209 Responses

1. Words: I like to roll them around in my mind like pool balls, fascinated by the way they interact: I savor them as exotic, spicy gourmet nuggets, chew on them thoughtfully, file away their recipes; I imprison them on paper so that I can interrogate them at will and manipulate them in black and white. Words awe me, satisfy me, and empower me. I do love words. You DID ask.

2. Ms. Mustard Seed……
   I think I probably know why your thumbs fold back & it is most often genetic. Please contact me sometime & I will share more info. It is considered rare, but in my opinion it is only rare that a doctor knows what you have.
   I loved your book…& love your blog. So inspiring to see your fresh take on decor & life. I will share that you are my kids age & you represent your generation extraordinarily well.

   All the Best,
   Cathy

   1. I’d also love to know the answer because my thumbs do the same thing and I’m crazy double jointed in all of my fingers and toes. They all bend in weird ways and freak my hubby out a bit.

   2. Is it Ehlers Danlos Syndrome? Because that’s what runs in my family and, among other things, we can turn our thumbs facing the other way, when making a fist. Not sure if you can picture that. :-p

   3. Yes, I would be interested to know. Most of the time, it’s just an annoying little thing I’ve learned to live with, but sometimes it’s really painful and I have to brace it for a few days to keep it stationary.

      1. Yes, Ehler Danlos Syndrome. It is a collagen disorder ( the glue that holds your body together)..it is genetic. Your joints can be injured & gets worse as you age…you should protect your joints. It is different for each person, even in the same family. My identical twin & I had different problems, or degrees of problems. Our veins are very fragile & weep plasma, etc. Many of our medical problems seemed unrelated…, but now I know it is the collagen problem that is behind our medical issues. I have only known for less than a year. It is worth your time to research this disorder , which seems to be no big deal for some, but a big deal for others. It is incurable, but knowing & being proactive can be your best medicine. It is considered rare…, but I believe it is just rare for a Dr. to correctly diagnose the disorder. A Geneticist is the gold standard, but not all of the different collagen disorders have been cataloged yet. I hope this has been helpful..wish I had known years ago.

3. I can not watch scary movies, even the commercials scare me. I will change channels to avoid the commercials and if I do watch a movie that scares me I will sleep with all the lights on in the house. I have even called my kids to come home early when they were living at home so I wouldn’t be alone in the house. they would always say “what did you watch now” lol .

4. Vegetarian over here too ~ for almost 18 years. 🙂 I do love mushrooms, tomatoes and watermelon- but have a hard time embracing eggplant. Love your randomness~ thanks for sharing.

   1. Yeah, eggplant has that spongy thing, too. I’m okay with it cooked in something, but it’s not my favorite.

5. My random thing for today is that I like to rearrange will dirty dishes in the dishwasher after the family has helped me by loading it. I can always get more dishes in and simply cannot help myself! Of course, I never rearrange it in from of them, but they all know I do it and joke about it whenever they can. Your list was fun to read. 🙂

6. That was fun! I like scarves too. Simply because I hope they’ll ward off the years of “turkey neck.”

7. I don’t like watermelon either, but I absolutely hate mustard. I would own a million pairs of custom cowboy boots if I could afford them. And now whenever I see a cow picture I think of you.

   1. LOL! Thanks? 🙂

8. 1. Watermelon is gross
   2. Mushrooms are super gross
   3. I have learned to love a fresh tomato
   4.I do not have freakish thumbs – you are on your own with that one. Weirdo.
   5.I have tattoos. Before I got the first one, I called my mother and asked her if she wanted to know what I was doing the next day or if she wanted it to be a surprise. Her response? “Oh, no! You’re piercing your nose!”
   6. Our mothers would probably get along.

9. I like to dance around the house from room to room

   I do a really bad Julia Child impression sometimes when I cook

   Long hot baths are the perfect ending to a day

   I cannot wait for the new season of Downton Abbey

   1. I agree with the hot bath thing and the image of the Julia impression made me smile. She had a funny way about her.

10. Marian – I love your random posts and I would never leave you hanging, so here goes! I was ‘blessed’ with two sets of wisdom teeth – which I’ve been told makes me 1 in 10,000! I’ve had 7 of them pulled, but one remains and since it isn’t bothering me, I’m going to leave it be! I had 2 wisdom teeth pulled three Christmas breaks in a row during college so all the pictures from those three years are of ‘chipmunk cheeks Heather’ and I ate my Christmas dinner through a straw! Surprisingly, shortbread ‘blends’ really well with a little ice cream.

11. I suspect that if you lived in a southern state, you would love tomatoes and watermelon. You probably haven’t had good home-grown produce.

    I can divide a banana into 3 equal parts without using a knife —- that’s my random thing.

    1. Now, that’s talent!!

12. I don’t like the word “nonchalant.” It reminds me of marshmallows. Even stranger than that…I like marshmallows. Hmm. Chew on THAT!!! (Hey, you wanted random. Just trying to help here.) 😀

13. Random…hmmmm
    OK I don’t like coffee have never drank a full cup,Love DDP though…
    Love black Licoricia over chocolate or any other sweet
    Don’t have a middle name just a Initial
    Not a beach person at all …give me a mountain and off I go
    Love all the foods you don;t and watermelon is a must have in the summer’
    Love vintage but would really like to live in a log home off the beaten path

14. I got nothin’. I am perfect! Bwahahahahahahahahahha! Perfectly NOT normal. In any way. Lord knows I have tried. Normal and me just do NOT get along. Sometimes I dwell on being the most abnormal person in the room…then my Woody Allen neurotic behavior starts…in an attempt to hide my not normalness.
    Then I go home and lament my neurotic behavior for a week or two…or a lifetime. Wondering WHY I said that…or that? My husband is so very normal. I love that about him.

    xo

    Andie

    1. Oh…and I have a song for everyone I know. They get a nickname, then a song. I also sing a song after most everything my daughter says to me using a word from the sentence she just spoke. “Mom, you’re doing it again”, she says. I reply with the song “Turn It On Again”, by Genesis…and so it goes…

       xo

       1. I also launch into song upon hearing key words or phrases, and it drives my daughter crazy too!

          I also have collapsing, double-jointed thumbs.

          Glasses are my security blanket because my eyes are not my most beautiful feature.

          I don’t have a nose ring and never will, though maybe it would draw attention away from my eyes. Hmmm?

15. I’ve been told I’m kinda quirky a time or two in my life…and I always take that as a compliment! The thing most people find interesting about me is that I have a finger puppet named Dan! Dan has been my travel buddy for about 10 years! Everywhere I go or anything fun i do that’s interesting he gets his pic taken there! I have years and years of pictures with Dan in them to remind me of all the fun memories! Dan also has a little find named Monkey…they became friends about a year ago!
    Mind you in 31 years old, married and have two adorable little boys! You can only imagine the looks I get for pulling my little “friends” out of my purse for photo opts all the time!!

16. I have pierced my nose 3 times, the first when I was 16 and i got kicked out of the house for it. I’m now 39 and it’s not pierced anymore. I am addicted to roaming the isles of the local Goodwill a lot more than I will admit to my husband. I secretly wish I could run away and live in New York or some other big city.

17. I still have my wisdom teeth too. I went for the removal consultation and was told, “Fair-skinned redheads tend to experience more pain, tenderness and bruising.” I left without scheduling the extraction!

    Randome fact: I want to chop off my hair and dye it platinum blonde or lavender. My husband isn’t on board. I haven’t the slightest idea why. Maybe it’s the freckles. 😉

    1. That would be “random” without the e. And…P90x is cray cray. I have the DVDs if you need a buddy. I was all over it for 30 days then my partner quit on me (husband) and lack self-motivation in the exercise dept. I need someone to feel my pain…and encourage!

18. I hate iced tea, black eye peas, grits and I am from the south!
    But I love mushrooms, watermelon and tomatoes, it’s from living in the south!

    My husband still won’t give me permission to get my nose pierced but has no problem
    with me wanting a tattoo! My mom would kill me if I got my nosed pierced and my Dad would kill me if I got a tattoo since he got his removed to set an example to my oldest son.

    I can’t win! 🙂

    xo

19. I had 4 wisdom teeth taken out when I was about 20. They had to break them into pieces to get them out since they were growing underneath my molars. But I had very little pain. I was eating a hard shell taco two days later. Though I love mushrooms, I like the taste of watermelon, but it can’t be grainy, yuck. Tomatoes and I have had a lifelong hate of each other since my first grade teacher made me eat tomatoes at lunch time, I promptly threw them back up. I can taste them hidden in foods, and don’t eat them. My brother’s girlfriend offered me a piece of pie. and when I gladly said yes, she handed me a piece of homemade tomato pie. I couldn’t offend her, so I just took a bite to be polite, and hoped not to puke it up. To my amazement it tasted AWESOME! I have since made them myself and they are great!

    I am the third of 4 generations born on the 28th. My grandfather was born on April 28th, his daughter (my mother) was born on June 28th, I was born on Oct. 28th, and my daughter was born on April 28th, her grandfathers birthday. April 28th also happens to be my Mother-in-law’s birthday.

20. I like even numbers. I was born on an even numbered day, even month, and even year. It really bugged me when two of my babies were born on odd numbered days. Btw I’m turning an odd age this year, waaaaaaah. I know it’s not logical, my odd personality likes evenness.

    1. I forgot to mention this when I confessed my quirks! I am obsessed with even numbers also…was born on an even day in an even year (but not month). I was the 8th child and hubby was born on an even day also. My first two children were born on even days (whew!) but when my water broke with #3 at 11 p.m. on an even day the first thing I thought of was “Oh no…he’s going to be born on an odd day!!”

21. Loved this post. Occasionally, I like to eat french fries. But I eat them two to three at a time, same lengths. I even break the longer ones to match the shorter ones. Potato chips same way. And I’m with you on the bread and real butter. I don’t even buy margarine.

22. Love the random! When I chew my food I always start and finish on the right side. All my favorites foods get chewed on the right and I alternate right then left…one side at a time. Weird…I know.

23. Hi Marian,
    My little bit of randomness is that one of my favorite smells is that new plastic smell… Like a new shower curtain liner. My husband’s thumbs do that thing yours do… I call it crazy thumb.
    🙂

24. NOOOOOOOOOO Marian, NOT A NOSE RING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH!!! I’m with your Mom on this. Please don’t tell my girls!!! Love, Love

25. I can’t touch corduroy. It makes me shudder. I can look at it and even find it pretty, but touching corduroy is extremely unpleasant for me. But I love watermelon, tomatoes and mushrooms instead 😉

26. loved this!

27. My thumbs do that too. Also, I was born with one kidney and an extra rib. AND my husband was born with only 4 toes on one foot…and our first child was born with an extra toe…All true…wow, we are freaky!

28. Love the randomness that come with age when we are free to just be ourselves –
    — I love symmetry – I always seem to buy 2 of the same or 2 similar things because I love the balance (2 lanterns, 2 lamps, 2 Easter bunnies …) I say it is for my 2 daughters but I think they know otherwise …

    — I love deer – brass & resin ones because the family are squeamish about real ‘eyes’ following them hehe

    — I love setting interesting table settings & always turn over charity / thrift items to read the pattern

    — love vintage but combined with modern; eclectic shabby chic (don’t know if that is a style but that is my style)

    — am allergic to shell seafood so am a killjoy when visiting the coast as I can’t sit next to someone who is indulging on anything other than normal fish

    — love blogs, my time wasting indulgence & am in awe of successful ones as I just toddle along with mine …

29. I too have all my wisdom teeth, and my family kids me about needing to practically drug me to get through annual dental appointments. Why is there always that drill sound when you visit?
    I haven’t met too many foods that I don’t like, but not sure if I could ever totally give up meats, though I have been cutting back and that’s a good thing. I’m a total klutz, almost look like I’m not moving when I run, and was also pigeon toed. I’ve decided I’m getting a tatoo when I’m 70 after the sagging decides where it might settle down permanently. I like to sing silly songs to entertain/”torture” my children with (darned teens like to rain on my parade)! There, you’re not hanging out here alone!

30. My daughter taught me to never ask anyone for permission to do anything I want to do. It drove me crazy when she was a child but now I admire her and have taken her lead.

    I didn’t get any wisdom teeth.

    My grandaughter has those thumbs… freaked me out when when she was a baby.

    I love Australia

    I haven’t seen my daughter, son-in-law and grandaughter for 12 years and in two months I am going to the USA to see them, plus a 9 year old grandaughter I have not met.

    I broke my leg skydiving when I was 45 … still worth it.

    I had a stroke when I was 20 … taught me to not ever ask anyone to do anything for me that I can do for myself.

    I know!

31. I’m with you on the mushrooms,hate eggplant as well. I’ve gotten to the point that I can eat tomatoes cooked, as sauce or in a sandwich raw but I cannot eat them by themselves. I rearrange the dishes in the dishwasher,too! So glad to hear I’m to hear I’m not the only one.

32. My mother was right handed and my father was left handed. The next generation flipped and the boys were right handed and the girls (including me) were left handed. The next generation flipped and the boys are left handed and the girls are right handed. The next generation flipped and so far we only have two boys and they are both right handed. We have a girl on the way, so we will see if she continues the tradition that the different sexes flip to the opposite with each generation! Crazy, huh?

    Jenny

33. I dislike fruit….I know bizzare, right? I have to force myself to eat a banana & would die of the heebie jeebies if I had to eat an orange! I do drink a small glass of juice with breakfast….but that’s pretty much it. (oh….and I dislike tomatoes & watermelon & mushrooms too).
    I got my first tattoo when I turned 50….a dachshund on my ankle….then pink heart paw prints on my left back shoulder. I had a nose stud…it fell out in my sleep, after 3 years & I just never bothered to get another.
    My mother passed when I was 27, my dad 9 years later & my brother after that. It’s just me & my sister…. she lives about 5 hours away from me, but we visit back & forth often.
    I’m new to your blog, but enjoy it immensely…..I’m usually blogging about four paws and tails!

    Have a fantastic day!

    Charlotte

34. My daughter had a good friend in high school, one of two Emily’s that she knew. We kept them straight by referring to this one as “Random Emily” because she would just show up at our house at random times, and she was always sharing random things. She was awesome and we loved her. Sadly she died in an accident at 20 and we miss her randomness.

35. I have this thing about license

36. We must be long lost kindred (LOL) My thumbs do the same thing. I always thought I was the only one with this “quirky deformity” 🙂 Yup we must to be related, weird thumb thing and no gallbladders. Have a great day.

37. Oops….Sorry about the weird ending above…OK….I have this weird thing about license plates. I have to make myself NOT look at the license plate in front of me while driving because it will stay in my head and repeat over and over again for the rest of the day. It drives me nuts! I also catch myself putting my glass down on the table , like on a certain wood grain line or lined up with something else. I hate that I do it so when I catch myself I will immediately move it, I don’t like thinking I am that way. As if moving it changes that! 🙂

38. I have to eat peanut m&m’s in colour order. I can’t eat them at the movies because I can’t see what colour I’m eating! And I don’t like the tv volume on an odd number unless its a 5!!

39. Right there with you on the bread thing!!!! I work at a dental office,our friend is the dentist, any way do not pull your wisdom teeth if you do not have too.Keep your teeth!!!!!!!!! Not sure how you can be a veggie girl.I love me some steak and lobster!!!! I loath mushrooms!!!!! Oh the slime.They are cool looking though. Have a great day Marion.

40. I have enormous tonsils. I get strep throat every year because of them. After watching my son get his tonsils removed (they were enormous like mine) I’ve stopped wishing they would remove mine. Holy moly that looked painful and I’ve heard it’s about 20x worse for an adult, no thank you!! Oh, I also get food stuck in them and have to gargle to get it out….TMI? sorry 😉

41. I can’t tell my left from my right unless I face north.

42. I can cross one eye.

    I hate peanut butter, but I like roasted peanuts.

    It took me 2 years to choose a paint color for my kitchen.

    I mentally redecorate my house while reading blogs, then forget my ideas when I log off the computer.

43. Something about me, after 27 years I am still madly in love with my husband, crazy but true, there is know one I would rather be with, or talk to. I still get butterflies when I see him walk in the door from work or being in the field….He still surprised me with flowers, (from Aldi) and opens my car door. He is not perfect, but we do not sweat the small stuff….Love your honesty P.S. we LOVE morels……

44. I want a nose ring so bad, but I am almost 60 and think I might be too old…..I have a very soft heart and cry at almost anything…….loved the update!

45. *i do not have an inborn sense of humor; i just don’t come up w/ funny stuff! the only time i come up w/ jokes is when i take things literally, & everyone is like, “ha….ha…” {as they grimace}
    *i always set my alarm for times other than the 5 min. marks (i.e. 6:23)
    *i dislike running, but somehow, my sister has convinced me to run 2 5Ks- 1 done & 1 yet to complete in june
    interesting facts you shared indeed!

46. Ok. Now I know each person has their own normal! Individuality…makes life interesting.

47. Ill share some random facts, I’m 42, I also have a nose ring and love it! I also have a couple tattoos, I got them after my husband died of cancer 10 years ago. I have hated the color Blue my whole life, until I found your Blog ( my first by the way) I now Love Blue and blogs!! Thank You for that. I’m an empty nester. I Love painting furniture. I even got a domain name to start a blog, but I do t know what in the heck to do with it now!! Lol. I also hate mushrooms, I love tomatoes. And I love my dogs and horses with a passion!! I inheritated a crooked pinky finger from my mamaw. But the bended thumb would probably freak me out a bit (sorry). I have bought your whole line of milk paint. Except the last color I got came in the new packaging and I was I bit disappointed. ( kitchen scale), not buy the color or the package but because it doesn’t match my beautiful boxes. My vacation this year is planned around luckiest fair just to see you! And maybe get my book signed. And lastly… You inspire me!!!

48. I have a tattoo, my mother hates it and my husband loves it! I want nose ring but the process scares me, go figure!

49. I love nose rings but like Marsha am too old to go there. Not too old for tattoos though. Hate mushrooms- I think that is what a worm would taste like.

50. I can’t deal with a tube of toothpaste that has been squeezed in the middle. Whether it’s mine or someone else’s, I’ll drag it on the edge of the counter to squeeze it to the top! And toilet tissue MUST roll over, not under, or I’ll change it. And at 57, I still have three wisdom teeth, never got a fourth, and hate dentistry so much I won’t go unless I have a problem….even then, I’d rather be dragged, kicking and screaming!!

51. 1. I hate watermelon too. And hot dogs (unless they’re burnt. And bologna.
    2. I used to have a nose ring. My mom requested that I do my eyebrow instead. I also have 2 tattoos, a naval ring, and a tongue ring. I’m 32 and I still hide my tattoos from my grandma!
    3. I love grilled cheese sandwiches with mayo and dill pickles. If you try this, be sure to add the mayo and pickles after you’ve cooked the grilled cheese.
    4. I also love bread and butter. But I especially love butter on toast, so it gets all melty.
    5. I don’t like to have just my hands or feet wet. I’m an all or nothing kinda girl.

52. I have an extra bone in the top of my mouth that makes a big lump. I didn’t know this wasn’t normal until middle school when I told someone I burned the top of my mouth and my lump was hurting. They asked, “what lump?” who knew?

53. 1. I love your blog, and have been reading you feed for awhile now, but I am not a DIYer.
    2. At nearly 50 I just went back to school (What am I thinking!) and I have two kids in college.
    3. I should amend #1 I come up with all sorts of ideas and my DH, who is a professional painter and all around handy person gets to carry out all my quirky ideas! 😉

54. Marian, you are a hoot. And here I was, thinking you were perfect. Seriously though, We are so much alike. I have a collection of scarves that I hide behind too.

55. I have wanted my nose pierced for ages- but am too chicken to do it!
    I love rice krispy treats, but only the way I make them- with a stick and a half of butter.
    I sang the National Anthem at the Astrodome for the Astros games when I was 12-17.

    That’s it….this was fun!

56. I have “hitchhiker” thumbs too! I grosses out my husband.

57. Ha ha!!! I HATE mushrooms too!!!!!! It’s one of the main reasons I could never be a vegetarian! So many mushrooms in vegetarian dishes. I can find the tiniest sliver of a mushroom in a dish. LOL. I think my mom ruined me from ever liking them with too many cream of mushroom soup casseroles. Those gray little cubes just freaked me out. And we lived near a mushroom harvesting facility where they grew them in MANURE!! It smelled horrible on a hot summer day. You want me to eat a mushroom? no thank you, I say! 😉
    Fun little bit of info, Marian. thanks for sharing!!!! he he!

58. 1. I must have a clean kitchen sink, shiny, scrubbed with bon ami or I can’t cook, the whole kitchen can be a bomb blast but if the sink has coffee stains in it, we are getting take out.

    2. I buy straws like people buy toliet paper, I use a new one with every drink, I have certain colors for certain drinks. I think they are giving me smokers wrinkles around my lips.

    3. I sleep with a fan on, every single night, I’ll pile on blankets when it’s cold but the fan is staying on, my husband says I freeze him out, whatever that means, isn’t everyone hot? I’ve been claiming menopause as the excuse since we met, he believed me:)

    4.Three things I don’t want to live without, Coca Cola in the little bottles, with a straw of course, french fries dipped in ranch and wing sauce and thin crust pizza, everything else I really could survive without.

    1. I am so the same way with the fan….365 days a year since…well…forever!

    2. We can’t live without a fan blowing every single night….same with all three grown up kids! And if we go to a hotel, we take one with us! I drank iced coffees everyday with straws and finally quit a year ago because of the wrinkles around my lips…wish I would have known!!!

59. Hello Marian,

    I chanced upon your website by providence (I really cannot describe it any other way) and after looking at everything that you have been doing over the years I ordered some of your milk paint, bonding agent and wax (I ordered boxwood because I’ve been carrying a love affair with the color green). I even started hinting to dear husband that I want to go to Lucketts for the fair. LOL if I my say so.

    You are extremely talented and I wish you and yours nothing but pure joy and further success.

    Lots of love from my family to yours and I am off to distress, paint and simply rearrange my (life) home.

    xoxo

60. 1. I am a DIYer who loves to plaster walls myself and have created several interesting finishes with my favorite: lime plaster. The only problem I have is that Handsome Hubby NEVER wants change.
    2. I love Handsome Hubby passionately in spite of his bullishness. He’s the best man for me and he endures change as best he can.
    3. I have a saggy belly. Can’t get “Jezzebelly” to move out no matter my diet or exercise. (yes I named the belly fat)
    4. My not-so-secret desire is to live in the south of France for a couple of years (maybe forever).
    5. I am a Mormon Relief Society President (I work with 150 women and it’s the most awesome and challenging experience. Very humbling).
    6. I eat breakfast while reading your blog. Keep it up MMS!

    1. ooooh, the saggy belly – me too! I hate it, but it never seems to budge. I think I have found the solution if i’ll just do it. The elliptical machine at the gym and stretching on my exercise ball. Both feel like they are working from the inside out to tone, but I’m not as consistent as I should be. And it will take forever to notice, but it is strengthening the abdominal muscles.

61. So nice to hear others have little quirks or oddities! 🙂
    1. I HAVE to wash ice cubes that come from a refrigerator. I cannot stand that taste of whatever that white stuff is that gets on them if not used right away. So most of the time I buy bags of ice from the store or convenience mart.
    2. I do not like fountain pop since they usually taste syrupy (is that a word?) & no two ever taste the same~probably the ratio of the mix. So if we are getting a pop away from home I get a cup of ice & a bottle of pop.
    3. I put peanut butter & then butter on a piece of bread for a snack, which my husband says is backwards. He says you are to put the butter on first.
    4. I do not like mushrooms either & it is definitely the texture
    5. I HAVE to have the hamburger REALLY chopped up for sloppy joes, tacos, etc & found a wonderful tool from Pampered Chef to chop it up so there are not “chunks.” Must be why I don’t like meatballs.
    I have many more but those are the most prevalent.
    LOVE your blog Marian! As inspired in so many different ways!

62. 1. I love the smell of latex paint. I think it just makes me feel empowered to change my environment.
    2. I have always thought I have pretty feet.
    3. I adore hand turkeys, the kind your kids make in preschool. I actually made a scrapbook of hand turkeys. I look at it when I need to feel ridiculous or grounded.

63. I’m kind of with you on the mushrooms. Tomatoes – love them, especially a fresh summer tomato on top of toasted bread with butter. Yummy. Watermelon – love to sprinkle salt on it. I love that I can eat a lot of watermelon, and it acts as a natural diuretic . Which counteracts the salt, I guess :).
    I wanted to major in Interior Design, but went into Social Work and eventually English instead. I’m glad I have the English Degree, but if I could do it over, I’d also major in design. I’m too lazy to go back to school at this point in life. Reading blogs like yours gives me my Interior Design fix.
    My husband is a killer pianist and the first time I ever met him he was playing piano. It was pretty much love at first play. We’ve been married almost 29 years.
    I do not have children of my own, but am convinced that my nephew is really my child; God Just gave him to my brother instead.
    I love the conveniences of life, but sometimes I pine for a much simpler time – before the internet and cell phones, when the pace was much slower and people actually used their front porches, and it didn’t take a “village to raise a child”, but the whole village helped anyway.
    I am a fan of Billy Ray Cyrus (some people laugh when I mention that).
    When I was much younger I used to put peanuts in a bottle of Pepsi – that was very tasty- learned it from my Aunt who could play the accordion. Lots of fun memories with her.
    Orange is my happy color, but I don’t decorate with orange. I’m slowly trying to move in the direction of 50 shades of white in my decor.
    SadieGrace is my pen name – I’ve loved it for years – before it go so trendy.
    Ok, I’m done for now. Maybe I’ll do an about me post soon and explore just what I’m about. Thanks for the fun today!

64. I am a southern girl and we grow some really awesome tomatoes, not grainy at all..I think if you had the right tomato on good white bread with mayo and salt and pepper, it would change your life! ha ha ha! Summertime staple here, and homemade pimento cheese too…

65. MMS:

    1. My hair grows freakishly fast and my fingernails grow just as fast and are tough as nails, which make women alittle jealous! Downside….I should shave my legs and pits every single day 🙂

    2. I love Thai drunken noodles, which aren’t drunk and oddly enough don’t appear to actually be noodles! But man, its sooooo good and spicey!

    3. I love the smell gasoline pumping at the station, and I have passed this terrible sniffing habit to my sons (5 and 8).

    4. I can’t live without tomatoes and feta cheese.

    5. I adore you and inspire me to try new things with my house!

    xoxo

66. 1) I have double jointed fingers so I can bend them just at the top joint closest to the fingernails (it grosses most of my friends out..lol)
    2) I have double jointed pinkie toes..lol
    3) As a teenager I hated every vegetable known to man; as an Adult, I can’t get enough of them.. only one I can live without most times (except if its chopped finely) are onions.. eww.. (but sometimes I will eat them)
    4) I love the smell of onion grass!! mmmm.. I used to just lay in the grass at my old house as a little girl and just smell it all day long..
    5) I love being as thrifty as I can, even if nobody else sees my treasure behind my junk..lol
    6) I love any kind of music and will dance at a moments notice and sing out loud in my car, trying to belt out my most “impressionable” notes..not! lol.. BUT i’m by myself so that’s okay, I just sing my heart out..

    MMS, you are truly an inspiration to me, I strive at being as successful one day in my not-so-youthful-life.. 🙂 and I will forever love reading your blogs as, maybe one day, you will enjoy mine as well. If i ever have a chance to meet you in person, you would make my year! God Bless!

67. Well I think you are just a doll and I love your blog! I have a food thing too..

    1. I can’t eat anything that coats my teeth! Chocolate, mints, milk, ice cream … blech!

    2. I love my curly hair. LOVE it.

    3. I cannot NOT stop when I go by a thrift store. The thrill of the hunt is my FAVE!

    4. Bread, butter and wine are all the foods I need in the world. Oh, and pasta and cheese.

    5. I am addicted to decorating blogs and I am NOT afraid to shout it from the rooftops! My home is ever evolving…and I like it!

    6. And I like your nose ring.

68. Real women have tummies!!!! Especially after childbirth!!

69. Ok,you may be mad at me for saying this …I hate nose rings…no one has a small enough nose to draw attention with a ring in it. When you are older you will just have a hole in your nose. I’m sorry ! I’m with your mom ..I am probably showing my age .
    You are very pretty and talented and I love this site .

70. My mom owned a cleaning service when I was growing up, so I was always a little obessesed with the smell of Pine Sol. When I was 7 years-old, I came up with an ingenius idea one day while we were in the grocery store. Since I wanted to smell it ALL the time, I dipped my finger in the Pine Sol bottle and smeared it under my nose.
    Yeah, I did.
    Who would have known it would give such a rash?

71. This is kinda fun!

    i had polio in my left leg when i was young, the vaccine had just come out the year before

    i have always loved Kurt Russell, but i’m ok with him marrying Goldie, cause i love her too

    I’m a touch Aspergersy,… very literal, love routine, a little ocd, anxiety issues etc…

    i”m terrified of thunderstorms, and of course all of my friends love them

    you couldn’t pay me enough to get me on an airplane

    funny what we think of to share… smile

    Cindy

72. I helped a friend mother polish silver when I was in Junior High and I realized I totally love to polish silver. Crazy I know. Especially since I don’t own any!

    I always dreamed of playing the violin but I can’t read music. I have to learn music by memory now. In fact, I have to memorize about anything I learn.

    I totally cannot read (and understand) directions. I mean I can read the words out loud but I can’t understand a single thing they are telling me to do. I call it having “directions dyslexia.”

    I don’t mind driving an old car, wearing clothes from Goodwill but I want my house and yard to be nice as well as clean. If its not clean I can’t concentrate or get anything done.

    I’m split between being right and left brained. I’m VERY organized but I can’t do math. I always figured it was a learning disability. Now I know it’s just being a kinesthetic learner.

    I was born to be left handed but the nuns made me right handed by giving me sheets of wide lined paper and making me write my name over and over and over. You still cannot read my handwriting!

    I spent my entire early dieting. Once when I was on Weight Watchers, I weight and measured everything and didn’t take one bite of food that was not approved for over five years. Then I gave up. It was making me WAY to compulsive and anal. Now I eat for health not skinniness.

    It was fun to read about everyone “quirks.” Isn’t diversity great!

73. Love those random tidbits Marian! It’s those little things that make each of us special oh and HUMAN!! Here are some of my “humanly” traits…
    1) I cannot stand crumbs anywhere, I need to instantly wipe them up or it will consume my mind.
    2) I do not like to hear someone whistle a song, the sound is very annoying to me.
    3) I cannot wet only one hand, even if the other is clean i have to get water on it before I touch a towel.
    And finally I could truly live on bread and butter…oh and cheese alone!!!
    Thanks for listening all!!

74. I too love scarves, plan to wear them forever, not doing P90x.
    I drink diet coke in the morning.
    I love the letter R, my sons are Rhoads and Reid, dog is Riley… My maiden name begins with R and I grew up on Rose Road in Roslyn.
    I love the number 5, no idea why.

    I just found your blog and look forward to getting inspired.

75. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
    Mushrooms ( fungus) cause cancer.
    My Dad got sick and within 2 days the Drs gave us 3 books that all said the same thing..like at the beginning of the book.
    ( like it was common knowledge?!)
    Who knew?
    Glad to hear you don’t like the mushrooms!

76. I am so gald someone else hates watermelon!!!!! I was born and raised and still live in South Georgia and will not even smell watermelon!!! However, I love tomatoes and mushrooms!

77. Love your curls!!!!!! I’m a south paw and have the crazy bendy thumbs too. Though I love tomatoes, they are my favorite food 🙂

78. I was told along time ago that people who have thumbs that bend back are extremely creative! I believe it to be true! 😉

    A few Randoms…
    I loathe Sweet Potatoes, I think it is the texture thing!
    I could live on Peanut M&M’s!
    I “accidentally” set a Christmas Tree farm on fire when I was a kid…if anyone went without a Tree around 1973, I offer my apology! 😮

79. Very interesting. I enjoyed knowing more about you. I never noticed your nose ring. Maybe that is part of your creativity. I like to finish things like toothpaste. I get a strange staisfaction about throwing away something totally used up. I love air conditioning also. Thank you for sharing.

80. It’s so nice to know that you’re normal :0)

    I, too, squeeze all the toothpaste out…I’ve even been known to get my kitchen scissors out and cut an end off and get even more that way (just like my lotion bottle too!).

    I, too, am a survivor fan (being that my cousin, Colby Donaldson, has been on three of them) but I haven’t watched the last few because all the lying raises my blood pressure…lol.

    I want a nose ring **just a shiny stud** – my mom says yes but my husband says no (hahahaha)

    I have to sort my jelly beans, M&Ms, Skittles (anything of color) into color piles so they are all even and I have to eat them in an order that keeps the piles even. (i.e. if I have 3 red, 3 blue, 2 orange & 1 green – I will eat 1 green, 1 red & 1 blue so all I have left is 2 red, 2 blue & 2 orange…then I have to eat either 1 of each so they all remain even or all of one of the colors so I have 2 left of the other color)….lol

    I {{{heart}}} scarves but living in Texas makes it pretty hard to wear them..even in the winter, my neck gets pretty toasty in one!

    1. I love the M&M sorting thing. So funny. I loved Colby on Survivor. Definitely one of my favorites. I can’t believe Colby’s cousin reads my blog! Let me be dorky for just a minute…

81. OK… Here is my “odd woman out” trivia.
    1. I LOVE mushrooms and tomatoes. Watermelon is fine by me too, but I can’t stand cantaloupe unless it is made into ice-cream.
    2. I could eat creamed spinach for a week, but I can’t have bread unless it is gluten-free.
    3. The prettiest places I have visited and/or lived at are Ireland and Sitka, Alaska.

82. I too hate watermelon, but always wanted to like it. I think it was being left out of all the watermelon seed spitting contests as a kid. They looked like such fun that I was missing out on.
    I can close my right eye completely (with no squinty wrinkles) while having my left eye completely open. My kids think it’s freaky. Doesn’t sound too weird when I write it down, but try it…

    Thanks or sharing!

83. Marian, I had to laugh when I read your comment about toothpaste – I do the very same thing!

    I could keep the paper towel industry in the black all by myself!

    I love tomatoes and mushrooms, but dislike watermelon intensely. I don’t like shrimp or potatoes, but love other shellfish and all pastas.

    Green and yellow have been my favorite colors since I was little, but I won’t wear a kelly green top with dark blue pants. To me, they clash.

    I love blue jeans on other people; me, not so much. My son and husband look great in them. I have yet to find a pair that is both comfortable and flattering on me.

    I finally stopped biting my nails after college. I did my own acrylics until I became pregnant with my son, and then got rid of them – I now have beautiful, strong natural nails.

    I won’t let my colorist use anything but ash brown on my hair, after a bad henna experience as a college sophomore (I’m in my 40’s, and still haven’t gotten over it!)

    I’m a really fast reader; I read between 3 – 6 books a week… and am employed full time!

    My total commute is about 3 hours a day (this helps with the reading!) I ride the commuter rail, so I’m able to relax on the way to and from work.

    I can do a handstand and a headstand, but not a cartwheel. I have never been able to do a split.

    I’m terrified of heights, but I love to fly. I hope to get my pilot’s license someday.

    My husband and I are amateur wine makers. Our wines have medalled in the world’s largest amateur wine making contest, and our bottle labels have consistently won awards. All of our labels have been created using text boxes and other picture editor tools in Microsoft Word and Paint – I don’t know how to use PageMaker, PhotoShop or other graphics programs.

    My husband, who is also employed full time, does the grocery shopping, the laundry and has dinner waiting for me on week nights. He is inherently neat – even his sock drawer is organized by color. I consider myself to be very fortunate!

84. I have thumbs like that too. They actually won’t go straight.
    I also use the end of the toothpaste, but I would never have thought to tell anyone that!
    I adore mushrooms, all kinds.
    My daughter pierced her nose – except she did the thing between the nostrils (whatever that’s called). I bit my tongue until my son decided he should do the same thing. I said “FINE, I’ll just get a chain and connect your noses together with a link for me to drag you around! together!” He never got a piercing, just tattoos.

    1. HA! You made me laugh out loud with the comment about the chain! Thanks for making my day.

85. You had me already, but cinched at it the toothpaste bit!
    xo,
    Kelly

86. I’m a thrifty and tricky wife.

    My husband falls for all the advertising tricks and insists that brand names are always better. It doesn’t matter to him that the ingredients are exactly the same…….so I trick him.
    He hasn’t figured out that his expensive dandruff shampoo bottle really contains the drug store brand! Same with his body shampoo and his baby aspirins.

    Love your blog Marian.

    I’d love to know the story about how and why you grew up in Germany….that’s were I’m from.

87. 1-I don’t like pets, I get in trouble a lot for this one. But I have allergy issues and I don’t like the way they tear up a house. I especially hate cats on counters.
    2-I don’t like to get my hands dirty. I hate to make bread without a bread maker because of that and I can’t do inchworms in exercise class because I have to put my hands on the floor.
    3-I hate to shop for clothes, but love to shop in the hardware store.
    4-I do all the fixing of stuff in our house and my husband does the cooking. Fair trade!!
    5-My idea of heaven is a room filled with books, a fireplace and a huge bowl of M&Ms.

88. Except for the mushroom thing and the ‘Survivor’ thing, we are kindred spirits for sure. AND my daughter has weird thumbs, if that counts!!!

89. Such a fun post Marian. I have something similar to your No.1, except mine is lotion. I actually would cut the tube and scrape every single drop of lotion out of it before I throw the dissected tube out. I love scarves too, but because they are pretty and I’m always cold in the office and somehow wearing a scarf helps warm me up.

90. 1. I love watermelon:)
    2. I hate spiders with a passion.
    3. I step on the toes of my shoes before putting them on. Weird? (its a spider hunt!)
    4. I grill my cheese sandwiches with the mayo on it!
    5. I still cut my sandwiches into triangles…and break big chips before eating them.
    6. False teeth gives me the creeps!
    7. I will be 56 this year…..gotta get to steppin’ on my bucket list!
    Love your blog:)

91. love your blog, and love this post…….some things about me:
    ~love all fruit, but especially watermelon & oranges!
    ~could not live without: water softener & air conditioner
    ~favorite meals:traditional Thanksgiving meal & pizza
    ~favorite color:RED
    ~favorite flower:wild day-lily
    ~favorite dessert:chocolate cake
    ~hobbies:rug hooking, cross stitching, antiquing, gardening
    ~my sickness: the computer & magazines!!!!

92. Loved this entry, Marian. Made me smile. A few random things about me:

    1. I travel for work – a lot. I take off and land at least 12 times per month.
    2. I’m a clean freak. Therefore, I carry a small Lysol spray with me when I travel and wear flips flops in hotel showers.
    3. I love ice cream and could eat if for absolutely every meal.
    4. Back in the day I was able to meet and talk to Michael Jordan at his restaurant in Chicago. I was so star struck that all I could say to him was, “Hi Michael, you smell good” What? I’m such a dork!
    5. I am an American Idol groupie. I can’t help it, I love that show.

93. Wow…what a fun post! I like red wine in a box….I love my electric cigarette….I have a scar on my belly from the belly button down….a vertical scar….and a very plump belly…which makes me look like I have two bum’s….one in the front and most certainly one in the back! Thanks to everyone for sharing!!! Oh yes, love mushrooms and tomatoes but I cannot stand watermelon!

    1. Too funny – and here I thought I was unique with my butt in the front from my Caesarian scar from back 40 years ago when they cut up and down instead of across LOL

94. Fun post! Yesterday I was painting things for the lucketts market and I was mixing up a wash of typewriter (black) milk paint and I stirred weird or something and it splattered all over the front of me. I finished up painting my piece then looked at the clock and oopsie! I needed to run to school (high school) and pick up my oldest daughter and her friend. (Looking a mess). Luckily I took a look in the mirror before I left the house because I had a huge streak of black paint on my cheek. Enjoy the beautiful spring weather! Pauline

95. I have the same bday as you-April 5th.
    I like to eat ketchup on my fried chicken.
    For snacks, I have to eat a sweet item first, then a salty, then end on sweet.
    I can’t take pills with water. It has to be a flavored drink.
    Ferris wheels TERRIFY me.

    Thanks for sharing! It’s fun getting to know the quirky side of Miss Mustard Seed! 🙂

96. 1. I have a very unhealthy love of Dr. Pepper. Actually, my whole family does. It has to be ice cold though. I’m pretty sure it’s just our “Texas” thing.

    2. I think it’s completely o.k that I have my one daughter. No, I do not want anymore (so stop asking mom).

    3. I am an accountant at a winery but have this passion for interior design and landscape photography, both of which I didn’t discover I was any good at until my mid-thirties (its never too late, right?)

    4. I over-analyze everything and I hate it!

97. How fun to read about everyone – great idea MMS!
    OK let’s see
    1. I could live on bread, butter, and potatotes
    2. Love bright colors but seem to gravitate towards green/gold/red in my home – although I’m tired of those colors LOL
    3. Have a fear of heights but zip-lining is on my bucket list
    4. Absolutely hate painting ceilings
    5. Met my husband on Friday the 13th and we married on a Friday the 13th – will be 29 years this Saturday. So 13 is my lucky number.
    6. Love chocolate but not chocolate ice cream or chocolate cake – although I WILL eat the cake if it has vanilla ice cream on it LOL
    7. I like my grilled cheese with apple butter on it.
    8. Love tomato sandwiches – wheat bread, mayo, and a little salt – YUM
    9. Eat catsup on my macaroni and cheese
    10. Love peanut butter and bacon sandwiches – toasted.

    1. Peanut butter and bacon? Wow! I thought I was strange with my mayonnaise and olive sandwiches. Seriously. Amazing.

98. Marion- I will be 59 in a few weeks, but in my head I still think I am in my 30’s.
    Anything in a tube gets totally squeezed, cut, and then Qtipped.
    I love all vegetables, except-lima beans, kidney beans, garbonza beans, but love hummus
    I used to do it all and worked part time.
    My favorite store is Lowe’s.
    I shop on line, because I don’t like malls.
    The bread and butter. My hubby and I started dating in 1971, when we went to the drive in I had to have a Dr. Pepper in a bottle and we would buy fresh french bread and a cube of butter. No popcorn or hot dogs for us.
    I lived with my aunt and uncle in Portland, OR the year after high school. (dysfunctional parents)
    I love Greece.
    I love to read your blog, because I can relate to all the things you do.
    x

99. This post is so fun. We all have our quirks!

    *I hate raw tomatoes and so do my children and grandchildren—I can eat them if they are cooked like on pizza or in pasta, but not raw and go figure I love fried greens ones and sundried ones!

    * Bread and butter are my favorite food also!!!! I could eat them everday….but of course I can’t.
    *I hate to sweat and don’t walk barefooted.
    *I am a bit of a germ freak…..not that I worry about catching a disease so much as it is the thought that things that many people have touched are yucky…..menus, door handles, the ladies room is the worst of course….escalator rails…and also the worse hotel rooms. My husband puts the remote in a zip lock bag for me or I won’t use it….I have read it is the worse thing in the room!

100. I love mushrooms, like tomatoes, a feather pillow and the fan on at night and often during the day. Honey mustard is a problem for me, as I eat it on most anything. I love your blog and have followed for at least a year now. The nose ring looks good on you. I think it would be distracting for me, although it would be a good use for a least one of the many single earrings I own. You are a real inspiration. Keep the ideas coming!

101. Love this!!!! so much fun. We are all different , but we are all the same!

     I hate dog slobber! and farts!

102. I predict your son will be a great runner! Aren’t you a Wahoo?

103. Thanks for sharing everyone! i got my nose pierced at 43 years old (last summer) and love it!! Mine is just a little stud though.

104. Two things we have in common. At two years old, my son’s thumb joint bent like that and the first joint froze in the opposite direction to stabilize it. It worked itself out when he took up playing the saxophone. Guess he needed the joint to move then and he loosened it up. Secondly, I also hate watermelon. No one understands. Love your blog.

105. I actually like your nose ring, I am in my 50’s and would get a nose stud if my work allowed it.My dtr switched her stud to a nose ring. Liked her stud and at first did not like her ring but she has had it over a year and it is a part of her. I got used to it. and I luv her!,,,
     I cannot stand the smell of newspaper. I know ,Weird!,, Ever since I was a little girl the smell would gross me out and make me nauseous . It still does. I cannot stand to touch it. My mom had to spread the paper on the floor and I would stand over it holding my nose to read the comics!,, Ha!!!! Looks like we all have our weird habits peculiarities!! Luv your blog.Also came upon it by accident. I look forward to reading it daily!!!!! Tank you for your honesty and for being so real. I do feel as if I know you.

106. Hhhhmmmm — I have the texture thing, too. For me, it’s pea soup (ABSOLUTELY NEVER) and coconut cream pie (not in a million years). I also couldn’t touch bar soap as a child because by the time I got to it (5th out of 6 people), it was totally slimy.

     I’m also allergic to seafood and tequila, but only if I have them together. I can eat seafood. I can drink tequila. But not on n the same day. Totally inexplicable. Even my doctor looked at me strangely when I shared that little tidbit.

107. Another thing we have in common. I too lived in Germany, hubby was AirForce, with our two children.
     LOVE Survivor. I would love to go on the show if I could swim!

108. I hate okra.. ugh. When I was a kid I couldn’t look at a pea and now I love them. Same w/vegetable soup. I’m overweight. Stopped coloring my hair and low and behold it’s all white. A couple hair cuts and there it is! Have a weakness for chocolate ice cream – probably why I’m overweight. I’m very conservative, voted for Romney and am a Glenn Beck subscriber. The oldest of 6 kids. Love to work on my house. Once I dug up all the plants in my perennial garden, rented a tiller to amend the soil then put all the plants back. Yeahhh… I’m a little crazy too. By the way, it didn’t help all that much. I installed a brick patio using old bricks. Some of them got that green mold looking stuff on them and tried bleach but it didn’t help. So I flipped them over… all of them. I just got carried away. Just has surgery on my right foot, then the left foot, then the left foot a second time. Guess that’s enough… going to look for some ice cream in the freezer :-0 Oh yah… can’t forget my little Maltese Maddie.. She’s my best friend. A friend found her roaming around a resturant area in St. Louis looking for food. Now she’s become rather picky about her food…. go figure. She’s earned the nick name “Picky Pants”….. But I love her a lot.

     1. Okra! ::shudder:: Horrid stuff.

109. I do the same thing with toothpaste. I heard you can cut off the end with scissors and get more out. I am frugal but not to that extent! I love the smell of bananas but hate the texture. Love your website

     1. Sitting here laughing because a few years ago I started cutting the ends off my toothpaste and hand cream tubes! Haha You would be surprised at how much is still in there. Besides that weirdness about me, I can’t eat any fish or seafood. As a child, I was served a catfish with the head still on it and I’ve been traumatized ever since! Also cannot eat cottage cheese…the texture is absolutely gross!

        Just recently found your blog and then had to order your book! Thanks for inspiring me at a time when I really needed it (going through cancer journey with hubby and lost my father at the same time).

110. I get the food texture thing. I am absolutely revolted by bananas and avocados. My husband eats both every day (he is a health nut), but he is kind enough to wait until I am out of the room.

     So, you draw attention to yourself with a nose ring, and then hide behind a scarf? You crack me up.

     Fun post.

111. I DO NOT WANT to eat MEAT WITH BONES it it—YUCK! I grew up on a farm and a dairy_( I don’t like milk either) and yes they are dissapointed with my pickiness! hehe! Love your blog and LOVE your curly hair!

112. From one freakish thumb person to another …. yep, I can put my two thumbs together end to end and bend them in to make the McDonald’s Golden Arches. Go on, …. try it … I know you want to!! LOL.

113. I chew the skin on my fingers when they are dryand chapped. I blame it on my career asa faux artist but it’s been a bad habit since childhood. My hands look like a construction worker!

114. My family loves survivor too! We have survivor night…it’s the best! I would love to try and be on it, but don’t think I could go 39 days without brushing my teeth! And I say 39 days, because of course I would win LOL!

115. I LOVE tomatoes, eat them as a snack, always have little ones washed and ready to pop in my ….will eat a whole one like an apple but the whole thing since there is no apple core. ( of course!) My mom and I can pull our arms back behind ourselves until our elbows touch. How do we know these things?!! I have taught myself to eat onions in the last 5 years but still can’t stand big thick pieces, cooked or raw! Gross! I love the smell of bread baking and fresh cut grass but I MUST have popcorn or I’m sure I’ll die. How can anyone live without it?! And last but so not least….Lime. Lime anything. Flavor, color, smell. I even made sure the caterer at our wedding would serve Lime sherbet and wedding cake. (She created a very cool sherbet and warm chocolate dish….hmm, hmm, hmm!) Come on down to my house and I’ll promise no tomatoes, mushrooms or watermelon if you bring the lime sherbet! =)

116. I’m so excited for you! P90x is amazing! I lost 20 lbs from it, my fiancee lost over 60 lbs! I don’t do the 90 day intense schedule anymore, but I do incorporate the workouts into my normal workout routine – yoga, abs, shoulders & arms, core! PLYO! They’re all so so so good and worth the pain. Oh, and if you stick it thru, P90x2 is really fun too!

117. I used to hate mushrooms too (and I have a love/hate relationship with tomatoes: I’ve discovered they either have to be paste/Roma tomatoes and/or organic for me to enjoy them raw and I’ll eat them quite happily if they’re cooked) … about six months ago, this weird thing happened. I ate mushrooms. And liked them. The fact that they were soaked in burgundy wine for over 24 hours might’ve had something to do with it. So I gave them another try and now I love mushrooms. What happened to me? Totally weird in my book.

118. you are the best, I appreciated your honesty and candidness as well as your creativity, thanks

119. I microwave my M&M’s. I put a pile on a paper plate and warm them for 30 seconds. Talk about melt in your mouth. I am also obsessed with projects. I always need to be painting something. I guess you could say that paint and M&M’s keep a smile on my face. Marion, I absolutely love your blog. Thank you for inspiring me every day 🙂

120. I love you, not the nose ring. You are one of the most real persons in blog land. I hate tattoos also. God gave us beautiful skin. Rejoice. I love your posts.

121. LOVE this one. the thumbs? no idea.
     🙂
     shaunna

     p.s. talking today was a breath of FRESH air!!!

     1. For me, too. You and Barb always pick me up. We just get each other. 🙂

122. Hi Marion!

     I have recently discovered your blog and I LOVE it! Thank you for sharing all the fun projects and how to’s with all of us and for allowing us all a peek into your home!

     1. I LOVE the smell of fresh cut grass, baby’s necks, and our kitten Gary’s fur.
     2. Watermelon and tomatoes are great however coconut flakes gross me out!
     3. I work in a dental office but cant stand to see or watch what I consider gross procedures that are done.
     4. I am the mother of two teenagers, one daughter and one son. What was I thinking having them so late in life and so darn close together??!!?? And I am told that I am the oldest mother in the school. (I’m not but they think I am)
     5. I cant stand it if the interior of my car is dirty. It might be an old car (almost 17 years) but it is still a clean car.

     Thanks again for sharing!

     Tracy

123. I think you helped me get over the loss of my friend like nobody else could – you gave me hope in a simple e mail – thanks–

     And, I have 3 grown boys who never want me to sleep – One does Infectious Disease Research, the second, A Marine and the 3rd a Police Officer/Detective – they keep me up at night as adults – However, I am super proud Momma of all boys!!

124. Love these tidbits about you! I got my cartilage on my right ear pierced my freshman year of college. That was my big rebellion (that’ll tell you a little bit about miss goody two shoes over here). My mom flipped. I left it in for almost 5 years but now it’s out. I cannot eat bananas after they have a freckle on them. I have to eat them when they’re halfway between green and yellow. YUCK! I love mushrooms! I hate watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew. All disgusting. Also hate tomatoes.
     I am terrible about eating leftovers unless it’s one of my fave dishes or dessert. My husband has to eat them.
     I love watching TV. Too much. It’s a time sucker!

125. I can turn my tongue completely upside-down and I hate (HATE!) peas! If someone tortured me by making me eat canned peas I would totally reveal all of our country’s secrets.

     1. ohhhhhh….me too. i love them frozen, but grew up on canned peas. hate. them. served frozen peas to my mom the first time i invited her to dinner. why? because she hated them.(i know a bit of passive aggression there.) i am with you on that one.

126. I think it’d bits are kind of fun. So random! Like what makes a person share about toothpaste tube?! I shared I loved NEW tubes of toothpaste and dreaded the using the last part. A lady looked at me so strangely! I guess if I’d had a sis like you, I could have skipped the end of the tube and happily start the new!!
     Have a nice day

127. I cut the bottom off the toothpaste. I paid for 3 years for my web site and it’s still under construction. 3 months ago.

128. This is so fun, I’ve loved reading everyone’s ‘weird’ stuff!! OK, here’s mine: I’m terrified of snakes and strangely, long pieces of onion remind me of them so can’t do those! I really want to get my belly button pierced, what’s stopping me is I have 2 teenage boys and my husband is a pastor…but I wear bikinis in the summer, so is it OK? Someone please give me permission, lol. One more… I am OCD about the sofa pillows, am always plumping and rearranging 🙂

129. hmmm…so no oysters or okra for me…it’s the slime factor…..I hate the sound of pencil on paper, and I can’t touch a towel after swimming in a pool—they both make me squirm and dance around with the hebejebe’s. When I was pregnant with my second child, certain colors made me nauseous and I had fits of uncontrollable laughter. I would LOVE to have my nose pierced again and i would like to have more tattoos, but I think hubby would divorce me, and I would feel like I was always being judged by everyone—so I kind of live not being true to myself….

130. Thanks for sharing a little bit about yourself. I’m not sure what is odd about me. How about that I’m a decorating blog superfan ? I could meet Brad Pitt or Halle Berry and not blink but if I met my favorite bloggers (including you or course) I would be downright giddy !

     BTW, I love the nose ring. Very cute.

131. I still have my wisdom teeth. All four grew in fine. I got braces for the second time and they still left them! I love pizza..can eat a whole pie! Doing something creative frees my soul!

132. Thank you for sharing . I was smiling… We are all different but we re the same in a certain way I was a vegetarian for twelve years but I prepare vegetarian dishes most of times now. I was not a fan of watermelon for a long time but I love it so much now. The nose ring goes way back , it is not something new, by the way it looks great on you . I agree with Deneen – doing something creative frees my soul .

133. Lol! I have the same issue with toothpaste! I put one of those clips on the end to keep it squeezed to the end, I get every drop! Not that fussy about anything else:)

134. I love Survivor, never missed an episode! And I have all my wisdom teeth (at 56). I also love your blog

135. Your tidbits made me smile! I am the same way with the toothpaste!! I even think about using my pastry scraper to help me with leverage some times– I don’t though. I prefer to eat my ice cream with a fork, always have, I prefer to taste the ice cream as soon as possible, and I just like the feeling of it. Also, I can easily bend over and lay both of my hands flush flat on the floor, and let’s just say I am not the smallest girl at the party… Its the strangest thing when you realize most people aren’t that flexible and you always have been. 🙂

136. I loved reading personal stuff about you! BTW My husband loves P90x. He is a workout fanatic. I also have this weird t hing that I have to use up every last drop of something. I just feel wateful and like I am throwing away money, and I am not particularly frugal about everything. I just feel this strange guilt if I don’t use something up. And my17 year old daughter is the opposite. She thinks it is gross to use something once it is almost gone. It drives me INSANE that she leaves the last bit of every single thing.

137. I totally get the food texture thing. You are the first person beside myself who has made such a comment. Nice not to be alone. LOL.

138. Love all the tidbits! I enjoy eating meat, but can’t stand touching it, it grosses me out. I put plastic bags on my hands to form meatloaf, or meatballs, or hamburger patties, then turn them inside out and throw them away. My jaw cracks when I chew – pretty much everyone in our family has the same issue – can be pretty noisy at holiday time!

139. We have something in common, I could eat fresh bread all day with butter. Goes back to the day’s when my mother would bake fresh bread. Hmmm, just the thought of it has my mouth watering. Well, like you. I was informed that I needed to drop 50lbs. Not doing so great with this right now.

     Nose ring, AWESOME!!!

140. You are hilarious! I don’t like folks who condemn people who have tats or “nose peircings. I don’t have any, but my ears are double peirced on the lobe. I use to hate my curly hair but I quit fighting it and now I only blow dry my bangs and let the rest dry naturally. Yours looks so cute! It’s much easier to fix in the mornings, right? I have to have my toilet paper facing me and then pointed downward. Can’t stand to have to reach up under the roll to find the start of the new ply. Nothing taste better than a fresh sliced garden tomato with salt and pepper sprinkled all over it, but I pretty much love all vegies and fruits, except pickled beets or tunips. Gross. I love people who are supportive and make me laugh and that’s what I love most about the creative community. Thank you for keeping it real…you’re precious 🙂

141. I hate the word, moist! Just the sound of it grosses me out! M O I S T. Anything moist. It’s just not right.

     Love your blog.

     1. Oh, and…my dear friend is Lisa Whelchel who was on last season of Survivor!

     2. Me too!! TOTALLY hate that word!!!

142. I hate tomatoes too! but I really hate the taste of raw tomatoes…I don’t think it’s a texture thing for me!

143. Thumbs that turn back that way are considered to be a sign of creativity and toes that turn in indicate a runner.
     Personally, The number one invention that I would hate to have to live without is…….. the toilet! I can imagine life without an air conditioner….. I do not want to imagine life without the good-old john!

144. my husband hates mushrooms for the same reason….me, i went morel hunting for the first time this week. at 55 i so would get a tattoo…waiting for permission. i know. and i am a huge procrastinator…i get excited, start a new project…get it mostly done, then don’t finish. and i don’t like that about myself. it is one thing i would change. trying.

145. You make me laugh! Thank you for your blog…it is one of the highlights of my day! I do the same thing with the toothpaste and each time I think that is all I can get out of it, the next time I use it, I amazed that I got more out! So I keep using it until I am physically unable to squeeze any more out! I love to be creative, but I am a terrible procrastinator. I can’t eat anything slimy like okra, raw oysters, escargot and the likes…I gag at the sight of a runny nose or someone spitting…so gross! I love to indulge in “cannibal sandwiches” (raw ground sirloin mixed with various seasonings, spread on arisan bread and then topped with raw onion).

146. I posted this in comments on the bedding giveaway last week, but I’m sure you didn’t see it in all the comments–I rub my feet together in bed just like you! I have tons of old sheet rags, becuase they get threadbard right in the same spot, where my feet are! And my husband has a bald spot on each ankle where I rub my feet on him too!!

147. This is quite fun, seeing how we all have our own little ‘weirdnessess’. I am 50, and I’ve spent the first 50 years of my life trying to fit in, and I hide behind my hair, and scarves……. I have decided that in these next 50 years, I don’t want to be like anybody else. I am trying to have more courage to wear what I want, say no to things that don’t contribute to my life, and make sure each and everyday I am thankful. I celebrate each morning I wake up breathing with a cappuccino. So yay! for your nose ring, I’m still not that brave, though I do have 3 sets of earrings.
     I crank up music really loud, and dance all over the house. I probably look ridiculous, but it feels fantastic!! I check my garden 20 times a day, in case something grew while I wasn’t looking, I love peanut butter and bacon sandwiches, and I will change toilet paper rolls that are not put on PROPERLY. (yes, that was me……) Love your blog Marian. It takes courage to be authentic. Thanks everyone for sharing, It’s easier to be real together.

148. Hi,
     These are all great and thanks for sharing all the “odd bits”. I’m always glad to see that I’m not the only odd one around; it’s what makes us unique. This ol’ world would be awfully boring if we were all the same.
     The weirdess for me is whipped potatoes (milk, butter, mixer). The texture makes me gag. I love most any other type of potato but not whipped; don’t mind if there are lumps but not smooth. Yuck! Don’t do mushrooms or onions; don’t like spicy hot – don’t even eat black pepper; only melon I like is watermelon – they all look so pretty together but are generally yuck; like “regular” vegetables (nothing canned other than sweet corn) – beans, peas, carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli (only the stems). I could go on and on but won’t.
     Love the nose ring! I had planned on having a small tattoo by my 50th birthday – didn’t happen. I’ll be 60 next year and will be trying again. We do change, though. I was still working at 50 so had to have it somewhere discrete (wanted it to show but not blatant). Can’t work anymore so my rebelliousness has come to the fore and I can have it anywhere I darn well please! Go me!! lol
     Take care and have a great weekend,
     Cathy

149. So my weird things to share are that I have to have everything symetrical in my house, yard etc…Maybe a little OCD there! I also can’t stand when forks get stuck together when I am putting away the dishes. Goes back to my days with braces and if the fork hit my braces it would send shivers down my spine!
     I would love to go on Survivor as a great diet regimen but I would miss my family too much. Maybe if I could be stranded on a “bakery island” I could be persuaded because my weakness is warm bread with melting butter all over it!

150. Loved this! HA on the toothpaste! I do the same, squeeze out every last drop – I’ve even called my husband out for tossing it before it’s all gone. Now he gives me his toothpaste when he’s ready to throw it out (we have separate bathrooms) and I can usually get another week out of it. It is our one point of contention!! I figure I use .25 coupons for it, why throw away any? LOL

151. I’m a little OCD…we have two light switches at the top of the stairs with double switches, they control 2 different lights. They HAVE to be in the same position. I laugh at my husband because he knows it drives me crazy, he has a devil of a time trying to get them the right way while having the lights off/on. lol 🙂

152. I am a firm believer that the toilet paper roll should roll off the top! My friend changes it every time she comes to my house!! LOL! Potato chips are a food I will not live without!

     1. Totally agree with the tp, it drives me crazy when people don’t put the roll on “correctly”. I may be known to change it even at somones house, ha

153. Hi MMS. I have always wanted a teeny tiny diamond stud pierced in my nose but I have never had the guts …. now I’m a Mom of two. Can I still do it? I could also live off of baguette and sweet cream butter. The whole entire loaf, ripping off the bites one at a time. A slightly cool bottle of cab with it doesn’t hurt either. I can’t eat yogurt. I could eat spoonfuls of sour cream but no yogurt. We all have such silly nuances. Where do they come from?

     1. Hi Molly, yes you can still get a nose ring. I got mine done on my 51st birthday and LOVE it! My kids think that I am going through a mid-life crisis, but that’s okay. I have always wanted one too, so my husband took me after my birthday dinner. It didn’t even hurt! Be brave!

154. omg, hysterical. okay…I warm up yesterday’s coffee when I’m too tired to make a fresh pot in the morning.

155. So glad I read this post! What a fun thing to write. I love knowing the odd little details behind some of the women who I really know mostly by their work. That is really funny about the thumbs. My sister has what is called “hammer thumbs”. Well, there is a scientific name for it too, but they are so weird looking. They looks like flat hammers (more like toenails!). Good thing she is gorgeous and tall in every other way!

     I would love to know how many scarves you have. Freakishly weird. I am a major scarf fanatic. My mother had tons too. I don’t wear them as much when it is warm, but I do love them. Yep. I have no idea how people made it before AC. Just another reason why I am sure God sent me here in modern times instead of 100 years ago. I wouldn’t have made it!

156. Hmmm…. When I turned 40 I got my first and only tattoo instead of a Harley. Lol. Being from southeastern Louisiana, I only eat Evangelind Maid bread, Community Coffe, Blue Plate Mayonaise, and Luzianne tea. I put the toilet paper over the top and I can’t stand crumbs on the counter but dog hair on the rug is semi-okay. Lol. I have 2 labs who spend most of their time inside because they don’t like the heat. This leads to the AC. Thumbs up the best invention ever made. Keep mine on 64 nearly year round.

157. It was so much fun reading about you and what some of the other ladies shared as well. I was on a business trip last night and laid across the bed giggling over some of the posts.

     I am almost 50 and think your nose ring it pretty cool and looks great on you. I also love bread and butter. It had been one of my favorite foods until I gave up on January 19th in order to lose weight. I dearly miss it! I would rather have a hot roll out of the oven with butter than a bowl of ice cream. Some facts about me are:

     – I am a mother of four (three sons and a daughter): Will (30), Amanda (27), twin boys – Zach and Tyler (17).
     – I have one grandchild, Madilyn who is 8-months old.
     – I can’t eat anything that is artificial flavored banana, cherry or grape. My mother once told me she ate banana and cherry popsicles throughout her pregnancy with me. Could be the reason?
     – I can’t stand to see someone spit in public.
     – My spices on my cabinet door is arranged alphabetically and it drives my daughter nuts. she loves to come over and mess up by order when I’m in the other room.
     – I am afraid of the dark (when alone) and spiders.
     – I love collecting English and French dishes, teapots, snack sets, etc.

158. I understand the wisdom teeth thing! I had 4 of my baby teeth pulled when I was 10. The sound still haunts me. I had my wisdom teeth out though! It’s actually not that bad….laughing gas helps a whole lot!! From what I hear, I had a blast!

159. I still have my wisdom teeth in and refuse to have the pulled. I’ve wanted a nose ring since fifth grade and now that I’m married with two girls I still want it but the hubby doesn’t approve 🙂 I’m not left brained or right brained I’m equal on both sides which drives me crazy because I love doing tons of things and can’t seem to keep up… 🙂

160. Hi – thanks for sharing these fun facts about you. I too have my little quirks just like everyone else, but I wanted to say something about wisdom teeth. I had only one of mine pulled while I was in high school, Another one grew in on its own some years later and didn’t give me much trouble other than being a little crowded and it was kinda hard to floss back there. Well, that tooth developed a small cavity last year and my dentist said I should have it pulled so he sent me to an oral surgeon, who after doing a panoramic xray of my mouth found a wisdom tooth on the other side of my mouth was impacted into my jawbone and was encased in what’s called a dentigerous cyst, which had displaced almost all of the bone tissue in my jaw. I was lucky he found it, because if the cyst had grown any larger it would have cracked my jawbone in half! And the surgery has caused some permanent numbness in my face. Anyway, long story short, get those wisdom teeth pulled if you can! I am 49 years old and wish like heck I had done it earlier… just a little advice from someone who’s been there.

161. Loose wet hair makes me gag. I don’t know what I will do if my husband is ever not able to clean out the tub drain. I guess I will have to call a plumber or move.

162. I have freakishly short pinkies. They are about 1/2 inch shorter than everyone I’ve ever “compared pinkies” (I know, weird) with and gloves are always way to long only on the pinky.

163. I can cross my eyes ( in Scotland we say skelly eyes) over and over again, raise only one eyebrow and touch my nose with my tongue, my mum taught me to whistle with two fingers in my mouth and I hang the toilet paper from the top (furthest away from the wall. I also love bread & butter but my aunty Liz introduced me to bread butter and condensed milk
     ( bliss !!) but you need a bath after it. Can I ask what’s this things about wisdom teeth? We only have ours extracted if they’re causing problems. Mary x

     1. In the US, almost everyone has their wisdom teeth removed in high school or college, before they even grow in. It’s pretty uncommon for someone my age (35) to still have them.

        1. I still have mine, and have not had a problem, after reading all the comments, I am beginning to wonder?!?!

        2. How interesting! I still have mine because they don’t cause any problems. Another American-European difference haha.

164. I’m a 43-year-old mom to a wonderful 4-year-old princess, scientist, soccer superhero.
     I had only 3 wisdom teeth. One removed in my mid-20s by the dentist and the 2 bottom by an oral surgeon when I was in my mid-30s — I was petrified to be put under so opted for the laughing gas option and listened to the Phantom of the Opera on headsets while the procedure was underway!
     I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 18 — I’m not terribly fond of vegetables so I try to eat them in quiches and whatnot. I dislike the large portabello mushrooms too. I’ve never been keen on tomatoes and only like watermelon when it is juiced.
     I’m a bread, olive oil, cheese and potato type-girl.
     My favorite “food” is unsweet, no milk hot black tea — Darjeeling being my favorite.
     And lastly, I wish I exercised my regularly! I have a July wedding to attend and would love to lose 10-15 pounds!!

165. What a fun post! I had my 4 wisdom teeth pulled out when I was 22 years old. My then boyfriend came with me to drive me home, because I was heavily sedated. When we were in the car, I noticed a Mexican restaurant that sold tacos. Tacos weren’t common where I lived and I never had one before and was dying to try one.

     It wasn’t easy, but I ate my first hard shelled taco with fresh stitches in my mouth.

     p.s. I should have married that boyfriend, he was a good one!

166. I never had wisdom teeth. My dentist told me I was further evolved than most people. : )

     I still use butter at 72, was a total vegetarian (even macrobiotic) in my 40s, but gradually added turkey & chicken along w/dairy back into my diet. I felt tired living on veggies & grains even though I took vitamins. Love saving money, and along with my old pieces, buy everything from thrift stores and upcycle them now that I’m on SS, not just the occasional piece anymore.

167. Don’t we all love our quirks. I have those freaky hammer thumbs and alway hold hands with my now fiancé thumbs in. I have always tried to hide them. Toilet paper has to roll from the top. My fiancé wears tee shirts for his job and when I first organized his closet he freaked out because they were organized according to color. Light switches have to face the same if there are more than one on a switch. I to did not like tomatoes, watermelons etc, until I changed my way of eating and lost like 40 pounds.did not want to take cholesterol meds so I changed eating habits. I cut out bread, potatoes and those types of non nutritious foods and my body started craving tomatoes and asparagus and thing I never liked or ate before and now I love them. I feel much better and have great energy and don’t crave sweets. Funny how your body tells you what it needs. I have many quirky habits and I am lucky to have someone who adores me for them. God Bless us all with quirks so we are each unique.

     1. Hi Robin,

        What did you do to change your eating habits and what did you cut out/add in? I so far have cut out potatoes, pop, and corn and although I have lost a bit of weight and I feel way better, there is still more I want to do but I need to know more!

        Thanks!

        Katie

168. I’d love a tattoo or a teeny nose ring but I’m too chicken.

169. This is too funny! I do the same thing with toothpaste! And I, too, am pigeon toed. My sister in law and her husband make fun of me all the time, but I don’t mind! We used to live at the beach and they would make fun of how my footprints in the sand pointed inwards – HAHAHA! I laughed right along with them.

170. I love this post! I have always wanted a little nose “stud” but I’m such a coward. Good for you!! My sister has those kind of thumbs and someone once called them “star” thumbs. I am OCD about the toilet tissue and light switches too.

171. When I read the title of the post, I poured myself a fresh cup of tea and 2 cookies! Lol!
     I love tea. That would be what I could not give up. Always trying to lose weight, I finally stopped putting sugar on my tea about 10 years ago. I also love diet Pepsi. All my friends say it is bad for me. But I don’t smoke, or drink alcohol, and have a good healthy life! Aspartame is my poison, lol! I love peeling oranges… Then cutting into sections. I know, it is weird. I struggled a lot with body image but after my 40th let it go. I think I’m so cute now!!! Lol!!!
     I hate bananas and raw onions! Ugh! I had my wisdom teeth removed in my late 20’s because they would eventually put pressure on the other teeth, since they were not coming out straight.
     Thank you for the awesome post, I loved reading what others posted, too!!!

172. Too funny! Yep, the toothpaste thing is a challenge for me too. I don’t like bananas at all but love banana flavored foods such banana nut bread, ice cream,etc. Like you said I guess it’s a texture thing. I’m from Texas where banana pudding is considered a food group and I will eat it but pick out the banana slices. One of my biggest quirks is little noises that a lot of other folks don’t even hear such as light bulbs and other little humming things. And rattles in my vehicle drive me insane and I will look until I find the source. I also love bread, although not the bought sliced loaves, it gags me especially if it gets the least bit soggy. No soggy bread of any kind! I had to laugh at all of the quirks posted on here and made me feel like maybe I’m not quite as neurotic as I thought I was and not alone! Very enjoyable! Thanks to all who shared!

173. I almost forgot! I got my very first tattoo at the ripe ole age of 52! I never, ever thought I would do it but I did and so far no regrets. However, I chose a place that will not wrinkle very badly as I get older. I’ve seen some real droopy tattoos and didn’t want that to happen to me. My kids were very surprised to say the least!

174. I pierced my ears a lot even tho I hate the pain of having them and despite my father’s determination to not let me get it, I still do. And I do not understand myself why I love to get my ear pierced so much XD

175. That is so funny, I have the bendy backward thumbs also, freaks some people out, but they are so handy xx

176. Just came across your blog for the first time and enjoyed reading this post. Like others here, I am OCD about toilet paper coming off the top. I love tomatoes if they are fresh. Makes a big difference! I like cooked mushrooms, but don’t care for them raw at all. I have never liked cheese, but have learned to eat some milder cheeses – like provolone & mozzarella – if they are cooked in things. I don’t like coconut at all, and can taste it no matter what. I despise cake mixes. No matter how much doctoring has been done, I can taste the chemicals. When I was little, I wanted my thumb to bend backwards. I remember knowing someone that could, and I wanted to do the same. But my left thumb does bend weird at the joint. I also have one weird pinky. I call it my volleyball finger because I jammed it so many times. It is large at the knuckle. And even though I’m 60 and about 90 pounds overweight, I can still bend over and touch my toes.

     And nose rings give me the chills. I have sinus issues, and have to blow my nose a lot. Just seems like I would be constantly yanking it out.

177. I loved this post! Thanks for sharing.

     PS. My thumbs bend backwards, too. Embrace this gift.
     We are special …… giggle…giggle….

178. This is a first for me, leaving a note. I really enjoyed reading about you and love browsing all your before and afters. Love all before and afters. My thumbs bend backwards as does my fingers, toes, legs and elbows. Well actually only one elbow now. I broke my left one pretty bad and after a year and a half of physio they deemed it straightened. When I pointed out the difference they told me that my right one isn’t normal, its double jointed. Actually I’m double jointed everywhere, including my back. I also don’t like mushrooms or tomatoes. Read the “Eat Right For Your Blood Type” book and you may find out why we don’t like certain things. You need to know your blood type. Toilet paper has to be from the top. Drives me insane the other way. I’m pretty relaxed about housework but some things irate me beyond reason. Dog slobber!!! and open cupboards. I have a passion for sideboards and anything with a pedestal. But my biggest addiction/passion is my children and grandchildren and of course my husband.