45 Odd things about me

I was sent the following, and thought - ODD? Okay, odd is good sometimes, I think it's more like random, but here we go....

45 ODD Things about me!

1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing? Yes!
2. Have you ever smoked cigarettes? No, thank goodness that's not something I have to fight with.
3. Do you own a gun? No, and it's probably safer that way.
4. What's your favorite drink at Starbucks or other specialty coffee shop? Not a coffee drinker - give me some sweet tea or a diet Pep*si
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? yes
6. What do you think of hot dogs? I try not to think of them, but if I must, I would prefer a rollerdog
7. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Sweet tea or iced tea w/sweetner
9. Can you do pushups? do i have to???
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring
11. Favorite hobby? I like all of my hobbies - reading, quilting, sewing, baking, more....
12. Do you have A.D.H.D? not diagnosed by a physician...more like age induced ADD
13. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? I held on to past hurts too long.
14. Middle school - fun or horror? I would never ever go back and would home school my children to avoid it if it were possible.
15. Name 3 thoughts right now? Ummm, I wish my co-worker was here and not out sick, I wonder when my husband will be back from his trip, I hope my son remembers his grade check forms today.
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Ice tea, diet Peps*i, coconut rum concoction
17. The friend you had the longest ? Dawn
18. Current hate right now? Anything related to the campus discussion going on in the paper. give it a rest already
19. Favorite place to be? with my hubby anywhere anytime...kids can come along too sometimes
20. How did you bring in the New Year? I can't remember that long ago.
21. Do you like to travel? Absolutely
22. Name three people you would like to meet? Jesus, my Compassion child, and BooMama ( http://boomama.net/ ), (you may notice that I am not technologically advanced - I don't know how to do the link thing yet...)
23. Do you own slippers? Yes - saint bernard heads...way cute
24. What color shirt are you wearing? Brown
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Don't know - probably not. Too cold.
26. Can you whistle? yes
27. Favorite color? Purple
28. Would you be a pirate? Maybe, the traveling could be fun
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I'm too sleepy to sing in the shower. i have to concentrate
30. Favorite blog? Can not limit to just one - i love lots of them.
31. Favorite online shopping site? Amazon
]32. What's in your pocket right now? nothing
33. What is the last thing that made you laugh? my mom on the phone - looking at a picture that I was as well.
34. Best bed sheets as a child? I don't think I had anything but white.
35. Do you use a top sheet on your bed, you know the sheet BETWEEN the comforter and your body? what is with the sheets? of course - that would just be weird not to.
35. Worst injury you've ever had? luckily - not too bad - only hurt my knee in volleyball in high school.
36. Do you love where you live? Yes, but it is because of the people and dog I live with - location doesn't matter
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 5
38. Who is your loudest friend? My friends are all peaceful and quiet - just unassuming...hahahaha
39. How many pets do you have? 4 - if you include the cat of D1 and goldfish of D2
40. Does someone have a crush on you? Hopefully my husband....
41. What is your favorite book? Any by Joshilyn Jackson or Patti Callahan Henry or about 200 others I LOVE TO READ
42. What is your favorite candy? Do we have to limit it to just one? That seems so unfair. I really am fond of the Hersheys Milk Chocolate Bar
43. Favorite Sports Team? Go Boilers
44. What were you doing before starting this survey? working
45.What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? Is it honestly time to get up already...Ugh.

You Deplete Me

You know how in Jerry Maguire that sappy moment when Renee Zelweger's character says that Jerry Maguire complete's her? I feel like that today, only it's more like - they deplete me. These kids are making me nuts. Some of my favorite blogs are mommy blogs. The only thing is, they all have kids in an early year of elementary school or younger. My kids are older. And after the last three days, they have depleted me. I have no more to give. I know that if the situation calls for it, I will give more. I will find more. It is exhausting, but I will. I'm just tired.

20 Questions - Summer Edition

Let's Get to Know Each Other And Play 20 Questions!
Please copy and paste into your blog (If you don't have a blog, leave the answers in the comment section. I'd love to get to know you!).

1. What is your favorite Summer Drink(s)? Lemon Shake up from the fair or Sonic Cherry Limeade

2. What is your favorite Summer Activity? Reading by the water - pool, ocean, lake - I don't care!

3. If you could spend a lazy afternoon reading, what would be in your hands? Southern Chick Lit or Mystery

4. What is your favorite type of craft/art medium? sewing, quilting, cross stitch

5. What is one art/craft supply you absolutely have been dying to have or try? Amy Butler fabric

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Any plain - vanilla, chocolate, strawberry - I don't like things mixed in - I think this could be an A/R hint...haha.

7. What is your favorite sweet treat? Straight up Hershey"s Chocolate bar

8. What is your favorite item of summer clothing? My black poofy shirt - just got it this summer!

9. What is your favorite song today? Faith by George Michael - okay I'm old.

10. How do you 'pamper' yourself during the hot summer days? Iced tea - lots of it.

11. Do you have any kidlets or pets? 3 kidlets 1 doglet

12. What is your best potluck dish for summer get togethers? Mexican Dip...yum

13. If you could take a summer vacation anywhere, where would it be? North Carolina beaches - haven't been there yet.

14. Describe your decorating style. Does that say anything about your personality? My decorating style now is post modern clutter, influenced by hunting husband and rowdy children. Not my choices by any means, but home is where your heart is, not your decorating style. Someday...ah someday.

15. What was your favorite summer activity when you were a child? Roller skate on our big front porch.

16. What is your favorite thing about summer in general? going barefoot

17. You have 25 dollars to spend just on you for a little treat. What do you buy? ((you can list more than one thing) new shoes - a bargain of course, I'd never pay full price

18. What's one craft supply or art supply you absolutely can not live without? Great scissors

19. Who's the last person you hugged? my boy kidlet

20. What's your favorite number and why? 13 - was my number in sports in high school, I'm not superstitious, and that's just the way it is.

Meme - a look backwards

10 years ago – my baby girl was 9 months old, and my baby boy was 2 ½. I stayed at home with them in our favorite house with a pool. The three of us were happy together, but not as a family. Who knew what would happen…
9 years ago – I still stayed at home with my great babies, and got to watch them discover so many new things every day. We had great picnics on our porch, swimming in the backyard, and great story time at the library. My sister was a neighbor!
8 years ago – the babies are growing up more, and my son started preschool. How could that be, that someone else would be watching him grow and teaching him things? He hated to color even then! The ex-husband took a job without talking to me first – a 2 ½ hour drive away (each way)…the beginning of the end, I think now.
7 years ago – I got to watch that baby boy start kindergarten, we could walk to school every day if we wanted to – baby girl in her stroller. It was fun to have that alone time with baby girl like baby boy and I had in the beginning. Such sweet souls they both were.
6 years ago – As baby girl said in a poster in Kindergarten – hated 2002. Kiddos’ lives turned upside down. One day baby boy went off to kindergarten, the next day, daddy never came home. I guess it turned my life upside down too, but I tend to forget about me. I wanted to protect the kiddos. But when seeing from the rear view mirror of the mind, I know that God was working together something good, even through something horrific. Abuse, arrest (not for me, thank God), conviction – even some jail time, although not enough, but even that can be seen as for the best for the three of us. Oh well, certainly not what I had pictured for my life. Thank goodness we don’t get everything we ask God for.
5 years ago – divorce, return to work at first part time, leaving babies with other people every day – school or day care – how could this be, how would I stand it. It was not fun. But, a part time job I really loved, people to care for me and the kiddos and help us. What many blessings were showered down on us. The house we loved is gone, but now we have a home where we know no fear, only love.
4 years ago – baby girl goes to kindergarten, leaving her is so very hard, especially when I can hear her screaming for me as I walk down the hall, crying while going back to work full time. She is a tougher soul than I thought, and a little smarty girl too. What an amazing baby girl she is. Baby Boy, growing up but still so young, he’s the man of the house now, and such a sweet soul.
3 years ago – I meet someone amazing, see how people who love each other are supposed to be. Move to a new city closer to that better job, but away from our support network and our church family. Changes come and go – that wonderful man has challenges of his own, goes back on his own battle, leaves us behind. Again, God still works. Kiddos and I find a peace in our lives together. We spend our first Christmas alone – just the three of us, and it is okay. Our family may not look like any of us drew the picture, but it is what we have and we love each other …and we are all safe. For us, that is a big thing.
2 years ago – God works in so many ways – brings back that same wonderful man. We find out we still love each other, get married, make a new family. Again, it may not look like a drawing in a fairy tale, but our kids are wonderful, amazing souls, and we are a family together. The thing they forget to tell you is that when you already have kids – there is no easy way to be just husband and wife. Mom and Dad have lots of responsibilities on top of needing to be the best for each other. How do you ever find the balance?
1 year ago – I can honestly say one of the toughest years of my life, in so many ways, but with so many blessings too. We grow, we change, but we stay and love each other. The oldest baby girl comes to live with us, and it’s like it should have always been that way. Even though there are things happening that I wish I could erase forever, I know that there is love in the fact that every day, either one of us could choose to go away and not look back, but we each continue to choose to love the other and be there even when we don’t want to. It is not perfect, but it is real. Life should be real, and not in denial.
I think you can safely say that this life is not in any way what I pictured it would be, but I wouldn’t trade this husband or children I have for any that I could imagine.
Thanks to Jennifer at http://movinghands.wordpress.com/ for the meme idea. I really haven’t thought about where my life has led me. I’m glad to have looked back.

Just another day in Paradise

Summer is here. The kids are swimming, the air conditioning is on (I'm sorry green people - it was too hot to sleep), and it is storming so much! I can't complain though, because I can wear flip flops every day, or go barefoot - even better. Do you like to go barefoot? My husband calls me a hillbilly because I love to be barefoot. I think I just want to be on the beach so badly, barefoot makes me feel a little closer. I'm babbling.
Sorry - I want to have a focus, a point, but sadly, I do not.
Spent the day cleaning the hard hats in the display case. Fun! Every day is an adventure with me.
Will travel back to an old haunt for a bridal shower tomorrow. I made a cook book from all the family's recipes that I could find. I hope the bride likes it. It was fun to remember times of being together with extended family as I collected them. Here's one of my favorites, and makes me think of summer as well.
Chicken Salad
From Aunt Cathy

5 c. cooked, chopped chicken
1 ½ c. celery
1 c. slivered almonds
1 ½ cup green grapes
1 c. pineapple tidbits, drained
1 ½ c. miracle whip
1 c. mandarin oranges, drained

Mix all ingredients gently. Serve on croissant or lettuce leaf.
Have a great weekend.

Grandma's Rhubarb Crunch Recipe

Spring is such a fabulous time of year. I love all the colors popping, and seeing everything look new and clean again. This time of year also reminds me of my grandma - she was my hero. She passed away on Good Friday, and I can't believe a month has already passed without her here.

We would ALWAYS make this rhubarb crunch recipe in the spring. She had her own rhubarb patch, even when she had to move away from her farm, she was lucky enough to find a place that actually had rhubarb there. Personally, I think it was even sweeter than the original. We had lots of great times together, and to honor her, here is the recipe we used.

Now, I don't want to hear any complaints about rhubarb. Try it, that's all I ask. You will not be disappointed (and this would go for my sweet hubby too, but he had to eat rhubarb as a kid, and there is no getting him to try it now).

Enjoy, and Grandma - I love you - You're the best!

Rhubarb Crunch
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
1 c. flour
3/4 c. oatmeal
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. melted butter
Mix flour, oatmeal and cinnamon together in small bowl. Melt butter. Add butter to flour mixture. Stir until crumbly, then press half of it into a greased baking dish (9x9 or round cake pan). Reserve remaining half for topping.
Cover the bottom layer of crumbs with 4 c. diced rhubarb.
In a medium saucepan, combine:
1 c. sugar
2 Tblsp. cornstarch
2 c. water
Cook this over medium high heat until thick and clear. This can take a while, stirring most of the time is helpful. Once this reaches boiling and has become more clear and thick, remove from heat, add 1 tsp. vanilla, then pour over the rhubarb. Top with remaining crumbs. Don't have to press these down. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Best served warm, and if you are in the Hensley family, you probably want milk poured over yours. Personally, I like mine straight. Delish!!

Spring Cleaning - A Packrat's Confessions

I am a pack-rat. I get that honestly from my grandmother (may she rest in peace). That woman had a drawer full of rubberbands from her newspapers. Okay I'm not that bad, but I do have an unusual attachment to things sentimental. And lots of things are sentimental to me. Like my children's baby clothes. My national honor society certificate from high school..and middle school. My letter jacket. A LOT of Longaberger baskets. Piano music (okay we have the piano. I think it was Christmas the last time I played it). I could go on. And I may again at some point. So we were going to tackle spring cleaning this weekend at the Casa de Chaos. I was all psyched, feeling in a get-rid-of mood. Then world's best nana (not kidding here) called and wanted to have the delayed Easter egg hunt, and could we come. Of course. So kiddos and I did, hubby went to an auction, and instead of cleaning out, we brought more home. Oh well, there's always next weekend. We do our best to recycle and reuse....just not so good at reducing yet. Happy Earth day. Plant a tree.