I SO need a Friday!

Sharathon 2006 is over, and I'm EXHAUSTED. So rather than come up with anything meaningful myself, I'll refer you to some other bloggers, how 'bout it?

...Pecadillo of I Drank What? and Pyromaniacs made me laugh with this and this today.

...Dena Dyer of Amazing Grace-land doesn't waste any words in giving us her reviews of recent family movies.

...Debra of As I See It Now and I share a love of houses; here she takes a look at how houses are described in books. Cool.

...Rodney Olsen of The Journey wonders if it's no longer considered rude to chat during performances. If he didn't get the memo, neither did I!

Happy Friday, everyone!

13 Things About My Family

1. My husband Doug is a gifted teacher and administrator.
2. My husband sounds like Gene Kelly when he sings.
3. My daughter Elizabeth plays the guitar beautifully.
4. My son Jonathan and his wife Daylyn are going to be parents--their son due to arrive in February!
5. My daughter-in-law, Daylyn, plays the harp like an angel.
6. My son Justin loves to play golf, and I hear he's pretty good.
7. My daughter Elizabeth can do impressions--for example, she does a great Christopher Walken!
8. My husband Doug hates to fly. OK, make that he WON'T fly.
9. My son Jonathan has very naturally curly hair, just like me.
10. My husband and sons are huge Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears fans.
11. My son Justin has the cutest dimples.
12. My sons are both good in math--something they did NOT get from me.
13. My children, like me, all love music passionately and couldn't get through a day without it.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

We're streaming live!

Yep, you can now listen to 101QFL wherever you are. If you are online, you can listen live!

If you listen right now, what you'll hear won't be typical. Right now, we're in the middle of our three-day Sharathon fundraiser, in which we ask listeners to call in and pledge donations. On Friday, September 29th, we'll be back to our regular programming.

Give us a listen!

Monday Mania

Thoughts and observations on this gorgeous autumn day...

You are the devil and the devil is bad...

No, I'm not channeling The W's. :)

It seems Jerry Falwell is in hot water now, after telling the Values Voter Summit that (according to AP), "if Hillary Rodham Clinton is the Democrats' 2008 presidential nominee, it would motivate conservative Christians to oppose her more than if the devil himself were running."

This on the heels of Venezuelan President's Hugo Chavez notoriously referring to President Bush as the devil in a recent speech.

Falwell insists the remark was tongue-in-cheek and aimed at getting laughs, which it did.

Mel doesn't mince words...

Add Mel Gibson to the list of celebrities railing against the war in Iraq.

This from the guy who has never shied away from the realities of warfare in movies like Braveheart (which actually happens to be one of my favorites) and The Patriot.

Maybe it's just me, but Gibson's Apocalypto movie does not appeal to me at all.

On my nightstand right now...

Do you ever wonder how a gracious and loving God can allow suffering and tragedy? It's a question that has been asked for centuries, and there are no quick, easy answers.

However, a book that I'm currently reading delves deeply into such troubling questions.

It's unusual for me to read a nonfiction book; rarer still for me to tackle a theological book. But I was intrigued enough to read Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor, and I'll be interviewing Taylor for my radio interview show next week.

The book makes for deep but fascinating reading. During tragic times, both in my personal life and on the world scene, I've clung to the sovereignty of God...the knowledge that nothing takes Him by surprise, and that He has it all under control. But what scriptural basis is there for that belief?

The contributors to this book believe there is plenty of scriptural basis. Most of them have experienced tragedy in their own lives, such as paralyzation or the loss of a child. Yet they have emerged with their faith intact and even stronger.

What makes an Elie Wiesel go through the Holocaust and completely abandon his faith, while a Corrie Ten Boom comes through the same horrific tragedy still believing in and glorifying God?

From Crossway Books' website: "In Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, contributors John Piper, Joni Eareckson Tada, Steve Saint, Carl Ellis, David Powlison, Dustin Shramek, and Mark Talbot explore the many categories of God’s sovereignty as evidenced in his Word. They urge readers to look to Christ, even in suffering, to find the greatest confidence, deepest comfort, and sweetest fellowship they have ever known."

I'm not even halfway through it yet...I'm having to slow down and digest stronger meat than I usually ingest...but I have a feeling it will be well worth it.

Related Tags: Jerry Falwell, Hillary Rodham Clinton, The W's, Mel Gibson, Apocalypto, Iraq War, John Piper, Justin Taylor, faith, God's sovereignty, movies, entertainment, nonfiction, theology

Happy Friday!

I do the Friday Feast meme...

Join me, here or on your own blog, and go here to let them know you played!

Appetizer
Measured in minutes or hours, how much exercise have you had in the last week?--I'm so embarrassed (hanging my head in shame). 20 minutes. I did Winsor Pilates last night. But I promise I'll do better next week!

Soup
If you had to change your blog title to something else, what would it be?--Something with my name in the title...the way La Shawn Barber has La Shawn Barber's Corner.

Salad
Name one show you watched when you were 9-12 years old.--"That Girl," with Marlo Thomas. I just loved her personality, her clothes and the way she looked...I wanted to look just like her, and would have killed for her trademark "flip." (hairstyle, for those of you too young to remember it!)


Main Course
If someone gave you $50 to spend with the one condition that it had to be educational, what would you purchase?--Hmm...maybe a history book, or a CD to learn to speak Spanish or French.

Dessert
Do you tend to prefer dark colors, neutral shades, or lighter/pastel hues--I tend to prefer jewel tones--rich plums, burgundies, turquoises, purples. But I also like soft baby pink.

Have a blessed weekend, everyone!

Thirteen Grandparent-related things

With my grandmother, Imogene Garrett--I am the one with with the weird hair, standing far left--1967

1)The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is that they have a common enemy. ~Sam Levenson

2)Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting. ~Author Unknown

3) What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure. ~Gene Perret

4) Grandmothers are just "antique" little girls. ~Author Unknown

5) Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild. ~Welsh Proverb


6) A child needs a grandparent, anybody's grandparent, to grow a little more securely into an unfamiliar world. ~Charles and Ann Morse

7) What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies. ~Rudolph Giuliani


8) A house needs a grandma in it. ~Louisa May Alcott

9) Our grandchildren accept us for ourselves, without rebuke or effort to change us, as no one in our entire lives has ever done, not our parents, siblings, spouses, friends - and hardly ever our own grown children. ~Ruth Goode

10)A grandmother is a babysitter who watches the kids instead of the television. ~Author Unknown

11) When a child is born, so are grandmothers. ~Judith Levy


12) A grandchild will add a new dimension of love to your life. ~my mom, Cynthia Garrett

13) And a note from me: I found out yesterday that my first grandchild, to be born in February, IS A BOY!!!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Family-friendly movies?

That's what FoxFaith is promising
...Plus, the trailer for "The Last Sin Eater" movie

AP reports: "The home-video division of Twentieth Century Fox says it will acquire as many as a dozen family-friendly movies a year and market them to Christians under the FoxFaith banner.

"Fox has developed a network of 90-thousand churches to help market its FoxFaith films."

The report goes on to say that the first theatrical release will be "Love's Abiding Joy," based on the fourth installment in the Jeannette Oke book series.

According to another report: "The box office power of the faithful became more apparent this year with The Chronicles of Narnia. Other studios moved to cash in, with New Line Cinema scheduled to release The Nativity Story this December, and a forthcoming film version of Milton's Paradise Lost."

I like this idea very much. FoxHome Video Vice President Steve Feldstein is quoted as saying, "All of this programming is entertainment first. We're not in the business of proselytizing or preaching," and that's fine with me. Families need fun and entertainment, and there is a terrible dearth of the kind of movies that the entire family can gather 'round, break out the popcorn and enjoy together.

If this helps fill that need, and as long as FoxFaith respects the message and the spirit of the stories, I'm all for it.

Based on Christian novels?

One of my favorite authors, Angela Hunt, blogged about this yesterday and had some great comments. Angela reports that the movies will be based on Christian bestsellers, and again, terrific idea. I've read many Christian novels, including Angie's, and thought, "What a great movie this would make!"

A book by another of my favorite authors, Francine Rivers, has been made into a movie and is now in post-production. The Last Sin Eater was a very intriguing book, and hopefully it will make a terrific movie as well.

If you'd like to see a trailer for the movie, head over to The View from Her.

Related Tags: movies, entertainment, FoxFaith, faith, family, Francine Rivers, Jeannette Oke, Angela Hunt, The Last Sin Eater

I have pirate blood in my veins!

How much do you know about your ancestry?

Today is, believe it or not, Talk Like a Pirate Day. My co-host Darren Marlar and I had some fun with that on the radio today, especially after he found out that I am supposedly descended from the pirate Jean Lafitte.

I don't know--maybe a lot of people with families from South Louisiana claim to be descended from Jean Lafitte. Who knows, maybe they'd be right.

But, thanks to a distant cousin who actively researched the Garrett family history and an aunt who made sure to obtain said research, I do know a lot about my family background.

I know that the Garretts were Scots-Irish before immigrating to America, which likely means that they originated in Scotland and ended up in northern Ireland.

I know that my great grandfather, "Papa" Will Garrett, married a French-Spanish woman from southern Louisiana named Orelia DeSoto. And I know that Papa Will's mother was Irish, and her name was Emma Boyd.

So I know I have a very strong Celtic streak in my veins. It's even possible that my great grandfather on my mother's side, whose name was Charlie Carroll, may have been Irish-American. By the way, he was a Texas Ranger. How cool is that?

I know that all my life I've been irresistably drawn to all things Irish, and I can't think of any other reason than what some call "national memory"--that heredity and the Irish in my blood is still calling me home.

I also know that my grandfather on my mother's side was full-blooded Greek; his last name was Zarafonetis. Not a very common name. And I know that his parents came over from Greece, and I saw their names on a wall of immigrant's names at Ellis Island.

I'm sure that in many ways, I am the sum total of all the people whose genes were passed on to me.

Oh, and the only way I can explain that I have a Greek grandfather and a great-grandmother who was a DeSoto, and I am white as a sheet, is perhaps the strong Irish streak in my ancestry. You'd think I'd at least be able to get a decent tan!

My husband (whose grandparents immigrated from Sweden) is pretty much bored by all this talk of geneology, but I'm completely fascinated by it. I'd love to be able to go back in time (as long as I was guaranteed I could come back!) and talk with my ancestors and find out what life was like for them.

And I'd love to know if I really am related to Jean Lafitte, and if so, exactly how. Avast, me hearties! :)

How about you? Do you know anything about your ancestry? Do you care? Comments, please!

Related Tags: Talk Like a Pirate Day, pirates, Jean Lafitte, ancestry, geneology

Thanks so much for your feedback!

plus, new research on "vegetative states"...tossing out your spinach?...and I do the Monday Madness meme

Ladies, I can't thank you enough for your feedback to the survey I posted Friday. I had some terrific participation, and it's really going to help me prepare a report on what women are doing, buying, enjoying, etc. Look for this to pop up about once a month.

I did find that the e-mail responses were somehow easier to facilitate for my research purposes, so I may ask that you do that next time as opposed to answering it in the comments section.

Now, on to some assorted thoughts this Monday...

Some very interesting research on those "vegetative states"

From the Life Advocacy Resource Project's Briefing: "Dramatic findings by doctors in Britain studying brainwave responses of a comotose woman have some medical personnel rethinking the status of human beings who are unconscious and questioning the 'vegetative state' diagnosis which has doomed all too many to death-for-convenience.'

"A team of Cambridge University researches have published in the journal Science the results of their study of a wowan who was living is a 'persistent vegetative state' (PVS) that her 'brain responded to commands in the same brain centers and in the same way normally associated with consciousness,' reports Hilary White for LifeSiteNews.com.

"The woman's brain scans measured after verbal stimuli, such as asking her to imagine herself 'playing tennis or walking through her house,' reports LifeSite, matched those of 12 conscious volunteers upon the same promptings."

The story quotes lead researcher Dr. Adrian Owen as being "absolutely stunned" by the results.

Hmmm...does the name "Terri Schiavo" come to mind?

Have you thrown out your bagged spinach?

I stopped using bagged salads a few months ago, after one of my "Cindy Swanson, CyberSnoop" editions made me afraid of the possibility of e coli.

Interestingly enough, one of my favorite buys was bagged baby spinach, because it adds such interest and texture--not to mention health benefits--to an otherwise boring salad.

I loved the bagged salads, because they are SO convenient and actually economical for me--whereas a head of lettuce might go to waste in my refrigerator, the bagged salads got eaten.

In case you're interested, here's the (2 min. 9 sec.) CyberSnoop that talked about the dangers of bagged salads.

It's dated 6/8/06:



So how about you? Are you back to buying heads of lettuce yet?

And just for fun...Monday Madness!

1. How do you eat an oreo cookie? --Well, I don't unscrew 'em. My preferred method would be to dunk them in milk, but I almost never buy Oreos. I have what doctors call a little bit of a weight problem. :)

2. How long does it take you to eat lunch?--Not long enough. I'm trying to retrain myself to eat more slowly.


3. Caffeine or decaf?--Caffeine in the morning--my goodness, I'm a morning radio show co-host!!! But after noon, I try to limit or eliminate the caffeine. I've taken a shine to decaffeinated green tea for iced tea, and enjoy a cup of decaffeinated Constant Comment of an evening.

4. Chicken or beef?--I eat chicken most often, but enjoy beef in various forms. I plan to make beef stew this week.

5. Pen or pencil?--Oh, pen, definitely!!! I HATE pencils...I don't even do crosswords with pencils. And not just any pen, either. It has to feel just right. I favor the UniBall Vision Elite.

6. Autumn or spring?--It's a toss-up. I love autumn, but I also love an end to the long winter and everything coming to life again. Fortunately, autumn and spring are equally beautiful here in Northern Illinois.

7. Baseball or basketball?--Basketball! Much more fast-paced and exciting. But my husband would say baseball.

8. 'Survivor' or 'The Amazing Race?'--"Survivor," although it's been a while since I've watched it, and I think their dividing up the races thing is ridiculous.

9. Come up with one question I can ask our Monday Madness participants in the weeks to come. How about this one: "Lost," "24," or both? (I can't decide who I like most--Jack Shepherd or Jack Bauer!

Related Tags: PVS, Vegetative states, Terri Schiavo, spinach, e coli, Monday Madness

Ladies, would you help me out?

If you are a woman, I would GREATLY appreciate it if you would fill out the following questionnaire which I'll use as part of some research for my radio job. You can either copy-n-paste and answer the questions in my comments section, or e-mail your answers to me at cindy.swanson@gmail.com. THANKS so much!

***NOTE: *** For the multiple choice questions, bold-face or use asterisks for any item that applies. (There is no one answer--all of them or some of them may apply.)

Another NOTE: No names, e-mail addresses or the like will be used in my project, so don't worry about being contacted or singled out, etc. I simply need your answers.

1. How old are you?

a) 25 or younger
b) between 25 and 55
c) older than 55

2. How many chidren do you have, and what are their ages?

3. What activities will you be taking part in during October?
a) kids' sports activities
b) fall or Halloween parties or events
c) other ___________________________

4. What seasonal products will you be buying during October?

a) fall decorations for your home
b) seasonal or Halloween candy or snacks
c) Halloween costumes
d) other_____________________________

5. What seasonal clothing will you be buying in October, for yourself and/or members of your family?

a) coats or jackets
b) tights or warm socks
c) boots or other footwear
d) other____________________________________

6) Have you started Christmas shopping yet?

a) Yes
b) No

6) What kinds of things will you be cooking in October?

a) pumpkin bread or treats
b) soups or stews
c) chli
d) apple treats
e) other __________________________________-

7) Will you be doing anything in October aimed at winterizing your car and/or home?

a) Yes
b) No

8) What's your favorite household product right now?

9) What's your favorite beauty product right now?

10) What's your favorite magazine right now?

11) What kind of music do you listen to most?

12) Will you concern yourself with any elections this fall?

a) Yes
b) No
c) Somewhat

Thanks so much for your help! I'll probably run this again sometime next week, as I'm using it to help prepare a report for work and I need all the response I can get.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Thirteen Books I've Read Recently

Hey, I'm BAAAACK after being felled for several days with a sinus infection! Whilte home from work, I actually read three books (the first three on this list), and thought I'd post 13 books I've read in recent months. I'm providing links for the authors if you want to check them out.

1) The Brushstroke Legacy, by Lauraine Snelling

2) Straight Up, by Lisa Samson

3) The Wind Harp, by BJ Hoff

4) Mercy, by Jodi Picoult

5) Pawley's Island, by Dorothea Benton Frank

6) Tregaron's Daughter, by Madeleine Brent

7) The Long Masquerade, by Madeleine Brent

8) Uncharted, by Angela Hunt

9) The Novelist, by Angela Hunt

10) Rolling Thunder, by Mark Mynheir

11) From the Belly of the Dragon, by Mark Mynheir

12) The Preacher's Daughter, by Beverly Lewis

13) The Englisher, by Beverly Lewis


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My 9/11 Tribute to Jean Hoadley Peterson

I Remember Jean Hoadley Peterson

When I signed up recently to commemorate a 9/11 victim as part of the 2,996 project, I had no idea that the woman whose name was randomly given to me would have been a Christian--a woman who, just weeks before her death on Flight 93, said, "I don't know why, but I feel so ready to meet the Lord!"

Here I was thinking that I could somehow be a blessing by memorializing Jean Hoadley Peterson, but just reading about her has ended up blessing me.

Today I commemorate Jean Hoadley Peterson, who died along with her husband Don Peterson in the crash of Flight 93, the only terrorist-infiltrated flight on 9/11/2001 that didn't reach its intended target.

Her husband's Bible found

Several days ago I posted about the fact that I had been assigned Jean's name as part of the 2,996 project. I was amazed to get this response from Donna-Jean, a fellow blogger from New Jersey:

"Cindy, I know about Jean Hoadley Peterson. She and her husband Don were believers in Jesus Christ. They supported my uncle's evangelistic ministry here in New Jersey, that's how I first heard about them. They were very generous and supportive.

"Don and Jean were a retired couple, involved with Community Bible Study in their Jersey shore home; Don was a Teaching Director. They were the only married couple on Flight 93; they left behind six grown children and one grandchild.

"Don's dog-eared NIV Bible was one of two Bibles found at the crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In the Bible was his Community Bible Study lesson from Luke, with his answers written in."

She then referred me to this article about the Petersons, which includes a picture of Don's Bible. I encourage you to follow that link as well and learn more about Jean and her husband.

I was amazed. Out of all the names I could have been assigned, I was given the name of a fellow believer...a woman who, like me, believed in a hope beyond the grave. A woman who was a follower of Christ and a believer and lover of His Word.

So who was Jean Hoadley Peterson?

Jean was 55 years old when she died in the crash of Flight 93. She was a wife, a mom, a grandmother, a registered nurse.

According to the Wall of Americans website: "Mrs. Peterson was born in Evanston, Ill., and grew up in Lancaster, Pa. She received a nursing degree from the University of Rochester, and a master's degree in education from Columbia University. She, too, was deeply involved in church ministries and was a member of Community Bible Study in Spring Lake [New Jersey].

"'She did everything in a very quiet way, never expecting anything in return,' said her daughter, Jennifer Price. 'She was a devoted mother, and after we grew up she devoted her life to helping other people's children.'"

"The couple married in 1984 and are survived by six children. David, Hamilton and Royster Peterson, and Jennifer, Grace and Catherine Price.

"Mrs. Peterson is also survived by her parents, Walter and Virginia Hoadley; her brother, Richard Hoadley; and granddaughter, Charlotte."

Along with leading Bible studies, Don and Jean traveled with church friends to help a mission in Santa Lucia, and Jean volunteered at the Helping Hands Pregnancy Center in Shrewsbury, New Jersey.

According to this article, "On Sept. 11, they'd planned to take a later flight to a family reunion at Yosemite National Park, but at the airport seized a chance to switch to less-crowded Flight 93. Their memorial service drew nearly 1,000 people they'd worked with, helped or counseled and had to be moved to a larger sanctuary nearby."

I regret deeply that the earthly lives of Jean Hoadley Peterson and her husband were cut short by the tragedy of 9/11. But I celebrate the 55 years that she lived on this planet, and how she blessed and influenced those around her.

And I rejoice that I will meet her someday in heaven.


*******

The 2,996 tribute to Don Peterson can be found here.

More on Don and Jean Peterson

Listen to my radio piece about 9/11--This was recorded a few months after 9/11. There are a couple of small glitches in the audio, but it has a sense of immediacy about it that I think brings back the emotions we were all experiencing at that time. Includes sound bites from that day.

Many thanks to Donna-Jean Breckenridge for her invaluable direction in this tribute

Thursday 13: Thirteen More Stars of Old Hollywood

I did this last week, but had to leave out several major stars during Hollywood's Golden Age, so here is Part Two.



Since many of you youngsters had no idea who most of the stars were, I'm going to make it a little easier for you. You can have fun matching the star to the photo, if you're so inclined. :)

Here they are:

Henry Fonda
Ava Gardner
Natalie Wood
Spencer Tracy
Katharine Hepburn
Ronald Reagan
Jane Wyman
Lana Turner
Frank Sinatra
Clark Gable
James Dean
John Wayne
Ingrid Bergman

Happy Thursday, everyone!





Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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9/11 survivor shares his testimony

Recently, a man named Sujo John was in our area giving his testimony to local college students. Sujo and his wife, who was pregnant at the time, both survived the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

I was able to interview Sujo prior to his speaking engagements. Although he didn't share his story in detail because he was going to be sharing it later that day, you can really get the gist of Sujo's testimony in this interview. And if you'd like to read the whole story, you can go here.

Listen to my 7-minute interview with Sujo John:




By the way, this postcript to Sujo's appearances locally:

Tim Sales is the local director of InterVarsity Fellowship, which brought Sujo to Rockford. Sales tells me, "God was faithful to use Sujo's story to impact students again. Almost 300 students came and heard Sujo John's story. Thirty-six made a commitment to follow Christ. Another 17 sign up to meet with an InterVarsity student and study the gospel of Mark, looking at who Jesus is and how He wants to be involved in our lives. Fifty-five more said they wanted to get involved and make a difference with their peers on campus."

My world is a flood...

well, not really, but close!

My city of Rockford was hit with torrential rains yesterday! It's being called the worst flooding in Rockford in 30 years. The Rockford Register Star has some amazing pictures of people being rescued from their homes and cars. Some 45 people had to be evacuated to an emergency shelter--miniscule compared to hurricane-prone areas, but major news for our midwestern town.

We didn't experience any flooding personally. Of course we were aware of the heavy rains--we were at a Swanson family Labor Day gathering, and the rain drove us indoors--but we were oblivious to just how bad it was until after the fact. There was even a tornado warning for Rockford that lasted all of half an hour.

Anyway, kudos to the everyday heroes who helped those in need.

And now for a quiz!

Via A Chelsea Morning, with a hat tip to Life is Made Of... Feel free to play here or on your own blog!

1. If you make sweet tea, or your favorite style, do you use Luzianne, Lipton or _______ whatever your brand is)? Well, I didn't use to have a preference, but based on what Barb said ("It never gets cloudy"), I may be switching to Luzianne!

2. What brand of toilet paper do you buy, and is it the larger rolls or regular? (What is it about toilet paper?) I've always used Scott Tissue because it's so economical, but now I'm favoring their softer version


3. Which brand of bath soap do you use? Is it body wash or bar style??--I love Oil of Olay, Dove and Caress (will get whatever's on sale), but I also sometimes get a great big thing of Dove Nutrium body wash. Love that stuff!

4. Which cereal do you buy for yourself? Usually Grape Nuts, Grape Nuts flakes or Multi-Bran Chex. However, I often get Kashi GoLean Crunch, and I just bought the Honey Almond with Flax version. It's so good for you! It even has Omega 3 in it. And it tastes good too.


5. What brand of dishwasher detergent do you use and is it liquid or tablets? I'm so glad to even be able to answer this question, because I didn't have a dishwasher for the first 26 or so years of my married life! I use liquid--whatever's on sale.


6. What is your favorite fruit to eat? I guess I'd have to say bananas--I have a banana every day. But I love all fruit.

7. Which brand of clothes detergent do you use? Gain, with a touch of softness

8. Do you like chocolate? Uh, DUH! :) I wish I didn't.

9. Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right

10. Do you still write checks or use a debit card? It depends...usually debit

I'm off for the Labor Day weekend!

Going to luxuriate in a rare 3-day weekend. Should be back in business on Tuesday, September 4th.

Have a blessed weekend, everyone!