1. What is the hardest part about raising Elizabeth while Jim is gone?
Six & a half months ago I would have said the worst part would be dealing with the tears by myself, not being able to get a break, being the only one to get up at night, etc.  And those are all hard aspects of being a “single” parent.  But the hardest part….No one walks through our front door at 5:30.  And so I have no one to rush to and say “Guess what our daughter did today!!!”.   I have to wait for the next phone call or e-mail Jim to share all the exciting news.

2. Where do you hope to eventually settle (live) after Jim gets out of the service?
We both want to be back in Chicago!  I’d like to be more “in” the city, though.

3. What is the best thing about being a mommy?
The ego boost!!   I LOVE being the coolest person in my daughter’s life.  I love how she laughs a belly laugh when I’m dancing funny.  I love her smile when she sees me come in her room each morning.  I love her giggle when I’m kissing her tummy or her neck. I love that look that says “Hey, that’s MY mommy!! Do ya’ll see her??? Do ‘ya?!! She ROCKS.” when I go to pick her up when she’s been in day care or been with one of my friends.

Your picks–Mystery Alaska is a great movie. Haven’t seen it in a year or so…I might have to add it to my library list! Death’s Acre looks fascinating! And I didn’t know Shania Twain has a greatest hits album out. I’ll be on the look out for it!

Follow the directions carefully.

A. Recommend to me:

1. a movie:
2. a book:
3. a musical artist, song, or album:

B. Ask me three questions, no more, no less. Ask me anything you want and I will post the answers in a new entry (I will try to answer all questions, as honestly as possible, hehe).

C. Copy and paste this meme in your blog, allowing your friends to ask you anything. (The operative word here is ask. heh)

I have a couple old Friday Forums I saved to do sometime.  Trying to clean out my inbox, so I guess today is the day!

1) Do you enjoy cooking? Why/why not? How about baking? Do you do most of the cooking in your household, or does someone else? How often do you go out to eat (or order in) in a typical week?
YES, I love to cook!  I love coming up with nex creations and I love feeding others.  More than anything, I think feeding others is what fuels my love.  I do most of the cooking though Jim helps when I need it.  When Jim is here, we’d go out every Saturday night.  And then get fast-food or other takeout 1-2 times per month. 

2) Do you have any dishes (or desserts, or beverages, or whatever) that you consider your “specialty”? Did you create the recipe yourself, from scratch? How often do you make this dish?
I don’t have anything I can consider a speciality.  My most often requested dishes, though, are my cakes, my roast & potatoes and my enchilada soup.  My cakes are mostly variations of recipes, my roast & potatoes is a variation from the one my mom makes and my enchilada soup is also a variation from a recipe.

3) Have you ever taken any cooking classes? If not, what type(s) of cooking class would you most like to take? Do you ever watch the FoodTV Network? What are your favorite shows on there?
I haven’t taken any formal classes but I’d love to take a couple candy classes, the Weber grill class I’ve seen featured on FoodTV and a cake-making one.  I have been hooked on FoodTV since the first time I saw it which was around 1996 (can’t remember if it came to our TV before I went to college or just after).  My favorite shows include: Good Eats (Alton is SO cute!! LOL  And his cookbooks are the greatest for those who tend to the nerdy side of life. ), Cooking Thin, Food 911, 30-Minute Meals, Paula’s Home Cooking, The Best Of, Unwrapped and Food Finds.  In the past, I’ve enjoyed Too Hot Tamales, the original How to Boil Water, the show where they’d go into two homes and prepare the house speciality (can’t remember the name), Ready, Set, Cook! and Door-Knock Dinners.

4) What’s something quick and easy that you like to just throw together when you aren’t in a cooking mood at all?
I keep marinated chicken breasts (in their marinade) and cooked hamburger in the freezer at all times.  Those are helpful for quick & easy meals.  Throw the chicken on the grill & some frozen veggies in a pot.  Or the cooked hamburger into a pan and add some taco seasoning. 

5) What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
My favorite appliance is probably my KitchenAid stand mixer.  My toaster oven & bread machine come in close seconds.