Happy Birthday Old(er) Brother

Today is my brother's birthday. Yep, he's hitting the big 4-0 (don't worry Matthew, I'm right behind you). So everyone just wander on over to his place and throw down some birthday love and good cheer (keep it clean Katdish, he's got young children in the house).



(Matt is the 'petite' one on the right...)

I'm Marilyn, But I'm Bette

My friend Steph, over at Red Clay Diaries posted this little quiz she took about what famous person she is most like. I decided to take the quiz. I don't do these very often, but I was curious because Steph was like Audrey Hepburn. I grew up on the classics and Audrey Hepburn was one of my favorite actresses as a kid (probably because I wanted to be just like her in My Fair Lady. That is a romantic Cinderella story if ever there was one.

I actually took this quiz twice because there were two answers that applied to me. Apparently I am a mix between Marilyn Monroe and Bette Davis. Seriously. Those two are more different than Bush and Obama. But, I think it's appropriate because sometimes, what I project is very different from what I feel inside. It's a defense mechanism that I have used since I was a kid. So, I'm going to post both and list how I am like Marilyn and how I'm like Bette.

You are a Marilyn -- "I am affectionate and skeptical."

Marilyns are responsible, trustworthy, and value loyalty to family, friends, groups, and causes. Their personalities range broadly from reserved and timid to outspoken and confrontative.

How to Get Along with Me
* Be direct and clear
* Listen to me carefully
* Don't judge me for my anxiety
* Work things through with me
* Reassure me that everything is OK between us
* Laugh and make jokes with me
* Try not to overreact to my overreacting

What I Like About Being a Marilyn
* Being committed and faithful to family and friends
* Being responsible and hardworking
* Being compassionate toward others
* Having intellect and wit
* Being a nonconformist
* Confronting danger bravely
* Being direct and assertive

What's Hard About Being a Marilyn
* The constant push and pull involved in trying to make up my mind
* Procrastinating because of fear of failure; having little confidence in myself
* Fearing being abandoned or taken advantage of
* Exhausting myself by worrying and scanning for danger (I'm not afraid of danger, but I can tend to worry about stuff)
* Wishing I had a rule book at work (and home) so I could do everything right
* Being too critical of myself when I haven't lived up to my expectations

Marilyns as Children Often
* Are friendly, likable, and dependable, and/or sarcastic, bossy, and stubborn
* Are anxious and hyper vigilant; anticipate danger
* Form a team of "us against them" with a best friend or parent
* Look to groups or authorities to protect them and/or question authority and rebel

Marilyns as Parents
* Are often loving, nurturing, and have a strong sense of duty
* Are sometimes reluctant to give their children independence (I'm the opposite here as I want my kids to be independent and experience things, probably because of my own sense of adventure.)
* sometimes have trouble saying no and setting boundaries

You are a Bette -- "I must be strong"


Bettes are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.

How to Get Along with Me
* Stand up for yourself... and me.
* Be confident, strong, and direct.
* Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.
* Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side. (I cry over everything. Seriously, I may project a toughness, but I'm a mushy softie on the inside.)
* Give me space to be alone.
* Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me. (Ok, flattery will get you everywhere.)
* I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.
* When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

What I Like About Being a Bette
* Being independent and self-reliant
* Bing able to take charge and meet challenges head on
* Being courageous, straightforward, and honest
* Getting all the enjoyment I can out of life
* Supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me (I am fiercely loyal and protective and don't you dare hurt anyone I love. Just so you know.)
* Upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a Bette
* Overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to
* Being restless and impatient with others' incompetence
* Sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it
* Never forgetting injuries or injustices (I suck at forgiving. It's not one of my gifts.)
* Putting too much pressure on myself
* getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right (I'm a pro at assuming and overreacting.)

Bettes as Children Often
* Are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit
* Are sometimes loners
* Seize control so they won't be controlled
* Attack verbally or physically when provoked
* Take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings (For the record, I was just bossy and did not grow up in an abusive family. We were more 'Beaver Cleaver')

Bettes as Parents
* Are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted
* Are sometimes overprotective (I think I'm the opposite and want my kids to be extremely independent and free spirited like me)
* Can be demanding, controlling, and rigid (Who? Me?)

There you have it. The best of Marilyn and Bette and this is a pretty true picture of who I am. If you would like to take the test, go to Steph's blog and follow the link. It's late and I'm too lazy to find it, copy and paste it. But I'd love to hear about who you are most like. Or maybe you are just flaberghasted at my results.

Sunday Freebie

This video of 'Stand By Me' was created by the Playing For Change Foundation. They went around the world recording this song and then put it all together into one video. I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.




Happy Sunday!

Bless My Socks Off

Lately, I've been feeling a wee bit down. I think that probably all working wives/moms feel that way, kind of like an episode of The Neglected Housewives. So, this morning, I threw down a dare to God (in a 'nice' way). I get these little devotions emailed each morning from Turning Point Ministries. That is Dr. David Jeremiah's ministry and if you have never heard him speak, you should find a radio station that plays his messages and do so. I have a tremendous amount of admiration and respect for the man because he knows his stuff. Anyway, back to the 'dare'. I told God, "I dare you to bless me this morning." And He did. (Now I don't know if God likes it when we do that, but somehow, I have a feeling that after I read my little devotion and said 'wow, that blessed me' he probably blew the smoke from the barrel of the gun and walked away to the sound of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly playing in the background.) Because I love you all so much, I wanted to share my blessing with you.

Irrevocable Promises

For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you.
Deuteronomy 15:6

Some days are harder than others, and perhaps this is one of them for you. Life is full of frustrations, and we can grow mighty weary with financial pressures, family problems, church misunderstandings, and workplace conflicts. It sometimes seems like we’re losing our minds.

But God is not losing His! Remember that nothing revokes His faithfulness. His promises to us are irreversible, unalterable, firm, and fixed. There are conditions to be met, of course; but outer circumstances must bend, in His time, to the purposes and promises of God for our lives.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises… leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.” The Lord your God will bless you just as He has promised in His Word.

His promises are sure, His blessings are great, His grace is sufficient, His presence is near, His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations. Cheer up! It’s not as bad as it seems.

Let God’s promises shine on your problems.
Corrie ten Boom

Oh, and as God was walking into the sunset, I thought I heard him say 'touche'.

Have a blessed Friday!

How To Feel Good In This Mess

It's been a crazy week so far and I haven't had much time to sit down and write the post that has been stewing in my brain. I didn't even watch the inauguration, well, I saw Rick Warren give the invocation and caught a few snippets on Hannity, but that was about it. There is a lot going on in this world, country, state, town that I live in and a lot of it is not good. The State of Oregon is heading towards (or perhaps we're in) a financial disaster, unemployment is at a record high and the outlook is bleak. It's easy to dwell on the bad news, but God tells us to dwell on Him and all that is good. So, that is what I'm going to do. This is my list of all that I am thankful for and I hope you'll play along and tell others what your thankful for (you too lurkers - eh'hem'... Mr./Mrs./Ms. Palo Alto....). I've heard it makes you feel better.

1. God. He's big, loving and if he'll take care of the birds I know he's got my back.

2. Jon. There is a place in heaven for that man marrying me.

3. My children. They try me...oh, how they try me. But the hugs, kisses, laughs and cuddling is all worth it.

4. Family. I have a lot of family and it seems to be ever growing. Plus we really like being around each other. Good times abound.

5. Friends. I love the ones that live near me and I can't wait to meet the witty, crazy, beautiful ones I've made here at this little corner of the internet.

6. Bozley. Yeah, I love my little dog. What can I say.

7. My home. It may have decreased in value according to the market, but to me, it's a blessing that God has provided for me and my family and I'm thankful to have a place to rest my head every night.

8. My surroundings. No matter what, I live in a beautiful place and God made me the kind of person that loves to enjoy it. He's cool that way.

9. My job. I am verrrrrry thankful for this.

10. Blessings. God has made sure that we are taken care of and I am thankful for all he has done. I can't even begin to express just how thankful I am.

Yes, I feel better.

Still counting my blessings.

Dear Mare

Dear Mare,

While I know my daughter would absolutely love you and I'm sure you two would have a great time bustin' some moves and all, I have 10 reasons why she probably won't be coming to visit you while you are living in Nigeria. Please don't take it personally.


Reason #1: Extreme Fear of Bugs





Reason #2-#10: Please see Reason #1...

Love,
Annie

Not Flab, Just Flat and Fabulous for Oprah

Beginning Saturday Jon and I are going on a health kick. Yep, a good old fashioned diet and exercise program. I would like to get rid of the saggage that started around my mid-section when I hit 35 (I don't know what was so magical about that year, but the law of gravity took over then) and I have aspirations of being svelte like Jennifer Anison when my blogger pals and I make our appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show in August(I will probably turn down all offers to pose in a tie for GQ Magazine though.) Jon would like to lose some of the weight that he has gained since we got married. He blames in on the fact that I'm somewhat of a Julia Child in the kitchen. I told him I would stop cooking but he nixed that idea.

Now you have to understand that this is going to be tough, not because of the exercise (I already do that), but because it requires cutting out most carbs. AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGG! We love carbs. Seriously. Mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, roasted potatoes, tater tots, tortillas, chips with salsa, beer with chips and salsa, wine with pasta, Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil Triscuits, bread... Since that is taboo food now, I've been working on a menu that has lots of meat (I'm not giving up steak!), vegetables, fruits, legumes (such a fun word to use), and whole grains. And, we are going to become teetotalers. For the most part. But probably with a few exceptions, like Saturday and Sunday.

We'll also be hitting the trails when the snow level allows or the stair stepper when I'm too much of a wuss to be out in the cold (at least I have a commanding view of the mountains from said stair stepper). We'll also be embarking on a 'flat-fest' as Jon calls it. A crunchless ab program that promises 'flatter abs in 30 days'. We'll see about that.

My wickedly funny and feisty blog buddy, Helen, is going to post some of her 'being good' recipes (they're fabulous, I'm sure) on our food blog, Paprika is Good, But Not in Coffee. I will be making these and then promptly telling you just how wonderful her recipes are. If you have a recipe that you think would be appropriately awesome for this little health kick of ours, please email it to me and if I make it and like it (key phrase 'like it'), I will post it on Paprika is Good, But Not in Coffee where it will garner the attention of possibly 10's of people from around the world. And who knows, Steph might mention you in her book just because she's cool that way.(I don't know what Steph writing a book has to do with all this...)

So, in honor of the great flat-fest that is about to commence, I decided to dish up something extremely carbolicious. Yep, my most tasty garlic mashed potatoes and hamburger gravy. I'm going to miss you...