus 2 Tuesday

Happy Tuesday all!

What have learned from another woman this week? (or ever)

This week I'll introduce you to Suzanne. Suzanne and I bonded shortly after I began attending the church I'm a member of--not only were we both middle school music teachers, but we were also both a little crazy. Ok, ok, the two go hand in hand!

Suzanne and I eventually were in the same small group (she was the one who invited me) and singing on the same Praise Team. The first Christmas I knew her she gave me a Magic 8 Ball with the explanation that while teaching middle schoolers the answers may as well come from there as anywhere :0) We laughed and were crazy together, but I knew (know) that if I ever need anything all I have to do is pick up the phone or log onto my email. Suz' would do anything she could for me, and it goes both ways.

Suzanne's husband, Richard, was the worship leader for our praise team's week and about 8 months ago he was offered a job as a music minister for a church just down the road. So, while we no longer attend church together we still see each other...although not nearly as often as either of us would like.

Last weekend Richard called me to ask if I would help them sing at a funeral. I went, and we enjoyed spending some time together (well, as much as one can enjoy a funeral...). Suz' at one point looked at me and said "Love looks good on you!"

I got the sweetest card from Suz' a few days later. Just a small excerpt from what she wrote:

"You really do look fabulous. I pray things are looking up for you. You seem to be happy. I forget how much I miss you until I get to be with you. Then I have this ray of sunlight of you, and I'm "in the dark" when you've gone. You are so special, and I want you to know that!"

It was the SWEETEST card ever...and it pretty much sums up how I feel about her. She is a breath of fresh air, every time I get to be with her.

I have several photos of the two of us, but this is one of my favorites. It's from 3.5 years ago when we combined her (private, upper-class white) choir and my (public, very diverse) choir for pizza and a movie while we were at a Mass Choral Festival. We were "doing what we do" and enjoying learning from each other.

Once again, if you haven't asked me a question for my 100th post, please leave a comment at this post or email me at msmsctchr@gmail.com. As of this post, we're 4 away! Oh...and there may be a little giveaway to celebrate this as well!

Sunday's Song -- Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)

You know those songs that just ALWAYS speak to you? We sang this one this morning during youth group praise time before we broke out into groups and as I worshiped with our teen leaders (who are always amazing) I was struck once again by the timeless words of this "new" but old hymn. The youtube video at the bottom is Chris Tomlin...and as usual you'll probably have to turn off the music player further down on the page to not be annoyed by conflicting songs!

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine

OH! And if you haven't already, please post a comment on this post or email me at msmsctchr@gmail.com with your questions for my 100 post! Thanks!

Thursday's Ten, plus a promise...

I'm within 10 posts of reaching my 100th post, and I'm stealing an idea I've seen floating out there in blogworld.

I thought about writing 100 facts about myself
(which will take a LONG time)
But I thought I would let you all supply the 100 things.

I'm going to let you come up with the questions. No topic is off-limits. Go for it. You can email them to me at msmsctchr@gmail.com, or just post them as a comment. I'll answer as many questions as I'm asked. And then...I've got some ideas to make it a cool 100s post beyond the questions. Because I don't think anyone's going to come in droves to start asking me stuff! lol.

All right. Here's today's 10

10 shows I'm Completely ADDICTED to! (please tell me I'm not alone!)

1. LOST.
does there need to be any more said about this?

2. Grey's Anatomy
can't help it. McDreamy, McSteamy, Mere and company

3. Law and Order...in all forms. SVU is my favorite though.
I love a good cop show!

4. Private Practice
but only because I missed Addison

5. Criminal Minds
did I mention I love a great cop show?! Plus these FBI agents are rather easy on the eyes...

6. Desperate Housewives
used to be my guilty pleasure, but now it's

7. Big Love
a friend of mine asked me to start recording them for her and now I'm HOOKED. Is there going to be a 4th wife? Will Roman ever get his?

8. CSI
but only the original at this point. NY is ok, but I've had it with Horatio and those sunglasses in Miami

9. Medium
never thought I'd get into this show and now I freaking love it. And I'm getting into Ghost Whisperer too, although it's beyond creepy at times. Ask Anthony who often gets freaked out texts from me. Yeah, I believe a little TOO much in the active Spirit World to not be freaked at times.

10. (can't believe I'm gonna admit it) toss up between Ugly Betty and American Idol
neither are all that great this season. And yet, I can't.stop.watching

Think I need to get a life? Yeah...I do too at times. But that dvr keeps calling...

Titus 2 Tuesday

What have you learned from another woman this week? (or ever)

Aren't old friends the best?

I spent the weekend with one of the first people I met when I went to Trevecca. Gwen was my suitemate, which meant for most people freshman year that you shared a bathroom. Our suite was different though--we all came in brand new to TN, a bit unsure of what the future held...and we became immediate best friends--Lindsay, Beth, Gwen and I. It was very rare those first 2 years that if you found one of us the other 3 weren't somewhere within very close proximity. Sadly, after sophomore year neither my roommate Lindsay nor Gwen were able to come back to TNU. Gwen did come to our graduation and she was also a part of Beth's wedding a couple of years ago. So while I had been able to see her a couple of times since 2001, we had never spent more than a few hours together at best.

However, about 2 weeks ago I got a text message from her asking if she could crash at my place if she decided to come to Nashville for the week of the 23rd. Of course I said yes! She has a brother that lives down here as well, so she stayed with him for the first part of the week and then came here on Thursday.

Gwen is one of those people who is genuinely GOOD. She's Godly, she's friendly to all, and she's one of the absolute sweetest people I have ever met. We didn't really do anything that exciting together...just spent time together. But since that is one of my primary love languages, that's exactly what I needed with this dear friend. I think we agree that the best part of the weekend was Saturday night when we sat for hours and made jewelry together. She had expressed an interest in seeing how I did it, and I taught her how to make a necklace as well as matching earrings. She did a fabulous job--I wish I had taken pictures of her final results--and we just laughed and had such a good time while we worked.

I guess this really showed me that it's not about WHAT you do when you're together that makes it quality time. It's that you're truly present in the moment and truly there for one another.

I never got a great picture of the two of us together this weekend, but this one is better than none :) One of those dorky self-taken ones!

Getting to Know You

This is such a cool idea! One of my frequently-read blogs linked me to this little get-to-know-you exercise over at Dancing Barefoot. Follow the button to get to know more bloggers, and to get more bloggers to know you!