Answers for you

Yesterday I opened the floor to all and promised to answer any questions you asked. In addition to the questions from yesterday, I have two left over from the last time I did this.

Mrs. Gamgee from Hobbit-ish Thoughts and Ramblings asked What, if any, recipe/food/style of cooking has been the most difficult for you to master? Is there one that you haven't quite gotten right yet? One that is eluding you? Most creative things (and I include cooking in this) seem to come pretty easily to me. I've never tried to make a souffle and I imagine that might be a bit difficult. Also, there have been a few individual items (like lace cookies) that gave me fits.

Maria at Immoral Matriarch asked If you live in any era of the past, any country, as any gender or race or class or whatever - basically just choose your life and how you lived it, where/what/who would you be? There have been times when I've fantasized about living in another era...maybe Victorian England with the gorgeous clothes or on a plantation with all the horses...but I can't imagine living without all the options and privileges we have during this era. I also like being a woman too much to want to be anything else. I think the one I would change if I could is my financial status. I would love to be able to live without any concern for money whatsoever. There are so many things I would love to do and so many charities I would love to support and being independently wealthy would allow me the freedom to do that. Even if I could snap my fingers and be wealthy, I would still want to have a career. I can't imagine being an idle rich bitch. That would be boring as hell. The only thing I would change about my physical person is I would install my aunt's hyperactive metabolism so I would never have to worry about my weight.

Now, on to the questions from yesterday...

Mrs. Spock asked What is your "just-right" family size and why? When I was growing up, I always imagined having 3 children (but I thought they would be girls like me and my sisters). However, when I was pregnant with Joey, my middle son, I began to have a gut feeling that there were suppose to be 4 children in my family. Whether you want to regard it as a message from God, a message from the universe, or my own insanity kicking in, that little internal voice kept saying "There are suppose to be 4 children." Honestly, at the time, the idea of 4 kids scared the shit out of me but the more I tried to ignore the idea, the more I tried to beat that voice into submission, the louder it got. When I finally said "Ok, there are suppose to be 4 children", it was like all was right in the world again. Sadly, our hellish bout with infertility and issues with my hubby's diabetes have made the arrival of that 4th child doubtful at best.

Sandy from Between Lightning asked me What's your favorite guilty pleasure? My all time favorite guilty pleasure is a full day of pampering at a day spa...manicure, pedicure, facial, massage, etc. I rarely get the time or extra money to do any of these things but god is it wonderful when it happens.

Another Dreamer from An Unwanted Path said What is your guilty book pleasure? What do you read, or have read, that is embarrassing? I think we all have something ;) I guess I would have to say Erotic romances...but, honestly, it's more a case of needing to be careful about who sees them than being embarrassed. I know many people think of Erotic Romance in the same category as porn but it isn't. When it's well written, there is a great storyline, a great romance, and red hot sex scenes. Reading is for escapism and pleasure and erotic romances are a hell of a fun way to escape.

Jen from In One Ear wanted to know would you come down here and help me? I've procrastinated and run out of time...help Umm, if you can add a few days to the week and invent a transporter, I'd be glad to come help.

Lynn from Wistful Girl asked What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen? I honestly don't know how to answer this question. I've seen quilts that take my breath away. I've seen things involving my kids that make me stop and thank the lord I got to see it. I've been blessed enough to see the end of rainbow. I've also seen shoes that make me salivate and dream of wearing them. I can truly appreciate beauty in just about any form.

Kakunaa from Spermination Station asked me What was the most perfect day of your life? And you aren't allowed to say your wedding day ... too easy. I could say the day my oldest child was born but, to be honest, there were hellish moments. I was on mag sulfate because of being pre-eclamptic which stopped my full-term labor which got me started on pitocin which didn't work quickly enough which caused me to need a c-section and made me bleed like a stuck pig afterwards because they forgot to turn the pitocin back on so my uterus would contract. I could also say the birth of my post-IF baby but itching like hell from the after effects of the anesthesia kind of knock it down the list. I really think there are a few days that tie for the most perfect and they were all days when it was just Vic and me hanging out together. The days that tied for the most perfect were the days of our last pre-baby vacation. We never got up too early. We spent the days relaxing, seeing beautiful sights like Grandfather Mountain, the Linville Caverns, Linville Falls, and went panning for gemstones. We had nothing we HAD to do and did whatever we wanted. It was so wonderful having NO demands and just getting to enjoy each other.

Another Dreamer from An Unwanted Path wants to know What is your favorite child's fable, or fairy tale? I don't know if I can pick just one. My all time favorite books on my grandparents' book shelves were the collections of Aesop's Fables, Hans Christian Andersen's tales, and Grimm's Fairy Tales. I really love Snow White and Rose Red, The Little Mermaid, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling, and Beauty and the Beast. While I do enjoy the Disney versions of all these, I loved the originals.

Anything else y'all want to know?