25 Things That You May Not Know About Me
I’ve been writing this blog of mine for 13 years now and while things have changed and grown in ways I never could have imagined when I first started out, my favorite part of writing a blog will always be connecting with you.
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I scaled back on posting over the summer to take a break and find new inspiration to share with you. Now that it is “Back To It Time” I wanted to start off September like it is a new school year just like when we were growing up and made new friends at the beginning of each new school year.
I may not have classmates, but I have you, my readers and subscribers – my online friends.
I thought it would be fun to share a few things you may not know about me and would if you were my best bud sitting across a table having coffee or tea (hot tea, black for me please) and chatting like friends do.
25 Things That You May Not Know About Me
Here is a list of a few things you would know about me if you knew me in “real live person” and not only through a computer screen. :-)
1. I love libraries. If I wasn’t a full-time blogger I think I would have liked to be a librarian or work in one.
2. I have an identical twin sister. Her name is Carol. She is 5 minutes older than me. We each still have the same baby tooth and many other similarities.
3. I drive a silver Mini Cooper with a white top that I named Genevieve. (One reason I took my sister’s photo above in front of a place called Genevieve’s when we were out and about.) It is my mom’s name.
I remember a TV show growing up that starred Jerry Van Dyke called, My Mother the Car. His late mother would talk to him through the car’s radio.
My car doesn’t do that :-) but I know my mom would be smiling that I named my cute little car after her with this story line in mind.
4. I have always preferred tea over coffee. I always order a glass of red wine -Cabernet or a Pinot when dining out. My favorite foods to eat are hot tea with crusty bread smothered in jam. Like in the song Do-Re-Mi in the Sound of Music… “Ti, a drink with jam and bread”.
5. I wrote a decorating book back in 1994 titled, Instant Decorating. It was published by Meredith Corp (BHG) when they still published single author books. To promote it I was on a few pre-HGTV home decor TV shows.
6. I have lived in 6 different states. Pennsylvania, California, Washington, North Carolina, New Jersey and now reside in South Carolina.
7. As many of us over the age of 50, I have presbyopia. I tried bi-focal contacts, but they didn’t quite work for me.
I had two prescriptions – one for days I wanted to see far and another for days I wanted to read my phone. Not a good thing. I was told that after I turn 65, the contacts may work better. For now, I never pass up an optical shop to try on a new pair of glasses. I have many.
8. Three years ago, the skin on parts of my face, hands, arms and right leg began to whiten and freckle. I developed vitiligo. I am learning to live with stares from people when out and about and applying lots of sunblock. It looks worse in the summer when my pigmented skin gets tan even with the use of sunblock and a wide brimmed hat.
My dermatologist said it could be genetic, stress-related or even a side effect of getting the shingles vaccines… or a combo of all three.
On a happy note, I do see pigment coming back on my face in the way of lots of freckles slowly coming together to cover the white areas.
9. My favorite pastime on a rainy or Sunday afternoon is to watch old movies that star Cary Grant, Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Audrey Hepburn.
10. I like solid color clothing and mostly wear simple dresses or golf skorts in the summer. In the winter it’s a pullover hoodie in many different styles and black leggings.
I even have a few pairs that I have labeled my “painting leggings” that I am OK with getting paint on when working on DIY projects.
11. I like crossbody handbags. They keep my hands free when out and about and I like that. If I have to carry more than my handbag holds, I use a straw tote.
12. I don’t mind elevator music. I actually kind of like it and most “easy listening” styles of music. My family has gotten used to coming home to find that I have the easy listening music station on the TV.
I think hearing the music takes me back to a simpler time when I was a child. My mom always had it playing on the radio when I was growing up, so to me it brings happiness and contentment.
13. Speaking about elevators, I am a claustrophobic. I never take them, I prefer to walk up the steps. I can’t even put my head under water to swim freestyle or be in a windowless room with a door closed.
14. I always choose pale pink polish when I get mani’s and pedi’s.
15. I have restless leg syndrome since I was a child, as does my twin sister. If I walk and exercise daily, it doesn’t bother me as much.
16. I prefer silver jewelry over gold and wear the same silver/diamond stud earrings everyday.
17. I love to bake on rainy days. Since going plant based, I have tried many new recipes, my favorite is this Banana Bread. If you lived next door, I would be bringing you some.
18. I met my husband for the first time after writing him letters for 5 months. It was a meeting that was a bit out of the ordinary and one in which fate played a big part.
19. I have been trying for years to use an online spreadsheet program to organize my blogging life. I have tried a few, but still can’t quite get it to work seamlessly for me.
I started with AirTable last year and am S-L-O-W-L-Y getting the hang of it over using paper and a pencil. If you have any tips about using this, please let me know.
20. I don’t wear much makeup, but can’t go out without applying lipstick. Right now my favorite is LANCOME L’ABSOLU MADEMOISELLE SHINE in the color Mademoiselle Smiles. It is a red/pink. When at LAX on a recent trip a woman came up to me in the airport and told me she loved my look and asked what color lipstick I had on. That made me smile. :-)
21. I love to travel and have a bucket list of trips I would like to take: Travel by train across Canada with the destination Lake Louise, Bike and Barge through Europe, and an Alaskan cruise are a few.
22. I am really good at reading people and knowing what they are thinking or want. It is my super power. But it reality, it is my overactive visual brain that picks up tiny clues and sees everything.
23. When the pandemic started, I began cutting my own hair. I wish I had learned sooner as I have learned to cut it exactly the way I want. Most hairstylist always cut it too short without taking the time to get the proportion and layers just right for my head shape.
24. I have an extra lumbar vertebrae in my back that can cause my back to freeze and make me look like a question mark.
I have learned over the years how to keep it from happening. One is to sleep on a rock hard mattress. Ed has gotten used to it, but our next bed will be a Sleep Number where we can customize each side.
25. I never pull into a parking spot when I am out and about shopping or running errands. I always look for a spot where I can pull through the spots so my car faces out.
Sometimes I have to park pretty far out in a parking lot to do this. I look at it as a way to get some exercise in my day, but really do it because I dislike backing up. I am always afraid I will hit something.
So that’s a little bit about me. You can find out more on my About Me page.
How about you? If we were chatting over coffee or tea at a cute little cafe in town, what would I know about you?
Is there anything I didn’t share that you would like to know about me. Let me know in the comments.