On Monday, we had sun and it got up to 80.  It was so warm!  The kids rode their bikes down to Lake Michigan and I was down there briefly myself, to drop off a lock cable, so they could lock their bikes, when they went on the beach. There were so many young moms with little ones, taking advantage of the nice day.  I, myself, sat out in the backyard to read Shopaholic and Sister,  for about a half-hour.  The whole day was definitely a gift.

We also took advantage of the nice warm weather, to give Jasmine a much-needed bath!  She isn’t one to sit still, while you dry her fur with a hair dryer, so I was waiting for a warmer day, so that if she had to go outside before she was dry, she wouldn’t freeze!  She is so nice and fluffy now!  Who knew that fur could be so shiny?  It’s much nicer petting her now!

Since then, though, we have had more normal March weather, for Wisconsin.  It’s been windy, cold and rainy.  Ugh.  Someday we will get a nice warm day again, but who knows when it will happen. 

Here are this week’s questions. Have a great week and thank you all so much for playing! =)

1. What kind of automobile do you drive?
1998 Ford Taurus
2. What kind of automobile do you WISH you drove?
I’m satisfied with my Taurus, but maybe a VW Passat TDI, like hubby has!
3. When is the last time you bought a vehicle (new or used)?
Saturn was new in 1999.

Hit a deer with my 1988 Chevy Celebrity, in November 2002. It was totalled, since $3200 worth of damage isn’t worth fixing, since car’s value only about $500.  I hated that car, so I wasn’t sad, except that it did used to belong to my grandparents.  I just didn’t like it’s square trunk, in a time when every else had smoother, swoopier cars.  We waited until the taxes were done, in February 2003, and then bought the Taurus, so now new, but new to me!

After DH’s father died, he bought his dream car, in December 2004.  That was the VW Passat TDI.
4. What is your color of choice as far as vehicles go?
I love dark blue and that is what color my Taurus is!  The Saturn is dark green and the Passat is black!
5. Do you regularly have your oil changed?
DH either changes the oil himself, or has it done.  He is fanatical!  (Cars are his babies!)
6. How long do you generally keep a vehicle before thinking about buying a new one?
Right now, we aren’t in the market for a new vehicle, so will probably keep driving these cars, until they drop.  DH drives the Saturn for work and the Passat is the fun car, so we don’t put that many miles on the Passat, except that the Passat has been to Niagara Falls, ON and Rapid City, SD!
7. What kind of automobile will you buy next?
I don’t know, but we like the fuel efficiency that we get out of the diesel Passat, so maybe a Jetta or a Golf?  It seems like he hardly ever has to fill up the Passat, compared to our gas cars.  I guess whether I got a diesel car or not, something with better fuel efficiency  than my Taurus would probably be nice.  I get about 26mpg on the highway and about 17 in the city.

Ok folks, these are just right off the top of my head! =)

1. How many times do you wake up during the night?
Maybe just once.  If I’m lucky, not at all.  If hubby is with me, and snoring loudly, probably more times.  Then I go out on the couch!
2. On an average, how many hours of sleep do you try to get?
At least 6.  Sometimes I don’t even get that, though.  I wake up before 6 hours is up and I usually have to get up.  It drives me nuts sometimes, that I can’t keep sleeping.  Sometimes I have to go to the bathroom and then I can get back to sleep.
3. What day of the week do you do your “major” housecleaning?
I don’t really have a “day”.  I just do stuff, whenever.
4. How often do you move your furniture to clean behind it?
Maybe once every couple months.  My bedroom needs it bad!
5. Do you do your dishes by hand or do you own a dishwasher?
Some by hand and some with the dishwasher.

I saw it standing on a sidewalk, on my way to work!  It’s a sure sign of spring!  Which is a sight more positive, than temps in the 30’s today.  It’s so cold now, compared to the 60’s we had earlier in the week!

We are hoping for warmer temperatures soon, but won’t get them anytime soon!

I’ve worked so many hours this week and worked late into the evening, that I don’t feel like doing much, when I get home!  I feel like I’m neglecting my kids, the dog, the husband, the refrigerator that desparately needs cleaning out, the kitchen floor that needs washing, etc.  I don’t work at the clinic, for the next three days, so that will be nice.  Also, next week, I only work one closing shift, so that will help, too.

We are also back to colder weather again, too.  It was nasty outside, at my school job today, because it was so windy. The nice warm days of Monday and Tuesday, which also coincided with my birthday, are long gone.  It was nice having warm spring weather for my birthday.  I’m not often blessed with that!

It was my 47th birthday today!  Usually weather in almost mid-March is still cold and not very spring-like, especially for those of us who live within a mile or two, of Lake Michigan.  “Cooler near the lake” is an oft-repeated mantra around here!  LOL!  All that aside, we had a gorgeous day today!  The house thermometer got up to 59.8, or almost 60.  It was wonderful!  I love running around, without a jacket on!  Now, it’s 45 or so, and a lot cooler, in comparison.  I was out in my fleece, but the winter jacket would have been nicer!

At church, the women’s group sang Happy Birthday and we had snacks after learning about Lutheran World Relief.  Our church is doing a great job making quilts, school kits, health kids and layettes to send on to 3rd World countries, along with selling Fair Trade Coffee!

Oh, the snow is melting fast, with such warm temps.  My backyard is sooo soggy.  I wore my boots outside last time.  Somehow, I managed to keep my socks dry, when I was out in my Crocs, but I’m not sure how!

Once again, our good friend tricia has offered some questions for our answering! Thanks, Tricia! And remember, if YOU have questions you’d like to see here, please email me any time! Thanks to all of you for playing.

1. Do you believe in reincarnation? No, but if I did, it would be to come back as someone’s spoiled dog!
2. Do you own any anime figures? No.
3. Are you one of the fanfic writers over at www.fanfiction.net?  No.
4. Do you review stories which are posted in www.fanfiction.net?  No.
5. Are you looking forward to seeing the third Spider-Man film?  No.
6. Are you looking forward to seeing the Fantastic Four sequel?  No.
7. Do you like “Deal or No Deal”?  I have never watched it.
8. Are you a television watcher? I do watch it, but usually just late night reruns.  Otherwise, I’m busy working or on my computer.
9. Do you write letters to people? No, not really.  Most people I know have computers, so I just send email.   Does writing a Christmas letter count?  LOL!

This week’s questions come from some of our participants. Thanks to all who offered suggestions. And please, if you don’t see your questions come up soon, feel free to email me. Thank you all for playing!

1. From beth:
What’s the most unusual hobby you have? How did you get started with it?
Maybe working on webpages.  It’s not something I can talk about, with most people in my life, because their eyes start to glaze over.  I started a webpage, back in May 1997, so I could store pictures, for showing on a message board!  It became a fun thing for me, so I just kept at it.  I now have my own domain and love that I don’t have to have ads all over it!  http://www.lakebreeze.org

2. From briar:
How many different kinds of music do you listen to? Name a few favorites, if you please.
70’s and 80’s rock, classical, band music (like Sousa), contemporary Christian, etc.
 – Sunshine on My Shoulder, by John Denver
 – Anything by Abba or Styx
 – Mozart piano sonatas or Beethoven symphonies
 – Stars and Stripes Forever by John Phillip Sousa or March of the Belgian Paratroopers.  I have both of these songs on CD, performed by the US Marine band.  Sarah’s band is going to be playing the Paratrooper piece, at the spring concert.
 – Open the Eyes of My Heart or The River is Here, or Shout to the Lord

3. From iris:
Do you take advantage of the outdoor areas where you live? What’s your favorite thing to do outside? What’s your favorite local bird?
My dog’s favorite place to walk is Kohler Andrae State Park, which is right alongside Lake Michigan and is only about 6 miles from my house!  So, we try to take here there, fairly often.  I like to walk!  My favorite bird is a cardinal.  Chickadees are a close second.

4. From kristy:
Children: Do you have any?
Sarah, who will be 18 in August
Emily, who will be 15 in 18 days, on March 23rd.

5. From amy:
What is your favorite part of spring?
Warmer weather, leaves on trees, green grass, and FLOWERS!  I can’t wait until the crocuses start blooming and my earliest daffodils are already sprouting!  We just ordered some new flowers to plant in our main flower garden.  I can’t wait for them, either.  (Lilies, dahlias, gaillardia, freesia, prairie mallows, coneflowers, begonias).