Doritos, Stretchy Pants, and Naps. Guilty Pleasures (30 Day Blog Challenge)

I'm doing it! This is Day 3 of my 30 Day Blog Challenge.

I didn't mention this in my previous blog challenge posts but we were out of town throwing a surprise 80th birthday party for my mom-in-law...aka The Muffin's Momma. 

We are home now and I am tiiirred. Really tired. I almost gave myself a pass. It was tempting to wash my face, fix myself a hot cup of something and go to bed. 

But NO! I am going to push through my red velvet cupcake coma (Teague Family Party Food) and whip this thing out. 

Today I am talking Guilty Pleasures. I will have to say that my guilty pleasures look quite a bit different today than they did when I was younger. 

1. I like eating Doritos and Cottage Cheese. Together. It is one of my top comfort foods. I can't tell you why. It's been a while since I've enjoyed this little duo. I'm trying to do other things than snacking when I'm stressed. 

2. Bean Burritos from Taco Bell. Is there a theme here? This is another food I am not partaking in right now. I love real Mexican food...don't get me wrong. But Bean Burritos? From Taco Bell? Yummo. 

3. I have been known to turn to station that plays all the 80's music in the car and turn it on full blast. Except when I'm getting ready to turn. I have to turn it down to see better. Not necessarily Preacher's Wife typical. But I do know all the words to Blondie's "Heart of Glass." 

4. A couple of times a month I stay in my long nightie and LuLaro stretchy pants the entire day long. The same LuLaro stretchy pants that have a few holes in unfortunate areas. 

5. The Muffin and I binge-watch all the episodes of Downton Abby once a year. We also annually binge-watch Chuck. Otherwise, we are really into documentaries. Especially biographical documentaries. We're nosey that way.

6. I LOVE soaking in a tub. Is that considered a guilty pleasure? I don't feel a bit guilty. Nor do I feel guilty about my occasional pedicure and gel manicure. 

7. I almost always take a long Sunday afternoon nap. I love a good nap. 

8. I buy frequently buy marked down flower bouquets from the grocery store for myself. They don't last very long but I do get great pleasure for the loveliness why it lasts. 

9. I have a cup of sugar-free hot chocolate almost every night. I add a splash of pecan caramel flavoring and a good measure of half and half. My obsession with hot beverages doesn't end there. I have at least 2 cups of hot tea and a cup of coffee every day, as well. 

10. I LOVE Dr. Pimple Popper. I loved her before she got a tv show. I have probably watched more than 90% of all her videos. Some multiple times. Don't ask me why I love all that zit popping so much. I can't explain it. But it does rate right up there with Doritos and Cottage Cheese...BUT it is calorie-free. 

That's what I have tonight, my friends. 

My Earliest Childhood Memory

Hey. I'm on a roll. This is Day 2 of my 30 Day Blog Challenge.

Woo Hoo!

Today I am going to talk about my earliest childhood memory. Actually, it probably isn't my earliest memory but those little memories are bits and pieces of nothing.

I don't remember this particular bright yellow shirt my dad is wearing in the picture below. Though it is RAD. I also don't remember having this mullet hair-do, but obviously, I was working it.

The first house I remember living in was on the highway. I don't remember the color of the house. I think it was light and it had a carport attached to the side of it. There was a little creek that ran behind the house. We do have a picture (somewhere) of me standing on a chair in front of the sink. The kitchen is brightly papered and I am "washing" dishes with a gleeful grin on my face.

That was probably the last sighting of my gleeful grin while washing dishes.

My bedroom faced the highway and across the highway from us was a restaurant called Frank's.  It was a mom and pop place...famous for burgers and big baskets of salty, hot fries.

Several years later, we actually moved into a shop next door to Frank's. My dad owned a tv repair shop (along with pastoring a little church) and we lived in the back for a time. But my early memories were of this little house.

At some point, my mom started working at Frank's. My brother and I were really little (this was well before Baby Sister). A few years later, my mom would go to Respiratory Therapy school and do an apprenticeship at the county hospital down the road at the same time.

 But during that season, she worked for Frank to earn a little bit of money. We spent quite a bit of time there.  The local crowd was pretty colorful.

In fact, Sonny and Cher were regular customers.

Remember Sonny and Cher? Before Cher discovered fishnet tights she sang with her husband, Sonny, on their very own television show. And ate at Frank's in Choctaw, Arkansas.

So I am obviously mistaken in my memories. Sonny and Cher were nowhere near the Ozark Mountains of my childhood. But at the time I didn't know any better. I can imagine that when I shared the discovery of Frank's famous celebrity customers my parents tried to dissuade me.

But I was sure I was right.

I was certain that the couple who came into Frank's were Sonny and Cher. She had long dark, shiny hair and a really dreamy face. He had the mustache to rival all mustaches.

It was the 70's, folks. There were some epic mustaches.

I'm only glad I ignored the wild impulse inside of me to request a live performance of  "I've Got You Babe."

Because I do not know this couples' true identities, I will continue to refer to them as Sonny and Cher.

One day we noticed that Sonny and Cher hadn't been for a while. The gossip around the restaurant is that the couple had been picked up for growing a prolific weed garden in their backyard.

Of course, it was a few years before I fully realized the significance of the weed in question and understood that the mustached gentleman and the lady with the shiny hair could not have been Sonny and Cher.

What a letdown. It was almost as bad as when I realized that Frank himself was not the guy who played Al on Happy Days.

10 Random Things About Me (30 Day Blog Challenge)

So here is the absolute truth.

I almost forgot that I'm doing this 30 Day Blog Challenge.

In all fairness to myself, we are really busy this weekend and my blog hasn't been high on my 'gitter dun' list.

I didn't plan well. Obviously.

But. Here we are and I am not going to reveal 10 Random Things About Me.

In no particular order of importance or interest. Somewhere, deep in the bowels of my blog, there is a Random Things About Me post that features far more Random Things than 10. It's been ages since I've laid eyes on it.

Just be thankful I'm not feeling wordy this evening. 10 Random Things About Me is about as much as I can muster up.

You're welcome.


1. I was born in Nicaragua. My parents were Missionaries. No. I do not speak fluent Spanish (you were going to ask that next, weren't you). We left when I was really little and the only Spanish I have had was two years in high school.

2. I got married to The Muffin when I was a baby. A baby I tell you! I was 19 years old and The Muffin was 29. Shocking, I know. He pretty much robbed the cradle and I have reminded him that I am 10 years younger than him about every day of our married existence. And that, my friends, has been nearly 29 years...so far.

3. I have terrible eyesight. I started wearing glasses when I was in 2nd grade. I began wearing contacts when I was 15 and have worn them ever since. Not the same pair...that would be some amazing contacts.

4. I LOVE to read. I would rather read than do about anything. In fact, sometimes I read when I should be doing other things. This was a problem when I was growing up. And I read freakily fast. I go through books like some people binge watch Netflix.

5. I became a mom when I was 29. We adopted our sweet boy when he was 2 weeks old. I cannot begin to tell you how that changed my life. I would have adopted again in a heartbeat, but the opportunity never presented itself again. Our boy is pretty much a miracle. My odds of becoming a mother were pretty slim.

6. I am musical. I can kind of play the piano. But I do sing. I am an alto (from a long line of altos). Harmonies are in my blood. My mom used to make me harmonize to her on car rides. Then she would make me sing the harmony part without the melody. Josiah thinks I know ALL THE SONGS because I am always humming a harmony part to whatever is playing in the grocery store, the restaurant.... I can't help myself. Not only that but I have also been know to break out into spontaneous choreography in the same grocery store to the Bee Gees. I am that woman.

7. I have never met a thrift store/flea market/junk shop I didn't like. My mom used to call her own decorating style "Early Attic." The majority of my home decor is thrifted or original art. I love repurposing treasures or making your cool junk my own.

8. The very first thing I ever had published for a wider audience was a commercial I wrote for Smoking Cessation. I was in 7th or 8th grade and my commercial was chosen along with a few others to read on the local radio.

9. My very favorite chapter of the Bible is Psalm 91. Though it was written in a different time and place it reminds me that God is for me. Plus, it is very beautiful and poetic. It is gorgeous and inspiring. Go read it.

10. I am a MESS. Literally. My body doesn't work right and I have more metal in my left hip and right leg than some small aircraft engines. But...God has been faithful and most of the time I can smile through it all. Or at least smize.

Bonus Thing: We have a Siamese cat named Princess. I WUV her. She loves me, but I am number 3 on her list. She really loves The Muffin and Josiah. I am a cat person. She is quirky, snuggly when she wants to be, and a little neurotic.

Just like me.

So that's what I have for this evening. Day 1 of my blog challenge is finished! I feel pretty accomplished. Especially because I have been distracted by The Muffin and my Pa-in-Law watching growing men wrestling alligators in the swamp. They are in another room but those alligator wrestling shows have required quite the commentary.

30 Day Blog Challenge (Can I do it?)

I’m giving myself a bit of challenge heading into March.

I am going to challenge myself to write a blog post every day for 30 days.

I have to tell you that this isn’t the most convenient for me to make a habit of anything for 30 days.

But.

I’ve got a few goals for myself and consistency is one of them. Sometimes a girl’s just got to jump in and stop making excuses for inactivity.

Amen and Amen.

I’ve gathered a few blog challenges from Pinterest that caught my eye and combined all the topics I liked to best and smushed them together to create my own. 

After all, one challenge suggested I write about what kind of person attracts me.

What?

I’m an old girl. I’m attracted by a clean sink and a pedicure. The Muffin has learned my ways.

As a result, my list is going to reflect my stage in life/personal interests/needs of old girls everywhere.

31 Day Blog Challenge

1.   10 Facts About Me
2.  EarliestChildhood Memory
3.  My Guilty Pleasures
4.  10 FavoriteFoods
5.  Top Songs on my Playlist
6.  10 Things I CANNOT Live Without
7.   My Worst Habits
8. Back in the ’80s
9. What’s in my Purse?
10. Favorite Childhood Books
11. A Perfect Day
12. Top Things on my Bucket List
13. Favorite Collections
14. 5 Beautiful Movies
15. 5 Favorite Recipes
16.  A Pandemic Bucket List
17.  Laugh              
18.        When You Are Bored
19.  Be Kind
20.  Pandemic Favs
21.  Thrift Shop Favs
22.       Fashion for the Fluffy Gals
23. My Junk Drawer
24. Pet Peeves
25.  Something I Miss
26. Quirky
27. What Am I Afraid of?
28. Dream Job
29. 5 Favorite Art Pieces
30.  My Best Advice

I hope I"m not setting myself up for an epic failure! Stay tuned.

My Favorite Old-Fashioned Romance Novels

I am an unapologetic bookworm.

I have been ever since I could read THE FAT CAT SAT ON A MAT.

I also am not a single lane book lover. I love all kinds of genres. In fact, my parents had a hard time keeping up with me when I was a kid.

I had a tendency to wander into genres not so appropriate for my age level...even though my reading level was on par with the book I happened to be reading.

Some of my all-time favorite romance stories happened to be of more of a wholesome nature, however. Today they would be considered old-fashioned and almost corny. But, I have also found that there is nothing wrong with old-fashioned. And, in fact, maybe our young girls need to be introduced and exposed to a few more old-fashioned ideas and notions.

I am not including a few of my ALL-TIME favorite books and characters on this list. After all, they are rather obvious. Even though my very favorite novel, Jane Eyre, has the very best ending line EVAH...Mr. Rochester did keep his first wife locked up and was willing to marry Jane Eyre while married to his first wife (her being locked up). Not exactly wholesome.

And (on my soapbox again) there really isn't anything harmful about a little corn in your romance. Bring me all the corn things!

I thought I would share 5 of my very favorite Old-Fashioned books about love and romance. You might know a few of them and have read them yourselves. Some of these are free to read online or in an e-book like Kindle. I'll try and find them for you to check out.

1. The Blue Castle - Lucy Maude Montgomery. 

LM Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables, is one of my favorite authors. She has written some of my most treasured stories. The Blue Castle is right up there in my opinion. Valancy Stirling at 29 is an old-maid. She lives with her impossible mother and is treated like a weak-minded and fragile child. She decides to "rebel" from her gossipy and miserable family when she is given an unexpected diagnosis.

I do not recommend Valancy's method of finding love and true happiness, but the ending is so satisfying and Montgomery's writing is so lovely. It is just a pleasant novel all the way around.

You can find it on Amazon Kindle or at Project Gutenberg. Here is a link to the paperback version. I am not an affiliate.

 Daddy-Long-Legs - Jean Webster

Jerusha Abbot has grown up in an orphanage. When she was 17, she was told a benefactor was going to pay her way through college. Her only responsibility was that she needed to write this benefactor every month. The novel is written through the letters Jerusha (she changes her name to Judy) writes to her benefactor.

I still have the same copy I had when I was 12. There is also a film version I have seen several times starring Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron.

You can find it on Amazon Kindle or on Amazon as a paperback.


Crimson Roses - Grace Livingston Hill

Grace Livingston Hill is a well-known Christian romance author. She is most-certainly treasured in that genre and most-certainly considered old-fashioned. I have dozens of her books in paperback. This one I first read when I was a preteen and it was one of my beloved books.

I thought it was just so romantic.

Marion Warren has been treated extremely unfairly by her brother and his scheming wife. She breaks free from that life to find one of her own. Part of her self-discovery is to attend the symphony as often as she can. She begins to find mysterious crimson roses in her seat during the symphony nights.

One thing I love about Grace Livingston Hill's stories is that the heroine always finds justice and love in the end. And this one doesn't disappoint.

You can find it on Amazon Kindle or in paperback.


Christy - Catherine Marshall

This book needs to be on every young girl's reading list. Or every old girl's reading list.

Christy Huddleson is the daughter of a well-to-do family in Asheville, North Carolina. After a need for help with a missions program in the Appalachian mountains is revealed during a revival meeting, Christy convinces her parents she needs to lend her services as a teacher. She moves to Cutter Cap, Tennessee and her eyes are opened.

Not only is this a romance novel, but it will tug at your heart in so many different ways. There was a television series and a movie made based on the books, but they pale in comparison to the original novel (in my opinion).

You can find it on Amazon Kindle or in paperback.


Anne's House of Dreams by Lucy Maude Montgomery

I could have picked the original Anne of Green Gables, but I have HUGE love for Anne's House of Dreams. You will understand when you read it. Not only does it portray the grown-up mature love of  Anne and Gilbert, but it has new and old romances.

LM Montgomery has such a way with words. This is one I had to add to my list.

You can find it on Amazon Kindle or in paperback. You can find another FREE version online here.



You will notice that along with Jane Eyre a few other obvious choices didn't make it on the list....Little Women, Pride and Prejudice...but those are rather obvious, aren't they? Another not-so-obvious old-fashioned romance classic is The Girl of the Limberlost.

I'm all ready to read back through these now! Corn and all. What are your favorite old-fashioned romance novels?