A Meme Without a Theme...Random Dozen No. Cinco

Welcome to this week's Random Dozen! Lid's posted some great questions, so come along!

1. On an average, how often do you splurge and buy something for yourself?

Very, very rarely. Like I couldn't even put a pattern to it.

2. Are you more like Hall or Oates? Just kidding. Real question: What is the last creative project you began/finished? Feel free to post a pic of it.

Lil'bit's fifth birthday cake...a Wow! Wow! Wubbzy cake! If you don't have a preschooler at home and you have NO idea who Wubbzy is, that's okay. Believe me, I wouldn't either if I didn't have my little man watching him.


3. OK, Goldie Locks, do you consider your house too big, too little or juuuust right?

I would love it if we could expand this house juuuuust a bit. DH has some great ideas; we're just getting into position for it. :-)

4. What is your favorite outdoor chore?

Gathering vegetables from the garden (when we have one); otherwise, trimming the hedges. I feel like a sculptor.

5. If you knew that cigarette smoking was not bad for your health but would be a weight loss tool, would you use it? Why or why not?

No, it STINKS.

6. On a road trip, would you rather drive or ride?

For some reason, I want to put the lyrics to "Born to be Wild" here.

I'd much rather ride.

Although one of my favorite road trips was one where I drove my MIL and chil'ren up to Tennessee to see the mountains between here and there. The goal: to hit FIVE states in ONE day (Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, N. & S. Carolina).

The reason it was so fun was actually because I was driving, because the way my MIL copes with fear and nervousness is to make herself (and me) laugh! Now, before you get all "oooo, Chel's a bad driver" on me, it wasn't my driving that was turning her into a stand-up comic, it was the seemingly 1,000 ft. drop off the side of the mountain road that didn't even have a shoulder as a buffer, let alone a guard rail!

Although, one time we did see a guard rail that was literally a zig-zag, and to the right, and down, of us was a very far away dam. She had me laughing so hard I had to stop the car in the middle of the road! Good times.

But that was the only exception to the I'd-rather-ride answer.

7. What do you consider a trivial pursuit?

Material things.

8. This weekend, we downloaded the movie "Duplicity" with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Within 5 minutes, I was bored and annoyed, but I kept watching 5-10 minutes at a time hoping it would get better between small chores. I finally gave up and Jorge watched it alone, and then regretted wasting that time because he disliked it intensely, too. So ... how long do you watch a movie or read a book before giving up on it?

Unless a movie is vile in some way, I will usually stick with it to the bitter end. I don't want to offer my opinion about a movie if I didn't tolerate the whole thing (because if it's bad, I feel responsible to warn others about it). However, if I feel like I need to go get a shower because I can't deal with the grime the movie leaves me with, then I will turn it off waaaayyyy before then.

As for a book, I love reading, but my TIME for reading is at a premium, so if it doesn't hold my attention, I'll quickly move on to something where I feel like I get more bang for my buck, so to speak.

9. Is there a song that you really love but are embarrassed to admit because it's not cool or it's racy or because it's by Hall and Oates?

I honestly can't think of anything that I love but I'm embarrassed to admit. Oh wait, I still love the Monkees songs. I was part of that second generation of teeny-boppers in the 80's who were in love with 40+ year olds who were in their 20's...20 years prior. Mine is a sick generation. But if I'm honest, I still love those shows, and consequently, those songs.

10. On a scale of 1-10 (10 = extremely) how spontaneous are you?

I'm gonna give myself a 5; I'm fairly predictable, but there was the time that DH called from work and said he had to deliver a piece of equipment to a plant in Ohio and he was leaving in an hour...and I had all three boys and myself packed and ready to go with him!

11. Are you a food and/or beverage snob?

The only food I'm kind of a snob about is homemade desserts as opposed to store-bought desserts. I guess that's kind of snobby.

12. Who/What are you trying to control in your life?

DH and I are both trying to (and we will succeed!) take control of our budget and money...we are currently going through the "Financial Peace" program by Dave Ramsey at our church. It is most empowering and motivating, to say the least! It's all about making your money work for you. I am excited to see the effect of "making our money behave." :-)

Well there you have it! Hope you enjoyed another week of the Random Dozen...stop by Linda's 2nd Cup for dozens more!