Time Again For Friday Memes

It's Friday, so you know what that means . . . a whole slew of Friday memes! It's late, but . . . better late than never, I say! So, off we go:

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FRIDAY 5

1. Which open-all-night establishment has been a lifesaver for you? Wal-Mart, for sure.
2. What open-all-night establishment is closest to where you live? There's a Waffle House and a Huddle House about equal distance, but in opposite directions.
3. What nonexistent open-all-night establishment could you really use in your life? I would be sooooo happy if there was an all-night Starbucks!
4. Which open-all-night establishment in your town is least likely ever to see your patronage in the wee hours of the morning? Waffle House or Huddle House. It gets really scary in these places in the wee hours of the morning. Actually, it gets scary once it gets dark.
5. Have you ever purchased anything advertised on television late, late at night? Sadly, yes!

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FRIDAY FUN

1. What was your high school decade? The early 90s.
2. Are you still friends with your high school friends? One of my closest high school friends died suddenly a few years ago. We had just reconnected about a year earlier. I miss her greatly! The rest of my high school friends - - - I've lost touch with. I did reconnect with another high school acquaintance when I went back to college & we became instant friends. We weren't that close in high school.
3. What was your favorite thing about high school? Honestly?! Not much of anything! I guess I would say my time on the yearbook staff.
4. Your least favorite? Math and Science, equally.
5. Did you have a high school sweetheart? Not so much! I had plenty of crushes and dated 2 guys - 1 who was a big FAT jerk and the other who broke my heart, but has remained a friend years later (strange, huh?).
6. Would you do the whole high school thing again, or is it better left in the past? WAAAAAAAYYY in the past!!!

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FRIDAY FIVER - The Feelings that I Feel

1. What are you set on? Changing some things in my life that DESPERATELY need changing!
2. What do you have to do right? Manage my finances.
3. Have any kids? No. Just one nephew, who I adore!
4. Are you patient? Not so much! I'm working on it, though.
5. Friday fill-in: I know if I put my mind to it ____. I know if I put my mind to it I can get myself out of debt.

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FRIDAY FILL-INS

1. Once I was __________. Once I was a lot thinner than I am now!
2. I'm so tired of __________. I'm so tired of worrying about finances all the time.
3. Today at work I __________. Today at work I had the worst headache and was so nauseous all day long!
4. What's __________ ? What's love got to do with it? [Sorry - this is the FIRST thing that came to mind!]
5. If I make a mistake I __________. If I make a mistake I don't have a problem admitting it.
6. When I woke up this morning, I thought __________. When I woke up this morning, I thought I'm so glad it's Friday, but wish it was Saturday so I could stay in bed. I don't feel good!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to __________, tomorrow my plans include __________ and Sunday, I want to __________! And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include going to have my taxes prepared and Sunday, I want to go to the park and watch church flag football!

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FOUR FOR FRIDAY

1. Crime: Is there a crime, which if it wasn't illegal, you would gladly commit? It's hard for me to think that way. To me - a crime is a crime is a crime! So, my answer would be - no!
2. Immigration: According to recent figures, the conflict in Iraq has forced over 2,000,000 Iraqi citizens to flee the country. Most are stuck in limbo in neighboring countries like Syria and Jordan, while a few (up to 12,000 for the year 2008) are allowed to seek asylum here in the United States. Given our government and military's actions in Iraq, do you think we should open our boarders to more Iraqi refugees or is 12,000 enough? Without getting up on my soapbox, I will just simply answer this with a NO!!!
3. Donations: Have you ever donated money to a presidential candidate? If so, looking back on your donation, do you think it was money well spent? Related: Have you donated--or do you plan on donating--money to someone running for the Presidency this time around? I never have & probably never will. I think they can survive without my money!
4. Keys: How many keys are on your keychain, and do you know what all of them are for? I think I have 10 keys & yes I know what they're all for.

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FIVE ON FRIDAY - Sweet Stuff

1. Cake or pie? Totally depends on the kind.
2. What is your favorite kind of candy? Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
3. Do you actually like conversation hearts? No. I think they're nasty!
4. Would you prefer chocolates or flowers from a loved one? Flowers.
5. What is the sweetest thing someone has ever done for you? I get 'anonymous' giftcards, cashier's checks, etc. from time-to-time (though I haven't in a long time) and they always arrive at times when I need them most!

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4 FOODS ON FRIDAY

1. What is your favorite kind of cheese for snacking? I love those individual string cheeses you can get.
2. What is your favorite kind of jelly? Apple butter or grape.
3. Yogurt. Regular or custard style? I can't stand yogurt!
4. Share a recipe for a stew or soup.

Spaghetti and Meatball "Stoup" (thicker than soup, thinner than stew)

This is a Rachel Ray recipe that is really yummy!

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into a small dice
1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
2 small ribs celery from the heart, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups tomato sauce or 1 (14-ounce) can plus 1 (8-ounce) can
3 cups chicken stock, available in a box on the soup aisle
1 pound ground beef, pork and veal mix (meatloaf mix) available at butcher counter
1/2 cup grated cheese, Parmigiano or Romano, plus more to pass at table
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, a few handfuls
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1/2 pound spaghetti, broken in half
1 cup basil leaves, torn or shredded
1 loaf Italian crusty bread, for dunking

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, carrots, onions, celery, garlic and saute 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and stock and cover pot. Turn up heat and bring to a fast boil.

While soup comes to a boil, mix the ground meat with cheese, bread crumbs, egg and parsley. Roll into 1 1/2 to 2-inch balls.

Remove lid from soup and slide balls into soup. Bring back to a boil then stir in spaghetti. Reduce the heat and simmer soup 10 minutes more, until pasta is tender and balls have cooked through. Stir in basil and remove "stoup" from the stove. Serve soup with bread and cheese.

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FRIDAY'S FEAST

Appetizer: What is your favorite kind of cereal? If I'm being 'good,' I love bran flakes. But, my all-time favorite is Cocoa Krispies.

Soup: When was the last time you purchased something for your home, what was it, and in which room did it go? It's been a long time. I can't remember exactly when. I bought a new comforter set for my bedroom. I found it on E-Bay, loved it and just had to buy it because it was such a great deal. However, as is 'normal' for me, it's still in it's original packaging, stuck in a closet. Until I get my room rearranged the way I want it, I won't put out anything new. Strange, I know!

Salad: What is the funniest commercial you’ve ever seen? There are a lot of funny commercials (past and present). I'll just go with one of my favorites from the present. I have no idea why, but I love the Vick's commercial with the little lamb who trembles when he sneezes/coughs. The one with the frog who flips his tongue out & snatches a fly is cute too.

Main Course: Make up a name for a company by using a spice and an animal (example: Cinnamon Monkey). Rosemary Lioness.

Dessert: Fill in the blank: I haven’t ______ since ______. I haven't slept well since before Christmas.

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KNOW AND TELL FRIDAY

Questions:

1. Who do you wish you could meet? This is a tough question. I would love to meet my favorite actor - Matthew McConaughey. Billy Graham would be at the top of my list. I have a great respect for him & would love the opportunity to sit down with him and talk about God. I would also love to meet Dr. Phil! I know this is a rather vast group of people, but . . . you asked! :-)
2. Best food comes from which country? Hands down - - - Italy! I love Italian food!
3. If you are familiar with the movie/musical "Grease", what girl character would you be (let's apply this lightly...I know some of the behaviors of the girls was not too nice)? I took this quiz to find out! And the result is - - - FRENCHY & this is what is says - - - "You're Frenchy, everyone's favorite class clown. With your bumbling ways, you always tend to get a laugh (whether intentionally or not). Unfortunately you really need to get your head screwed on straight. You're sort of all over the place (from beauty school to chemistry...oops, that's in Grease 2, but whatever you get the point). If you don't focus in school you're going to be the oldest living Senior at Rydell High!" This is somewhat accurate, though I did well in school & wasn't the oldest living Senior!
4. Would you be more likely to toilet paper someone's house, or would you be the one that has their house toilet papered? Oh, back in the day, I toilet papered plenty of houses, but ours never was tp'd.
5. Do you like small talk, or deep conversations? I think I prefer deep conversations over small talk, but the truth of the matter is that most people prefer small talk, so I typically just have to adjust.

Bonus Questions:

1. Who do you most want to encourage this year? One specific person didn't pop into my mind, but there are several new friends in my life that I know need encouraging, so I am definitely going to focus on them. But, I also want to be aware of the needs of people that God places in my life who may need encouraging.
2. If those who know you best gave you one piece of advice, what would they say? Would they be right? What will you do about it? Those closest to me have already gave me this advice, time and time again. That advice is to QUIT WORRYING SO MUCH! And, they're right! And, I'm really trying not do that! Not really working too well for me right now, though!