1. He was a LITTLE APPREHENSIVE ABOUT STARTING FIRST GRADE.

2. A LITTLE PEACE AND QUIET is what I look forward to most this time of year.

3. My best friend MAKES THE MOST AMAZING CHEESE BALLS EVER.

4. I'M REALLY TIRED OF DIET AND EXERCISE to be honest with you, BUT I WILL PRESS ON.

5. Appearances can be DECEIVING.

6. The last person I gave a hug to was CALEB.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to A LITTLE GROCERY SHOPPING, tomorrow my plans include A SUNDAY SCHOOL PICNIC (WHICH MAY WELL BE CANCELED) and Sunday, I want to TAKE A NAP!

15 MOVIES

Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen movies you've seen that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

1. Cocktail (My all-time favorite movie.)
2. Dirty Dancing (I was told that my smile is very much like Jennifer Grey's smile at the end of the movie.)
3. The Seventh Sign (I've seen this many times, and it's still a little freaky.)
4. Silkwood (I didn't cry about this movie until about an hour after I saw it.)
5. Hunt for Red October (Went to this movie on a date...I found it incredibly boring...and slept through most of it.)
6. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (My very first date.)
7. The Lakehouse (I spent so much time trying to "figure this out" that I really missed the movie.)
8. Sophie's Choice (Hard to watch.)
9. Pretty Woman (another very favorite---I've seen it over, and over, and over.)
10. 9 1/2 Weeks (no comment)
11. Where the Heart Is (loved the book, loved the movie)
12. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Saw this with my mom, my SIL, my BFF, my BFF's Mom, and maybe some others, too---it was a great GNO.)
13. Mama Mia (A fun movie, with fun music.)
14. Something Wicked This Way Comes (strange)
15. Sleepless in Seattle (Another date movie---there wasn't a second date, but I definitely saw this movie a second time.)

THE MI-5

A couple of times a year, I write an MI-5 about the new scrapbooking paper from Close To My Heart. Here’s the newest edition, in case anyone would like to play along…

1. JINGLE – This is the annual Christmas paper. The colors are not the “commercially” bright red & green. Instead, they are the colors of Crème Brulee, Juniper, Olive, and Tulip. Tell us about a Christmas tradition that is not “commercial”. Making homemade ornaments? Reading a story? Making popcorn balls with the kids?

I am really not "into" the whole commercialism of Christmas. I'm not overly fond of Santa, the reindeer, and the North Pole. I much prefer focusing on the Nativity. When I was a child, my grandmother let me set up a very old Nativity that belonged to one of my Great Aunts (I forgot which one---it was on my grandfather's side). Anyway, I looked forward to putting that together every year. My grandmother told me that I would get to have it someday, and when I do, I'll build a room onto my house if I have to in order to give it a proper place.

2. SWEET HOME – Let’s think “commercial” this time. What does your house need to have in it to make it feel like home? I’m not talking about family, love, peace, etc. I want to know about games, electronics, food, etc. Tangible stuff.

I'll definitely need a computer, a DS, a Playstation for DDR, a DVD player for my Leslie Sansone in-home walking, a cat, and all of my scrapbooking stuff. An awesome rocking chair is a must, too.

3. GRACE – What does grace mean to you? You don’t have to get “religious” here…But what do you think of when you think of grace?

To me, it's God's unconditional love. God loved me, even with all of the horrible things I have done. Because of His love, and the sacrifice of Jesus, I am forgiven. It is not about what I have done, it is all about what HE has done.

4. TWITTERPATED – Have you been bitten by the Twitter bug? Why or why not?

I am not into the whole Twitter thing, nor do I expect to be in the future. Facebook is the closest thing to Twitter that I do. I have a cell phone, but it is only a Tracfone that is turned on when I leave the house. (It's just for emergencies.) Isn't Twitter really dependent on a cell phone? I don't even know.

5. STUDIO J – For the first time, Close to My Heart is going digital for some of its scrapbooking. If you could “invent” the next digital craze (an app, a program, a product), what would you want it to do?

It's probably already out there somewhere, but I'd really like a digital camera that is SUPER easy to use and takes FANTASTIC pictures, no matter how camera illiterate one might be. I've had two digital cameras now (neither of them SLRs---they are too difficult for me) and neither camera can take a half-decent picture. It's probably just my own inadequacy, but I sure do prefer the quality of my old Ricoh film camera. I love that digital pictures work so well for the computer and stuff, but I just don't care for the quality that I get.

36 ODD THINGS ABOUT ME

1. Do you like Blue cheese dressing? No

2. Have you ever smoked a cigarette? No

3. Do you own a gun? No

4. What flavor Kool-Aid was your favorite? Cherry

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Sometimes

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I love them (when I'm in the mood for them), but I'm picky. I like Kierschner Natural Casing and Oscar Myer All-Beef. Not fond of the "spicy" ones.

7 Favorite Christmas Movie? The Santa Claus one where he gets married, I guess.

8 What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Weaker Coffee with Splenda and Sugar-Free Vanilla Coffee Mate

9. Can you do push-ups? Yes

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? I have lots of sentimental pieces that are favorites.

11. Favorite Hobby? Scrapbooking

12. Do you have A.D.D.? Not to my knowledge

13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? No

14. Middle name? Marie

15. What are you thinking about at this moment? Answering these questions.

16. Name 2 or 3 or 4 drinks you regularly drink? Coffee, Diet Iced Tea, Cherry Diet Pepsi

17. Current worry? I'm not supposed to worry.

18. Current hate right now? Bugs

19. Favorite place to be? Home

20. How did you bring in the New Year? I don't even remember. I think I was sleeping.

21. Where would you like to go right now? Grand Canyon

22. Do you own slippers? Yes

23. What color shirt are you wearing? Lavendar PJ Top

24. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No

25. Can you whistle? Just a little

26. Where are you now? Home

27. Would you be a pirate? No

28. What songs do you sing in the shower? "California Here I Come" (I have no idea why)

29. Favorite Girl's Name? Elizabeth

30. Favorite boy's name? Eben & Caleb

31. What's in your pocket right now? Nothing

32. Last thing that made you laugh? Facebook message from Dwane (well, it made me grin).

33. What vehicle do you drive? Chrysler Town & Country

34. Worst injury you've ever had? Broken Epithysis

35. Do you love where you live? Yes, for the most part. I love the town, but I'd love to live in the same town on the ocean.

36. How many TVs do you have in your home? 6 that work.

FRIDAY FILL IN

1. When will THE YEAR OF JUBILEE TAKE PLACE AGAIN?

2. THE SECOND TWILIGHT BOOK (I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER THE NAME OF IT) was the last good book I read or movie I saw or tv show I watched.

3. Everything has its beauty but I FAIL TO SEE THE BEAUTY OF MOSQUITOS.

4. ENGLISH MUFFIN PIZZA is what I had for dinner.

5. I'd like your SCRAPBOOKING HABITS TO GET REALLY OUT OF HAND SO YOU'D WANT TO ORDER LOTS OF STUFF FROM ME.

6. RIGHT HERE is where I want to be right now.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to THE LAST NIGHT OF VBS (IT WAS FUN, BUT I'M TIRED, AND I DIDN'T REALLY EVEN HAVE TO DO ANYTHING), tomorrow my plans include SOMETHING I WON'T DIVULGE (ASK ME ON SUNDAY) and Sunday, I want to SEE WHAT MY FINAL WEIGHT LOSS IS FOR THIS CYCLE OF FIRST PLACE 4 HEALTH!

GINA'S MI-5

Complete this sentence five times:

"I used to (think, feel, believe, know, etc.)...., but now I ...."

1. I used to think that I would be a very patient parent, but now I know that I am not.

2. I used to feel like I would never survive the death of a parent, but now I know that God gave me the strength to make it through (even though it often wasn't pretty, and it is still very hard.)

3. I used to believe that I would make an awesome wife, but now I know that I have a long, long way to go.

4. I used to want to memorize tons of Bible verses to earn prizes, but now I know that I need to learn more so that I will have them whenever (and wherever) I need them.

5. I used to eat a Big Mac, Large Fries, and Large Iced Tea at McDonalds, and now I eat a Side Salad with a Grilled Chicken Patty on top (saves calories and money!).

FRIDAY FILL IN

1. MACARONI SALAD & DIET ICED TEA is my favorite summertime LUNCH.

2. My favorite John Hughes movies is PRETTY IN PINK. (ALTHOUGH I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I HAD NO CLUE WHO JOHN HUGHES WAS. I HAD TO LOOK HIM UP ON IMDB.)

3. MY CAT is something I love to touch.

4. The full moon GIVES A LOT OF LIGHT!

5. MY STOMACH IS GURGLING right now. NOT A GOOD SIGN.

6. When daylight fades IT'S TIME TO GO TO BED.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to SPENDING TIME ALONE WITH CALEB (PROBABLY PLAYING HIDDEN PICTURE GAMES ON THE COMPUTER OR SCRAPBOOKING TOGETHER), tomorrow my plans include PERHAPS GOING TO AUGUSTA TO PICK UP THE NEW CTMH CATTIES and Sunday, I want to LOSE 4 POUNDS SO I CAN REACH MY GOAL (PROBABLY NOT GOING TO HAPPEN)!

4X4X5

1. Four places that I go to over and over:

Church, Wal-Mart, Hannaford, Mom's House

2. Four people who e-mail me regularly:

The Office, Facebook, Bob F., Pastor Dave's House

3. Four favorite smells:

The Ocean, Apples, Bath & Body Works Flowering Herbs, Mom's Cooking

4. Four places I would rather be right now:

A Women of Faith Conference, Applebee's, Busch Gardens, Virginia

5. Four current TV shows I watch:

HGTV Design Star, So You Think You Can Dance, Big Brother, The View