X Is For Not A Xylophone

These last three letters might just send me over the edge. Let's get to it...

Day 24-X is for boXes 

Listen. This is totally fine. Three tough letters remain and one does what one must to meet the challenge deadline. 

My theme for this A-Z Blog Challenge has been The Things We Keep: Ordinary Objects from A-Z and when I think about the things I keep I think pictures. Ironically, there won't be pictures in this post today because I'm eXhausted, and getting this one written just under the wire. 

While I don't have nearly as many recent photos printed as I do old photos, I still have plenty of both. Some are in scrapbooks, some in frames, most though are in boxes. Now in my defense some of the boxes are actual photo boxes and they're organized with the pictures filed by year. Some are slightly disorganized boxes containing photo albums which I suppose are organized in a sense but still need to be dealt with, and some are shoeboxes filled with an 'I'll get to that later' sort of filing system. 

Hubs and I started cleaning out the attic this winter and it's in pretty good shape at the moment. But there are three large boxes filled with what I've just described and I'm determined to get to them before summer rolls around in roughly 55 days. 

Plenty of time, no? 

So tell me, do you own a real camera or do you take pictures strictly with your phone? Do you print those pictures regularly and if so, now what? Also, how do you organize the photos on your phone? 

I have a hard time letting go of pictures I've snapped. I have plenty that aren't great, yet they still mark a moment in time I want to remember. My mother-in-law used to have an end table whose drawer was filled with the most random assortment of photographs you ever did see, and you couldn't help but rifle through it every time you were there. 

I want a drawer like that. 

Monthly Musings-February

It's the last Thursday of the month which means it's time for our Monthly Musings hosted by Patty (Good-Better-Best Life Blog). This month's topic is:  ways we make our weeks easier. 

Easier. Hmmm. Is life in retirement hard? 

No, not really. But also yes sort of. This season is much like every other season of our lives, except there's a lot more health related stuff and a lot less 8th grade algebra homework to stress you out.

No we're not running out the door early morning with kids in tow heading to high pressure jobs and juggling all the balls in between. But it's also not all late morning lattes wondering what in the world you're going to do today. 

I mean to be honest some days it is that, but mostly life in every season means dealing with things both large and small that vary in weight and importance. There's still laundry (a surprisingly lot of it for two people not working!), still meals to plan, shop for, and cook, still all the mundane household tasks, car repairs, taxes to file, blah blah blah. The kids may be grown and flown, but there are now aging parents to worry over. 

Also...about those grown children? They now have children of their own which adds a wonderful, lively takes- you-back-to-your-own-early-days-of-parenting sort of vibe to your days, and all that to say life is still plenty busy. It's just a different kind of busy. 

1. Paper planner, digital calendar, or other option. 

Don't come at me, but I use both paper and digital. I know,  I know... I should choose, but y'all I just cannot give up my paper planner. When I make an appointment or we have plans, travel, whatever, I do add it all to the digital version, but I update that paper planner regularly too. 

Digital might be handy, but it's not pretty and doesn't give you the same sort of satisfaction holding an actual product in your hand does. 

2. Meal planning, meal prep, or wing it. 

I plan meals, weekly for the most part. We're always up for spontaneous dinners out with friends, but I  still need to have a rough menu for the week. I would find not having a plan to be unnecessarily stressful. 

I can cook so if I need to wing it I will, but that is so rare. I make a menu for. the week, shop for ingredients, and for the most part stick pretty closely to that menu. 

3. Do you choose your outfit the night before? 

Nope. If I have an appointment, or we have church the next day, then yes I think ahead of time about what I'll wear, but life is super casual on the lake so dressing doesn't require a lot of planning. Swim suit-check. Cover up-check. Let's go. 

4. Tips for managing laundry and ironing. 

Throw a load in first thing in the morning and follow it through all the way to the putting away part of the job. Don't let laundry get away from you. 

Here's my tip for ironing-marry a man who excels at ironing. Works for me. 

5. Grocery shop in store or online. 

In store. Hubs likes to say I need to handle every single piece of produce before choosing the exact right one, and he's not wrong. For the most part I don't mind grocery shopping. 

6. Best tips for getting out the door in the morning without the chaos. 

Retire lol. 

7. Share your easiest dinners for crazy weeks. 

Tacos, breakfast for dinner, rotisserie chicken with some rice and veggies on the side, pasta sauce that's been frozen in batches to pull out when you're too exhausted to cook. Same with soups, chilis and stew. Make enough for two meals,  eat one when you make it and freeze the other. 

8. Best tips to keep your house organized during the week. 

Having grown kids certainly helps. Course then they have kids of their own and when they bring them to Nana's house all bets are off. 

9. Share your easiest breakfast. 

I make hard boiled eggs and keep those in the frig for an easy grab and go early morning protein.  I always have fruit and yogurt in the house. 

10. Share your best overall tip not covered. 

Set a timer for ten minutes and do a speed clean/pick up of an area that's making you twitch. 

Don't go to bed with dishes in the sink or crumbs on the counter. You might hate the idea of doing one more thing, but waking up to a sink full of dishes is a sad way to begin a new day. 

Prioritize sanity over perfection. 

You're doing great! 

Happy New You!

That's how we say it in our house. Happy new YOU! When our oldest grandson was two years old this was how he greeted the new year, and we still love it. 

So will it be a new me, or the same old me in 2026? I'm hoping for a slightly improved version, but I suppose I'm the one who will need to make that happen, so the answer is still up in the air. 

We put a boatload of expectation on the turning of a calendar page, don't we? 

Before we move forward let's look back at the week that was. Monday around 5 hubs had a thought about whether or not his passport was expiring this year or next so he went to check. He returned shortly and asked, 'Where's my passport?' 

I don't know. I mean we keep them locked up always in the same place, but when he went to check it wasn't there. So we backtracked in our thinking trying to remember when the last time was that he flew, until I remembered we had taken the passports (and every single identifying piece of information we own including our birth certificates and our marriage license) to the DMV in August when we went for our Real ID. 

Hmmm...so what did I do with them? I mean we both knew I'd been the one carrying the bag and hubs kept his cool but y'all it was a problem. A PROBLEM!! 

We knew they'd been in a tote bag and we spent the next couple of hours turning our house upside down looking for that bag in obvious and ridiculous places both, because at this point I figured I must have put it somewhere that made no sense. 

We had gone to breakfast after the DMV and even though it was all the way back in August I still phoned the restaurant and the sweet hostess went and looked in their office and under the counter and anywhere she could think of which I appreciated. I knew I hadn't left it there because I'm kind of paranoid about this sort of thing, although apparently not paranoid enough to put it all back in the spot we have for important documents. 

At some point I got on the computer and asked what to do and the internet very helpfully laid it out for me.  I went ahead and ordered a copy of my birth certificate and our marriage license because those things were easy. Hubs birth certificate would be another story, because he was born outside the US in a military hospital that no longer exists. Whoo boy. 

We finally went to bed. Hubs said we'd figure it out and let's just go to bed and see it with fresh eyes in the morning. Neither of us slept much, and when I got up he was already on the phone trying to sort out his paperwork dilemma. We both were sure the bag was somewhere in the house as opposed to truly lost or stolen, but we couldn't think of any other place to look. I decided to go look once more in one of the places I'd already looked three or four times, but this time I methodically took each thing out of the space, and hallelujah! there it was.  

Honestly I felt like I had a little PTSD from the whole experience. I know this experience falls under the heading of first world problems, but it was a problem nonetheless.

Tuesday was nice. I piddled around the house, made a big pot of lemon chicken orzo soup, caught up on blogs, and played Mah Jong with some neighbors. 

On the last day of the year (Wednesday) we went for a walk. It was cool but not windy and the sky was so blue. Some of us chased chipmunks...

we smiled at the cherry tree beginning to bloom-

...and we spent the afternoon watching football. I made a Mexican style spinach dip to take to the next door neighbors that evening. They invited us, along with another couple, to ring in the new year with dinner and cards.  

It was fun and we didn't have to drive anywhere which I consider a win on NY Eve. 

We haven't taken down a single decoration yet and I'm not mad about it. We're relaxing and enjoying sitting by the tree still, so probably won't worry about it until next week. 

On the first day of this brand new year we took another walk and watched a lot more football.  'Tis still the season. I blogged a little , and we made a semi-traditional meal for dinner. Hubs grilled pork chops and made black eyed peas and I made cornbread and cooked cabbage to go with. Technically you're supposed to eat greens and I often do spinach, but I had a head of cabbage in the frig I wanted to use so we made it work. 

If you don't know what I'm talking about you might not live in the south. 

I played around with a winter bucket list and also took a look back at fall to see how I did. Remember fall? I kept my want-to-do's back then pretty simple-

Not sure why I made a list of the odd 11, but of the 11 I checked off eight. I didn't get my photo book made, I didn't memorize three verses (although I did memorize one) and I didn't make soup in my pumpkin tureens. I will definitely get the book made this winter, there were too many other holiday related tasks to be done this fall for me to spend a lot of time making a book. I'm not fast. 

Hubs and I tackled the attic but there's still more to be done there and we'll continue working on that job this winter. Good times. 

Moving forward into the new year, new season with a new list which I'll post soon. It's a work in progress. Like me. I hope your new year is happy and bright. 

Merry 2026! 

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 547

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with the universe. See you there! 

1. What's a skill you think everyone should have? 

2. Do you have a special place or organizational system for gift wrapping? Do you still buy 'real' cards to send for birthdays, anniversaries, get-well, etc? 

3. It's National Banana Day...are you a fan? What's your favorite thing to make with bananas or, if you're not a cook, your favorite thing to eat that contains banana? 

4. Do you believe in second chances? Elaborate. 

5. What is your idea of fun? 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Catchin' A Hodgepodge Wave

Welcome to another week in the Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions add your link at the end of my post then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go-

1. Do you like the beach? How far do you have to drive to get to the nearest beach? Your least favorite thing about the beach? Last beach trip you took? 

I do like the beach. How far do I have to drive to get to the nearest beach? I guess it depends on how you define beach. We live on a lake and there are lots of little islands in the lake, many of which have beaches. These beaches are small but they're sandy and we often anchor our boat off one of these islands and set up chairs and hang out. 

I'm in South Carolina where 'real' beaches abound so only about three hours to one of those. My least favorite thing about the beach is leaving lol. As far as our last beach trip...when our grandsons were here a couple of weeks ago we spent a morning on one of the island beaches. But if we're talking big beaches then it was the week before Covid shut everything down-March 2019. We'd gone to Florida to visit friends. 

On the bright side, we have a little beach getaway planned with Daughter1 and her family coming up soon. 

2. Are you known for making waves or are you more of a 'go along to get along' kind of person? Explain.

I am a go along to get along kind of person for the most part. I'm not going to get into an argument with a stranger on the internet over political points but I will make (gentle) waves in real life if those waves will turn the tide for the better in some way. 

I don't think social media is where tides are turned. The water there only gets choppier. 

3. A favorite song that in some way references the beach? A favorite book and/or movie with a beach-y setting? 

I love what is (or was?) called 'beach music' and a lot of that music references summertime, the ocean, etc. Summertime's Callin' Me by The Catalinas is one of my favorites. 

Don Henley's The Boys of Summer is not beach music per se, but it's a beach setting and it's another favorite. 

Movie-Jaws

Favorite book-The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy. 

4.Tuesday is National Simplicity Day...what's a simple pleasure you've enjoyed this week? What's something you could eliminate from your life to make things simpler? 

Just returned from getting my hair cut, one of life's best simple pleasures. 

I'm in the process of cleaning out my closet and have taken several bags of clothes and shoes to a donation point in the past week. It was overdue. Cleaning out my closet makes my whole life feel less messy. 

5. What's something you love to do? Do you do it often? Why or why not? 

Write. I do it as often as I can. Sometimes life gets in the way but I try to leave room, if not daily then at least weekly, to write something. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Greetings from the Carolina Coast and my almost three year old self, taken just a few decades ago...

If I didn't know this was me I'd swear it was my second born baby girl. 

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Chill Out

January is a funny month, it's long but it's not my least favorite month in the year. The month of March often feels like ten Januarys and consequently is the month I most want a little getaway. Back to January... I think there's pressure to be productive this month. To look at the blank page before us and feel a surge of enthusiasm for cleaning, organizing, and embracing that out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new mentality in every area of one's life.  

Impossible to maintain for the next eleven months, but in January we are ever hopeful. 

Since I'm mid-office redo I've been forced to go through all my files and accumulated stacks and do some shredding and re-organizing. It feels good to thin the paper piles and start fresh. Hubs doesn't understand why there are still so many piles (there aren't!) but everything has to be looked at before it can be discarded. 

Because our project here required carpentry, painting, construction, and sanding there is mucho dust on every wall and surface. What better time for a whole house vacuum than January? Hubs likes to vacuum so even better. 

Painters left yesterday and their piece of the project is done. Next up is the electrician who will install lights in the stairs. Hopefully. We finally have the lights in hand and now just need to know where we land on his calendar. 

The lights probably should have gone in first,  but we weren’t sure we were ever going to get them so plan B. He thinks we can make it work this way too, 'since there's access'. 

Whatever that means? I'm more of a call me when it's all done kind of home improvement person, which works for us because hubs is the opposite and likes to drill down to the nth detail. Somebody needs to, right? 

Let's talk books.

I read more in January. Well in regular-ordinary years I read more in January. I don't know about you but I feel like my sense of concentration suffered during the 'Covid years' and it's just now getting back to what it was last century. 

My neighborhood book club just finished this month's selection-The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan. A mostly pleasant read in spite of its WW2 setting. The plot centers around a cooking show that taught British homemakers how to make the most of their rations.That part of the storyline is true, but the contest added to the novel is complete fiction. 

There were lots of recipes sprinkled throughout the book and I made two of them for our get together on Tuesday-fruit scones and an apple honey cake. I did not make the sheep's head pie or the sardine rolls mentioned, and I also skipped the spam and game pie for reasons I don't need to explain. 

A friend loaned me my current read, The Winemaker's Wife, a novel by Kristen Harmel, plus I've started next month's book club book- Becoming Mrs. Lewis, a fictional account of the relationship between  C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman.

Lots of books to make January feel less January. 

I've also signed up for the Lifetime of Reading Challenge on Facebook (you'll find it on the Book Girl's Guide page), with a theme this year of different decades. This means we'll read a wide range of books featuring main characters of different age ranges. Sounds interesting and you can choose your own book or read one of their suggestions. 

I've chosen one of theirs for January, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith, which is actually a re-read for me. This was one of my favorite books as a young girl and I've wanted to re-read it for ages. January seems like a good time. 

If books aren't your thing, how about puzzles? I was given three puzzles for Christmas and hubs is helping with the first one. It's the University of Tennessee stadium on football Saturday, and you know what that means? It means the whole puzzle is orange and white. Yikes! I told hubs he has to help because his sister gave it to us. We're making progress and if we ever get it together we might frame this one to hang in the pool room. 

If books aren't your thing and puzzles aren't your thing how about TV? We might be the last people to the party, but we're finally watching The Sopranos. We're only in to Season 2, and it's definitely gritty so not for everyone, but we're hooked. I grew up in NJ and hubs and I lived there twice during our married life so we're loving the backdrop. 

Books, puzzles, TV binging, home improvement and icy temps. That about sums up January. We have snow in the weekend forecast which seems ridiculous because we rarely get snow, but apparently we are getting a little snow. Hubs would be happy to never see another flake, but I miss an occasional snowfall so hoping the weather forecaster is correct. They're wrong sometimes ya know-ha! 

Happy Januarying to you all! 

Hodgepodge Hoarding

Thanks for stopping by today, and welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge! If you've answered this week's questions, add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the person linking before you. It's the neighborly thing to do here on a Wednesday. Let's dive in-

1. May 17th is National Pack Rat Day. Sidebar-should we be celebrating this? Hmmm...

Are you a pack rat? Even if you're not a full fledged pack rat, most people have one thing or another they struggle to part with. Tell us what's yours.

I'm not a pack rat, but there are things I have trouble parting with. I probably could be more of a rat, but hubs likes everything pared down and clutter free, so he keeps me in check. What do I hang on to? Books, photographs, text messages, cards and notes I've been sent that mean something to me...not a lot really. At the moment hubs would say furniture because our extra garage bay is full of it, but in my defense some of that will be going to my daughter, just not immediately. It's not pack-ratting, it's storage.  

2. What are two things you know you should know how to do, but you don't?

Tie the knot hubs has shown me seventeen times and pull a water skier. I don't know if I really want to learn the latter, but hubs wants me to learn so I can pull him behind the boat. I think I'm better suited to being that person on the boat who frantically shouts when the skier falls and then wears an anxious look on her face until the downed skier is collected. Every boat needs one. 

Also, I'm going to tell you that I probably will learn to confidently drive the boat with a water skiier in tow because hubs will teach me, and encourage me, and challenge me and I will accept the challenge. And in all likliehood I will end up loving it because that's kinda how I roll when it comes to trying something new.  Resist, then embrace. It's my superpower. 

3. Do you crave sugar? Do you add sugar to your coffee and/or tea? Do you use artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes? When dining out is dessert a given? Are you someone who has slain the sugar dragon, and if so tell us how you did it.

Do I crave sugar? I don't think so, my cravings lean more towards the salty side of life. I have not eliminated sugar from my diet, but I don't think I go overboard either. I don't drink soda, and never put sugar in my coffee or hot tea. Occasionally I'll drink a sweet tea, but I don't like it overly sweet and so many of the restaurant varieties are so sweet they make my teeth ache. I don't use artificial sweeteners, but I have been known to check the dessert side of a menu before deciding on an entree when we're dining out. 

I don't snack on sweets at home, and I don't make dessert unless we have company, but I do love a good dessert. If we're in a restaurant that makes a good dessert I'm going to order something to share with hubs. 

4. What's a trend it took a while for you to come round to, but now you can't imagine living without?

Pretty much anything technology related.  I LOVE texting, but I remember being reluctant early on. Did you read my answer to #2? 

5. What's a song that reminds you of a specific incident in your life? Please elaborate.

This is hard, because when I thought about how to answer I felt like songs remind me more of a time in my life as opposed to a specific incident. There's probably many, but I'll go with Little Darlin' by Poco. I listened to that song while I was in labor with my first born, and when I hear it I think of those first few hours and weeks with her. 

I feel certain some of you need educating, and you can listen here. 

I don't really know why that became THE song, but I do know we loved the whole album (Legend) and wore it out. Remember how exciting it was to get an album and love every single song on it? Well this was one of those.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Do you feed the hummingbirds where you live? We've always had a feeder, and love watching these amazing little creatures up close. We put a feeder on the kitchen window and waited a few days, but no birds. I knew we needed something bright to attract them, so on Saturday hubs and I bought a gorgeous bright red mandevilla. 

You can't see the feeder, but you can see the plant.
And my sweet girl. 

Anyway, we set it on the deck near the feeder, and about five minutes later there came the hummingbirds. Talk about something that craves sugar-ha! We make our own sugar water and don't add any red food coloring to it, as we read that wasn't good for the birds. The feeder itself has a red base, so that helps. 

Happy Wednesday Everyone! 

From The Hodgepodge Desk

Welcome to the new and improved Wednesday Hodgepodge! Less questions, more fun! For me anyway. teehee Thanks for playing along today. If you've answered the questions add your link at the end of my post, then go say howdy to your neighbor. Here we go-

1. Share a favorite memory of your mother or share a favorite something from your own life as a mother. If you're a mother (or stepmom) tell us how your experience as a mom differs from your own mother's experience.

My most favorite memory of my own mom is sitting snuggled up beside her on the living room couch, my little sister snuggled up on the other side, as we listened to her read aloud. Books feature large in my childhood, as does my mother's sure love.  

I also have very vivid memories of her sitting with my sister and I to cut out paper dolls. My mom is artistic and was always so careful to cut them just so, never taking off a tab that would have to be taped on later. I always wanted to take great care with mine the way she did hers, but usually became impatient and lopped off the tabs. My mom would always fix them for me though. She could make any little wrong right.  Happy Mother's Day Mom! I got the best one. 

2. In May we celebrate teachers (May 9) and nurses (May 6) both. Most every family has at least one in their midst, so tell us something (or a few things) you appreciate about the teacher or nurse on your family tree.

My daughter2 is a teacher and easy to appreciate. That's her on the right in this photo, waaaay back in July, hard at work setting up her new classroom. She moved from third grade to kindergarten this year, which in teacher speak is the equivalent of starting from scratch. Her sister was in town visiting so we went over and helped her cut, hang, and sort. 

Also, teachers have summers off, right? 

This girl always wanted to be a teacher, and as far back as I can remember she set this goal for herself and worked hard to make it happen. Teaching comes naturally to her. She loves children, words, books, and being in charge. Ha! Her mother's daughter for certain! She is organized, creative, hard working, dependable, patient, and funny. She has high expectations but knows all children cannot be put in the same box. She has a mega watt smile that can light up a classroom, a dark day, or a life. I know it's lit up mine. 

It's easy for teachers to feel under appreciated and discouraged these days, but I pray she continues to use her gift for a long while.

3. Chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad...which would you go for if all three were on the menu? On bread or a bed of lettuce? If you answered bread, what kind of bread would make it the perfect sandwich?

These are three of my favorites, and on any given day I could choose any of them. I like chicken salad fixed a variety of ways, but it must be white meat only and either small bites or shredded, no big chunks. The egg salad needs plenty of mayo and the tuna salad too. And as much as I love tuna I really do need to be in the mood for that one, so how about we go with egg salad on rye and put an end to all the overthinking? 

4. Do you have a desk? Is it organized? If so, share your secret to keeping it that way. If you don't have a desk, where in your home do you take care of family paperwork and business? Where do you normally sit to blog?

I do have a desk and it's mostly organized. 
Can you be partly organized? Is that a thing? 

It's totally a thing. I need to go through my files and purge, which is something I haven't done since the move so in that sense it's not perfectly organized. Everything is filed, I just need to weed out some of last year's paper, so let's say I'm semi-organized. 

I keep bills to be paid in one spot, file receipts as I go, have pen-stapler-paper clips-scissors within arm's reach and my calendar handy for easy reference. Also, the paper shredder sits just behind the desk, and if I'm offering an organizational tip that would be it-keep a working shredder within reach and use it often. Don't let paper accumulate. 

I like to write on the desktop as opposed to a smaller device, so almost always blog from the office. This room is tucked away in a far corner of the house so it's quiet, and I like quiet for thinking and writing. Given it's location (below and behind our screened porch) we didn't expect to have much of a a view from this room, but...

Alternately inspiring and distracting. 

5. When I was nine years old....

I had long hair and skinny legs. I loved to read and still played with paperdolls and my sister. I liked to swim, ride my bike, and roller skate. 

I was in the fourth grade and loved my teacher, mostly because she was pretty. My dad returned from Vietnam and Okinawa that year, and he visited my class to talk and share pictures (slides). I remember being slightly disappointed he didn't wear his uniform, but so proud he was there. 

That's me on the right and my little sister on the left, front and center which was her modus operandi back in the day. We're wearing silk p.j.s my dad sent from Okinawa. 

My siblings and I all remember the day that same year, he took us to the circus and bought us every edible treat we asked for. This was soooo unlike my dad, which is probably why that day stands out in all of our memories as a favorite from childhood.  

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I think I finally have one fireplace mantle to the point I can quit fussing with it. 

This fireplace is in my keeping room, an extension of my kitchen.  I love all things French and already owned the Epernay sign, but I was excited to find these jars in an antique/home decorating shop just a couple of weeks ago.  




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Hodgpodge Questions-Volume 307

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. I'm going to try a 5-question format this week. Several of you said you felt seven was too time consuming on a regular basis anyway so let's see how this goes. Rest assured there will always be one to make you think, because what fun is the Hodgepodge if every answer comes quickly and easily?

1. Share a favorite memory of your mother or share a favorite something from your own life as a mother. If you're a mother (or stepmom) tell us how your experience as a mom differs from your own mother's experience.

2. In May we celebrate teachers (May 9) and nurses (May 6) both. Most every family has at least one in their midst, so tell us something (or a few things) you appreciate about the teacher or nurse on your family tree.

3. Chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad...which would you go for if all three were on the menu? On bread or a bed of lettuce? If you answered bread, what kind of bread would make it the perfect sandwich?

4. Do you have a desk? Is it organized? If so, share your secret to keeping it that way. If you don't have a desk, where in your home do you take care of family paperwork and business? Where do you normally sit to blog?

5. When I was nine years old....

6. Insert your own random thought here.