Monday Musings with Blog Buddies #2

Monday’s have you down? Let’s see if I can turn that frown upside down. Join me for today’s edition of Monday Musings!

To kick off the week, I’m hopping over to Acting Balanced where Heather is asking these questions.

1. What is your favorite Autumn color?

2. If you could go back and change something about your high school days what would it be? 

Honestly, if I could have a do-over, it would be my Senior year. I got married between my junior and senior years of high school. We moved to Tennessee where I finished my education. I felt like a fish out of water. Some kids welcomed me but for the most, I was simply put “an outsider’. The same went with the teachers, some continued to encourage while others seemed to look for ways to make my life miserable. I missed a lot of days more than I should have to conjure up illnesses that didn’t exist. If only I had a grain of the confidence I have today. It would’ve made those days easy breezy for me. I wouldn’t allow anyone to rattle me. I would plug myself into the equation so I would memorable to a group of kids who knew me for a brief time. But, I can’t go back and this is one regret which will hang over my head forever. I’ve learned to grow since this time and am trying to live life without this kinda regret again.

 3. Name something that you tried because you thought you’d like it, but in reality didn’t meet your expectations.

When I was pregnant with DS in 1993/94, we were visiting my darling in-laws. One morning, my MIL was in the kitchen cooking. The aroma smelled delicious. After I learned what she was frying I decided to have some because believe it or not, I had never had this dish before. This is shocking, I know given the fact I grew up in southern WV and my daddy was a big hunter. Anywho, the moment my taste buds mingled with the first bite I quickly pushed it aside and nearly tossed my cookies. What was this tasty morsel?  It was….

Okay, not so much deep-fried as it was just skillet fried. The little rodent was tough and greasy in my mouth. Yuck! Chances are slim I’ll ever try this again.

 4. Do you have a favorite “Monday” song?

This isn’t necessarily my favorite “Monday” song, but this describes today perfectly because it’s not only Monday, but it’s rainy. Listen to Karen Carpenter sing about Rainy Days.

And, don’t forget to add a 5th Question on your own blog..

5.  Do you have any tricks, tips, or products for strengthening your fingernails? If so, please share! 

Shakira from You’re Never Alone hosts Monday’s Musings.

Have you seen the movie, The Avengers? If not, you just gotta! We watched it over the weekend and loved it. Check it out!

Carissa from Miscellany Monday inspires me to layout my own random musings to make Monday less mundane, but I’m feeling a bit sluggish today. I guess Right Brain is sleeping. With that, I’d like to invite you to visit or re-visit a past poem I wrote called,  Autumn is Here.

Rounding out Monday’s musings, I am joining Stasha from The Good Life in Monday Listicles. This week’s prompt is, 10 Autumn Must Haves

1. Fun cookie cutters

I found these USA-made  Ann Clark cookie cutters last spring. I waited until now to use these to make sugar cookies later in the week. Watch for my finished baking project to be featured in a post next week.

For my own hot chocolate recipe, check it out here.

Years ago, I learned how to make homemade marshmallows from Martha Stewart.  I have used her recipe over the years and hope to make them again this fall or winter. Anywho, my recipe isn’t easy to get to because…you know…our hard drive crashed, but I found a good recipe which looks to be a very close match to Martha’s version, just click here.  Also, you’ll find a video on FoodNetwork to watch. It’s really easy-peasy! 

4. Sunday Night football

We like several NFL teams, but there is no denying it. We are Peyton Manning fans. Ever since Peyton played at UT, we caught the Manning fever.

I took this in the Cades Cove community inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

 

 

This is something I’d love to do again, but I’m terribly allergic to hay. When we were first married, we would go on an annual hayride with our Sunday School group. I would sneeze through the entire trip and then have a horrible headache afterward followed with either congestion or dripping. DH would do the same. We eventually had to quit tormenting ourselves, but it was rather fun.

I snapped this photograph in town from the car a couple of years ago. I hope we can get some good ones this year, too. The leaves seem to be falling off prematurely.

We were fortunate to capture the elk grazing in an open field near the visitor’s center on the North Carolina side of the Smoky’s in Cherokee.  I took this with my Canon point n’ shoot, so I was unable to zoom in much because it would distort the image. I think it’s still nice. It’s better to have something than nothing. =D

Photographed from Clingman’s Dome parking lot. The climate changes quickly at this point in the park. There may be lovely conditions at the bottom of the mountain, but by the time you reach the top then things can be drastically different. This was a good day.

This was a long one and if you stuck it out with me, then hooray for you! Just leave a comment and I’ll hop over to your spot for a little visit. Have a marvelous Monday!

For a real mood booster, come dance with me on Dream On with 4M!

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