AMY'S DOWN IN THE DUMPS MI-5

Amy says:

I was in a major funk last week...it has finally started to lift....here are some funk related questions...

1. You are in a funk. What is something that you do to try to get out of it?

Listening to Praise & Worship music always helps, as does scrapbooking.

2. Sometimes music helps when I am in a funk...name a song that always makes you smile.

There are a lot of songs that make me smile. "Nothing to Lose" by Josh Gracin always makes me smile--very upbeat and fun to sing. "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meatloaf is another one that brings a major smile to my face.

3. How can you tell you are in funk? Can others tell?

I think I'm usually pretty good at hiding a funk. I can put on a pretty good act when I need to. Honestly, I don't find that I get in a funk all that often. Sure, I get depressed, like when my Dad died, but I think I was allowed that. I tend to get stress headaches, and maybe they kind of put me in a funk. But I don't think I get "in a funk" the way one of my brothers does. :)

4. I know when I am in a funk I don't feel like doing the stuff I usually like to do. What is something you do when you are in your funk?

In light of my answer to #3, I'm not really sure. My guess would be that I like to take a nap. Every once in a while I really think I'd like to just stay in bed all day, but I'm not sure it's because I'm in a funk---I think I just need to catch up on some sleep.

5. If you are going to crave a food...is it usually salty or sweet? What is your favorite cravebuster for each?

If I'm in a kind of depressed "funk", I want the traditional comfort food: macaroni & cheese, mashed potato, etc. The more carbs the better. For snacky type stuff, I sometimes crave Fritos & a peanut butter sandwich, or popcorn dripping with butter. A pint of Ben & Jerry's never hurts either--I like the Truffle Fudge Core and Oatmeal Cookie the best. Chocolate covered strawberries work too. I have eaten a whole pound in one sitting. I ate a lot of chocolate covered strawberries when my Dad was sick.

THIS WEEK'S MENUS

Monday: Meatball Subs, Broccoli Salad (fresh broccoli, with cheese, onion, & bacon, then tossed with mayo and eaten like a potato salad)

Tuesday: Roast Chicken, Boiled Red Potatoes, Creamed Spinach

Wednesday: Roast Beef, Potatoes, Carrots

Thursday: Baked Haddock, Rice, Sugar Snap Peas

Friday: Homemade Greek Pizza (spinach, tomatoes, onion, and mozzarella)

JIM'S MI-5

1. Name a movie you would like to see soon.

I would like to see Premonition at the theater. And there are tons of movies that I'm waiting to see that are already out on DVD, including The Lake House, Memoirs of a Geisha, Ice Princess, Failure to Launch, and The Break-Up.

2. If money were a bit tight where is an area you would cut back?

Oh, this is easy. I'd get rid of Dwane's super-fantabulous cable. I'd also get rid of Dwane's super-fantabulous cell phone. Oh, and I'd make Dwane sell his super-fantabulous 4-wheeler, too, so we could get rid of that payment. Looks like Dwane will be sad if we have to cut back.

3. What is something that you used to dislike but now like?

Onions! I still don't like raw onions, but I can handle cooked onions pretty well. In fact, one of my favorite pizzas is hamburg & onion now.

4. Tell us something that people often notice about you right away?

I'm not really sure. I guess you'd have to ask the people that see me. I'd like to think that I have a friendly smile. It used to be that people would always notice my freckles, and they would also tell me that I looked just like my Dad. Now that I'm older, the freckles have faded a bit.

5. When you have had a long day and you go home what is your way to unwind?

I like to play games on the computer--including Hexic, Cribbage, and Jewel Quest. I also like to read magazines.

GINA'S ECLECTIC MI-5

Gina says:

"Today's questions.... an eclectic group. Let's find out about YOU!"

1. If you were responsible for casting a new film about Jesus Christ, which current actor would you give the role to and why?

My pick would be Jurgen Prochnow. He played David in The Seventh Sign, and the German Soldier in my favorite TV Miniseries, "Jewels", by Danielle Steele.

2. If you had to recall a time in your life when your self-esteem was at it’s highest, when would you say that was? And why?

I'm not sure that I ever had what I would call "high self-esteem". I know that I felt pretty good my Junior year of High School--seems like I accomplished quite a bit: Cheerleading Captain, FBLA Officer, National Honor Society, etc. But that probably borders on pride. Sometimes there can be a fine line between good self-esteem and pride. I also love the feeling I get around Christmas time, when I am organizing the Mission Study, Christmas Eve Service, and sometimes helping with the Christmas Program, all while still being a Mom, Wife, and Paralegal. I like to see that I can "hold it all together" when I'm "up against it".

3. What is the most creative outlet that you have?

I would have to say scrapbooking, if you are talking about creative in an artistic sense. And even then, I don't think I am creative on my own. I don't just get a vision in my head and run with it. I have to copy it, at least to some degree. And to a certain extent, I think that my legal writing provides somewhat of a "creative" outlet. I can be original there.

4. If you had to name the emotion that you waste the most time on, what would it be. Feel free to elaborate.

Oh, probably worry. That's what Dwane would say anyway. And I know that worry is absolutely useless, and that I have to trust God to protect me and those that I love. Still, I had someone say to me recently, "If you love someone, you're going to worry, that's all there is to it." I think that's true. We are human. But I think that if we give that worry over to God, it's a much better way to handle it.

5. Complete the phrase “I love my life when…,”

I love my life when I have someone in my life that adores me, loves me, needs me, wants me, cares for me, protects me, and (this is selfish, I know) puts me high on the priority totem pole.

NEXT WEEK'S MENUS

Seems like I'm not doing a whole lot of cooking lately. Dwane is working a lot of weird hours, and we are relying a lot on fast food. Either that, or he grabs something for supper at the Samoset, and I just eat some kind of processed food here at home. My body is starting to crave real food again.

I still have lots of menus left over, including the Chicken Fajita Skillet and Grilled Chicken. I'm making the new meatloaf for family dinner after church tomorrow. I know that meatloaf isn't my brother's favorite, but it's got salami in it, so maybe that will give him enough of a flavor rush that he'll be able to stand it. This same meatloaf recipe has come up in the recipe cycle 3 times, and I have yet been able to make it.

Here is the list of menus for next week, which may be mixed up with some of the "leftover" menus:

Monday: Chicken Stuffed with Bacon & Swiss Cheese, Couscous

Tuesday: Pork Tenderloin with Champagne Bueurre Sauce, Buttered Corn, Yeast Rolls

Wednesday: Roast Chicken, Creamed Spinach, Boiled Potatoes

Thursday: Chinese Chicken with Casahews, Calrose Rice, Cauliflower with Cheese'

Friday: Hamburgers, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Strawberry/Banana Smoothies

And just so you all know---I am eating at least two bites of every vegetable I prepare. Last week, I ate two bites of asparagus. I had eaten asparagus only one time before, back in the late 1980s. (I had a boyfriend that loved it, and thought I would show him my devotion by trying it. I don't remember liking it then, and I certainly didn't like it this time, although I gave it my best shot. It was fresh asparagus roasted in the oven in tamari/olive oil, and sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper. At first, it reminded me of cabbage/brussel sprouts, but then it had this nasty aftertaste. Yuck!)

THE WACKY MI-5

Beloved says: "The weather in Maine is wacky & unpredictable, and so are the questions."

1. How do you react when Plan A becomes Plan B?

I tend to not go with the flow very well. If something is really "planned", then I really get into the planning. When the plan changes, I feel like my effort was for nothing. I would like to be more spontaneous, and maybe in time, I will be.

2. What is under your bed?

We have 6 drawers under our bed, and there is different stuff in each drawer. I think Dwane has some clothes, some high school stuff, and EMT stuff on his side. I have old Avon stuff ('bout time to throw that out, I'd say), some glass pieces that I treasure with my life, and miscellaneous junk. I should clean them out and put some of my other junk in there. :)

3. If you had a million dollars what would you buy first?

I'd love to just pay the house off and be debt free. Then, of course, I'd probably want a different house. And a maid. And a gardener.

4. If you could have one superpower what would it be?

I don't know if this is a superpower or not, but I'd like to be able to transport myself to another place just by thinking it. Want to go to Puerto Rico? Just grab the sunscreen. How 'bout Miami for my birthday? Don't forget the presents! Seeing the majesty of the Grand Canyon? Just take a second. And to have lunch in heaven with Dad every day? Now that would be something.

5. When you were a teenager what did you think your life would be like at the age you are now?

I thought I would be married and have children, which came true. I thought that I would be teaching business classes in a high school, but that certainly didn't happen.

WEEKLY MENU

I still have two meals from last week that weren't used: Beef Stew (just ran out of days) and the Quiche (Dwane really hates quiche--so I probably won't even bother to make it).

This is what is on the menu for next week:

Monday: Grilled Ham Steak, Egg Noodles, Baked Asparagus
Tuesday: Chicken Fajita Skillet, Cornbread
Wednesday: Meatloaf, Cabbage & Onions, Mashed Potatoes
Thursday: Grilled Chicken, Broccoli with Cranberries & Almonds, Rice-A-Roni
Friday: Probably the Beef Stew from last week