I've Been Randomized and Tagged...

Hey, hey! My sweet Blogging Buddy Tammy of Familydoins has randomized me! Here are her "random" questions and my even more random answers:

1) If you could suddenly be transported into an old movie (as in 1965 or earlier) which movie would that be and why?

It would definitely be The Blob (1958). I saw a rerun of that movie when I was 5 and it. scared. me. to .death. (Curse THAT babysitter!) I went through weeks of abject terror and BEGGED my mom to buy us a CO2 fir extinguisher to ward the beast off if it started oozing through a heater vent into my room. I even slept in a ball in the middle of my bed and tried desparately not to move all night so I wouldn't attract it's attention if it did show up.

But now I'm all grown up. I also KNOW that the Blob doesn't like cold. I'm ready for Pay Back time!

2)You're given plane tickets and told that you can pick any place to fly to. The catch is that you have to go completely by yourself and stay a month. Where's your destination?

A whole month? No contest. I'd go to Cameroon and help my dear friend Dorothy with her missionary work there. I've always wanted to do that!

3)Name one favorite childhood friend...and a memory to go with it.

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, His name is my na...No, no NO!

Actually, I'm thinking of my bestest friend in third and fourth grade at Wilson Elementary School (motto: Single file, Wilson style!) in McAllen, Texas (motto: Teach everyone Spanish because no one speaks English). My friend's name? Jan Cheryl Janine Martha Smith.

We used to play invisible horses together. We used to campaign for Nixon on the monkey bars (McGovern kids were definitely NOT the cool group!). We spent the night at each other's house, we went through the agonies of first bras together, we went to GirlScout camp together and...

...We were the culprits responsible for the great Secret Garden Travesty of '73.

She and I had been taken by some kind soul to see the movie, "The Secret Garden". I LOVED it. For weeks on end I was Mary Lennox, though I also made special appearances as Colin or Dickon.

This was all well and good until that fateful day when I showed up at Jan's house to play. Jan was wearing a pretty ruffly dress and patent leather shoes. The family was getting ready to go to some important event and were accordingly gussied up. Happily for me, the rest of the family wasn't ready yet, so Jan and I had permission to play for a little while and, oh, "DON'T muss your dress, Jan!" Those were her mother's last words before we disappeared out the back door.

Suffice it to say, that was the day that she and I, completely devoid of either seeds or sense, decided to actually make our own secret garden in her back yard. In case you are not familiar with gardening, this entailed much digging, crawling, water, and...mud.

Jan's mom came out, saw the mess and EXPLODED! "Go home NOW!" She growled at me. And then she went for the hickory switch.

I lit out of there like all the demons of hell were after me and I could hear Jan screaming all the way to my house.

Ah, the carefree joys of childhood!

4)Speaking of childhood, is there something special you have hung on to from this time...a toy... a stuffed animal...special book? If so, why is this item special to you?

I still have my "Judy". Judy was, at one time, a beautiful stuffed male lion named Clarence. But I slept with him/her and played with him/her and rescued him/her from the trash so many times that all his/her mane rubbed off. In fact, her head is in such bad shape that in high school I had to sew a little cap for her to cover up the holes.

She is the folks' attic right now and they're not up yet, so I can't post a pic...

And last but not least...
5)You have just been informed that a Duke and his wife from a foreign country that you've barely heard of are visiting the United States and have picked your house at random to stop in for tea. They will be arriving in fifteen minutes.

What are the first five things you frantically do:

1. Shove all loose papers in the kitchen onto the desk and bang the roll-top shut. (Hurray for roll-tops!)

2. Send the kids all over the house to pick up stray "stuff" and throw it into my closet and shut the door. They can check the toilet paper situation while they're running around.

3. Vacuum up all the cute little dust bunnies in the kitchen and hallway. (Some visitors don't appreciate unruly pets, no matter how cute!)

4. Grab a wet washcloth and wipe the company bathroom reasonably clean and pull the shower curtain. Any loose tub toys or curling irons get thrown in the tub!

5. Comb my hair and slap my pale cheeks.

Once they arrive I will calmly and casually get out my pretty tea set and act as cool and poised as you all know I truly (choke) am.

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We Interrupt this Blog Post for a Brief, but Important Commercial:

Are you aware that Lung Cancer is THE #1 cancer killer of both men and women in the United States?

I want to be a part of the solution, so in mid-June Mulletman and I are going to ride in the Trek Across Maine, a bike-riding fundraiser for Maine's chapter of the American Lung Association. We'll be riding 180 miles over three days time with the hopes of raising $1,000 each to fight lung disease.

If you'd like to help with a tax-deductable contribution toward our goal, we'd be most grateful!

You can contribute at Groovy's Fundraising Page

or Mulletman's Fundraising Page

I also will send hugs and kisses to anyone who links to my blog, pointing out this fundraiser. Mwa to Mariannefor already doing so!

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And I've Been Tagged:

A few weeks ago, Karen tagged me to share some daily success habits. The Daily Success Secrets started over at Today is the Day. Sorry it took me so long, Karen!

The idea is to list five or ten "success" habits that you follow on a frequent basis.

1. I always floss and brush. ALWAYS. I haven't had a cavity in 23 years. That's been a huge savings in money and pain, and I have a lovely smile. I call that successful!

2. I always try to look at the bright side of every situation (so I can use the aforementioned lovely smile). I certainly do have my "dark" days, but for the most part I am upbeat and optimistic. I believe that God IS in control and that He DOES know what He's doing and that it IS for ur good.

3. I try to share that optimism with others. When folks call me with their sad, depressing, distressing problems I try to a) listen, b) sympathize, and then c) help them renew their minds and focus on God's truth, His love, His provision, His goodness. Usually the tone is much lighter when we finally say good-bye!

4. I buy GOOD coffee. Why waste your life drinking Folgers? (shiver!)

5. I don't make commitments unless I am prepared to keep them. I WILL memorize the play script, I WILL stay married until one of us dies, I WILL help with homeschool or Bible group I've joined.

6. I have learned to say "No." Some commitments would require more than I am really willing to give, or would compromise commitments I already have to God and to my family. I used to struggle with guilt, but now I just say, "NO!"

7. This one will sideways for some of you, but I think one of my biggest secrets for success is that I've learned to submit to my husband and trust God to take care of the outcome. (Even when I think Mulletman is wrong!)

8. I memorize Scripture. You can't HAVE a renewed mind if there's nothing in there to renew it with!

9. I/we don't spend money we don't have. Other than our mortgage, which is quite affordable, we have no debts. We use our credit card freely, but we pay it off every month. If we could not afford to do this, we would cut it up! And yes, we been po folk - for many years through the military and Mulletman's college days. God even allowed us to get out of college debt-free. It can (and should) be done!

10. I'm always learning new things! This keeps my mind active and sets an example for my kids and I am NEVER bored!

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And now I get to tag someone....Hmmmmm. I'm a cyclist, not a runner, so I'm not so hot at tag. If you want to lift the "Secrets to Success", go for it.

If you are VERY brave and you'd like for me to assign you some random questions to answer publicly, let me know Because I have some GREAT ideas. Bwa-hahaha-ha!