I saw this one someone's blog, this early, early AM. I'm not going to link to it, though, because... Well, I never comment on her blog (i.e. I "lurk"-- ooh, sounds so creepy, doesn't it?), I don't think she reads my blog, and I'd rather not draw attention to myself as a lurker. (g)
Haven't done a meme in a long while!
1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now?
Never use the tub, so will shower do? I just put a new bar of soap in there, but I have no idea what brand it was. It was cream-colored; does that help? (g) It might be Dial... I tend not to have brand loyalty when it comes to soap (or most things, really). I just get whatever seems reasonably priced and "smells pretty". There's also some Suave (pear and something-scented) body wash in there that I bought thinking it was shampoo. (Oops.) Oh, and another body wash for those who don't want to smell like fruit or perfume.. ;o)
2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
No way. That stuff gives me indigestion, and Donald doesn't like it, anyway.
3. Is there anything moldy in your refrigerator?
I hope not, but I make no guarantees. I need to throw a few things out, yes, but I don't think they've gotten to the moldy stage yet...
4. Are there any dirty dishes in your sink?
Ha. Why, yes, yes there are, as a matter of fact. And on the counter-tops around the sink, as well. (...Maybe this meme wasn't such a great idea, after all. Some of us make poor decisions when we get up too early...)
5. What would you change about your living room?
Hm... It's really fine as it is... I can't reasonably complain about its size, though with the configuration of doorways/openings, it can be a little limiting in how we can arrange our furniture. Maybe I'd do away with the cable we have stretched across the floor practically all the time-- the one connecting the TV to the computer... We could do away with it and go wireless, and (barring some cataclysm) I'm sure we will, eventually, but it's not that important to either of us, at the moment. The cable serves its purpose. I only notice it when I'm vacuuming or expecting visitors. (If I were being funny, I'd add "neither of which happen all that often", but I do try to vacuum regularly. You need to, with an Eskie in the house.)
6. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?
Yes, you got me. They're dirty. (I'll run it later this morning, okay. Good grief! You're so demanding!)
7. Do you have a can of mushrooms in your pantry?
Does cream of mushroom soup count? Donald doesn't like mushrooms much, and I have no desire to eat a whole can of them, either.
8. White or wheat/brown bread?
"Healthy" bread for me, which usually means wheat/brown. Donald sometimes likes white bread, though, if you count French/Italian-style loaves.
9. What is on top of your refrigerator?
Here, the other person answered "dust". Heh, yeah, there's dust on mine, too, I'm sure. There are also several decorative items-- a ceramic cow creamer, a polka-dotted (and be-daisied) ceramic cookie jar (cream with blue dots), a ceramic "watering can" tea pot painted with tulips (like this one), a cobalt glass ivy bowl, and a blue and white flower pot (also ceramic).
10. What color is your sofa?
One is medium-dark brown leather. The other (which has gotten 99.9% of our use since we bought both couches) is a very-slightly-greenish brown textured fabric. It sounds ugly, but it's not. (Well, I don't think so, at least.)
11. What color or design is on your shower curtain?
In our bathroom, it's a solid moss/sage green with (tone-on-tone) machine embroidered vines and leaves/flowers. We've been using it a while, and it's starting to show signs of that. A replacement is in order. In the hall bath, it's a bright and cheerful striped affair that reminds me of the beach.
12. How many plants are in your home?
Several, but most of them are either spider plants (creepy name, completely innocuous plant) or a type of succulent plant, the name of which I can never remember. (Looked it up. I think it's a type of Huernia.) There's also a dumb cane-- and a "snake plant" that's spending the summer outdoors but will come back in when the weather gets cooler (if it has earned the privilege through good behaviour-- er, "behavior"-- apparently I am slightly British at 5 a.m.).
13. How many candles are in your home?
Too many to count-- or in other words, no way am I going to get up and count them all. ;o) There are many of them, though I use them more often in the cooler time of the year. We have some tapers (though I rarely burn those), some pillars of various sizes, bags full of tea lights (my most commonly used type of candle), quite a few scented votives, and a number of candles in jars (some of which I never burn, but use on an electric jar-candle-warming plate).
14. Is your bed made right now?
No. Donald's still sleeping, like any sane, rational, non-waking-at 3 a.m-and-unable-to-fall-back-asleep person would be. I will make it later, though. That's one chore I do almost without fail (except for days when one of us feels sick / needs more sleep or the occasional lazy weekend). It's quick and easy-- instant gratification and (mild) feeling of accomplishment.
15. If you have a coffee pot, what color is it?
We have a white one (given to us by my maternal grandmother) for when company comes over. Neither of us drink coffee, though I love the smell of it and wouldn't mind having a cup every now and then. I don't want to get addicted to it, though.
16. Electric or standard can opener?
We have both, but I use the electric one most of the time. Hey, it's already standing there; might as well use it, right?
17. Comet or Soft Scrub?
Both. Comet for the stainless steel sink, Soft Scrub (or something similar-- "Scrub Free... with Oxy") for the bathrooms (thanks to the fiberglass tubs/showers).
ETA: Er, apparently, Soft Scrub isn't what I thought it was. (g) I guess I've never used it. Obviously, the stuff I use on the fiberglass is meant to not be gritty or scratchy at all. I have Comet for the sink, but I rarely need to use it. Our sink simply doesn't get that dirty, I guess... Or maybe I have low standards of sink-cleanliness.
18. Is your closet organized?
Kind of. My personal clothing closet could use a tidying, but I know where everything is... And the coat closet has a jumble of things at the bottom that aren't exactly pretty to look at, but again, I know where things are, so I'm satisfied. Donald and I have five (wooden, dining-room-type) chairs awaiting refinishing in our closets (yes, we have separate closets and are totally spoiled for closet space-- one of the really nice things about our house). I'd like to deal with those chairs one of these days before too, too long...
19. What color is the flashlight that you use the most?
...We almost never use a flashlight. The light that gets used most would probably be Donald's "headlight". It was originally intended for running in the fading light of evening, but several times it has come in handy for more practical purposes.
20. What kinds of things are in your junk drawer?
Pens. (Lots and lots of pens and other writing implements.) Pocket knife. Tiny measuring tape (at least I think that's still in there). Rubber bands. Cell phone chargers. Scissors. ...Actually, this isn't really a junk drawer at all, any more. Not since I reorganized it, years ago. No, I prefer to let my odds and ends of "junk" accumulate on the kitchen counter-top, where I can see and enjoy them all the time. ;o)
21. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
We have a few plastic cups, but apart from one that Donald uses fairly often (and his water bottles for running), we always use glass, these days.
22. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now?
No, I haven't made tea in a long, long time. Donald doesn't drink it, and (at home, and usually away, as well) I only drink water (except for the milk on my cereal). I like cold, sweetened tea to a certain extent, but I just don't care to bother with it for just me... Also, I don't need the sugar, but neither am I crazy about the thought of artificial sweeteners. Water is just easier. Straight out of the tap. (Hardly ever use ice anymore, unless I've been working outside and am desperate for coolness.)
23. If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
Alas, no garage. (One of these days...) If we had one, I imagine it would have at least a corner of clutter. (There. I admitted it. Are you happy now, you mean meme-writer, you?)
24. Curtains or blinds?
Both, in several rooms. (Well, if "sheers" and valance count as curtains. They do, right?) In our breakfast room, we have only blinds for the time being (and I like the new blinds so much, I may keep it that way). Also, there's neither on our over-the-sink kitchen window, but I do plan to put a valance up, sometime. (There was one before we took everything down to repaint.)
25. How many pillows do you sleep with?
Actually sleep with? One, usually-- and I'm very particular about which one it is. (Aren't most people, though?) I sometimes use a second pillow over my stomach if I'm feeling... ill. (The slight weight/pressure and/or increased warmth lessens the discomfort.)
26. Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
There's a nightlight in our bathroom to help us find our way without stubbing any toes.
27. How many ceiling fans are in your home?
I'll have to think about that... (It's probably going to sound like a lot to those of you who don't live in the South...) Let's see... Bkfast room, main room, bed room, plus three more. That would be six. The dining room is prepped for one (even with a separate switch) in anticipation of a time when we use that room more (not as a dining room, most likely), and we may put one in the kitchen, eventually. If we do, then ever single room in the house will have a fan, except for the bathrooms and foyer. They make a world of difference in the comfort of a room and help the A/C work less. (They also work in the winter, when you reverse their motion so that they force the heated air down from the ceiling.)
28. How often do you vacuum?
There's no set time, but fairly often, I think. At least once a week, I guess, maybe twice a week, depending on circumstances. (Please don't judge me because you're like that woman I saw on some reality show who makes her kids vacuum every single day. Please?)
29. Standard toothbrush or electric?
Standard.
30. What color is your toothbrush?
I'm not sure... Mostly white with... red? I don't really care about such things, because I am no longer nine years old with a "favorite color". *eye roll* ;o) Seriously, who notices these things? And to think that I make (gentle, teasing) fun of Donald because he doesn't notice people's eye color!
31. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch?
Don't really have a front porch. I think there's a mat out on the... would you call it a stoop or a covered entry? Honestly, our front door isn't very welcoming right now... Another of those outdoor projects I'm trying to put off until the weather improves. We do have a mat outside the door we use most, though. It doesn't actually spell out "WELCOME", but I think it's implied. ;o)
32. What is in your oven right now?
Nothing. It's not even 6 a.m., so I haven't begun the day's baking, yet. Hee. (g) I don't bake much this time of year. I worry it will heat the house... I'm probably just being silly. But no, we don't store pots or pans in our oven, so the only things in there are the two wire racks that came with it. There may be more in the warming drawer, though... Possibly some cast iron skillets (which I never use these days) and a broiler pan?
33. Is your microwave clean or dirty?
I think it's pretty darn clean. (Whew! Or is it too little too late?) I try to keep it that way by using those spatter-protection plate covers. It's easier to clean those than the inside of the microwave.
34. Is there anything under your bed?
Not a lot of stuff, but yes, there are at least a couple of things. One is a cardboard box with carpet remnants. (We saved them from when the house was built, in case we ever needed to temporarily patch our carpet.) I think my knitting looms are all down there, too, in another box. Our bed frame is too low to the floor to allow much underneath, or else that's probably where I'd store some of our gift-wrap supplies. (I used to do that, with our old bed.)
35. Chore you hate doing the most?
Aw, do I hafta choose just one?! ;o) I don't know. I hate so many of them! Well, cleaning the bathroom is high on the list. I don't imagine anyone enjoys cleaning toilets, and the fiberglass shower can also be a major pain in the behiney (as they say), especially with our super-duper mineraly water. Then there's mopping and window-cleaning... oh, and practically anything outdoors (weeding, spraying)... Keeping the floor perfectly clean is impossible in our house. I realize this, and yet it still frustrates me to work hard to get it pristine, only to see a trail of grass, sand, whatever brought in the next time the door is opened. *sigh*
36. What retro items are in your home?
If only you'd asked this before we got rid of our cool 70's sofa! That thing was retrolicious! (g) I have no idea, really. We have some older things passed down from family, and we have some yard sale / thrift store finds that I suspect are also old (well, not new), but "retro"? Not sure. Maybe the Fruxo plates we brought from Sweden? They look retro, at least. We found them in a thrift store. I can't find a photo to show you, but I can explain that Fruxo is a brand of Swedish candy. (Of course.) The plates are brightly decorated with the candy's logo and illustrations of various fruits.
37. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office?
Yes, but it's more "businessy". Personal computing is done in the main room.
38. If you have a yard, who mows it?
Donald does (I say guiltily). I still haven't been taught how to operate this newer mower. And the longer I can keep it that way, the better! ;o) Seriously, I wouldn't mind mowing most of it, but I'm scared of mowing slopes, so he'd probably still get stuck with that part. (I'm sorry, Donald...)
39. Is there anything on your kitchen floor right now?
Oh, you mean the inevitable dog hair and dust I need to vacuum / sweep / mop away? Other than that, not much. There's the IKEA stepping stool. Its legs are touching the floor. Is that what you meant? (g) There are a couple of dog water dishes on the floor near the sink, too, waiting to be washed.
40. How many mirrors are in your home?
About three hand mirrors. Probably one or two in makeup compacts. A few other small ones here and there. One in each bathroom. One in our bedroom. One in the foyer, and one in the dining room. Oh, and the plain one from our bathroom (before we got the nice, new one) is still in the house, too, "just in case". (Just in case what? I don't know...)
41. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home?
None of your business. ;o)
42. What color are your walls?
Kitchen/breakfast room: golden mustard yellow
Main room: pale cream
Bedroom: pale apple green
Master bath: sand / beige
Dining room: two shades of green (separated by chair rail)
Hall bath: sky blue
Spare room (books, music, exercise): periwinkle blue (two shades)
Other spare room (mostly craft stuff): light sage green
Office: yellow-orange
Foyer: red
Hallway: cream
Utility room: mauve & green
43. Which rooms in your house have wallpaper?
None. At all. Seriously, look at all those colors of paint listed above. Does it sound like we left a single wall free for wallpaper? No, I didn't think so.
44. Do you have a peephole in your front door?
No. Don't need one, though, considering that there's a window in it. :o\
45. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home?
...Some of these questions ask a little too much. Yes, we do. I'll leave it at that. (The element of surprise, you know.)
46. What does your home smell like right now?
Nothing much at all.
47. Favorite Candle Scent?
I don't really have a single favorite, but one candle does come to mind as a favorite. It's supposed to smell like cypress and bergamot, though I couldn't tell you exactly what cypress or bergamot smell like. (g) This candle's scent is difficult to describe-- somewhat sweet, slightly spicy, maybe woodsy, and masculine. Donald doesn't like it as much as I do, so I only heat it (in a jar) when he's not around. It can be a little too powerful a scent for me, too, so I use it in small doses.
48. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now?
Hamburger dills. Sometimes I get a little jar of sweet pickles, but they don't last long (which is mysterious, since I'm the only one in the house who eats cucumber pickles of any kind). Donald does have some pickled beets. I've never tried them, so I guess I can't claim that I don't like them. I just get a strong feeling that I wouldn't like them. ;o)
49. Who are in the pictures you displayed?
Family, ourselves, our dogs.
50. What color is your favorite Bible?
Dark blue.
51. Do you have plenty of cabinet space in your kitchen?
I can't complain (not this once, at least (g)). If I run out of space, it should just be taken as a sign that I'm mismanaging what I have and need to reevaluate what we really need and how best to organize it.
52. Ever been on your roof?
No. Donald has, though, to replace some shingles that blew off in a storm.
53. Do you own a stereo?
Yes, a couple. One old one that I got back when I lived with my parents and sisters. (That one's in the craft room.) The one in our bedroom is newer, but we've had it several years, now. (It doubles as an alarm clock.) There are two smaller radios in the kitchen, too. Why are there two, you ask? ("How big is your kitchen, anyway?") Well, the nicer, newer one very mysteriously doesn't pick up the FM talk radio station I listen to most of the time... and the other is an old, flimsy, beaten-up little radio that you have to turn a dial to tune from station to station. It would be a pain to change it from 710 AM to 106.5 FM twice or more every day, so I keep both of them in there. It's perfectly logical, I tell you.
54. How many TVs do you have?
It's going to sound like we do nothing but watch TV, but we have three. One is pretty small and rarely used. (Mostly just when Donald exercises indoors.) It and the second (also not large) one (which is in our bedroom) both had to have adapter boxes when they stopped broadcasting in analog. (In other words, neither is new.) The third is our "main TV", in the living room.
55. How many house phones?
Hm... I'm not sure if one or two are hooked up. We have an old cordless phone that we use most of the time, then there's a simple, corded one for power outages. Actually, we just ordered a new phone last night. We certainly need one. Our current cordless phone is so old that it interferes with our wireless Internet if it gets too close to the computer.
56. Do you have a housekeeper?
No, I'm our housekeeper. And I'm so good at it, too! ;oP
57. What style do you decorate in?
Um, whatever I like that is reasonably practical and affordable? So... eclectic? Casual but traditional, with country farmhouse influences (in the kitchen, at least)? I like to look at pretty rooms in glossy magazines, but I'm not interested in following a single "style" to the letter.
58. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints?
It depends... I think I like something in between-- something mostly solid, or that looks almost solid from a distance, but with enough variation in color that it will camouflage the inevitable mishaps of life (stains, for instance).
59. Is there a smoke detector in your home?
Yes. Multiple ones, in fact.
60. In case of fire, what are the items you would grab if you only could make one quick trip?
Oh, I hate that kind of question. I was thinking about this recently, though... I guess the first obvious answer is photos... but these days, so many of our photos are on the computer, so maybe I'd also include our external hard drives. The documents in our firebox are obviously deemed important, so maybe I'd try to chuck those outside, too. Otherwise, I'd have a hard time choosing what to save. Well, our dogs, of course. They'd be first (assuming there are no people in the house). They're not really "items", though... (g) The cameras, maybe...
61. Do you know how to work your electrical box?
Kind of.
62. What temperature in your home is most comfortable to you?
If we're going on comfort alone, I'd probably keep it several degrees cooler in summer and warmer in winter than we really do. In reality, at this time of year, I let the thermostat get up to 81 or 82 during the hottest part of the day, then (gradually) lower it to 78 at night to make sleeping more comfortable. (Ceiling fans make this practice easier.) I don't remember what numbers I aim for in the winter... We usually set it lower at night, since we're definitely going to be warm enough in bed, then try to keep it as low as possible during the day without sacrificing too much comfort. (The space heater and layers of clothing help with this.)
...That feels like an odd question to end with, but so be it! (g)
