Destressing

I’m stressing! Don’t you just hate it when life bogs you down? Time crunch makes things hectic, goals get side-stepped, conflicts with people, blab-blab-blab, just STUFF tripping you up!

My major compliant is the battle I have with my kitchen scales, when it gives me undesirable readings despite my hard efforts. I made a vow (to myself) to be 102 pounds before my 50th birthday in December. That’s a long way off, I know.  I’m certain I can reach it but still any set back feels catastrophic.

Besides all that, there are issues going on NOT worthy of spilling…well not exactly unworthy, I’m just very private about some matters which I would rather not put out there for all the world to read about. That’s not my style. Nothing personal, really. It’s me.

What I need is some destressing time, so I’m going over to Patrice’s and chat on the her farmhouse porch for a while. The day is rapidly slipping away, so off I go.

Here’s what we’re talking about.
1. What was your biggest fear as a child?  I had a terrible experience with some large dogs.  I was very small (age & size) when two or three Doberman pounced on me.  They didn’t hurt me but they frightened me so badly that I hated to be around dogs after that.
2. How old were you when you learned to cook? Or how old will you be when you learn to cook?  In Junior High School, Home Economics was mandatory. My formal cooking lessons came from Mis Spivey, my 7th – 9th grade Home Ec teacher. Growing up in rural West Virginia most girls learned cooking early on, usually by watching and helping moms and grandmas.  I didn’t get serious about making home cooked meals until the 80s after I had gotten out of college.  Now, I really enjoy it and my family tell me I’m good in the kitchen.
3. Did you have a favorite book as a child? What was it?  I didn’t read much as a child. In fact, I hated it. I wasn’t very good with reading and had enormous problems with phonetics.  The teacher would make me feel horrible.  I was already self-conscience and humiliation only made things worse. I simply pushed books aside.
4. What’s the busiest time of year for you? From the end of October through the end of November, I’m super busy with holiday preparation. Buying items for both holiday meals, getting presents not already crossed off my list, making Christmas cards, decorating, etc. No matter how hectic it is, I wouldn’t change a thing, though. I love it!
5. Have you ever won a contest? I have won a few contests in my life. The most recent one was several years ago when I got a $50 gift card from AC Moore. I was so excited to win that! I got honorable mention in my 8th grade math club, I received a ribbon in Home Economics for a chocolate pound cake I made in the 9th grade, and I placed in a science fair a few times as well as in art class for a wood craved plaque (I still have it) I made.

If you care to join in on the conversation, then copy and paste these questions into a post, then link up at Patrice’s.  NOTE TO SELF and anyone else reading this… Just look what I’ve done, I forgot to hit publish yesterday on this post. slap self in forehead  Oh well… a day late to visit Patrice and the rest is better than not visiting at all.