Tag! I'm it ... are you?

I got tagged! Shannon at Sincerely Shannon tagged me to answer eight questions, then tag eight other people to answer a new set of eight questions that I have to come up with. Exciting!!! (Can y'all tell I love having something picked out for my blog already?) I also love the theme, Shannon :)

1. Do you like Starbucks? And are you a fan of their seasonal coffees (aka. pumpkin spice latte)?

I heart Starbucks. I have never had one of their seasonal drinks, but I think I might have to try a pumpkin spice this year. I don't go there often, so when I do, I get a mocha. Tall, decaf, skinny, splash of vanilla ... nom, nom, nom.

2. How do you decorate and prepare for fall?

I have a HUGE box full of things to decorate with for fall - everything from football memorabilia to pumpkins and leaves, to Halloween. I've got a great pumpkin collection going on. Sadly, I don't have room in Auburn right now to decorate for seasons. I'm trying to figure it out. Usually, I start pulling out the fall in September, get out the Halloween in October, turn the jack-o-lanterns around for Thanksgiving, put up the tree Thanksgiving night (in a perfect world!), and switch out fall with Christmas in December. Or after Thanksgiving.

  

3. Will you participate in your college's homecoming activities?

Probably not. While I did most of my undergrad at Auburn, I graduated from UAB. I never could get into the spirit at UAB, and I feel awkward doing the homecoming thing with Auburn since I didn't graduate from there. Anyway, everyday I spend in Auburn is a homecoming :)

4. What is your favorite fall clothing item or accessory?

Sweaters. And boots. I can't pick one.

5. What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid?

I think the best one I ever had was a "teenybopper", back when they wore poodle skirts, white t-shirts, scarves, and keds. My mother made part of my costume, a pink felt poodle skirt. I wish I still had it. (And that I could still wear it, but that was 18 years ago. Oh, am I getting old!)

6. Do you like halloween/horror movies? Do you have a favorite?

I really don't like them. No matter how cheesy or fake they are, I will have dreams about them. I also don't like all that "impending doom" music. ("Grey's Anatomy" season finale, anyone? No amount of chocolate or wine could save me from that one.)

I am a bit partial to It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. :)

7. What is your favorite fall activity? (College football games, Costume parties, Trick or treating, carving pumpkins, haunted houses, apple picking, etc)

Gamedays and Halloween parties. Anyone in Auburn want to send their kids to trick or treat me? Please?

8. What is your favorite fall recipe?

Vegetable Soup and Cornbread. It's actually really easy. Get whatever vegetables you like, stew beef, a beef boullion. Brown the beef, put it all together in a stock pot, add some water. Add about four to six boullion cubes. Cook on low for about six hours. Nom. Nom. Nom. As for the cornbread, I make my own, but Sister Schuberts make a great frozen cornbread. I'll post a better recipe later. I promise.

My Eight Questions

1. What is your favorite fall tradition? (I know I kind of stole that one from Shannon, but I love hearing about 'em!)

2. Do you play games on Facebook? (Any Sorority Life fans out there?)

3. What's on your nightstand now?

4. What song best describes your life now?

5. What is the best way to find someone to date?

6. Do you dye your hair?

7. What quote or Bible verse gives you encouragement?

8. What is your favorite blog to read?

Now, I'm supposed to tag eight people. I'm not going to do that. I'm tagging Shannon back. And I'm tagging all my readers, public or hidden, to keep it going. Answer my questions, and then ask your own questions, and get to tagging. :)

The Little Things

I've been pondering what to write about lately, and I keep coming up with some of my favorite things. So, when I visited Kelly's Korner today and saw a blog about simple pleasures, I couldn't resist.

Kittens purring. I don't have human children of my own, but I have plenty of cats, thanks to The Boyfriend. Ergo, I have had plenty of experience observing a happy kitten the past few years. The sound can't be beat. Little Tux's favorite evening hangout is next to me and when I get bored with the television show and the BlackBerry, Tux is right there to love on. And love on him I do. Unlike every other cat I have known, he loves to have his belly scratched. He'll stretch his hind legs out, put his front paws in the air and start his purring.

A pleasant evening outside. You know in the early spring, before it's too hot, but after it's too, too cold? (Sometimes, you just gotta have a sweater.) Those are when I feel most like myself. I've designed a ga-zillion things and places, planned events, and written stories. And when I was in college at Auburn, that was when I did my homework (when my beloved neighbor wasn't around to share a beer and the stories of our day with).

Free eye makeup samples. I'm all-girl, so I had to put something about beauty and fashion in there. Going wild with the color is fun stuff. (Unless it looks like you're five years old and playing with makeup again.)

Feeling like I did before I got sick. I have a mystery illness that causes me to be nauseated and have abdominal pain and get very easily fatigued. (I've been to a ga-zillion doctors and have had a ga-zillion tests. If you know of something NOT common, let me know.) The rare days that I don't have to take a phenergan and can do a lot and feel like I just woke up are very much cherished.

Waking up at 7:00 AM, feeling totally rested. I tell people not to call me before 9:00, so knowing I have two hours of peace and quiet to myself allows me to reflect on my day and really get my mind working.

Spending time with children. Holding a baby instantly erases the worries of the day. And with older children, I have an excuse to do all that fun kid stuff.

Realizing a prayer has been answered. Of course, to know a concern has been resolved is a good feeling, but to feel a higher power working is what really amazes me. It reassures me that this world isn't all there is, so all that good, hard work I try to do really does make a difference.

Having a clean house. To me this means I can start a new project so I get to make a new mess :) But it also means I actually completed a task.

The ritual of going out on a Friday night. I do my hair, put on makeup, put on a nice outfit, and, most importantly, GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. It's such a big deal to me, the excitement starts Thursday night.

Cooking. Yummy. And I feel like a domestic goddess in the midst of the craziness that is my mystery illness.