Summer Blog Challenge 2016 - Entries for July 6, 9, 12 and 13

I am so far behind on this challenge that I'm going to cheat and combine my answers to one post. Here are the topics:

* What skill would I want to INSTANTLY have?

Easy. Playing the piano.  I feel like I've answered this one somewhere before, and it hasn't changed. I wouldn't want to be a Piano Guy, but I'd like to play well enough to do justice to the hymns and some simpler arrangements of certain show tunes.

* What thing do I say I think (but I really don't)?

This one is tricky. I'm so overly cautious that I often don't say what I really think, because I avoid confrontation at (almost) all costs. I have lived my life turning away from subjects that I disagree with, rather than facing them. It has become very easy for me to just file them away in my brain and move on--changing the subject. So when I DO say what I think, I really mean it. And if I don't say anything, or change the subject, then you can bet that I'm thinking something very different than what is being stated by whomever I am in a conversation with. I understand that this is probably not very healthy, but it makes for a more peaceful existence.  Honestly, I'm not usually around anyone who is so radically different than I, so I don't have a reason to state something that I don't really feel. Convoluted answer?  Yes.  But that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

*If I had a time machine, where would I visit?

First of all, I'm stressing the word "visit". Anywhere I went, I'd want to come back. But if I could go anywhere in time, I'd want to go back and spend time with my grandparents. I never knew my maternal grandpa, he died when my mom was 13, and my grandma basically became a recluse. I'd like to know them when he was here and she was a more vibrant, alive person. And I'd like to see my paternal grandparents again. That grandpa died when I was 16.  We were close, and I'd like to see him and my other grandma again.

*Advice I would like to share

I am FULL of advice....I just don't get to share it as often as I want! Ha! Part of that is because I learned a long time ago that advice is not always well received when it isn't asked for. If someone asks my opinion on something, or for the benefit of my "expertise", I'm happy to share it!  But I've learned that if a person gives out unsolicited advice, it isn't always well received, and less likely to be acted upon. That being said, here's one of my favorites:

TO PARENTS:  Train yourself not to use the word "OK" after every direction or statement you give to your child!  By using OK at the end of your sentence, you are basically asking your child's permission to do whatever you're requesting.  You're their PARENT, for Pete's sake!  For example--
"You need to go clean your room, OK?" --which translates in the kid's mind as, "Is is all right with you if I ask you to clean your room now?"  In their minds, they're thinking "NO, it's not OK.....I'm busy with my video game!"  Directions need to be given as a declarative sentence, not a question! If you HAVE to say something in the form of a question, use the words "Do You Understand?"  See the difference?  "You need to go clean your room--do you understand?" Then you get an answer that you can work with, instead of "But I'm doing ___________ right now....(whiny tone)" -- AAND then you've started a battle of wills. It can be a hard habit to break, but it makes a huge difference it establishing a more solid parent/child dynamic.

Movie I Would Like to Live In - Summer Blog Challenge 2016 Entry #7

 I would enjoy living in the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. I wouldn't want to be any character in particular -- although I would be more of a Lizzie or a Jane than a Kitty or Lydia. The clever dialogue, the sharp repartee and the vibrant characters would be a joy in which to belong. Jane Austen rocks. Her astute assessment of many different personality types and social situations is unmatched. I would like to be a part of a group that challenges the societal norms--that doesn't accept the standards of their life just because it's always been done that way. I admire that, and I would love to be a quick thinker, like Elizabeth Bennet. The way she responds to Lady Catherine as she is accused and attacked is genius. I would love to be able to immediately come up with a sharp response and put an antagonist in their place.  Awesome.

Favorite Smells - Summer Blog Challenge 2016 Entry #6

Newly washed baby
Freshly baked bread
Cedar chips
Lilacs
Just-mowed grass
New-house smells - clean wood, fresh paint, etc.
Puppy fur
Pumpkin (pie, bread, cookies....)
Pine trees
The ocean/beach
Leather
Movie theater popcorn
Campfire

If I Could Change the World Blog Challenge 2016 - Entry #5

I don't know if I really like the way this title is worded....the concept of me changing the world almost suggests that I would have all power over something, and I don't like that idea. I believe in agency, meaning that each individual needs to be able to choose for themselves.

What I WISH, therefore, is that every person would choose to accept others as they are. What would it be like if race, color, or economic status really didn't affect our opinions of each other? What if every person actually took the time to get to know others--to honestly seek to learn what is the best part of that human being, and then encourage and celebrate those qualities?

THAT'S how I would like the world to change.

My Dream Home - 2016 Blog Challenge Entry #4

I've actually put quite a bit of thought into this. My dream home's physical features are not as important to me as other things. BUT, those physical features would include:

*Wrap-around porch
*One level (no basement or upstairs)
*Lots of windows/light
*Big stone fireplace and hearth
*Walk-in pantry

HERE are the features that mean the most to me in my dream home:

*Weekly maid service
*Landscaping and lawn maintenance services
*Located in Colorado
*Close to all my children and grandchildren

Hey, we did say "Dream", didn't we?! That's what I want.

This could work.

Places I've Lived (And my favorite so far) - Blog Challenge 2016 Entry #3

In order, I have lived in the following places:

Ann Arbor, MI - 1960 to 1971

Grand Junction, CO - 1971 - 1981

Vernal, UT - 1981 - 1983

Clifton, CO - 1983 - 1984

Broomfield, CO - 1984 - 2006

Montrose, CO - 2006 - present

And my favorite place (so far) (drum roll please..............) BROOMFIELD!

The reasons are obvious - I lived there longer than anywhere else in my life, and it's where the 2nd half of my children were born, and where all of them were raised. It is the hub of the axis of my kids' lives, and even though there were many, many difficult years, the blessings and memories we built there overrule the trials!

Favorite Time Wasters - Blog Challenge 2016 Entry #2

I wish that my response to this topic was unique and creative.  It isn't. My favorite time wasters are Facebook and Words With Friends.

Quite awhile ago, someone posted that Facebook was like going to the refrigerator and staring into it...you know there's nothing good there, but you can't help opening the door over and over again. That pretty much sums it up for me. These days I seem to spend more time "hiding" things than I do reading them.  But yet I go back, and go back, and go back.  It's worse in the summer, because I have so much more down time.

But it's thanks to Facebook that I have a stronger relationship with my extended family than I ever have. I can participate in the major and minor events of my Michigan relatives' lives. I can also keep tabs on the "kids" I went to high school with. Many of them weren't close friends when we attended good ol' FMHS (class of '78), so I have loved getting to know the funny, amazing, inspirational people they are! And I am also grateful to be able to maintain my friendships with my beloved former co-workers and church friends.

Then there's "Words With Friends". Kelli recently said "You're still playing that game?" Yep...I'm kinda addicted. It doesn't even matter to me how many points I score, I just like to challenge myself to play the best word I can. My average word score is around 17-19 points, and I rarely have more than 8-10 games going at once, but that's OK. I often choose a word to play because it opens up the board, not because it'll give me the most points. After failing to reach the Weekly Challenge goal for the 3rd week in a row, I turned off that notification (It annoyed me when they created that, anyway!). It's just for fun...plus I learn all these interesting words like "ki", "qi", "qat", and so on.  No, I don't know what they mean, I only know that the game accepts them!

True confessions 101.