Alphabetized

image: stockxchange

A

AGE?
48 ...and marching towards 49..!


B

WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Mr. F


WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY?
October 22


C

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CANDY?
Goetz's Caramel Cremes


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?
shades of orange


D

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BREED OF DOG?
I have a soft spot for beagles, whippets, greyhounds, Boston terriers, German Shorthaired Pointers


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DESSERT?
Key Lime Pie



E

WHAT IS YOUR ETHNICITY?
This American "mutt" is a mix of French-Canadian, Greek, and German heritage


F

WHAT DO YOU FEAR MOST?
something bad happening to or losing my husband and/or child


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER?
lilies , especially tiger lilies


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FRUIT?
a perfectly ripe red or black plum


G

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE GAMES?
Board/card games like Pictionary, Taboo, and Apples To Apples



WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF GUM?
Big Red


H

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOCKEY TEAM?
Boston Bruins, I suppose, but I am not really into hockey (Mr. F watches the Bruins so the games are on TV and on a LOT lately because of the Stanley Cup play-off's)


WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR?
Brown

I

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Pistachio


J

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE JELLY BEAN FLAVOR?
the red kind--cherry


WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE JUNK FOOD PLACE?
Where? Somewhere on the other side of town, so no one can see me go into one of those places . Oh, the shame .
Seriously, I say I don't like "junk food" like McDonalds and Burger King and if I weaken and eat burger from there I fel like crap for the next 24 hours (even seeing the so-called food on the TV commercials disgusts me), but when I am traveling, I have to have a Mickey D's breakfast sandwich for the road and their coffee(their coffee is actually really good). That sandwich will sit in your stomach like a hard lump for the rest of the day, and you'll have to drink water all day, too, but it is pretty tasty.


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE JUICE?
Cranberry, or maybe pineapple juice because you can make French Martinis with it


K

HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU HAVE/WANT?
This is how it worked out for me and Mr. F....one(and she is a good one)

L

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
In the biggest little state in the union, baby! ;-) In a very small house(with quite possibly the smallest bathroom in the whole USA)


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LETTER OF THE ALPHABET?
I have always been partial to the letter L...lovely, letters, lemon drops, la..la..la(wasn't there a Sesame Street bit with Bert and Ernie singing about the letter L and Ernie would say nice L words like lollipop and lilting and then Bert would sing about "lumps" in his oatmeal?

Yes, there is--thanks, YouTube!).

M

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MONTH?
October

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?
Just one? Hmmmm...Ones I have watched over and over are..Jaws, The Sound Of Music, A Little Romance, North By Northwest, Chocolat, The Fisher King, Spinal Tap, Next Stop Wonderland, PeeWee's Big Adventure(yes, really!)

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE MUSCIAL GROUP/ARTIST?
Again--there is no way I can choose just one--see my profile for musical favorites(okay, I'll give you three--Van Morrison, The Clash, Guster to start..)


N

FAVORITE NUMBER?
I gravitate to the numeral "5". I like to write it, I *think* of it as my lucky number, I grew up in a family of five, and a few years I found out that in numerology, I am a..."5".


WHAT IS YOUR NAME?
Tina Sabine


O

ARE YOU AN ONLY CHILD?
No..an Oldest out of three, and often felt like the Odd one


P

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO PAMPER YOURSELF?
Well, being a LIbra, I am very good about making sure to pamper myself
A soak in a hot bubble bath
buy myself a bouquet of flowers
buy myself a new book after a good look around a bookstore


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?
pepperoni


Q


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE(s )?
"The most important thing, darling, is to live a fabulous life. As long as it's fabulous, I don t care how long it is." ~ Freddie Mercury

"I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering..." ~ Steven Wright

R

WHAT DO YOU READ?
Everything...I can't go a day without reading something--magazines, cookbooks for pleasure, mysteries, biographies, memoirs, novels,(no Kindle yet, though), and blogs, of course.


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT?
Spain --delicious Spanish cuisine and attentive Spanish waiters

S

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SNACK?
nuts and seeds(almonds and toasted pumpkin seeds are good)


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SANDWICH?
Tuna on Toast or a well-made hot pastrami on rye (I don't really like most cold sandwiches)


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO SHOP?
Currently, a local consignment/resale shop called Chameleons-- I can spend 50.00 and walk out with Burberry trousers, a perfect-fitting pair of J. Crew skinny jeans, and a pair of fun dangly earrings.

T

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?
Right now--Modern Family (scroll down.... scroll...all the way down--I am having some HTML Troubles...



WHO IS/WAS YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER ?
Miss. Beers, my third grade teacher. She was young and beautiful--she wore mini skirts and had long blond hair she wore tied back with a scarf. She picked me(!) to play Princess Tigerlily in the "Peter Plan" play we did as a class(my first ever play), and read from "The Secret Garden" to us every day after lunch. She also read from "House At Pooh Corner" and encouraged us to write our own poems, inspired by A.A. Milne. She also had a temper and didn't put up with any nonsense, and would slap a yardstick down on the desk of anyone who was not paying attention--never happened to me, though.

U

WHAT KIND OF UNDERWEAR DO YOU HAVE?
the very comfortable kind


WHAT BRAND OF UNDERWEAR DO YOU WEAR?
Whatever is on the rack at Marshall's or Kohl's (and is both sexy looking and comfortable)


V

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VEHICLE?
one that starts right up, and that takes the least amount of fuel to get me from point "a" to point "b"


WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE VEGGIE?
Beets


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VEGGIE?
Tomato


WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION?
Northeast Kingdom , Vermont


W

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK?
Tuesdays(have this day off), Fridays are good, too


WHAT IS YOUR KIND OF WEATHER?
sunny, puffy white clouds, light breeze--around 75*F

WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE WRITERS?
Again--see my profile, as it is hard to pick just one (okay, I'll give you three--Jane Gardam , Howard Frank Mosher, Joanne Harris

X

WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONS HAVE AN X?
Some of these questions are xceedingly silly(your favorite kind of gum? favorite letter of the alphabet? And yet, I found an answer to them all....)

Y

WHAT YEAR DID YOU TURN 21?
1983


WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR?
anytime it is warm enough to be outside without three layers and hats and mittens on

Z

WHAT IS YOUR ZODIAC SIGN

Libra (but my chart is heavy on the Scorpio, too, so there is some serious seething, bubbling and boiling going on beneath my polite and diplomatic facade..heh...heh...)

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ZOO ANIMAL?
Well, I never thought I had a favorite "zoo" animal, but the giraffes are cool and I like to watch the otters (I have not been to a zoo in years and years...I think I need to watch some otters soon)

There. I did it. And thank you, if you read all the way to end of this. Please, if anyone one wants to do this , try it on your own blog. I know--it is very junior high(the underwear questions, for example), but a fun time-waster.
C'mon, you know you wanna do it..

The meaning of life....

A winding road , Eaton, New Hampshire, July 2010

"Little surprises around every corner, but nothing dangerous." ~ Willie Wonka

So, I am just about to get into bed, smellin' all clean and and luscious after my evening shower (smoothed on some Avon lotion and scent-- Imari Seduction--very va-va-voom). From down the hall, I can hear the daughter singing in Latin(!) some song she learned today in chorus, and I just thought I would do a Blogthang before turning in. I haven't done one of those in quite some time.

The Meaning of Your Life is Pleasure

You don't have to be reminded that life is short. You're going to live it up and have fun. You are more afraid of regretting what you didn't do, and you try to do it all. You want to travel the world, experience passion, eat great food, and have amazing adventures. Whenever possible, you indulge. You want to sample all the world's pleasures, even if your health and finances suffer a little.

What Is The Meaning of Your Life?

Yup, I am afraid the Blogthing has it completely right this time. I just knew my result wouldn't say that the meaning of my life is to serve mankind. I am one shallow, pleasure seeking individual. I can be satisfied with the simple pleasures, though. Just give me beauty, kindness, serenity, maybe a little excitement now and then (a concert or road trip) and some Key Lime Pie, please.

***********

To those who noticed and commented favorably about the blog's new look -- thank you. It was purely accidental, this change. I hadn't even intended to change it. Out of curiosity the other day, I just happened to click on the "new template designer" tab and randomly selected this design(Watermark) and I liked it right away. It was definitely time for an update.

Seeing Spots

**** I am a sucker for both stripes and polka dots on clothes. Seems my daughter is, too! Is it genetic, this predilection for dots and stripes?
After her first sewing lesson last spring, she choose a classic navy with small white dot fabric and sewed herself a skirt with it. I was so proud .

And, she just bought herself a classic "oh-so-French" bateau-type top the other day (which I am already planning on "borrowing", because, well..she borrows certain clothing items from my closet all the time).
So, she and I were very happy shoppers the other day in Marshall's.
Me and Miss R decided to look around since we hadn't been in there in some time(say--a week and a half).
We weren't in the store two minutes and R had already honed in on a display of winter(!) scarves and had wrapped herself in a reversible one--one side grey with big navy blue dots, other side navy with big grey spots.
Almost right after she scooped up that scarf for herself, I saw the back end of a woman pass by and she was wearing pants I wished I had! They were slim navy Swiss dotted (small white polka dots all over). I had an urge to go over and ask her where she got them, but that would have been far too embarrassing for my daughter if I did that, so I restrained myself from following her and asking.
Somehow, we eventually ended up at the back of the store where the racks and racks of lingerie are. I decided I needed some new undies(always "bikini" style for me--never any thongs, hipsters and certainly never...briefs. TMI?). Almost right away, we again spotted polka dots! On silky bikini undies!. So, yes, I now have a few pairs of black Swiss dot bikini underwear. All I need now is a pair of matching polka dot trousers to pull on over them.

** I think I'll need to follow up with a "stripes" themed entry soon, as well.

For Me? An Award?

Why is there a little pic of Gloria Vanderbilt here along with an Honest Scrap sign, you may be wondering? Well, read on....

Recently, I was given an "award"--the Honest Scrap award--by the warm , witty and always readable Peg(or is it Margaret...or Peggy?) from Straight Up-No Chaser, and I am so flattered that she thought to include me in the list of recipients she thought worthy of this award. I feel just honored enough that this woman even reads my blog.

Back in September of last year, I was given this same award by both Claudia and Zuzana, and so already had to think of ten things to say about myself(that blog entry here).
At first, I was going to wimp out and just copy my list from then, but somehow came up with ten more sliglhtly interesting things about myself(I hope..)

Along with the rule of having to list 10 things about myself, I need to then pass the award along to 10 friends(I changed it to 3 bloggers-see below).

Well, let's get started with my list:

1. I never had a dog as a pet in my life until the year I was 41(grew up with cats and *thought* I was a "cat person"), when my daughter fell in love with a little fat black mixed breed puppy named Jewel. Of course, it somehow happened that she has almost become my dog.





2. I have at least 50 moles of assorted sizes all over my body, including a big ugly fat one at the nape of my neck which I always had to warn a new hairstylist about so they wouldn't scrape a metal comb over it--ouch!




Also--a "beauty mark" one under my left eye(that one, I like),




another one above my lip,




one under my left nostril ...which I hate and wish I could have it taken off like my mother did to hers years ago. She had one about the same size and in the very same place as mine--right under the left nostril.




Oh, and the one I hate most of all.....one on my chin, which, horror of horrors--has been sprouting a hair of late! Ack! I was warned once by an older woman (this was about ten years ago) that "you'll end up finding hairs in places you never thought possible once you are old like me." So, yes, I was warned, but I still don't like it.


3. I am at times guarded and feel uncomfortable telling some things about myself, but then on the other hand...I have a public blog...and write about my ordinary boring life...and my moles and chin hair.



4. Back in the 80's, I once worked a party(I used to work for a catering outfit) hosted by Gloria Vanderbilt at her Newport mansion(Marble House was it?), and, wearing the requisite black dress with white apron (so Upstairs Downstairs), had to make it through the swirling couples dancing in the ballroom with a heavy tray with food to serve to the society guests(one of whom was "uber It-girl" of the 80's--Cornelia Guest)--so worried that I would get bumped into by the oblivious rich folks and spill the contents of the tray. But, somehow I managed not to. It was one of the more interesting parties I catered--almost unreal because of the location and the type of people who were there..





5. Weirdly, I saw Gloria V. once again a year later as she strolled through the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston with her son. I think it was the one who eventually killed himself by throwing himself out the window of his NYC apartment. But, maybe it was Cooper ?(he might have had brown hair at one time?)





6. I was baptised in a Greek Orthodox church in Montreal.





7. It bothers me when I see someone walking their dog and talking on their phone at the same time. I can't say why, but it just does. I don't really like cell phones and rarely use mine, basically.





8. I have never seen the movie Titanic.





9. Or Lord Of The Rings





10. But... I have seen Pee Wee's Big Adventure about five times, at least.

So, now that that's done, I want to pass this award onto a few bloggers who I feel deserve it--three bloggers "who I feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap and whose blogs I find brilliant in design or content."

Firstly, there' are two Canadian bloggers(on both coasts of the continent)--
Kate at Pennello Lane
and....Jack at slightly off-center
and then there's my friend Claudia in Guatemala(giving the award right back on to you, Claus!).
Please check out their visually and mentally stimulating blogs if you get a chance.

10 Words People Would Use to Describe Me

A little late in the day to do this-- the Ten On Tuesday list,
since I have been deep cleaning and decluttering my daughter's room. With her permission--I told her beforehand I couldn't stand it any longer looking in there and would clean it for her on my day off (a gorgeous, sunny day in the 80's out there, too when I could have been doing some things outside) as an early birthday gift. (she turns 14!! on Friday).

I figured I would tell her I was going to clean it in case there was anything private she would prefer me not to see--I know she keeps a journal and sometimes writes down declarations of her undying love for her crush, David Archuleta(no comment--this too shall pass) and I want to be respective of her privacy to some extent(I am a private person myself).
Anyway...I saw the list for this week,
'10 Words People Would Use to Describe You' earlier today and asked J and R at the breakfast table today to describe me, so I could add to a short list of descriptive words people have called me lately.

1. nice (husband told me not to put this word in my list, but there you go..I am boringly "nice")
2. guarded (I guess some friends know that I keep my innermost emotions to myself most of the time )
3. artsy (got this from the postal worker in the post office recently)
4. creative
5. cranky (# 4 and #5 from my daughter--yeah, I am cranky after cleaning up her mess of a room....)
6. sensitive (have heard this one all my life, sometimes preceded by a "too")
7. intense (husband's euphemistic way of saying moody?)
8. thoughtful
9. beautiful (thanks, Mr. F)
10. loyal

Of course, I can always count on a Blogthing quiz to give me an accurate personality assessment.

You Are a Mullet

You are a total character. You're quirky, unique, and there's no one quite like you. Your idea of style is doing your own thing and defying expectations. You're eclectic. At your best, you are funny, observant, and a bit sarcastic. You see life's ironies clearly. At your worst, you are a bit weird and creepy. People sometimes take you the wrong way.

What Hairstyle Are You?