Bits for Sunday, July 6, 2008

Well your chances of getting anything substantial and deep from me today are about as great as your chances of…winning a dream home giveaway on Mars. I’ve had a long weekend (including an interesting mishap involving my shoelace, a chain link fence, and a lawn mower) and I currently have a headache and am aware that my long weekend is rapidly dissolving into a precious memory. So…in lieu of deep, you get random. Everything you didn’t know you wanted to know about me. My top three faves in ten categories.

* My 3 favorite CD’s. I hesitate to admit I have CD favorites because I am probably one of four people left in the world without an MP3 player and a music downloading addiction. My favorite CD is usually my most recent purchase, but I would have to say right now, my top three are: David Phelps’ No More Night…Live in Birmingham, David Phelps’ Legacy of Love…Live, and the Gaither Homecoming Amazing Grace. I work out to all three of them. Yes, I know I am weird.

* My 3 favorite back burner movies. I love a good chick flick. And three of my favorites are ones that don’t get a lot of run-time on TV. But I love them anyway. That Thing You Do (Tom Hanks, Liv Tyler and others I don’t know), which has the catchiest song in it. I used to own this movie, but I lost it in a borrowing adventure somewhere along the way. The American President (Michael Douglas, Anette Bening) which is quite possibly the only politically oriented movie I’ve ever seen. Oh wait. Air Force One. But that’s not on my list. My third fave is Where the Heart Is (Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd) – the story of the Wal-Mart baby.

* My 3 favorite drinks. I don’t drink drink. But I do love a good coffee-house drink. I usually get a caramel frappe, because I want something iced. But on those days when I’m cold (that’s about once a year) and I want something hot to drink, I’m a big fan of a spiced chai. And no matter how hard I work to make them on my own at home, none compare to what I can buy. And as for low-budget coffee drinks – the BK iced mocha is my favorite one so far.

* My 3 favorite dishes to make. I love to cook, and I’ll try almost anything. But although it is the most time consuming (and expensive!) dish I make, I really enjoy making and eating broccoli salad. No one saw that coming! Yes, as is the vegetable broccoli. I also love to make macaroni and cheese – Paula Deen’s recipe is the best one on earth. And my newest favorite is a crock pot recipe I found called “Brownie Bottoms.” Sounds awful, but it will put you in a chocolate coma in about 2 seconds. FABULOUS. (And easy!)

* My 3 favorite fiction authors. Well I grew up on Lori Wick and Janette Oke. And I still love them. I know Christian fiction has taken a number of turns since their writing styles developed, but I still love going back to their simple pioneer romances. And another author that I love is Deborah Raney. My sister gave me a couple of her books for my birthday a few years ago, and I thought she did a fantastic job of putting a story on paper without sticking to any form of predictability. (I have so many more favorites than these three…but I had to make the cut!)

* My 3 favorite books of the Bible. This changes about as often as my CD favorites. Right now I’m studying Song of Solomon…yes that book of the Bible. And I love what I’m learning, so it’s a favorite. Lately I’ve also found myself often in Isaiah, so I’ll put that one on the favorite list. It’s a book that used to intimidate me…but not so much anymore. Ephesians is one of my long-time favorites too.

* My 3 favorite songs. Another revolving door of favoritism. My top favorite right now is the song I Then Shall Live – Gloria Gaither’s lyrics to the tune of Be Still My Soul. In fact, it’s my theme song for my 30’s. I don’t know if it’s right to say that something that isn’t in the Bible is inspired, but if it is, then this is inspired. Great song. I don’t know all the words to this song yet, but one of my newest favorites (from hearing it on the radio) is Point of Grace’s song Heal the Wound, Leave the Scar. I think it has a very powerful message. And you know, not to be stuck on a tune or anything, but another song that has been on my mind a lot lately is Be Still My Soul. Selah’s version of it is my favorite.

* My 3 favorite books to study. Because I don’t write fiction, I also don’t read nearly as much of it as I used to…so my favorite authors now are more in the non-fiction world. I love Elizabeth George’s book A Woman After God’s Own Heart. I love Dee Brestin and Kathy Troccoli’s book Falling in Love with Jesus. Those last two books are ones I loved so much I taught Bible studies on them. And my most recent fave is Bruce Marchiano’s book In the Footsteps of Jesus. He portrayed Jesus in the movie The Gospel of Matthew and wrote about his life changing experiences as he tried to see the world through Jesus’ eyes.

* My 3 favorite HGTV shows. I love watching House Hunters because I love to look at houses. I love trying to guess which house the buyers will pick, but I’m usually wrong. I also love Designed to Sell. Can’t decide if it’s more for Clive Pearse’s accent or if it’s the awe of what they can fix for $2000. And Design Remix is a great one because it’s got the same budget I’ve got – next to nothing!

* My 3 favorite stamp sets. This will probably only be meaningful to Faith, but I figure since I’m such a stamp person, it would be rude to leave the list without listing my top three faves. Sketch an Event – because you can use it for everything! And I do! Scribbles Alphabet – the set I’m using in my birthday book. It’s big and whimsical and you can color it in! And finally Just Journaling – because of COURSE I write a book in my books.

So there you have it – more than you ever wanted to know!!!