Huzzah for Sweater Weather! (A Tag)

It's been a while since I've done a non-bookish sort of post. :) The fab Grace of Fictionally tagged me a while back for the Sweater Weather tag, so I'm finally responding. (Thank you, Grace!)

Who else is excited for sweater weather?? If only autumn wasn't slipping away so quickly...

Favorite candle scent

Hmmm. I like cinnamon and other holiday scents. (Not terribly big on pumpkin, though.) I also really like my Sundrenched Vineyard candle from Bath & Body Works. (It looks like this, but it's a bit bigger and has a bit of a different design. I just love these jar candles! I'm not sure if I love it so much because of the yummy scent or the adorable presentation. Both?)

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?

Most definitely hot chocolate! Although peppermint tea is nice when I'm in the mood for it. 

What's the best fall memory you have?

It's more like a bunch of little memories I hold dear. Years of watching Disney's animated The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with my family... Showing off my Halloween costume to my grandparents... Drinking the world's best apple cider at the Apple Harvest Festival... Enjoying the beautiful, haunting sight and sound of stalks of corn swaying in the wind while wandering through a maze... Listening to a bluegrass band play at a farm decked out for the harvest... Watching my mom carve the cutest pumpkin faces... Munching on salty roasted pumpkin seeds... Seeing Ashland, Oregon drenched in golden sunlight and dripping with autumn colors.  

In fact, I got to go back to Ashland just a week ago (the last time I went was with my Shakespeare college class). I went with my friend and her husband, and we had an absolute blast! The presentation of Much Ado About Nothing was hilarious and intriguing and beautiful! And while it wasn't quite as sunny and warm as my previous visit, we did get to enjoy the fall colors...

Best fragrance for fall

The scent of my mom's apple dumplings baking in the oven.

Favorite Thanksgiving food

Turkey and homemade biscuits. Mmm!

Most worn sweater

Probably one of my school hoodies. My baggy purple Corban sweater is comfy. :) Although, I also have a little black sweater that I wear all the time, no matter the season. It's a nice, light sweater, and black goes with anything!

Football games or jumping in leaf piles?

Give me a pile of leaves over football any day! (Sorry, Duck fans of Oregon. It's just not my thing!) I love the crunch of leaves and the way the little joys of autumn can bring out the kids in all of us. (Just remember Linus's advice: "Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker.")

Skinny jeans or leggings?

Jeggings! That's not cheating, right? I'll admit, I was skeptical at first, but the jeggings I've bought at Maurice's are pretty awesome. :)

Combat boots or Uggs?

I guess Uggs. Unless I can choose a third option: cute heeled boots.

Is pumpkin spice worth the hype?

I wouldn't really know. *shrugs* I haven't had pumpkin spice anything. Pumpkin = not my fave.

Favorite fall TV show

Not sure if these count, but we like to watch these shows every year: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Disney); It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown; Scared Shrekless. All classics!

What do you want to be for Halloween?

Well, I found my prom dress, so I think I'm going to dress up as Cinderella for the harvest party. I mean, just look at how blue and poufy and Cinderella-like it is!

And I can't resist the opportunity to actually wear it again. ;)

Hats or scarves?

Scarves. One of my coworkers taught me a couple of ways to wear a scarf, so now I'm not so unsure of them, haha. And I've added a ton to my collection over the past year!

What's your #1 favorite thing about fall?

I love the symbolism of the season - the letting go that is all at once freeing and beautiful and melancholy. It's that indescribable something that makes autumn a time of long nights, thought-provoking sights, and harvest joys. 

* * *

Your turn! I'm tagging Courtney at The Green Mockingbird, Meghan at A Northern Belle, and Kara at Flowers of Quiet Happiness - but I'd love to hear everyone's autumn preferences in the comments section. :) "Happy fall,  y'all!"

Let's Play Tag and 20 Questions

Super sweet friend and fellow indie author Meghan Gorecki (A Northern Belle) kindly tagged me for the 20-questions post that's been going around. (Thank you so much, Meghan!) I couldn't resist joining in on the fun, so here are my responses...

1. How tall are you?

I think I'm still 5' 1". I've been that height for pretty much forever. It's not so bad. :)

2. Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what?

Well... "I would love to become a professional whistler. I'm pretty amazing at it now, but I want to get, like, even better. Make my living out of it."

(For all you Madagascar 2 fans out there. Anyone else besides me? Anyone?)

Perhaps my hidden talent has to do with my response to Question 7. Not sure if I'm really all that talented at either, but hey! At least I have fun.

3. What's your biggest blog-related pet peeve?

Maybe an overabundance of ads. Or a lack of interaction with readers. Or those silly, difficult to decipher CAPTCHA verifications and the spiteful spamming that necessitates them. Grr.

4. What's your biggest non-blog-related pet peeve?

The ways I too-often thwart myself with greed, materialism, and misplaced priorities.

5. What's your favorite song?

I love music so much that I don't want to name a favorite favorite song. But John Denver's songs always remind me of coming home, and "Sunshine on My Shoulders" has been dear to my heart through the years.



6. What's your favorite Etsy shop that isn't yours?

Christy's Belle on a Budget has been my go-to Etsy store for gifts for myself and others. :) Such sweet and fun jewelry!

7. What's your favorite way to spend your free time when you're alone?

Singing along to music. And dancing around my apartment, like a certain character or two from my upcoming release. :)

Found on Pinterest

8. What's your favorite junk food?

Ummm...all of it? Well, maybe not quite, but still. Let's go with chocolate. I have an insatiable sweet tooth - just ask my coworkers.

9. Do you have a pet or pets? If so, how many, and what are their names?

There's a cat who lives at my grandparents' house that's my baby. My grandparents bought Mr. Murphy for me when I was ten, and I love him so. He's so sweet and such a great listener. :) Sadly, I live in a practically no-pets apartment, so I couldn't bring him with me. Since he's now thirteen and content with roaming my grandparents' property, it's probably for the best. But with my grandparents' house on the market, it's a difficult thing.

At home with my parents and sister, there's Muffin Man (another cat) and Candy (the bunny). And a kitten has been added to the family since I moved out - a sweet thing named Paris that I'm eager to meet sometime!

10. What're your number-one favorite nofiction and fiction books?

These are always the hardest questions to answer. I'm going to cheat by directing your attention to my "favorites" shelf on Shelfari.

11. What's your favorite beauty product?

I don't really wear much makeup, so I guess it would have to be cover-up (does one ever completely outgrow acne? *sigh*) and good ol' chapstick.

12. When were you last embarrassed? What happened?

I get embarrassed frequently. One of the more recent incidents was at the young-adult group associated with the church I've just started attending. Let's just say that my sister got all the artistic genes, and who knew my attempts at drawing an ape for Pictionary would have everyone guessing that it was some sort of bear? No point for our team that round. *hangs head in shame*

13. If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Probably low-fat milk. Or some sort of juice.

14. What's your favorite movie?

There are a couple of Hallmark movies at or near the top of the list. Also, Always. You've Got Mail. Tuck Everlasting. IQ. Kate & Leopold. Anne of Green Gables and its sequel. The Journey of Natty Gann. Brother Bear.

15. What were you in high school? Prom queen, jock, nerd, cheerleader, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist, prep?

Valedictorian. And prom queen. Okay, maybe not the second one (just in my own mind). ;)

16. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

There are lots of places I'd like to travel to, but as far as living... Well, I'm really quite happy right here in Oregon for this season of my life.

 At the Sea Lion Caves on the coast of beautiful Oregon

17. PC or Mac?

PC. I'll leave the Macs to the designers in our marketing department.

18. Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, boyfriend, or spouse?

Is it just me, or does this question feel like a land mine for those who aren't in a relationship, no matter if there are "crush" and "date" options? I'll step very carefully around it and just say "a listening ear." Having someone express genuine interest in what you have to say can be such a meaningful gesture, friend or otherwise.

19. Favorite celebrity?

Hmmm... I guess some of my favorites would be Adam Young (AKA Owl City), Scotty McCreery, Zachary Levi, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, and JJ Feild (who played Henry Tilney and Henry Nobley - *swoon*).

The sweet little owl my mom bought me on her last visit :)

20. What blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with?

Is "all of them" an acceptable answer? ;) Seriously, I'm so grateful for my blogging friends, including the awesome and ever-thoughtful Rissi (Dreaming Under the Same Moon) and the fantabulous, kind-hearted Kara (Flowers of Quiet Happinesss). And there are so many colleagues and former clients I'd love to meet in person!

***

I now tag lovely bloggers Emily (Zerina Blossom) and Ganise (Rêves Bleus), if they'd like to participate. :)

Tag, You're It!

While I was on vacation these past 2 weeks, I was tagged twice! Katy from Legacy of a Writer and Casey from Writing for Christ tagged me, and I'm excited to answer these fun questions:

Are you hot/warm/cold right now? Where are you at?

Well, I'd say I'm warm. I'm writing this post in the wee hours of Saturday morning--so I'm sitting at my desk in my bedroom listening to music with my headphones in, knowing I should get to bed soon... There's just so much to catch up on now that I'm back from vacation! ;)

Upload a picture of the wallpaper you are using.

Since I just got back from vacation (have I already said that?) and saw this was one of the questions, I just changed my wallpaper from a picture of the castle in Disneyland (from our previous vacation) to a picture of the view from our rental home from this last vacation in Oregon. God's creation is beautiful!

When was the last time you ate chicken?

Ummm...that would be yesterday (Friday). I had chicken on my Caesar salad for lunch/dinner (lunner? dunch?) on the way home. Yum! (And just as a head's up, I'm writing this Friday night/Saturday morning, but I'm posting this on Sunday. Sorry for the confusion!)

What song or songs have you listened to recently?

Love this question! Why? Because I get to share about the new CD my parents got me while we were on vacation at the Christian Family Bookstore. It's called Fiddle-Levity, and it is so beautiful and upbeat! I really enjoy fiddle music. And when I played this CD at our rental home, my grandparents, my sister, and my parents all loved it, too! Here's one of the songs featured on the CD called "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring":



Do you have any nicknames? If so, what are they?

Sort of! One of them is "the cling-on," because I'm always hugging someone in the family. ;)

Tag 5 bloggers.

1. Bluerose from Bluerose's Heart. She's got a lovely blog and shares a wide variety of reviews and fun posts!

2. Hannah from Project Journal. Hannah is an awesome girl with lots of energy and creativity! Her blog started out as a project for school, but has since become a fun hangout. ;)

3. Renee Ann from Doorkeeper. Her posts are beautiful and unique, and she is a lovely, encouraging person!

4. Julia from Dark Glass Ponderings. Julia is a super sweet person with a neat, inspiring blog!

5. Ruth at Booktalk & More. Her blog is super informative, super up-to-date, and super cool!

Ladies, feel free to answer the same questions I did on your own blogs if you're up to being tagged. ;) If not, no worries!

Everyone, be sure to check out their awesome blogs! Katy and Casey, thanks for tagging me!