#mrsverges

I was tagged by @christeenabean to list 3 little known facts about me. Thank you, lady!

1. Everyone knows how much I love music. But, the reality is that I have a really difficult time prioritizing which tasks need to be done first. My brain tends to take the last thing I thought of as the most important, which is often not the case. When I’m running around trying to do one project, I will see something that looks like it needs my immediate attention. SO, that thing bumps up to first priority. This can be quite problematic & overwhelming. However, when I put on some music, I instantly feel more calm & I go that nonverbal happy place (which is why I loved making candles for so many years) where I can just exist & take care of things without stressing what to do first. I just relax & do what I can as I move from room to room. (This is also the effect that marijuana edibles have on me.) Of course, I have daily lists to help me keep all of the important things in order, too. 

2. After a lifetime of being loyal to brand names & believing deep inside that generics are lower quality, I have turned around. There are so many things that I buy now that are just the store brand. I still have a few things that I buy a particular brand of, but that’s because I’ve tried the others & made a decision based on my own experiences. It’s nice to be able to see past all of the advertising & take away it’s deeply ingrained, subliminal power over me. Having kids makes this sort of thing much more glaring & obvious, I think. But, maybe it’s also the great need to cut corners wherever possible.

3. Let’s see if I remember...I already wrote this out this morning & when I posted it was only the first paragraph :’( SO! Number 3 fact about me is that...Oh yeah! The state of my toenail polish says so much about how well I’m feeling & coping. Right now, my toenails haven’t had fresh paint in about 4-6 weeks. The simple fact that I can’t seem to find those 10 minutes (to make something that makes me feel pulled together a priority) means that I have probably not been doing many other simple things for myself. Like drinking enough water, taking my vitamins, putting on a quick swipe of makeup, remembering deodorant all of the time...yeah. Many days, just getting up, taking a shower, taking my meds & making sure everyone in my family has healthy food, clean clothes & a moderately clean place to live in is plenty to juggle. But, once I get some fresh paint on these toes, it’s a reminder that these seemingly unimportant details that are for me only are actually quite important for the quality of my day to day life. 

mrsverges is awesome & she tagged me for 11 questions -- I have tags piling up, but I will try my best to get to a few now that things are relaxing a bit.

1) Who has influenced you most in your life, and how? I think that my husband has influenced me most in my life. He has always been different than anyone I’ve ever known -- which is a very good thing & has always intrigued me. From the day that we met when we were 23 & 24, I have been amazed & inspired by his ability to just say what he feels & thinks -- nothing more & nothing less. He is the most honest person alive. He also is excellent at helping me to laugh at myself instead taking everything so dang seriously.

2) What’s the worst part of your day? I hate to say it, but the time between supper time & bed time. I get so stressed from the timing & all of the cranky arguing/fussing that occurs at the end of the day. I have tried to mix things up & sometimes we find a way to avoid the tired meltdowns, but it is always the most tiring & stressful part of my day.

3) If you could live anywhere in the world where would that be and why? I would be very happy to live on a desolate beach in Mexico forever. In a hut. With lots of cold beer & guacamole. With no clocks!

4) What is your greatest fear? My greatest fear is that my children will grow up unhappy & be upset with me. I know that I need to brace myself because there will certainly be something that they will grow up & wish I had done differently. (But, I also have a deep seated irrational fear of becoming homeless & estranged from my family.)

5) What are 3 things you can not live with out? (Things not people.) The 3 things that I can’t live without are: my glasses, unlimited drinking water & comfortable clothes.

6) If you could choose your ethnicity which would you choose and why? This is a tough one. I think being Greek would be really interesting & delicious.

7) Do know how to drive a standard? Yes! But, I refuse to drive a standard in this area because all of the hills -- Seattle alone convinced me to never drive a standard again. If I were to move to a flatter area, I think I would consider it.

8) What’s your favorite place on earth and why? My home. Wherever I can drink coffee, turn off my ringer & ignore people who knock on my door. I am a bit of an antisocial butterfly. I love being around my close friends, but then I need to recharge & hermit out with my family. Feeling safe is something that I’ve always struggled for & it’s the best feeling ever.

9) how often do you go to the market? I go to the market every few days. I try my best to do one big day & get all that we need for the week, but we always run out of milk & fruit for the kids. If we buy too much in advance, we don’t have enough room or it might go bad. So, most pantry items & basics are usually on hand, but we get the fresh stuff right before we need it so it doesn’t go to waste. This has been especially important with all of the unknowns of trying to show a house & sell it. We’ve shopped & planned for many a meal & had to change dinner plans at the drop of a hat.

10) Do you want more children? I really used to want 3 children. But, I honestly really had a hard time adjusting to 2. Now that Squeaks is 3.5, I feel like we are just right with the 4 of us. I would not like to start over with the chaos of another child :D I also like that we have a boy & a girl & that they have each other as siblings.

11) Last but not least What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you in public? So many things. I get embarrassed quite easily, hence the hermit tendencies. I think the top of the list would be the time I was the manager/president of the farmers market & I was speaking to the city council about keeping the market downtown. I was interrupted rudely & even told “that’s enough, sit down” & treated like a child. It was humiliating. I have never turned so red in my life. I felt so strong as I went to speak & I just crumbled. Public speaking + old white men = The worst.

I grow strength from my favorite quote “The time comes when the risk to remain tight in a bud is more painful then the risk it takes to Blossom” I do not know who said this but for me it couldn’t be truer!

Thanks for sharing what inspires you!

I have so very much to be thankful for this year. I will start with my daughter graduating HS, and landing her first job just yesterday. She starts winter class at SantaMonica In January. She also celebrated her 18th birthday this year. So if that wasn’t enough I am also extremely grateful for Anthony finding full time employment after being unemployed for more years than Id like to remember. I am most grateful this year for not giving up on everything, including my marriage! I am grateful for my ability to bounce back. And for my children who keep me grounded and sane! HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU AT GROWINGUPLAST AND ALL OF TUMBLR. May you all find something/someone to be grateful for!!

Thank you for this submission mrsverges! An amazing year indeed!

Hey guurrl! I make GIFs the old-fashioned way: with PhotoShop and tears. I’ve been meaning to post a tutorial. I’ll do that when I have a moment. It’s actually very easy to do!