Bad Allie - I've really not been good about updating my blog! Almost 2 mos since the last update! I really have been stitching (on the Santa stocking) and have lots of progress to share! In the meantime, I'll do last week's Friday Feast:

Appetizer - When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?
Just before 4th of July. I'm really bad about doing it often enough. The cut before that was sometime in winter!

Soup - Name one thing you miss about being a child.
I've been feeling nostalgic the last couple weeks. I think it started when I was out in the yard and decided to lay down in the grass to take a break from mowing. It felt like such an age since I'd done that. When I lived in Miami, I would go lay in the grass before a thunderstorm (not sure that's safe/advisable) and watch the clouds roll in, then watch as the big drops began to fall. So I think I miss being excited to experience those simple pleasures that come with curiosity. I used to save bees from the swimming pool, setting them on the edge where the water would absorb into the hot concrete. I would look at them up close as they dried off, falling over until their wings were dry. I miss the details you notice when everything is new and other priorities aren't pulling you away.

Salad - Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.
Olive oil.

Main Course - If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?
Swedish - it would be fun to have a connection to my ancestors and maybe visit where they came from.

Dessert - Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be…
36! and a Mom.

Appetizer Given the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?

I think it would kind of depend on the city. I could see living in Amsterdam, or one of those cities that have a lot of parks-I like being able to walk places when a city is well laid out. But I don't like feeling like I'm right on top of other people, so I prefer the space of the country. I think I could be quite happy living away from humanity, given high speed internet & access to a stitching store!


Soup Who is the cutest kid you know?

Well, babies have an unfair advantage, but I'd have to say Drew's niece Amelia. She's got the cutest little face & if she keeps this up, her Mommy & Daddy are going to have their hands full when she's a teenager. Of the non-baby variety, Drew's sons are really cute and it's fun to see features of their Dad manifest in different ways.


Salad Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard ___________.

Um...I couldn't believe it when they said "it's not butter".


Main Course If you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise?
I don't know if it's a "product", but I'd love to be in a commercial for IKEA - most of their stuff is great, and if it involved a makeover of our place, I'd REALLY like it.


Dessert What type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?

I try to take a Women's multivitamin and a calcium chew, but I'm quite often forgetful.

Appetizer Who was the last person you hugged?
Drew - and before that, Drew's Grandpa

Soup
Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.
For rough dry hands, put a couple tablespoons of olive oil, along with a tablespoon or so of sugar into your palm, then rub your hands together for a few minutes before rinsing off.

Salad
What does the color yellow make you think of?
Sunshine

Main Course
If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?
Animals and nature

Dessert
What was the longest book you ever read?
In junior high I read the complete Sherlock Holmes stories - that was about 1400 pages and I thought I was the s*$t for reading such a long book (my dork roots run deep).
This year I read Aztec by Gary Jennings - it's the most meticulously researched historical fiction I've ever read. The protagonist is a Mexica (Aztec) giving an account of his life to the Spaniards, covering the height of his civilization & subsequent downfall. Even though the book was around 1000 pages, I was so engrossed that I didn't want it to end.

Appetizer Have you ever played a practical joke on anyone? If so, what did you do and who was your victim?

They're brightly colored pottery ones that I bought in Orvieto, Italy when I was travelling. They look a lot like the ones on the left, but they're more blue. They survived for 2 weeks in my suitcase, along with a bunch of other purchases. I mailed them, along with other souveniers, from Paris. Almost everything fragile in that box broke, including the handle on the S&P holder, but the shakers themselves survived!