Answers and Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner....errrr....Summer Bag Giveaway.

When I decided to combine a Super Summer Cute Bag Giveaway and a question session, I had no idea what kind of frenzy it would create. I have laughed myself silly reading all of the comments and questions over the past week. I think I can honestly say I have the BEST Bloggie Buddies in the world!! I hope we are all friends forever and ever!

We (Jameson and I) have already picked a winner out of 65 entries, but I am going to make you wait for that little tid bit of information. I don't want 64 of you boycotting my blog until after I'm finished answering your questions!

SO, let's get started!

Question #1 is from Vera Spinks. A very new Internet buddy who I have quickly become friends with. So many of our life experiences have been so very similar, it's kinda scary! I'm thinking we are twins separated at birth! Except she is the super cute, thin, pretty sister, and well, I'm the other stuff.

"You spend a lot of time in your car driving to and from work. What do you do to pass the time?"

Great question! I do spend a ton of time in my car. I average about 400 miles per week. If I am in my car between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., that is a no brainer....I am listening to Rick and Bubba. They are a morning radio show based in Birmingham, Alabama.

(Photo from RickandBubba.com)

They are very conservative, Christian men, who love their families. I've listened to them since the "BB" (Before Bubba) days. As long as they are on, I'm listening! I am also fortunate to hear a replay in the afternoons, once I make it back into Alabama.

I also talk on the phone to my mom, kids, and Marty on my journey home from work. Some days, I am on the phone from the time I leave work, until I pick up my kids!


Question #2 is from Tracie @Tale of Many Cities

"...what made you start blogging?"

I had recently started reading through a ton of blogs and I thought "Hey, I could do that!" So, late one December night, I googled "How do I start a blog?" and Viola! Here I am! I really wanted to get Chelsea's Story out to the world, too. I think it's a story that needed to be told.

Question #3 is from Sue @Our Really Empty Nest

"I am a pizza lover, could eat it everyday of the week, I think, so what is your favorite food of all???"

WOW! That's a toughie! As you can see by my pictures, there aren't too many foods that I don't like. BUT, if I had to pick just one thing to survive on, I think it would have to be The Delmonico Steak from Lone Star. I **heart** that steak so much!

I also have a thing for potato chips and cake.

AND, most of all....I MUST, MUST, MUST have Coke Zero to wash it all down!

Questions #4, 5, 6, 7, & 8 are from my goofy niece, Stephanie @The Life of a Farmer's Wife

4. "Who is your favorite niece?"

Uhhhhhhh, loaded question! I love YOU all of my nieces and nephews equally, you know that!

5. "Have you completely banned Nascar from your house since they suspended Jeremy (Mayfield)?"

Yes

6. "Would you consider Brian (Vickers) as a replacement favorite driver?"

Yes, IF we were still watching Nascar, but since we are not.....sorry! (LOL)

7. "Are you ever going back to Bristol with us?"

We hope to....we just need to win the lottery!

8. "What drives you crazy about Uncle Marty?"

Do you have an hour??

Well, I guess it would be all of the pain in the bootie nieces and nephews he has!

Seriously, I guess it would be his inability to finish projects. He is as much a "Slacker Daddy" as I am a "Slacker Mama".

I'm thinking we need to get some ADD meds up in here! LOL

Question #9 is from Marla @Always Nesting

"What super duper winner will love that bag as much as me? Who will cherish it with all their hearts as much as me? Who will sleep with it, next to their pillow and drift off to sweet dreams if not me?"

Uhhhhhhh, well.....uhhhhhh, hmmmmmmm, let me think on that one.....

Question #10 is from Kori @This is the Life of the Bates Family

"I wanted to know about your Dad. How he became a Christian..."

Great question Kori! Well, like I said in Chelsea's Story the deaths of my children caused a HUGE change in my dad.

(My dad and Courtney, a few weeks before she died)

When my mom and dad were younger, they were both involved in the Church. But as the years went by, family, jobs, life in general got in the way. He drank, he swore, and had a pretty bad temper. The only times in my life growing up that I saw my dad in Church was on holidays. The night that Courtney died, my dad made a decision. He told my mom "We've got two grandbabies in Heaven, and I want to see them again!" My mother agreed. He then told her "If we are going to do this, we are going to do this 100%." They called our preacher, they went to the Church. They talked and studied and talked some more. My dad decided that he wasn't sure if he was baptized the first time for the right reasons, and decided to be baptized again.

From the second he came out of that water, he lived his life as a Christian man 100%. He stopped drinking and swearing. He was in that Church building EVERY SINGLE TIME those doors were opened, up until the week before he died. He studied his Bible every single day. But he wasn't just doing these things "for show", he was TRULY a changed man!

His last decade on Earth was filled with encouragement, teaching, learning, praying, giving and loving. I can only hope to be at least half of the Christian he became!


Question #11 is from both Kori @This is the Life of the Bates Family AND Catie @The Hamiltons

"Did you have problems getting pregnant with Jameson?"

Another great question!

Actually, no, I didn't. We waited about 8 years after Chelsea was born to even discuss having another baby. We both knew that I would not use Clomid again. If I had to use Clomid, then we just wouldn't have another baby.

I had done some research on my own, and found that Glucophage helped women with PCOS loose weight and regulate their cycles. I also read that if you were having problems with infertility, the first couple of months immediately after stopping hormonal birth control, is the most fertile time to try for pregnancy. In other words, if you were on the pill, instead of waiting six months to start trying....start trying immediately after stopping the pill.

I started the Glucophage in March, and within 6 months, I had lost close to 60 pounds. I then started on birth control pills in July, with the intention of stopping them around January. But then Sept.11th happened, and we didn't want to wait any longer.

I stopped the pills in September, and conceived in October. Unfortunately, I lost that baby the first of December. We were devastated, but my doctor encouraged us to try one more time. So, January 30th, I conceived again. And that Sept. 12th, I had Jameson....six weeks early!

(Jameson at one month old, right after he got out of the NICU)

I would LOVE to have another baby, but unless I can be a full-time SAHM, we won't try again.

Questions #12 and 13 are from Barb @Grits and Glamour

12. "Since you are a nurse, do you like to play "Good Doctor/Bad Nurse?"

No....I like to play "Bad Nurse/BAD Doctor!" *wink, wink*

13. "What was the funniest thing that happened while building your home?"

This was a hard question because we didn't have too many "funny" moments during that time! LOL BUT, one day during the very beginning of the building process, our buddy who was laying our foundation, brought his son with him to play with Jameson. Well, we had a HUGE pile of red dirt from the excavation process. We also had a water hose.

Dirt pile + Water Hose + 2 little boys =

When the boys were done at the end of the day, the only thing that wasn't orange was their eyes and their teeth! It was HILARIOUS! They STILL talk about that day all the time!

Question #14 is from Laurie @Bargain Hunting with Laurie

"How will you live with yourself if you don't draw my name for the give-away?"

That's easy....I'm too far in debt to die. I have to live so I can work and try to pay my bills. I can't leave it all for my husband.

Question #15 is from Monica @The Ammons Family

"What kind of camera do you use?"

I have a Nikon D50 with the basic 20-80 mm lens that came with it. I also have a 300 mm lens that I use for the races.

It's no longer made, but I would say it is probably equivalent to the Nikon D40, today. It's a basic DSLR camera, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! Next to my kids and my computer, it's the third thing I would take with me in case of fire.

I also have a FujiFilm FinePix Z small digital camera that I carry in my purse. I also use this camera to record all my videos. I'm not too impressed with the photo quality of the camera, but the video quality is excellent!

*WHEW!*

You guys have wore me out!!!

Thank you so much for making me laugh like I haven't in a REALLY long time! You guys are the BEST!

Also, if you ever have any questions, just ask me. If you aren't comfortable asking me here, send me an e-mail!

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OK, now on to the contest!

First of all I would like to welcome all of my "lurkers" and new bloggie buddies! I hope you like what you see and decide to stick around a little while! I want us to become the bestest of friends!

And to all of my devoted bloggie buddies, who have been with me through thick and thick (ain't no "thin" going on around here), I hope you know how much I love and appreciate you!!

I have had the best time with this contest! And I will definitely be doing it again....as soon as I can come up with some stuff with ZERO funds...lol!

SO, without further ado....the winner....






CONGRATULATIONS SUZANNE!!

Send me your information to my e-mail address (in the left hand column) and I will get your package out as soon as I can!

(And Marla, I swear if I had another bag, I would send it to you! Not only did she recruit her daughter, but she recruited her hubby as well! Welcome Mindy and Steve (who is my first "official" male follower)!)

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I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day!

Thanks to all the soldiers and soldier's families for protecting our rights and freedoms!!

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