Christmas meme

My BFF sent me this today… rather than forward it on to others, I’m answering it here.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both. I actually like to wrap presents, but my little bit of OCD means that each wrapped package has to be perfectly square, so odd sized items go in gift bags. I know, I’m weird.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. I don’t have time to clean up all the needles, and real trees aren’t symmetrical enough. Also, I don’t like how dry they look by the end of the holiday. You can’t put a real tree up right after Thanksgiving and have it last until after Christmas…
3. When do you put up the tree? The weekend after Thanksgiving, preferably.
4. Do you like eggnog? Yep, with nutmeg! My grandma used to make homemade eggnog… that was NOT a favorite. Raw egg is grody.
5. Favorite gift received as a child? My first Cabbage Patch Kid. And my second. And my third.
6. Hardest person to buy for? Dad. It’s hard to know what to get him, mostly because he usually buys whatever he wants throughout the year. When he does open a gift, he always acts less than thrilled. I’ve only seen him truly delighted at a gift once or twice in the last 32 years.
7. Easiest person to buy for? Mom. Though it’s getting harder as she gets older.
8. Do you have a nativity scene? No! I keep looking for just the right one, and I’ve never really been able to find one I like. We always had one when I was a kid.
9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. I usually participate in a bunny-related Christmas card swap, and then send a few out to friends and relatives.
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Clam juice and sardines. It was a cut-throat gift exchange at work, and I totally lost out.
11. Favorite Christmas Movie? It’s a toss-up between Elf and The Grinch.
12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? After Thanksgiving. I just can’t get into the mood for it beforehand, no matter how hard I try.
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes, but only for an annual cut-throat gift exchange among friends. I think the same gift went back and forth for about 4 years before we finally retired it.
14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Turkey. Christmas cookies. Sugar cream pie. Green bean casserole. I can’t decide.
15. Lights on the tree? You even have to ask? The more the better, and they need to be clear. Colored lights are too gingerbready for my taste.
16. Favorite Christmas song?
    – Religious: O Holy Night or Ave Maria, by either Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, or Harry Connick, Jr.
    – Secular: When My Heart Finds Christmas and (It Must’ve Been Old) Santa Claus, by Harry Connick, Jr.
17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Usually stay home, especially now that most of the family is back in Indiana.
18. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph. Is that right?
19. Angel on the tree top or a star? I think I have a star, although it might be a snowflake. I tried to find a new tree topper last year, and couldn’t find one I really liked. I want something vintage… I’d like to find something like this.
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Never before Christmas morning… it would ruin the surprise! We don’t even put stockings out until Christmas morning… Mom and Dad always kept them in their bedroom until everyone got up.
21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Not feeling like I can just relax and enjoy it. All that build up for just one day… it’s such a letdown afterward. But I love it anyway. It’s my favorite time of the year!

I can’t wait for Christmas… I know, I’m a nut.

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Meme – Day 9

I got the idea for this post from Melissa at Sarcomical, and thought it was a pretty cool meme.

1. What is your first name? Amanda
2. What is your favorite food? Pizza
3. What high school did you go to? Salem Park Academy
4. What is your favorite color? Pink
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Clive Owen
6. What is your favorite drink? Mojito (hey, we have the same favorite!)
7. What is your dream vacation? Europe (over several months, especially the UK)
8. What is your favorite dessert? Caramel Walnut Brownies
9. What do you want to do when you grow up? No idea!
10. Who/what do you love most in life? My Nieces
11. Choose one word that describes you? Mellow
12. What is your Flickr name? Little Miss Magic

Now, the pictures that represent the words…

(photo credits: 1. Amanda’s Pennant (Celithemis amanda), 2. Shakey’s Pizza, 3. USS Salem park: what appears to be a World War 2 Nazi German miniature submarine, 4. The closed window, 5. _MG_9768, 6. sunset mojito, 7. Over the mountains and the sea…..:), 8. caramel walnut brownies 012, 9. The Way To The Unknown, 10. through the looking glass, 11. Key Biscayne scene on 22sep06, 12. IMG_0775)

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Me-me-me-me-me

I have never done a meme before! How exciting!

Wow. It doesn’t take much these days, does it.

Anyway, on to the meme. I cleaned out my purse, which is really more of a bag, just like Stefania.



My bag is a Timbuk2 x-small messenger. A couple of friends had them, and since I was looking for something big enough to carry the ever-growing list of items I was putting in my purse, I splurged. I love this bag, and I’m actually hoping to get another one for spring. This mocha wool was a special winter edition in 2006. I carry this most days, though I do have some actual purses I can use if I have a *gasp* date or something. Not that I’ve had to worry about that in a while…

And here is all the stuff in my bag:


Clockwise from top left is the following:

1. Purell, because you can never be too sure whether others have washed their hands.
2. A ponytail band and a cute hairpin I bought years ago. I have annoying hair right now, and sometimes I really just need to pull it or pin it back.
3. Various lip accoutrements. Medicated Chapstick (basic), Boots Botanics lip gloss in Loganberry (for everyday), Clinique Glosswear for Lips Sheer Shimmers in Mystic (for special occasions where “shimmer” is required), and C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint No. 1136 (when a little breath freshener is called for).
4. A little spiral-bound notebook from Target. They always have the coolest purse-sized notebooks, and I always manage to find them on clearance. I must have about 5 or 6 of these just waiting to be used.
5. My Moleskine planner. I looked everywhere for the perfect planner this year, and just couldn’t find anything before Christmas. I have a bit of a calendar fetish, and love to browse the clearance calendars at Barnes & Noble after Christmas. On this particular day, all calendars marked with a red dot were an additional 75% off. I picked up a mini-calendar and an advent calendar I’d been eyeing, and then I found this planner tucked in between all the other Moleskine notebooks and decided I’d splurge — I didn’t pay $18 for any of my other calendars, but I was desperate and I loved the clean lines. When the cashier rang it up, it was on sale, just like all the other calendars! It didn’t have a red dot, but luck was apparently favoring me.
6. The Checkbook.
7. The Wallet. This is an ancient Liz Claiborne wallet, but I love the way it functions and just can’t bring myself to replace it. I keep eyeing handmade wallets on Etsy and buyolympia.com, but nothing has really caught my eye.
8. My trusty cellphone. I’ve dropped this thing so many times over the last 3 years, and it just keeps on going. I’m planning to get a new one in the next couple of weeks, though… I’m upgrading to a Blackberry.
9. Sunglasses, sans case. I’m terrible about keeping these in a case, and it shows. I really need to replace these. I bought them on my first trip to visit my brother in Savannah in 2003.
10. Always be prepared, is what I say.
11. Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer oil-free pressed powder, to help with the shine. I have A LOT of shine.
12. Kleenex anti-viral tissues. These were a freebie, and I really haven’t used that many of them. I think I’ve had this same pack for about 3 years.
13. My all-time favorite pen. I LOVE this pen. I just found out recently that they make refills, so I don’t ever have to be without it!
14. My iPod. Yet another something I keep thinking I need to replace. This is a 3rd generation model, obsolete as soon as I bought it. It totally burns me that I can now buy a model with 8 times the storage for less than what I paid for this bad boy four years ago. GRRR. But Amanda’s iPod keeps on ticking, and I can think of lots of other ways to spend $350.

I usually keep whatever I’m currently reading or crossword/sudoko puzzle book in the bag, too, but am currently between books, and not really interested in crosswords or sudoku at the moment. Book suggestions are most definitely welcome… I have a ton of books saved in my Amazon wishlist, but am always open to new things!

So, now I’m tagging Jenny for this — together we’ve done lots of email “getting to know you” lists. Enjoy!

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