Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

It's time to head over to Patrice's porch for the weekly chat. Welcome to the new participants in the chat!

Questions 

1. Have you ever been on a boat? (Motor boat, sail boat, cruise ship, ark, or Good Ship Lollipop) Yes, many boats, many times - all motor boats.
2. Do you need an alarm to wake up in the morning, or do you wake up naturally? If you have an alarm, tell us what type. I set an alarm every night, just a little clock alarm but I'm always awake before it goes off.
3. Have you ever had a yard sale? Yes I have but I find that they are a lot more trouble than they're worth - I'd rather go to someone else's.
4. Do you like kitchen gadgets? What are some of your favorite? I love my kitchen gadgets and have lots of them. My favorite is a little chopper that I bought from the thrift store for $4. I've definitely gotten my money out of that one. I also bought an expresso maker at another thrift store ($5) and I love that thing too.
5. Do you read labels at the grocery store? Depends on how much of a hurry I'm in.

Monday Quiz About Me

Welcome to Monday Quiz About Me - hosted by Acting Balanced and Touristic. They post 5 questions on Sunday evening along with a linky for you to link up your post answers! 

Here are the Questions:

1. On a long road trip do you prefer to be the driver or a passenger? Or do you prefer to travel a different way all together? I prefer driving, guess I like being "in control" when I'm in a car. Other people scare me.
2. Do you use a slow cooker? Favorite thing to make? Not very often.
3. Which type of festival would you rather go to... Wine and Food, Music or Sports? Of the three, I'd have to choose music.
4. What is your favorite fallacy? It can't get any worse.

And don't forget to add a 5th Question on your own blog so we can answer as we hop around!

Lets see: I went to have my hair "trimmed" and told them to take 2 inches off. They took at least 7. I was not happy to say the least. My question is: How do you react when someone you are paying for a service does not do what you asked but rather what they want?

Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun

Welcome to the weekly Follow Friday Four Fill-in Fun Blog Hop!

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Each week, Hilary over at Feeling Beachie lists four statements with a blank for you to fill in on your own blogs.  This week’s co-host is Beth Ann from It’s Just Life she came up with the last two statements!
This week’s statements:
1. Making fudge is easy.
2. I get flustered easily
3. The number of emails in my inbox is all cleaned up right now and I wish I could keep it that way but I know that it will be all filled up again this morning.
4. Traveling by plane makes me a little nervous but excited at the same time.
Please add the Follow Friday button to your post, or your blog.
Please follow Hilary. Since Google Friend connect is gone, please follow through networked blogs, Facebook fan page or by email….If there is a co-host, please follow them as well. Leave a comment! She will follow back!
Please link your Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun post to the linky below. PLEASE grab the linky and post on your blog…
If you tweet, please use #F5-bloghop so she can find you…

Pondering With a Purpose

Thursday again! Time to do a little "pondering" with Brenda from Ponderings of an Author.

Her rules are really easy:

1. Grab the Pondering with a Purpose Badge (in her sidebar)

2. Look at the week's prompt

3. Post something on your blog that relates to the prompt - it can be a story, a poem, a picture -- anything you want it to be.

4. Go back here and add the URL from your post to the linky list on Brenda's.

5. Go check out the other bloggers who have added their links to the list.

6. AND most of all.... Have fun!

This Week's prompt:  Balance

Do I have balance in my life? My best answer to this is "sometimes." Do I do anything besides work? Rarely. When is the last time I did something for me? I can't remember. Even my vacation last fall got turned into the vacation my daughter wanted - but I'm not complaining - I did enjoy it. But the choices were not mine - we did what she wanted to do and I was kind of just along for the ride.

I got my diploma in the mail last night and just looked at it for a while. There really wasn't any sense of accomplishment. I don't really believe that it's going to do anything for me. The job audit I was promised still has not happened and truthfully, I'm not real confident that it ever will.

But I'm not going to stop - can't. I may not have the perfect life but it's not that bad either. I had a conversation with a friend this morning that made me realize that. Things are not going so well for her right now. She's working two minimum wage jobs, husband hasn't worked for two years and refuses to look for work, she's close to divorcing, her son is "in trouble", and her house needs major repairs. Compared to that - my life is great.

There are some major differences between me and this friend. We both lost our jobs due to a company closing three years ago.

I went back to school and kept trying until I got on here. She refused to go to school (this was free due to the company closing).

She got married. Said she'd found a man that would take care of her (see how that worked out). I take care of myself.

She likes to complain about how hard things are. I listen.

I don't want to sound like I have no compassion because I do. I really wish there was some way I could help her. I tried to talk her into taking the school option three years ago and she wouldn't do it. This morning I told her to come and take the Civil Service tests to try to get a job. I don't think she will. I wish her life was more balanced.

Sorry about the rant but sometimes it frustrates me when people won't do anything to help themselves. Back to the question - No my life is not really balanced but it's what I have and I intend to keep on striving to make it better.

Hodgepodge

Welcome back to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! Be sure to add your link to the bottom of Joyce's post and then go visit the neighbors. After all, that's part of the fun! 

This week's questions: 

1. The popular saying, 'All is fair in love and war' is originally credited to English writer John Lyly.  Is he right? No - all is not fair. I don't care how much you "love" someone - if they are married or even in a committed relationship - it's HANDS OFF!

2. Are you a cereal eater?  What's your favorite kind? Rarely, but when I do I like things like Cheerios or Shredded Wheat.

3. A five year old in Pennsylvania was recently given a ten day school suspension for talking with a friend about shooting one another with a Hello Kitty Bubble gun (the gun blows bubbles).  She did not have the gun with her at school.

A psychological evaluation was also ordered and the incident was recorded on her permanent record.  The suspension was later reduced to two days and her parents are suing to have the incident removed from her file. Your thoughts?  (If you missed the story click here for details). That's ridiculous! Suspending a child for playing - I think that's definitely going too far.

4. Whatever happened to_letting kids be kids____________________________?

5.  January 23rd is National Handwriting Day, billed as a day to reacquaint yourself with a pen and pencil.  Do you like your handwriting? Do you prefer to print or write in cursive?  This date was chosen because its the birth date of John Hancock. What's the last thing you signed your name to? I sign my name quite a bit for things at work and my handwriting is ok as long as I'm not in a real hurry.

6. Speaking of John Hancock...ever been to Philadelphia? Do you have any desire to visit the city of Brotherly Love?  No - and no.

7.  Share something funny you've heard a child say.  Drawing a blank here. The only thing I can think of is my son when he was really little and couldn't pronounce "truck" - it was humorous but sometimes a little embarrassing.

8.  Insert your own random thought here. I'm working on planning daughters baby shower and I don't quite know what to do. I haven't been to a baby shower in years. Help!