REVIVED!

I'm back! After a short run-in with insanity, which had as its centerpiece a trip to our hometown for a Thanksgiving feast with the family, we have returned, mostly safe and sound. In fairness, the insanity part was not caused by the family, but was a pre-existing condition exacerbated by the unpacking of five people upon our return. Now *that* is insanity.

Now onto other things. I have about a million things floating through my head, but I shall start with first things first: I have been tagged for a meme by my dear friend B. And in honor of her most glorious blog (www.noodleroux.blogspot.com), I shall also list seven random things about myself. Yes, you note, I did this just a few blog entries ago, having previously been tagged. However, since I have precisely fourteen interesting and random characteristics that describe me, this exercise shall be neither boring nor in vain:

1) Did you know that I was homecoming queen? Like, really. And what is even more miraculous/interesting is that I was hard core on the debate squad when this event transpired, having *given*up* the ever-popular drill team two years earlier for the rhetorical gifts. So despite my sacrifice, the dream was still alive.
2) I am 33 years old and I require no visual assistance to get around, ie, no glasses or contacts. However, at my eye appointment today, when I told the optometrist that I've been having some problems with light sensitivity, she recommended some weak reading glasses with tinted lenses. What does this mean? I've gone from nothing to grandma in a mere 3 hours.
3) Brian and I have been married for 12 years, together for 15, and the anniversary of our first date just happens to fall on our first child's birthday -- she was born exactly 10 years to the day, and almost the minute, if you don't factor in the time zone issue. Needless to say, our dating anniversary gets much less attention these days than one big girl's birthday, but at least I've recorded it here for posterity.
4) Dont' kill me when you read this -- but after every baby I have, I seem to get smaller, to weigh less -- to shrink, in essence. If I stick to the childbearing plan of that woman in Arkansas, who is expecting her 18th child (SERIOUSLY!? How does *one* uterus do that?), I will soon be microscopic. But seriously, it's the breastfeeding.......oh yeah, and the running after the other children I already have while I'm breastfeeding. It's the combination of the two that's just *****MAGIC******
5) I cut and color my own hair, and have done so for the past 10 or so years. Why? I wonder myself, sometimes......
6) I consider myself a foodie, and really not picky, but there are some foods that I absolutely cannot palate, foods that almost everyone else seems to like. These include watermelon, cucumbers, mayo, and pumpkin pie. Yes, you read that right -- I don't like pumpkin pie. And generally speaking, I am not a fan of fruit pies. I only recently started eating raw tomatoes. Strangely, I will eat almost any vegetable in at least some form, but I can't say the same about fruits. Hmmmm.
7) My knitting and crochet obsession has blossomed, and I now find myself going to bed at night dreaming up new designs that, unfortunately, I do not know how to execute. I can just see sweaters -- that's all. I am proud to announce, however, that like the rest of the knitting world, I officially have a STASH(!) of yarn. I was able to hold out and show some restraint in the yarn hoarding dept. until dear Jovi sent me the link for a rather good yarn sale...and....sigh.......