7 Random Quirks about me. . .

I have had two people tag me this week. Jana said to share 7 random things about me and Anissa said to share 6 quirky things about me. So you get 7 quirky/random things if I can think of anything. . .

1. I have never taken an art class (except the required class in 7th grade but all we did was pencil shading and perspective) and a community art class when I was around 7 years old but I like drawing and occassionally I'll paint something with the kids. These are two of my paintings. The first is of an olive tree in a garden but I couldn't get the tree right so I won't even hang it up in my house. I keep thinking I'm going to keep working on it but I'm so discouraged with it that I don't. The second is a picture from around Payson Lake where my family likes going camping. Since I painted these, I've learned a better way to paint trees so I'm excited to try it but first I have to buy some more paint but that would require shopping (see #5 to see why I may not be painting for a while.)

2. I am a serious BYU football fan. I spent many happy Saturdays at BYU football games when I was younger. Unlike many of my female friends, I know most of the rules of football (although I can't remember what clipping is even though I used to know.) In high school, some of my friends were cheerleaders and I had to laugh because they didn't even know what a first down was even though they went to every game! This has been such a fun fall because we're getting all the games on TV for the first time ever. I still wish we could actually be at a game sometime, though. I've tried to get the other moms at soccer games to cheer with me, "Let's go Panthers" clap, clap, clap, clap, clap and do the wave with me but it's not nearly as fun as it is at BYU stadium!

3. I'm really good at getting clothes washed but I am terrible about putting them away which is why my laundry room is always a mess. A lot of times the dirty laundry basket is empty but the folded clean clothes and towels are everywhere. I just emptied the twins' laundry bin today and I found swimming suits in there. I don't think we've been swimming for a month so that gives you some idea of the problem. A lot of days, I dress the kids out of the laundry room rather than out of their dressers. It's terrible and I'm trying to do a better job (thus the emptying of the twins' bin.)

4. I dislike oatmeal. I like oats and oat products (cheerios is my favorite cereal, oatmeal cookies are the best!) but it's the texture of that mushy oatmeal that gives me heebie jeebies. Growing up, I used to feed all my oatmeal to our dog, Tommy. We had a linoleum floor and I would casually dump my spoonfuls of oatmeal onto the floor for the dog to lick up. Tommy sat on the floor next to me every day. The only other way I could tolerate oatmeal is if I had a raisin in every bite and a swallow of milk to wash it down. Sometimes I would swallow it with a glass of milk just like you take a pill to avoid tasting it.

5. I H___ shopping. (The H word previously mentioned is a bad word in our house but I really do H___ shopping.) I have about a one hour shopping limit before I get into a REALLY bad mood. That is why Paul doesn't like me to go to WalMart because I can't help being there for more than an hour. Sometimes the line is that long plus there are so many things there to buy. When I shop, I don't meander. I'm in, get what I need, and out. I really don't get people who shop for fun like a lot of the cutesy moms from pre-school who spend their entire preschool time shopping or exercising. Maybe it's because they love looking at themselves in all the mirrors--I don't know. To me, window shopping is like hearing fingernails go down a chalkboard: just plain icky.

6. I love the beach. I am not sure which I love most, the mountains or the beach. I always tell Paul (who doesn't like the beach) that I was meant to live near the ocean. At least we live within a couple of hours of the beach but I dream of having a beach house where I could feel the sand seep between my toes every day and hear the waves crashing all night long.

7. My closets are always a disaster. Paul tells me that I'm an "out of sight, out of mind" person. I like surfaces to be cleaned off but inevitably those things cluttering up the house end up stashed out of sight in a closet or a drawer. I do know how to organize but it takes time and if I have time to do it, I always decide to do something else (like read or blog.) I guess I'd better wrap this up and clean out a closet immediately! Yeah, right. . . .Where's my book?

I tag Katherine, Em (so you will write something on your blog) and Marianne.