So I got tagged a million years ago...

By Mrs. Maliblahblah, over at The Lumberjack's Wife. I love her blog. It always keeps me laughing. She tagged me quite some time ago, and I forgot to do it, because I didn't put a reminder in my brain, aka my Blackberry. And then I took a blogging break. And then I got overwhelmed with life, and well, I cannot think of anymore lame excuses, so I will stop. Today, however, feels like the perfect time to do a tagged post because answering questions is something I can handle. Coming up with intelligent thoughts out of my own brain is absolutely not.



So, thanks for the help with the blog post today Taylor! Otherwise the only thing I can think of to blog about is how I am in the middle of a cloud right now, so thick that all I can see out my window is white. I'm pretty sure I still have neighbors.


1. What is one food you detest?

First of all, there is not much (real food-wise) that I wouldn't eat. I LOVE food, the more interesting, the better. And, I consider it to be a complete obnoxious disgrace when people consistently chose to dislike food that God has put on planet Earth for our health and wellness. That being said, personal taste and opinion is something I am quite fond of and do try to advocate for, as I am chock full of tastes and opinions. So, I think that people should like ALL food, with rare exception. My exception would be Green Olives. I WISH I didn't detest them. About once a year I try them again to see if I still detest them, and I always end up spitting them out before the gagging starts. Makes me crazy. Someday I shall conquer this annoying lack of class on my part.

Weird fact: I used to HATE watermelon. I know, weird. Who hates watermelon? It's a texture thing. Then when I got pregnant with Debris I craved it like crazy, and ever since then I have loved it.

Speaking of food, this book was a birthday gift from my in-laws. It's been on my wish list for a while, and I'm so glad to have it. I have just finished reading the whole thing, and enjoyed it immensely. A beautiful coffee table feature, a piece of cake (har har) to read because you can easily read a page or two at a time and put it away, and also, there's so many amazing places in it to read about, I'm imagining that I'll always be able to pick it up and get some enjoyment from it. I highly recommend as a gift for the food lover.

2. What is your perfect day?

I am inclined to say any day where I don't have to clean, do dishes or laundry, or dread the fact that while I am NOT cleaning, doing dishes or laundry they are piling up, and will be waiting for me the next day.

However, that sounds an awful lot like complaining, and I'm trying really hard to not complain, so I'll shoot for a more interesting answer. 1.) Wine tasting in Lake Chelan... pure bliss. Gorgeous, fun, and the delight of discovery thrills my soul. 2.) Deep deep in the woods with Rovey and my family, and another vehicle so we can do more interesting stuff and have someone to pull us out of muck if need be. 3.) Sitting around my parents living room with some sort of beverage and snacks and my whole family, talking and laughing. 4.) Long Underwear, hats, gloves, coats, snow, sunshine, frigid weather, and a long winter walk. 5.) A fab outfit, high gorgeous heels, sushi, and either a day-long date with my husband, or guilt free shopping with friends. It should be noted that when I do things like that with my husband I've learned to pack boots and jeans along, because we almost always end up in the woods. That would totally suit me.

All of these things would float my "perfect day boat" nicely.

3. If you could take a vacation next week, where would you go?

Alaska. Most definitely Alaska. I dream of a cabin, a snowmobile, a high powered rifle, a fishing pole, a hot tub, some champagne, my man, and some Aurora Borealis. Can you tell I've thought this through?! As my children are equally desperate to explore Alaska, I could never feel right about going without them. We need a summer (for the adventure) and a winter-ish (for adventure and solitude) trip to Alaska. Or we should just move there. I keep trying to talk Frank into it.

4. What are five of your favorite blogs?

That's a mean question! I can't pick just five. I'll do my best. This list is by all means not inclusive. Just a few blogs I enjoy reading, and why.

The Lumberjack's Wife--because her stories are fun, and normal, and real. Because her writing style is great. Because it seemed prudent to mention her, due to the fact that she tagged me, and got me into the question answering mess.

Thoughts and Whatnots--because we have similar interests and appreciate each other's sense of humor. Because what she blogs often speaks to my heart, whether it be the importance of focusing on a Christ centered life, or the enjoyment of a great recipe.

He Shall Direct our Path--because we've been friends since we were kids, and it's always fun to communicate with friends. As our kids get older they will hang out together, and that neato to me.

2 plus 5--somehow we found each other in blog land, and I'm glad. It's so fun when you meet someone you feel like you could just sit and talk to. That is why blogging is so great--it's so fun to meet people that otherwise you'd never know existed.

Sis Boom--Oh, the fabrics! All the pretty fabrics, and not nearly enough time! I always leave inspired!

5. What are your thoughts on The Facebook?

I like Facebook. I like being able to be in touch with people I otherwise would never see or hear from. I am not by nature a keep-in-toucher, so it's a good thing for me.

6. Are your parents technological goobers like mine?

No. They read my blog, so no, they are not. :-)

7. If you had to chose between losing 15 pounds forever, but never wearing makeup again or having perfect skin but putting on 15 pounds permanently, what would it be?

I would definitely chose to have perfect skin, and put on 15 pounds. 15 pounds bothers me not. This may be odd because as a normal rule I don't wear makeup--I save it for the weekends. But, I LIKE the option of wearing makeup, and I would not be willing to give that option up. I happen to wear 15 extra pounds pretty well, if I do say so myself, so I'd go with that option.

8. What is your best recipe? (so I can steal it!)

Taylor, you do not need to steal this recipe. I give it to you freely. This is family favorite, and it is easy peasy!!

Beef French Dip Au Jus Stuff

1 Crockpot

1 beef chuck roast

5 cups water
1 cup total of soy sauce/Worcestershire sauce/Teriyaki sauce (Whatever combination of said sauces makes you happy, I've done them all, they all work equally well-just have the total equal a cup, and you're good.

Half an onion, sliced, if you like. Or not.

Crush 5 or so cloves of garlic and toss them in, or use granulated. Whatever.

3 bay leaves

Rosemary

Salt and Pepper

Toss it all together, and cook in the crockpot for 10 hours or so. The longer the better. I may or may not have done 14 hours before, and it was the best beef ever. Just make sure you get longer than 8--otherwise it might be tough.

When it's falling apart, stick two forks in there and shred it up. Use a slotted spoon to pull the meat out and put on hoagies, then use a (non-slotted, ha!) ladle to scoop the au jus out into bowls. Serve with swiss cheese. The swiss cheese is required.

There ya have it! Have a lovely Monday!