MERCI BEAUCOUP A MES AMIS for all the Beautiful Birthday Wishes!

Yes, I have reached the grand age of 43.  In honor of my 43 years I thought I would share with you 43 things you may not know about me, or (maybe don’t care), but here it is anyhow.

1. I am tall, like really tall, almost 6 feet.

2. My husband is 6’5″, I have no qualms wearing 3, sometimes even 4 inch heels.  I am already taller than the average person, what’s a few more inches?

3. With the heels reference, that is mostly reserved for church or going out.  I wear red beat up sneakers almost every day, or some funky color of tennis shoes.

4. If I am not wearing funky colored shoes, I am in my painting overalls and wearing these shoes:

5. I dye my hair Red, Blonde and Hot Pink.  I have no idea what my natural hair color is anymore.  Ummmm, Grey?

6. I don’t play any instruments very well, but I took Piano for years.  Thank goodness my girls play.  I can however play chopsticks really well.

7. I love to sing, but I fear I sound like a frog.  It doesn’t stop me from singing at the top of my lungs when a good 80’s song comes on the radio.  It is especially enjoyable if my kids are in the car. They don’t love it so much.

8. I don’t particularly like to shop for clothing, but I do like to get dressed up.  Good thing for internet shopping.  I could however, shop thrift stores every day, all day, if given the time.

9. My most favorite food in the whole world is Pizza, I like cheap frozen Pizza all the way to the gourmet Pizza I once enjoyed at one of Mario Batali’s restaurants in LA.

10. 2nd to Pizza is really, really spicy Mexican Food with a close 2nd on super spicy Thai food.  I put hot sauce on almost every meal I eat.  (excluding breakfast)

This is my favorite, and it goes on the table like others put salt and pepper on the table.

11. I love to cook, but don’t often have as much time as I would like to enjoy my kitchen.  We bought our current home because the kitchen lay out reminded me of a restaurant.  I have a very active imagination and love to pretend I am on some TV cooking show at times.  (I know, what a total dork!!).  My girls even made up a show called “cooking with Karen” and they and their friends get to judge the food I made, sort of like Iron Chef judges, but not as tough.

12. I Love Marshmallows almost as much as I love Pizza. I have to eat one every day.  When Easter rolls around, my family showers me with Peeps.  At Christmas, I hoard jars of Marshmallow cream, (just to eat spoonfuls of it).  Gross!

13.  I think the only way I can get away with my love of food is my love of exercise.  I lift weights pretty intensely and even at one point very briefly considered entering a body building of sorts competition, but the exhibition part of it was a bit much for me.

SCARY!!!!

14. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to have my own “creative” business.  I used to crochet and make stuffed animals.  I would draw pictures and set up a table in our family room with prices on them. I am beyond grateful that my childhood dream has turned into a real actual money-making passion.  How lucky am I?

15. My favorite color in the world is Red, 2nd only to Yellow.  Yes, I know all about the personality profile quiz.  I wasn’t too surprised to find out I was a strong Red and Yellow.

16.  I have big issues with people who are rude, selfish, or self-centered.  There is just not enough time in this life to treat others this way.

17. I am a bit of thrill seeker, but seriously toned it down when I had kids.  Now it is only skiing once in a while, a zip line a few years back for a friend’s 40th and the often sneaking and skulking around locked dumpsters!

18. I have to drink one Diet Pepsi or one Diet Dr. Pepper every day.  It is my daily “treat”.  Sometimes I sit down and watch TV for 10 minutes while I enjoy it.

19.  I love Chocolate, but only really good chocolate.  Have to have a piece of chocolate every day.  I hide it from my kids.

20. I eat the exact same thing for breakfast Monday-Saturday.  Oatmeal, protein powder, Coconut Oil and blueberries.  Breakfast of champions.  My sister told me it tasted like throw up, I disagree. On Sunday I eat something in a hurry, we have 9:00 church.

21. I get up really, really early every day.  About 5:30 a.m.  Before 6 a.m. is my most favorite time of day, no kids, no phone, no talking.  Ahhhh silence.

22. Since Ihave had twins, I have learned the art of getting ready really, really fast.  I can shower, do my hair and  makeup, dressed, even jewelery.  17 minutes.  (I have timed myself).

23. I tend to be a bit neurotic.  See 13-22

24.I love to read, but never seem to have enough time to read.  For as long as I can remember, I have always had a “book” I was in the middle of.  I can’t fall asleep at night if I haven’t read for a few minutes.

25.  I have a really hard time falling asleep.  See #24

26. I make my bed Monday-Saturday pretty much as soon as I get out of it.  Neurotic. (Good thing Husband is gone by then, I would just make it with him still in it).

27. I love any outdoor activity, especially hiking or long walks.  Any vacation Mark and I take, we plan either a hike or lots of walking.

28. I love to travel, but haven’t done nearly enough.  My favorite kind of travel is visiting a new city and doing nothing but walking all over and eating the local food.

29.  In my pre-children years, I hiked Half Dome in Yosemite twice.

30. I have a severe case of ADHD, diagnosed and all.  I have learned to deal with it by lots and lots of self-discipline and strict adherence to a calendar.  However, I have lots of unfinished things around me.

31.  Referring to #30, at any given time, I have about a dozen unfinished projects and each and every room in my house has some kind of unfinished decorating.  Luckily, I can hide the projects, and most people don’t notice the unfinished decorating.  My to-do list is at least a mile long.

This is what remains of my 5 month slip cover chair project.  Just the Pad and pillow, I cannot seem to finish it!  This has been on my counter for at least a month now…..

My sewing machine has taken up permanent residence on this chair next to my kitchen table.

32.  I LOVE Pinterest.  For years I have torn and cut things out of magazines and catalogs, saved pictures from websites on files.  Pinterest is a Creative ADHD girl’s best friend. I have virtual piles now!

33. I love fresh-cut flowers.  We have quite a few rose bushes in our yard, and I love my Hydrangea bushes.  Eventually they will take over our home.  My dream home would have a container or vase of fresh-cut roses and flowers in every single room.  Even the laundry room.  Last year, I almost accomplished it!

34. One of my most favorite fruits in the world are FIGS.  And they have to be fresh.  There are several growers near my home where I can buy them directly from the farm.  I have yet to meet a variety of Fig, or a fig prepared with some kind of meat or cheese that I don’t like.   I have a Fig tree in my yard, and it is just starting to give a good yield.  Several times I have picked figs from abandoned Fig Orchards, and even once from a huge Fig Tree in my downtown area.  Brought my ladder and all and climbed through the tree until I had several grocery bags full.  Hmmmm, related to shameless dumpster diving?

35. My other most favorite fruit in the world are Cherries.  They have to be fresh too.  There is a grower in my town that grows a very rare variety of Cherries called “Coral Cherries”.  They are huge and delicious.  I am almost always the first, or close to the first person there when they officially open for Cherry Picking Season.  I make my kids come with me after school to pick them too.  During Coral Cherry Season, I pretty much eat nothing but Coral Cherries. They only last for three weeks.  I feel kind of sick after the gorge is over. But it is worth it every year.

36. I hate to iron, but love the way my clothes look when they are ironed.  Once I didn’t iron anything for almost two months.  The pile was very large and the task very overwhelming.  I read once that Martha Steward LOVES to iron.  I don’t share this love.

37. I have a very severe case of “worker” hands and I am actually proud of them.

38. I used to be a pretty impatient person.  Mark and I went through several years of infertility, then had twins.  One of my twins has sever ADHD/ODD (Oppositional Defiant disorder).  I have learned patience beyond measure and am amazed at the things that DON’T bother me at all in life.  A few good trials, and we have had some severe ones, (doesn’t everyone eventually?) is a huge blessing.  It puts life into the proper order of what is important and what isn’t.

39. I am a deeply religious person.  My faith is the foundation for everything in my life.  Just in case you were wondering, I am a Mormon, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints”.  If you are curious, this is a good website that answers questions about what we believe.

Mormon.org

40. I don’t believe in reincarnation, but I do in some corner of my mind believe I was supposed to be a born French girl.  For real, then I was supposed to move somewhere to Polynesia.  Even more for real.

41. Hawaii is my happiest place on earth.  My husband has a very good connection with friends who are gracious enough to loan us their time share on Maui almost every other year.  When I get there, I feel like I am coming home.

42. I started blogging as a way to showcase my work to existing and potential clients, then to network a bit with like-minded creatives.  It has become an essential part of who I am and I am so grateful for every single amazing person I have met through blogging.  I have also made some amazing friendships with women whom I would have otherwise, never crossed paths.

43. I love to poke fun at myself and have a hard time taking life too seriously.  Hopefully you didn’t take this list too seriously either.

Thank you all for celebrating my birthday with me!  We officially celebrated tonight.  Here is the pic to prove it: