Back in the Saddle--Today's Preview and The Giveaway

I have showered, found the remote and found the dog.

I'm on my way back, Baby.

So let's get right to the Random Dozen Preview and then the Giveaway:

1. Are you pleasant when you're ill, or are you a grumpy, fussy patient?
2. When you find out that school is canceled (due to inclement weather) what is your gut reaction?
3. What is one domestic skill you wish you could improve?
4. Do you decorate your home for Valentine's Day?
5. What song is on your mind today?
6. Do you prefer contemporary movies or classic?
7. How well do you "compartmentalize" your feelings? For example, how well can you put aside a really trying moment to deal with the immediate situation which is not related to the trying moment, e.g., putting aside a tiff with your spouse in order to finish wallpapering a room.
8. What is the first thing that attracted you to your spouse? (Or if you're single, to your best friend.)
9. When was the last time your heart raced?
10. What are your memories of Valentine's Day at school?
11. If you were going to receive candy for Valentine's Day, which would you prefer?
12. Red or pink?

And now here's the scoop on the giveaway. A darling friend of mine makes these sweet aprons and sells them at our bookstore. All of the proceeds to go our connection with Kazakhstan, a country George and I have each visited separately for short projects, such as teaching English at a children's camp.

So Sherry made these--just for you. She came walking into my office carrying these sweet aprons, one for Mom or Grandma, one for girl. If you would like to be eligible for the drawing and you live within the continental US, please participate in this week's Random Dozen and leave a comment letting me know you'd like the aprons.

So, just so that we're clear, I'm drawing from the comments, but you have to participate in the meme to leave a comment this week only. OK? I'll announce the winner at a later date, but the drawing closes Friday, Feb. 12 at 11:59 pm. I will do my best to mail them Saturday, but we're buried in snow, so you may not receive them before the 14th.

Oh, one more thing--I have an adult large T-shirt to give away, as well, which says, "What is love?" on it with a reference to 1 John 3:16. It could be cute for either you or your hubby on Valentine's Day, although he may not be into wearing hearts in public. (Perhaps he will wear it just for you, though!)

Update

Status Update:

Still sick.
Still sick in bed.
Snow is deep.
Watched "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" & "Sleepless in Seattle" for the first time yesterday during the day.
Watched "The Bodyguard" for the first time last night.
Read Water for Elephants over the weekend.
Ate two pieces of chocolate cake between chicken noodle soup and an omelet.
Never saw my dog.
Lost my remote in the tangled covers at least 50 times.

That is all.

PS: Dog may also be lost in tangled covers.

The Promise of a New Day?

That is, I promise to get to that Valentine's giveaway as soon as I can remain upright for more than two minutes.

Oh, the "ugh" of it all. I believe this sometimes called, "The Creeping Crud" of head colds. I just want it to stay away from the lungs, that's all, because the chest already hurts, and I am a whimpy baby who cannot handle that well.

Having said that, many of you will remember my friend, Diane, who is still battling cancer, which includes a daily draining of 300ml of fluid from around her lungs. She also endures 5 days of hours-long chemo each week and will need to do that the rest of her life. She lives in CONSTANT pain and cherishes every breath even though every breath hurts. I am so humbled to know her!

Funny how even a little twinge of pain can give you more compassion. It is almost too much for me to think about. Love you, Diane!

OK--so if I feel better this afternoon, or def. by tomorrow morning, I'll post the pics. Sorry I'm not more organized about this; the longer I live, the more I'm understanding and acceping the maxim, "Life is messy."

Especially inside a Puffs Plus tissue on my bed, which you are sitting right next to now, thanks to the laptop.

Welcome to the ward. Where we snack on Benadryl, imbibe on Nyquil, and the rat's nest of tangled hair on the backs of our heads grows gnarlier by the hour.

Catch ya later.

Chocolate Horses and Giveaways

Ohhhh, I'm not one to complain, but I need to complain. Because everyone knows when you're sick, if you complain it helps you feel better, which is very important, even if it makes everyone else around you feel worse.

It's a bad cold, the kind that is threatening my lungs.

So I don't have much energy or coherency, which might compromise the quality of this post. Now I know what will happen as a direct result of that remark: someone will inevitably say, "Great post, Lid; in fact, this is a step up from the lists you've been posting lately."

Even my closest IRL friends have been asking "What's up" concerning my posts of late. The answer is, "I'm not," as in "I'm not up to it." I'm a blogging slug. I should change that picture up in the header to a slug holding a cup of coffee.

Anyway, as we are wont to do when we are ill, I keep taking cat naps. Today I dreamed that I was playing horse racing on Facebook (don't ask) when I suddenly realized that all the little cartoon horses were dark brown. And then I realized, O happy day, that they were all made of chocolate. So I picked one up off of the computer screen and started to gulp him down when someone said, "You can't eat those. They have batteries inside; that's how they run across your screen."

Must be the Nyquil.

So I have a neat story to tell you and a giveaway to do for Valentine's Day, but I'll wait until I feel better. In the meantime, I'll be watching TCM and hankering for chocolate horses. Maybe National Velvet will be on.

My Answers

The first 6 come from Kelley at I Didn’t Know That! Thanks so much, Kelley! And can you please help us out with #4???

1. Do you use the labels various charities send you as “free gifts?”

No, I don't. I would feel too guilty. And it concerns me that charities have to work this angle for support.

2. What is your favorite time of day (or night) for skywatching?

Mid-day. Of all the beautiful natural phenomena in this world, the sky is my favorite. Some like the ocean, or the desert or the mountains, but I love the sky. When I run, I actually spend quite a bit of time looking at the clouds and eternal expanse, and my heart just fills up and spills over with praise. That blue is just beyond description.

3. What is the most adventurous you've ever been with trying a new food? (Keep it G-rated please)

Not very. I have never even had sushi. Let's be real. I was born and bred in the corn belt. Which means corn = air. Everything else is kind of ... weird.

4. Have you ever heard a rock sing? (Trust me, there's a reason for this one!)

No, ma'am, I have not. And I now I know your reference. Very clever.

5. If you could learn a language you don't presently speak, what would it be?

French. I took three years in high school. Loved it since I was a little girl. I think Spanish would be more useful, but "Ou es le musee" rocks. ("Where is the museum?")

6. Al Capone's tombstone read, “My Jesus, Mercy.” If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?

"You think you lost your mom
Well I saw her yesterday
It's you she's thinking of
And she told me what to say
She said she loves you
And you know that can't be bad
She said she loves you,
And you know you should be glad, Wooooo."

Yeah, I think that's the ticket. Might be kind of pricey on a tombstone, but it works for me.

7. If you were a famous musician who was known by one name, like “Cher,” “Sting,” or “Jewel,” what would it be? It doesn’t have to be your first name, but it can be, if you’d like.

"Lid?"

8. Have you ever been inordinately “into” a television show?

Ha ha, Lid. Duh. LOST. That's the only one. Unless you count the Luke and Laura saga on General Hospital circa 1980. Now THAT was a story line!

9. When you sneeze, do you go big, or do you do that weird “heenh!” sound that makes people think you’re going to blow your brains out? Any other variation we should know about?

Go big or go home, Baby. When you have severe allergies, there is no holding back. You will blow your brains out. Funny historical fact: I dated a boy once who was a very large athlete. Wrestler, football player. When he sneezed, he had the most pitiful little girly "heenh" you've ever heard. And then his allergic girlfriend would cut loose with a gale force sneeze that left him with the most bewildered look on his face. That's how I roll.

10. Do you still read an actual newspaper that you hold in your hands, or do you get your news elsewhere?

I prefer to hold the newspaper in my hands, but I rarely buy one. When my column is in, I buy one and clip it for a scrapbook. Otherwise, I look on line or watch TV.

11. Are you a good speller?

The best. When I was in 4th grade, I beat out everyone in the school to win the bee. I also won in middle school. Then as an adult, one of my claims to fame is that everyone in my office uses me as a dictionary. HOWEVER, now that I have hit and passed the mid 40's my magic is slipping. For me to stop and think how to spell a word is like suddenly finding yourself walking backwards. Lately I've been feeling that out of whack with my spelling. But I passed the mantle to my eldest daughter. But oh, how I do love words.

12. At what time each day do you start thinking about Lost lunch?

Lunch, I start thinking about 11:00 or 11:30 because I usually have a protein bar at noon. If I forget, by noon the tummy is yelling, "HEY. A BAR. NOW!" And I obey. Lost keeps drifting in and out of my mind. Tuesday night was awesome!