Birthday Hints...John, are you reading this?

It's Almost Naptime is hosting a "Friday Faves" blog carnival, and today's theme is favorite perfume. I was inspired to join in this one because I was trying to order some scented wipe cubes for Anna's cloth wipes yesterday and had a tough time picking scents--I didn't understand the scent descriptions. What the heck does bergamot smell like, anyway? I stuck with familiar things...vanilla, oatmeal, birthday cake (!), etc.

However, I saw Missy's (Naptime Missy, not our Missy) post, and thought that perhaps by researching my two favorite perfumes, I'd find out what went into them and therefore what scents I like. So here goes...

My all-time favorite is Dolce and Gabbana Feminine perfume. I first sniffed (haha) this one out in Florence on my first trip there with Annie Jo. I loved it but didn't buy it because I thought it was pricey--I think I received it for Christmas from Mama, though. I've had a few bottles since then but am currently out.

According to Amazon: "Young people are sincere, candid, and realistic. Their nature is the inspiration for D&G. Introduced in 1999, D&G Feminine is a clean, crisp, and uncomplicated fruity floral with hints of musk."

Fruity floral with a hint of musk--is that vague or what? Uncomplicated sounds good, though. And as for the "young people" part, well, in 1999 I was young people.

My other favorite--and what I'm currently wearing--is Banana Republic Rosewood. Love it, and sometimes it is on sale at the outlet.

According to a perfume blog (which is awesome--they describe perfume like wine, cracks me up): "This warm and alluring scent unearths a soulful sensuality. Fusing bergamot champagne, white tea leaves, and white amber are sure to enchant any suitor. Sweet, but not cloyingly so, this is a scent that is both cuddly and quite “dressed up”. I don’t get any “champagne”, but I do smell sweet tea"...."in the drydown, the warm aspect is underscored by a creamy chocolate note."

AHA...chocolate AND sweet tea...no wonder I like it. And, apparently, I am a fan of bergamot.

Alright, if you want to join in, go HERE and follow the directions.

Things that made me smile today

• I saw the baby turkey again. I took more pictures--still grainy--but here's a little video:


• This blog post by Big Mama made me laugh. I looooove mixed CD's, that's all I have in my car right now (well, besides 2 Christmas CD's that I haven't removed from my disc changer). And, for better or worse, my musical taste doesn't appear to be that different from her 7-year-old daughter. Thank goodness for MP3s--I remember holding my pink boom box up to the TV (during "Nick Rocks," I believe) and trying to record music directly from the TV. Those were some quality recordings, I think the static made them extra special. :-)


• This post from "It's Almost Naptime" made me laugh and cry at the same time. I have met Black Jacket Lady, she also shops at our Publix. I encountered her on a Sunday afternoon (before Anna), when Will and I were shopping. John was at work, and we had no food besides croutons and Crystal Light, so I had to shop with Will. He pitched a five-alarm tantrum in the checkout aisle. I wanted to die on the spot, but since we were only 10 feet and one credit card swipe from the door, I decided to save his discipline for the car and hopefully keep his screams from escalating. Some grandmotherly-looking lady (age-wise, I mean--she clearly either had no grandchildren or had extremely well-behaved grandchildren) shot me the dirtiest look from 2 aisles over. I know it is no fun to listen to a misbehaving child--I simultaneously wanted to apologize to her, get mad at her, and explain that I DO discipline my child, it just lately has not been working very well. Sigh. Since that time, I shop in the evenings or weekends when John can watch the kiddos--and we've learned to occasionally subsist on croutons. :-)


• This little face makes me smile all the time--especially now that she gets sooooo happy about the smallest things. This is her before we left to run errands yesterday: "We're going to the bank AND the dry cleaners?? Really?? That is so COOL, that is exactly where I wanted to go!!" She slept through the whole trip, but the smiles on the way out the door were awesome.
• And, it's Mama/Nana's birthday today! So Happy Birthday! (I won't include which birthday it is...except to say she's not quite 60...not yet...)

Now back to packing for our move next week. Packing does NOT make me smile (which is why I wanted to do this post and remind myself of some fun things--and, of course, procrastinate). Anybody want to share what is making you smile at the moment?

I'm It!!

As in, I've been tagged to complete a survey by Courtney, so here goes...

What is your current obsession? Trying to figure out what about my cloth-diapering regimen is giving Anna a rash. Oh, and writing blog posts (with lots of parentheses and ellipses) and reading other folks' blog posts...and checking Facebook 2-3 times daily to see if Baby Slinkard or Baby Behnke has arrived, I love baby excitement.

What do you think your name says about you? I think Angela sounds melodramatic and big 80's hair-ish (makes me think of Angela on "Who's the Boss?"). But almost nobody calls me that except John occasionally (he likes it). And it means "angelic"...hahahha. None of that describes me, except that I do get dramatic when there is no chocolate in the house.

Who was the last person you hugged? Well, I've held Anna for most of the morning cause she's a little fussy, not sure if that counts as a hug. Will gets most of the hugs around here, he loves a good bear hug.

What’s your favorite dinner? If I'm cooking, an all veggie dinner in the summer (corn on the cob, fried okra, sliced tomatoes, field peas). If I'm not cooking--a yummy steak dinner, ideally with some mashed potatoes and asparagus, complete with some kind of good chocolatey dessert. (I could cook that, but pricey meat is too much pressure in the kitchen.)

What was the last thing you bought? Some fabric to make sofa pillow covers from JoAnn fabrics (not that I have time to do that now, but home decor fabric was 40% off so I couldn't resist).

What are you listening to right now? I was in the middle of a Law and Order marathon when Anna finally allowed me to put her down--it's still on the TV. (By the way, isn't Jeff Goldblum a brilliant choice as new detective? I love his weirdness.)

What is your favorite weather? Can't beat Courtney's answer--75 degrees and sunny. (Unless I somehow have the day off with time for a nap--then I love a little rain.)

What is your least favorite season? In Florida, I don't enjoy summer unless I'm at the beach or pool--it's just tooooooo hot.

What's in your bathroom cabinet? Our medicines (I know, the humidity isn't good for meds, but it's the most convenient spot).

Say something to the person/s who tagged you. Hi Courtney! I'm honored to be tagged. :-)

What is your favorite tea flavor? Plain old iced tea (not instant), slightly sweet with lemon. I occasionally drink hot chai tea. But overall, I prefer coffee as my caffeine vehicle.

What did you want to become as a child? Well, I remember that Missy and I both went through a period of planning to be stay at home moms of multiples living in RV's--I believe in Michigan. Random. Other choices--teacher, architect, OB/Gyn (because I do love babies!).

What do you miss? Right now, after looking at Lea's pictures from NC, I'm missing NC big time. Spring up there was gorgeous, and I love the mountains.

What's your favorite brand of jeans? I don't have a favorite brand. My favorite pair is a pair of Lucky Jeans I bought almost 8 years ago--they have a fairly low waistline, so I've been able to wear them midway into both pregnancies and they were one of the first articles of normal clothing I was able to wear after having Will. (And, no, they don't fit quite yet--I tried a few days ago, sigh.) I also love maternity jeans--those elastic waistbands are fantastic (the low ones, not the overbelly ones!).

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Smoky Mountains, see above.

What is your most challenging goal right now? Today--cleaning this house. Figuring out where we're going to live in about 8 weeks. Potty-training Will.

What’s your 5 year plan? I think this is the first time in my life I don't really have one--we don't plan to move cities or change jobs right now. I don't know if we're going to have any more children. I hope Will's potty-training doesn't become a five-year plan.

Bonanno's or Jack Rogers? I had to Google both of those after reading Courtney's post. I like them both, with a slight preference for those ones with flowers on them. I think those were the Bonanno's--I'm a sucker for flowered clothing, in case you haven't seen the pictures of Anna's head.

What is my favorite sport to watch? Da, da-da-da-da Go Gators!!! UF Football. I used to watch pro football too, but can't be bothered with that now.

To play? I am terribly uncoordinated. I am enjoying Wii Hula-Hooping, though. :-)

What is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own? Besides my engagement ring, I love the necklace John got me for our 2nd wedding anniversary--it is a tiny diamond cross. I stopped wearing it for a year after Will was born because I was afraid he'd tug on it and break it--and Anna managed to get her fist around it the other day, so I think I'm gonna retire it for a year again.

If you could only listen to one band/artist for the rest of your life, what who would it be? I have no idea. I've been listening to the Oak Ridge Boys for my entire life so far and I'm not tired of them, so maybe them. I have the world's worst taste in music, it's my parents' fault. Long road trips listening to ORB, Kenny Rogers, and Time Life Best Hits of the Late 60's. So now I have mixed CD's in the car with country songs mixed with current pop songs mixed with contemporary Christian songs...so John begs to listen to the radio when he's in my car.

Now I should be tagging someone--but Courtney tagged the only bloggers that might read my blog (that I know of--if anybody else reads this and has a blog, let me know and I'll tag you pronto)!

So instead, I'll urge anyone who reads this and doesn't have a blog to start one. It's easy and FREE (and if you already have a Gmail account, you don't even have to memorize a new password). Just go to the main Blogger page and follow the directions. And, as I have clearly demonstrated in the past, you don't have to have very much going on to come up with blog posts. So get going, and send me your blog sites, I'd love to read them!!