I found this little meme on Ashley's blog and thought it would be perfect to help get me more in the Christmas spirit.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I tend to stick to gift bags, especially if I have some on hand or the gift is an odd shape. I do like to wrap, though. If only I were better at it!
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial for now. I think it would be too much for our small apartment to have a real tree.
3. When do you put up the tree? The past few years we have helped my parents in Atlanta put up theirs the day after Thanksgiving, and we'll put up ours sometime when we are back in town.
4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime after Christmas
5. Do you like egg nog? I absolutely cannot stand the store bought stuff that comes in a paper carton. Bleh. I had real eggnog a few years ago and quite enjoyed it.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I really don't remember much of anything I received as a child. Maybe the child's sewing machine I received one year from my grandparents.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? No, but I would love to get one!
8. Hardest person to buy for? Most everyone. I'm really horrible about thinking of creative gifts.
9. Easiest person to buy for? Probably Stu
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mailing cards. E-cards just aren't the same.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Nothing I can think of!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? "It's a Wonderful Life."
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually right before I need to give the gift. I'm such a procrastinator!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can remember.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Nothing I particular. We never really established food traditions at Christmas like we have at Thanksgiving. I guess if I had to say one thing it would be my grandmother's Christmas cookies.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear lights.
17. Favorite Christmas song? It really depends on the year. This year I've really been enjoying "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." I've really fallen in love with older carols and hymns this season. I might spend some time researching their history. Who knows, maybe another blog post?
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel. Growing up we would always visit my grandparents. Now we travel to Stu's parents up in Dallas.
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeers? Sure. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen, and of course the most famous reindeer of all--Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither. We have a really beautiful burgundy ribbon.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One present on Christmas Eve, and the rest on Christmas morning!
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People who spend way too much time obsessing about gifts and getting stuff.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? In the past we have decorated our tree with burgundy and gold, with many of the ornaments being angels I have received over the years from my grandparents. This year we didn't hang up any because the kitties like to climb the tree a little too much!
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? See number 15
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Hmmm. I'm going to have to think about this one.

I've been tagged! Ashley has tagged me for this fun little meme, so here are 8 random things about my kitchen:

1. My kitchen is decorated with a mixture of burgundy, gold, and green, which are the colors of the rest of my house. There are shots of blue thrown in, from a set of decorative plates I received as a wedding gift. I love the mixture of colors in there, since otherwise the room is rather stark. I've just recently made over my kitchen, and have learned to accept it, even with its limitations.

2. My kitchen is about the size of a Cracker Jack box, and yet I love to cook in it. I've been known to whip up batches of homemade cinnamon rolls and no-knead yeast breads in there. This is the smallest kitchen I've been in to date, but I don't let the size stop me from making what I want. :-)

3. I love to cook. It's the way I unwind after a long day of work. The recipe that I'm loving right now is an Indian chicken curry--I about have the recipe memorized.

4. My favorite "servant" in my kitchen is my Crock Pot. I have no idea what I would do without it. It can make the toughest meat come out tender, without any actual work on my part. While I love to cook, occasionally I will come home tired, so it's great to have the Crock Pot meal already waiting by the time I get home.

5. My freezer looks like it's been hit by a hurricane. I have so much food in there, that I almost have to hold the food in with one hand while slamming the door shut with the other to prevent unnecessary spillage. I have 15 frozen bananas, several cups of chicken broth, veggies, two steaks, a few pounds of chicken thighs, and a whole bunch of other stuff that is now buried somewhere in the depths.

6. My least favorite thing to do in the kitchen is clean it. I think I would rather scrub the toilet that wash dishes, and I'm not even kidding. I hate to get my hands wet. (I scrub the toilet with one of those scrubby brushes, so no need to get my hands yucky!

7. My kitties have figured out how to open the bottom cabinets to get their food. At least Lucy knows how. :-) Yesterday I found her bag of food ripped to shreds all over the kitchen floor!

8. I have a whole cabinet devoted to tea. I'm sure there are many more important things to store in ones kitchen, but I haven't found it yet.

So there's my list. I'm not going to tag anybody this time around, but if you want to do it, feel free!

I saw this meme on Amanda's blog, and decided to steal it for myself. :-)

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?
I generally don't have a preference, since I buy most of my books used. I will most likely choose the cheapest option. However, if it's something special I want to keep, then I'll go for the hardback.

Online purchase or brick and mortar?
I love Amazon and get most of my books from there. I do like walking around bookstores, though. I will buy books on clearance from stores.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
I really have no preference. Aren't they the same store? ;-)

Bookmark or dog-ear?
Oooh I hate dog-eared books! I always use a bookmark. Usually whatever is lying around. It's not too uncommon to see me using a piece of Kleenex as a bookmark. :-)

Mark or not mark?
I like to mark my Bible and I did underline my college textbooks, but just normal reading-for-pleasure books I tend to leave clean & pure.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
I usually group my books by subject.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
Well it depends how often I am moving. There is no better way to pare down your unnecessary books than to move a lot! I tend to keep everything, though.

Keep dustjacket or toss it?
I usually keep it, unless it's not in good condition. When I worked at the library in college, I would cover the dust jackets that I particularly liked.

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
I always remove it. I'm scared of bending the edges of the dust jacket and causing it to look ratty.

Short story or novel?
Novel.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)?
I really don't have a preference!

Lord of the Rings or Narnia?
Narnia Narnia Narnia. :-) Although Lord of the Rings certainly isn't bad.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Chapter breaks. I need some sort of closure.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
I think I prefer the former - it's more dramatic.

Buy or Borrow?
Depends on what kind of book and if I'll get a future use out of it. If it's something I will want to refer to often, or something I want to take my time reading, then I'll buy.

New or used?
It doesn't matter as long as the book is in good shape!

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
Either recommendation or browse. I rarely read reviews, unless they're written by someone I know. (As in, I'll read a review on a blog, but not necessarily by a professional reviewer for a newspaper.)

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
I can't stand loose ends not being wrapped up. So tidy ending unless it's just a part of a series.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or night time reading?
Nighttime reading, right before bed. Unfortunately Paul doesn't like the light on and he always goes to sleep before me... Must come up with a solution for that...

Standalone or series?
Either, as long as the series is ended in an appropriate time.

Favorite series?
Anne of Green Gables. Chronicles of Narnia is a close second.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Hmm how to choose... Letters Never Sent by Ruth Van Reken really, really impacted me... Oh and I'm a HUGE fan of Mary Stewart! My favorite is definitely The Moon-Spinners. When I was younger, I really enjoyed Enid Blyton's Adventure series. They were great! Now I want to read them again...

Favorite books read last year?
Hmm... Well it's hard to say. I really liked The Cat Who Came for Christmas. And I finally finished the Anne of Green Gables series, although technically I read the last book or two in 2007. :-) I also found Taking Charge of Your Fertility really eye opening.

Favorite book of all time?
Anne of Green Gables.

Three questions I am surprised not to see . . .

Fiction or NonFiction?
It depends if I am reading for pleasure or for research. For pleasure I enjoy fiction, especially historical fiction. If I'm trying to learn something, then I will pick up and enjoy a nonfiction. Nonfiction books that I read for pleasure are biographies and historical events.

One book at a time or have several in process at the same time?
Usually only one, although I will have several sitting out waiting to be read.

Crack the spine or leave it unbroken?
Hmm I seriously never think about this. I guess I like the book to remain as pretty and untouched as possible, but I also hate reading a book where it takes all my finger strength just to keep the pages open.

Yeah, that's right, we are bibliophiles--not just readers, book-lovers.

What's a party without music? Enjoy this little meme, which I got from Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer

Favorite Song From Childhood: probably a Psalty song; I think my favorite was "My Hands Are the Hands" (from Psalty Kids' Praise! 6)

Favorite High School Dance Song: I was a big fan of R&B music... the one band that sticks out is Destiny's Child.

Senior Class Song: "With A Little Help from My Friends" by the Beatles

Song That Makes You Think of College: Hmm it's hard to narrow it down to one but I think I'll go with "The Remedy" by Jason Mraz

Favorite Rock & Roll Song: okay I'm super bad at genres so I'm going to skip this one

Favorite Disco Song: skipping this one too

Favorite Country Western Song: yep, you guessed it! skipping

Favorite Pop Song: skipping this one

Favorite All Time Love Song: “All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera

Favorite Break Up Song: “Never Ever" by All Saints

Favorite Slow Dance Song: "The Way You Look Tonight" sung by Tony Bennett

Song That Always Makes You Cry: "He" by Jars of Clay

Songs About Your Kids: N/A

Song That Reminds You Of Your Husband: "Amazed" by Lonestar :-)

Favorite Christmas Song: Christian song: O Holy Night, secular: Sleigh Ride

Favorite Gospel/Praise Song: oooh I don't think I can name one "favorite", but I really love "In Christ Alone"

Favorite Ringtone on Cellphone: I actually have a really cheap cell phone that doesn't allow me to change the ringtone (so sad!) but if I could, then I would change it to the Futurama theme song

Lydia at Renewed Day by Day has put up a meme of 10 quirky facts about your state. Beth answered it in the previous post about her adopted state of Texas.

Now, I love memes so I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of this one. However, I saw that Lydia tagged Susan to do one for Georgia, and I didn't want to take the wind out of Susan's sails, so I decided to pick a different place. Most of you probably don't know much about the country of Peru in South America (where I grew up), so I'll enlighten you:

1. There are two national languages in Peru: Spanish and Aymara. The latter is a descendant of the ancient Incan language. Most of the population speaks Spanish, though.

2. A native and popular drink of Peru is called "Chicha Morada". The Incas used it as a sacred drink, and it was fermented. The non-fermented drink is also very popular today. It is made from purple corn, and usually things like cinnamon, apples, and pineapple are added to give it a sweet taste.

3. Peru is the home of the modern potato - discovered and spread throughout the world by the Spaniards when they invaded and conquered Peru in the late 1500s. Peruvians often have both rice and potatoes at their main meals.

4. Peru is one of the few countries in the world where Coca-Cola has a presence and is not the most popular soft drink. (I read somewhere once that there is only one other country - Sweden, I think - but I can't find the source now to verify.) This is due to the enormous popularity of Inca Kola, a local soft drink that is bright yellow and tastes like bubble gum. At many restaurants, it is the only soft drink available. (In 1999, Coca-Cola purchased the brand of Inca Kola.)

5. Peru was a colony of Spain from 1532 until 1824, when it gained independence following several rebellions. Peruvians celebrate their independence day on July 28. They call it the "veinte-ocho".

6. Peru has three major regions: the desert (narrow strip along the west coast), the Andes Mountains (in the middle, dividing the country), and the Amazon jungle (bordering with Brazil). The capital of Peru (Lima) and where I lived was located in the desert. It never rained the entire 9 years I was there.

7. Peru's Andean region is known for being the home of some members of the camelid family: the llama, the alpaca, and the vicuña. The llama is used as a pack animal and for meat, helping the farmers in the mountains. The alpaca is known for its soft and warm fleece. The vicuña was in danger of being extinct due to its fleece being the world's most valuable natural fiber. Peru is also home to the Andean Condor, the world's largest flying bird.

8. Cuy is a delicacy in the Andes of Peru. It is compared to rabbit, and it's very economical to raise. What is it exactly? I'm sorry for all of you who love them as pets... but cuy is "guinea pig".

9. Paddington the Bear is from "darkest Peru". Apparently, his aunt lives in a Home for Retired Bears in Lima.

10. The city of Lima has roughly 8.2 million people. The entire city relies on the Rimac River for potable water. If you look at the picture, you will be surprised - and understand why we couldn't drink the water the entire time we were there. :-)

I've been tagged by Lydia! So here is a fun-filled meme about my adopted state of Texas. I have stolen all of this information from various websites around the Internet, since I'm rather new to this state and am a little behind on Texas trivia. So I'm learning, too! For those who don't know, Hubby is a native Texan, while I'm a tranplanted Georgian. Sometimes I poke fun at Texas' unique sense of state pride. They seem to think everything is bigger, longer, larger (and fatter--I've heard that Houston has the highest incidence of obesity) in Texas.

Here it goes:

1. The phrase "Don’t Mess with Texas" is a slogan for the Texas Department of Transportation, and was developed to reduce littering on Texas roadways used as part of a statewide advertising campaign in 1986. More than its immediate success at reducing litter, however, the slogan became a Texas cultural phenomenon and the slogan has been appropriated by the citizens of Texas for general use.
2. The Alamo is located in San Antonio. It is where Texas defenders fell to Mexican General Santa Anna and the phrase Remember the Alamo originated. The Alamo is considered the cradle of Texas liberty and the state's most popular historic site.
3. The state was an independent nation from 1836 to 1845. Texas is the only state to enter the United States by treaty instead of territorial annexation. (And they let you know it, too. Hubby seems to think the state could easily secede if they ever feel like it.)
4. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. The Dublin Dr Pepper, 85 miles west of Waco, still uses pure imperial cane sugar in its product. There is no period after the Dr in Dr Pepper.
5. Texas is home to Dell and Compaq computers and central Texas is often referred to as the Silicon Valley of the south.
6. The worst natural disaster in United States history was caused by a hurricane that hit Galveston in 1900. Over 8000 deaths were recorded. As a result, the city of Houston, an hour north, grew in population and is now the 4th largest city in the country.
7. Texas is a very big state. The city of El Paso, Texas is closer to Needles, California than it is to Dallas. With more than 267,000 square miles, Texas is as large as all of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois combined. (But Alaska is bigger. Like I tell Hubby, if you cut Alaska in half, Texas becomes the third largest state :-). )
8. The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is the world's largest rose garden. It contains 38,000 rose bushes representing 500 varieties of roses set in a 22-acre garden.
9. Houston is home to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The largest rodeo in the world, it attracts more than 1.8 million visitors each year.
10. Houston is also home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world, with a local economic impact of $10 billion. More than 52,000 people work within its facilities, which encompass 21 million square feet. Altogether 4.8 million patients visit them each year.

Information "borrowed" from these websites:

www.50states.com/facts/texas.htm
http://www.wikipedia.com/
http://www.thc.state.tx.us/triviafun/trvdefault.html
http://www.longyangclub.org/houston/houston_facts.htm

Thanks for the meme, Lydia!

Stolen from A Gracious Home. :-)

Aprons – Y/N? If Y, what does your favorite look like?
I've never owned one, but I keep thinking it would be a good thing to have, especially since I usually cook in my work clothes!

Baking – Favorite thing to bake
Brownies

Clothesline – Y/N?
No, but we have a drying rack that we use all the time.

Donuts – Have you ever made them?
Nope - not that ambitious. :-)

Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day
Open all the blinds to get some light in my house!

Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
nope, and I wouldn't have anywhere to put it if we did!

Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
we have one, but I'm not used to using it because I didn't grow up with one

Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
"Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House" by Cheryl Mendelson

Ironing – Love it or hate it? Or hate it but love the results?
"Hate" is a very strong word. Let's say, too lazy to do it :-)

Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
Well we have "misc" drawer in the kitchen, but it's pretty organized

Kitchen – Color and decorating scheme
Creme cupboards, light wood-looking countertops, medium-wood-looking laminate floor, pretty pale peach and creme stucco-looking wallpaper... our dishes are all bright reds, yellows, blues, and green... a Mexican theme! When we move into our first house, I'll probably tie the walls into the Mexican theme, but for now I take what I can get :-)

Love – What is your favorite part of homemaking?
Having everything clean!

Mop – Y/N?
Only when we have an un-housetrained puppy :-)

Nylons – Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
I rarely wear them, but when I do I usually throw them in the washing machine

Oven – Do you use the window or open the oven to check?
Well I peak through the door unless it's almost done, and then I open it!

Pizza – What do you put on yours?
Cheese and pepperoni - I'm boring

Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Usually do something related to email or my blogs... I also like watching TV shows on DVD

Recipe card box – Y/N? What does it look like?
Nope, although I suspect I will get one as I start cooking more

Style of house – What style is your house?
A townhouse... How else can I describe it?

Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N?
Neither, though we do use placemats

Under the kitchen sink – Organized or toxic wasteland?
fairly organized - I keep most of my cleaning agents in the laundry room which is next to the kitchen

Vacuum – How many times per week?
whenever company comes over :-) (which translates to, one every couple of weeks!)

Wash – How many loads of laundry do you do per week?
Hmm I mostly do laundry whenever we are completely out of clothes, and then I do like 5 loads... but I'd like to get on a schedule for laundry and I think that would be about 2 loads per week

X’s – Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
Only in my head :-)

Yard – Y/N? Who does what?
We don't have one. The apartment complex takes care of the bit o' grass in front of our townhouse

Zzz’s – What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
Usually some tidying up and getting ready for tomorrow

Amy at Contemplations Amid Chaos tagged me for the fridge meme! Here is my fridge:

Because we spend so little time in the kitchen, I don't put much thought into the fridge decorations. :-) And in one week when we move, I'm sure it will be cleaned off and the fridge in the new house will look quite a bit different. The most used item is the whiteboard on the side where we keep track of shopping lists and notes to each other.

The other items are kind of just random pictures, postcards, comics, and magnets I've acquired in the past year of living in this house. I have a phone directory for my company to the right of the whiteboard. Displayed prominantly on the front is a cool art thing Paul made for me: The Alien and the Redhead, as he calls it. (He considers himself an alien for some reason, and I am a redhead. I think it's cute. :-)) He made it out of paint and apple halves. But I think that's it as far as interesting things on my fridge. :-)