Seasonal Prompts

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Seasonal Prompts:

• Book:  Lies My Doctor Told Me by Ken D. Berry
• TV Show:  Burden of Proof
• Color:  grey
• Drink:  water and iced coffee
• Indulgence: Atkins chocolate peanut butter bar
• Excitement:  getting the laundry room finished
• Exercise:  yoga
• Place to Shop:  Amazon (due to anxiety, I have not been shopping in a store for nine months or more)
• Seasonal Activity:  organizing
• Wish List Item:  Hunter boots and rain jacket
• Favorite Product:  MCT oil powder
• Dislikes:   getting up early
• Movies:  Adventures in Babysitting
• Song: "Boss" by NCT (Korean k-pop)
• Music:  Burn the Ships by For King & Country
• Trend to wear:  yoga pants, tank top, sweater
• Must-have item:  soft socks
• Color combination:  dark grey and light grey and light pink
• Food:  bacon and avocado
• Blessings:  my three men 
• Outfits:  black wide leg pants and blue Wallowa shirt
• Mood:  very anxious...but it is not due to thinking; I believe it is hormonal
• Activities:  I would like to be able to go farther than in town and be able to do something
• Obsession:  becoming minimal
• Flavor:  bacon...bacon...bacon

End of Year Questions

My Favorites as of now:

1. Person - Michael, Cam, Jar (I could not just do one)
2. Color - grey and coral or turquoise
3. Food - bacon
4. Smell - fresh brewed coffee
5. Book - Martha's Vineyard: Isle of Dreams by Susan Branch
6. Movie - A Godwink Christmas (Hallmark movie)
7. Time of Day - afternoon or late evening
8. Day of the week - Friday
9. Things to do when bored - journal, read, blog, watch TV
10. Celebrity - Jessica Alba
11. Drink - water or Ice drinks
12. TV show - The Blacklist
13. Fruit - strawberries
14. Vegetable - cooked cabbage
15. Store/Shop - Marshall's, World Market, Target, and Trader Joe's
16. Workout - 10 minute walk workout
17. Quote - "A goal without a plan is just a wish"
18. Snack - I have not been snacking
19. Meal of the day - lunch
20. Season - fall
21. Dessert - cheesecake
22. Hobby - journaling
23. Activity - watching Netflix with Michael
24. Restaurant - Panera Bread
25. Product - World Market soap
26. Plate of food - fried eggs and bacon
27. Style of music - pop
28. Book in the Bible - Psalms

Seasonal Prompts (spring 2018)

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Seasonal Prompts:

• Book:  Simplified Life by Emily Ley
• TV Show:  SWAT or Survivor
• Color:  grey
• Drink:  water and iced coffee
• Indulgence: Belgian dark chocolate
• Excitement:  Jar's senior photos
• Exercise:  yoga
• Place to Shop:  Marshall's
• Seasonal Activity:  gardening
• Wish List Item:  Hunter boots and rain jacket
• Favorite Product:  my homemade face serum
• Dislikes:   getting up early
• Movies:  The Greatest Showman
• Song:  "Never Enough" from The Greatest Showman
• Music:  The Greatest Showman soundtrack on Spotify
• Trend to wear:  yoga pants, tank top, sweater
• Must-have item:  soft sweater
• Color combination:  dark grey and light grey
• Food:  boiled eggs with mustard and paprika
• Blessings:  my three men and two doggies
• Outfits:  black Capri's and Star Wars shirt
• Mood:  Joyful and content...that is my mantra for this year and last year too
• Activities:  I would like to do some hiking with the three boys
• Obsession:  Journaling
• Flavor:  bacon...bacon...bacon

100 Things about me

100 Things about me:

1. I love baby goats
2. I love dogs
3. I don't really like cats
4. I love specialty coffee
5. I love bacon
6. I don't love driving
7. I am a good decorator
8. I always go the speed limit
9. I like things toasted extra
10. I love small coastal towns 
11. I am an amazing cook, but I hate to do it
12. I love to sing to the music I listen to (especially when driving)
13. I organize all year long
14. Pajamas are my favorite
15. I love workout clothes
16. I cannot wear my hair parted in the middle
17. I have never been pulled over for speeding
18. I am a homebody
19. I've always wanted to own a Bookstore/Coffee Shop
20. I like full names (not Mike, but Michael; not Kim, but Kimberly)
21. I never had braces, but I had 4 teeth pulled to make room. I daily pushed my misaligned teeth back into place...it looks like I had braces
22. I hate to fly
23. I like to be with a cozy blanket
24. I love to binge-watch shows (like on Netflix)
25. I don't sleep very good in strange places
26. I hate horror movies
27. I hate western movies and TV shows
28. Any type of squat is my favorite exercise
29. I HATE going to the dentist
30. I am very shy til you get to know me
31. I am a minimalist (less is more for me)
32. I used to do tons of scrapbooking
33. I had a very bad bike accident when I was 11 or so (I have an indent in my hip)
34. I basically lost one of my toes in a swing set incident
35. I have not ever had any broken bones
36. I have missing eyelashes where I had chicken pox on my eyes
37. I have always had a blond streak in my brown hair (now it has turned blondish/white)
38. I had a v-back with Jared (that is a vaginal delivery after a C-section)
39. I had a C-section with Cam
40. I have a crown on one of my front teeth from a kickball accident in school when I was young
41. I have been called a mermaid by friends...I love swimming so much
42. I had severe nerve damage when Jar was born...one of the largest hospitals, Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA, did a study on me because they had never seen a case like this before
43. My first car was a manual transmission...I loved it!
44. I mowed the grass with a push mower when the boys were little with them in a backpack on my back (and we lived on a hill)
45. My Grandma Joseph was one of my best friends (we did something together at least once a week - she died nine months after we moved away)
46. Michael and I went canoeing once and finished in about 1 1/2 hours on a course that normally took 3-4 hours
47. Michael and I have always loved hiking (we hiked where Last of the Mohicans was filmed)
48. I fell in love with Michael at first date
49. I had a miscarriage at 12 weeks and had to have a DNC
50. I have struggled with anxiety for 16 years; I really struggled for about 10 of those years
51. I get really nervous for anything new (new church, new event, the dentist, the doctor, new Sunday School class, going to someone's house, jury duty, etc.)
52. I sang special music in church all my life growing up
53. I was in plays all my life in school
54. When I went on school trips and we had a certain amount of money per meal to spend, I would buy the least expensive thing and water, so I could save as much money as possible to spend on other things (we would have $5.00 per meal; I would buy a $.49 cheeseburger at McDonald's and a water and then save the $4.51 each meal for something else later) 
55. I grew up in the country all my life (my town was still only 500-600 people)
56. I have had better than 20/20 vision all my life
57. I have always wanted to own a Jeep Wrangler
58. I love dolphins
59. Tigers are my favorite animal
60. I get homesick very easily
61. I panic when I have to take tests
62. I don't perform very well under pressure
63. I don't do well answering questions on the spot (interview type scenario)
64. I cannot eat a lot at one time
65. BLT's are my favorite...this is what I will order when I go to a cafe
66. I love makeup, but I don't wear much of it
67. My go-to outfit at home is pants and a tank top
68. I love to read
69. I have read thousands and thousands of books
70. Health, Fitness, Nutrition, and Self-help books are my favorite
71. I love to journal/write
72. Math and English were my best subjects in school
73. I don't understand Science much
74. I love History, but I don't like memorizing facts
75. I have become much better in Geography since homeschooling the boys
76. I have always homeschooled the boys
77. I have always been a stay-at-home mom
78. I was a nanny to three little boys
79. I started babysitting when I was 11 years old
80. I loved to ride my bike with no hands
81. I am really good at 3 point shots in basketball
82. I am really good at ping pong
83. I love to garden (although I loved in more when we lived in PA)
84. My right leg does not move at 100% because of the nerve damage when Jar was born
85. My hormones have been wacky since I had the miscarriage
86. I am a very very very light sleeper
87. I have been taking melatonin to help me get to sleep since living in FL eleven years ago
88. I can't stand messes or disorganization
89. I cannot take it when people are late
90. I clean up after people before they are done using what they are using
91. I have to have a clean kitchen before I go to bed at night
92. I cannot take mouth noises
93. I cannot take repetitive sounds (tapping, pen clicking, noise of someone typing on computer, ice clinging in a glass, etc.)
94. If I don't go to sleep right away when I lie down, I will be awake for another few hours
95. I am afraid of heights
96. I HATE snakes (cannot stand to even watch them on TV), but other things like spiders and bugs don't bother me at all
97. A horse lay down in the water when I was riding it (got me soaked)
98. I have been skinny dipping in the ocean
99. I have cut my own hair since I was 14 or 15 years old
100. I cut all three of my boys' hair (Cam and Jar have only been to a barber once in their life)

End of year Questions

My Favorites as of now:

1. Person - Michael, Cam, Jar (I could not just do one)
2. Color - grey and brown
3. Food - scrambled eggs in butter
4. Smell - winter amber hand lotion
5. Book - How we Love by Milan and Kay Yerkovich
6. Movie - Black and White with Kevin Costner
7. Time of Day - afternoon
8. Day of the week - Friday
9. Things to do when bored - journal, read, blog, watch TV
10. Celebrity - Jessica Alba
11. Drink - water
12. TV show - Shooter
13. Fruit - cutie oranges
14. Vegetable - raw broccoli and cauliflower
15. Store/Shop - Marshall's, World Market, Target, and Trader Joe's
16. Workout - interval on elliptical
17. Quote - "A goal without a plan is just a wish"
18. Snack - applesauce with chia seeds
19. Meal of the day - lunch
20. Ice cream flavor - coffee (although I have not had any ice cream in a long time)
21. Season - fall
22. Dessert - cheese pastries
23. Life hack - put a rubber band on bottle of nail polish to work like a gripper
24. Hobby - journaling
25. Activity - watching Netflix with Michael
26. Restaurant - Panera Bread
27. Product - Scalp oil
28. Plate of food - roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and roasted veggies
29. Style of music - pop/pop Country
30. Book in the Bible - Proverbs

End of Year Questions

My Favorites:

1. Person - Michael, Cam, Jar (I could not just do one)
2. Color - grey
3. Food - ground turkey with lots of olive oil
4. Smell - coffee
5. Book - Audacious by Beth Moore
6. Movie - The Spirit of Christmas
7. Time of Day - afternoon
8. Day of the week - Friday
9. Things to do when bored - journal, read, blog, watch TV
10. Celebrity - Jessica Alba
11. Drink - water
12. TV show - Downton Abbey
13. Fruit - cutie oranges
14. Vegetable - snap peas
15. Store/Shop - Marshall's and Trader Joe's
16. Workout - interval on elliptical
17. Quote - "Life is better when you're laughing"
18. Snack - goat cheese and bacon wrapped dates
19. Meal of the day - lunch
20. Ice cream flavor - coffee
21. Season - fall
22. Dessert - cheese pastries
23. Life hack - homemade ipad stand and ipad speaker
24. Hobby - journaling
25. Activity - trying new restaurants
26. Restaurant - Gustav's
27. Product - Living Proof amp texture volume
28. Plate of food - sauteed ground turkey over arugula salad (olive oil and lemon juice dressing)
29. Style of music - Disney pop music
30. Book in the Bible - Esther

Seasonal Prompts

Seasonal Prompts:

• Book:  Audacious by Beth Moore
• TV Show:  Downton Abbey
• Color:  grey
• Drink:  water and winter dream tea
• Indulgence: pizza
• Excitement:  spring break trip
• Exercise:  interval training on the elliptical
• Place to Shop:  Marshall's
• Seasonal Activity:  trying new restaurants
• Wish List Item:  Hunter boots
• Favorite Product:  Living Proof amp texture volume
• Dislikes:   getting up early
• Movies:  Ant-Man
• Song:  "God's Not Dead"
• Music:  Newsboys and Danny Goeke and Michael Buble'
• Trend to wear:  yoga pants, tank top, long sleeve shirt
• Must-have item:  I think I am good
• Color combination:  dark grey and light grey
• Food:  sauteed ground turkey and arugula salad with olive oil and lemon juice
• Blessings:  Michael has a good job; Cam finished semester of college (all A's)
• Outfits:  love my new clothes from CJ Banks
• Mood:  Joyful and content...that is my mantra for this year
• Activities:  Christmas activities and off for Christmas break
• Obsession:  Tiny House Nation or Tiny House Hunters or any Tiny House show
• Flavor:  goat cheese, bacon, dates...these are the most incredible combination

Things I'm Not Good At

These are the main things that I am not good at:

1. Public Speaking
2. Anything Science related
3. Cleaning (especially dusting)
4. Drawing (I am even bad at stick figures)
5. Being spontaneous

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Top 3 things I don't like to do

I have three things that I really do not like to do at all. I literally have to force myself...talk myself into...to get them done.

Top 3 things I don't like to do:

1. Grocery shopping
2. Cooking
3. Cleaning

I despise each one of these things. I don't mind the laundry (you will never see my laundry room overflowing with dirty clothes); I don't despise doing the dishes (it certainly isn't one of my favorites though); I enjoy organizing the house, and I enjoy keeping it picked up.

But, I will put off grocery shopping as long as I can. I have 3 men in the house, so I have to cook. I make it as easy on myself as I can though. I keep the house clean and picked up, but I hate to dust the house. It just is not something I like to do.

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Summer Bucket List

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Summer Bucket List:

• make s'mores at a campfire
• go to the coast
• go on a vacation somewhere new
• visit new cafes on vacation
• see fireworks over the water
• grill out a lot
• eat a lot of fruit
• make some homemade baby-back ribs
• make strawberry shortcake
• go hiking on vacation
• play croquet
• play bean bag toss
• go go-carting
• play four-square
• take lots of photos
• play board games together
• get air-conditioning in our house
• build a fire pit...spend a lot of time there
• remodel the kitchen
• read lots of books
• hike Silver Falls...all of them
• do short hikes near our house
• go camping
• go fishing
• eat at a nice restaurant once a month
• go on country drives
• do some Portland activities
• paint the house outside
• paint the dining room

Seasonal Prompts

Seasonal Prompts:

• Book:  Living Life to the Full
• TV Show:  Alaska Bush People
• Color:  grey
• Drink:  water
• Indulgence: burgers
• Excitement:  job possibilities
• Exercise:  interval training
• Place to Shop:  Trader Joe's
• Seasonal Activity:  weekend at the coast, hiking
• Wish List Item:  job for Michael local
• Favorite Product:  chia seeds
• Dislikes:  sleeping issues
• Movies:  Bound and Babysitting
• Song:  "Give me Jesus" by Fernando Ortega
• Music:  Newsboys
• Trend to wear:  exercise shorts and tank top
• Must-have item:  BB cream
• Color combination:  dark grey and light grey
• Food:  applesauce and chia seeds
• Blessings:  Michael has two really promising interviews this week
• Outfits:  capris and t-shirt
• Mood:  staying pretty positive, despite the circumstances
• Activities:  orthodontist, eye doctor, testing, grocery shopping
• Obsession:  writing a to-do list
• Flavor:  chocolate

Seasonal Prompts

Seasonal Prompts:

• Book:  Gorgeous for Good by Sophie Uliano
• TV Show:  Survivor and Amazing Race
• Color:  grey
• Drink:  green tea
• Indulgence: bacon
• Excitement:  camping trips
• Exercise:  20 minute interval workouts
• Place to Shop:  Amazon
• Seasonal Activity:  hanging out around the fire-pit
• Wish List Item:  job for Michael
• Favorite Product:  Pixie dust blush
• Dislikes:  having trouble sleeping
• Movies:  Big Hero 6 and When the Game Stands Tall
• Song:  "Earned it" from Clark Beckham on American Idol
• Music:  all of my music on Google cloud
• Trend to wear:  scarves
• Must-have item:  reading glasses
• Color combination:  dark grey and light grey
• Food:  bacon and eggs
• Blessings:  Cam graduated from high school
• Outfits:  capri pants and tank top
• Mood:  staying pretty positive, with moments of panic
• Activities:  oral surgeon, grocery shopping, cleaning, cutting hair
• Obsession:  listening to music
• Flavor:  chocolate

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French kids eat everything

I just finished reading a book, "French Kids Eat Everything." I really enjoyed it. I think we have so many things wrong in America. We eat way too much, and we think that we have to be eating all of the time. We don't know the feeling of being hungry. I enjoyed what the book had to say, and I took away these 10 tips they had to offer.

French Food Rules:

1. Parents: You are in charge of food education for the kids
2. Avoid emotional eating (which is what America thrives on)
3. Parents plan/schedule meals and menus
4. Eat family meals together (no distractions-tv, movies, etc)
5. Eat your veggies (have variety)
6. You don't have to LIKE it, but you do have to TASTE it.
7. No snacking!!! It's okay to feel hungry
8. Slow food is good happy food (eat slowly)
9. Eat almost always REAL food (treats are only for special occasions, very seldom)
10. Remember eating is joyful--RELAX!!

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Top 2014 Baby Names

The top baby names are really weird this year.

Here are the top names for 2014:

Girls...

1. Imogen
2. Charlotte
3. Isla
4. Cora
5. Penelope
6. Violet
7. Amelia
8. Eleanor
9. Harper
10. Claire

Katniss made #14.

Boys...

1. Asher
2. Ceclan
3. Atticus
4. Finn
5. Oliver
6. Henry
7. Silas
8. Jasper
9. Milo
10. Jude

Things You Should Never Do

Here are some things you should never do:

1. Google your symptoms. I have had every disease out there, but it was just anxiety.
2. Skip a meal...it just is not good for blood sugar levels.
3. Drink lots of water during a long trip.
4. Watch a scary show or movie right before bed.
5. Watch a show about large spiders or snakes before bed.
6. Cut your hair on a whim. I always think about it for a month or two before I cut it...I have made myself mad before.
7. Paint your nails right before leaving the house. 
8. Go upstairs "really quickly" while something is cooking on the stove.

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Oregon's 7 Wonders

These are Oregon's 7 Wonders:

1. Mt. Hood
2. The Oregon Coast
3. The Columbia River Gorge
4. Painted Hills
5. Smith Rock
6. The Wallowas
7. Crater Lake

We have been to all of these except one. That is pretty neat.

Mt. Hood

Oregon Coast

Oregon Coast

Multnomah Falls--the Columbia River Gorge

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Smith Rock

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The Wallowas

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Crater Lake

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So, now the only place that we need to visit on this list is the Painted Hills.

Painted Hills

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How to make people like you

I love books written by Dale Carnegie. I have read all of his older books. I just requested this newer book from the Library, and I am very interested to read this one regarding the Digital Age. (I think we are really a mess as a society because of this Digital Age)

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From his older book, I wrote down 6 principles he gives to make people like you:

1. Become genuinely interested in other people
2. Smile
3. Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves
5. Talk in terms of the other person's interests
6. Make the other person feel important...and do it sincerely

The funny thing is...I have been talking lately about these things to the boys. Just yesterday, when we were at Trader Joe's, the checkout lady asked if we had any special plans for July 4th. I could have just said "not really." But, I went on to say that the boys would be working on a project car with their dad. She then asked what kind of car. Jar told her a Maverick. Then two other guys (probably college age) chimed in on the conversation. That made the boys feel really good.

So, on the way home, I discussed with them the importance of finding a topic to talk about that other people are interested in discussing. I also told them the importance of being friendly and opening up the conversation to more than just a "yes" or "no" answer. I then also talked about the importance of remembering a person's name and speaking it often. I love using everyday moments as teaching opportunities.

Favorite Stores and Restaurants

I don't love to shop at all. But, there are some stores that are my favorites to shop at when I need to. These are stores that aren't really close to me...and I wish that they were.

1. Barnes and Noble
2. Trader Joe's (my favorite)
3. Whole Foods
4. Fred Meyer
5. Ikea
6. Sephora
7. Home Goods

These are my favorite restaurants that I wish were closer:

1. O'Charlies
2. Backyard Burger
3. Cheesecake Factory
4. Rainforest Cafe
5. Chick fil a
6. In and Out Burger
7. Chili's

Summer To Do List

This is our summer to-do list for this year.

1. Make homemade ice cream
2. Make smores at a campfire
3. Go to the coast
4. Go to a few cafe's on vacation
5. Go to the Saturday Farmer's Market
6. Go antiquing
7. Eat watermelon
8. Grill out a lot
9. Exercise daily
10. Make strawberry shortcake
11. Make summer pasta salads
12. Watch fireworks
13. Go to the lake
14. Grill pizza on the grill
15. Grill BBQ chicken
16. Play croquet
17. Play ladder golf
18. Play bean bag toss
19. Go miniature golfing
20. Get ice cream cones
21. Go go-carting
22. Go fishing
23. Go hiking
24. Make lemonade
25. Make strawberry lemonade
26. Play four-square
27. Have a squirt gun fight
28. Get cooled off in the sprinkler or the pressure washer
29. Play catch with a ball and glove
30. Take lots of photos
31. Play board games
32. Play some Wii together
33. Go camping
34. Have campfires--ask "Would you rather" questions
35. Read a lot of books

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Amy's Favorites

My Favorites:

1. Person - Michael
2. Color - brown
3. Food - bacon (BLT's)
4. Smell - coffee
5. Book - The Circle Maker
6. Book of the Bible - Esther
7. Exercise - squats
8. Vacation spot - the coast (small towns)
9. Movie - You've Got Mail
10. Time of Day - afternoon
11. Day of the week - Friday/Saturday
12. Thing to do when bored - read blogs
13. Celebrity - Jessica Alba or Ashley Judd
14. Drink - Water 
15. TV show - Survivor
16. Fruit - strawberries
17. Vegetable - broccoli or peas
18. Store/Shop - Target or Fred Meyer
19. Workout - 21 Day Fix
20. Quote - "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." ~Eleanor Roosevelt
21. Potato Chip flavor - BBQ
22. Meal of the Day - lunch
23. Ice Cream flavor - Mint Chocolate Chip or Coffee
24. Season - Fall, but I love summer too because of vacations/camping
25. Dessert - ice cream or cheesecake
26. Lifehack - Using clothespins for everything...from chip clips to clips for my hair in a pinch to clips to hold the shower curtains together