1. How many books do you own? Wow…kids books, tons. Grown up books, only what I am into at the moment. I only hold on to about 50 of my favorites and send the rest on to others that would like them.

2. What was the last book you read? Chasing Cool by Noah Kerner and Gene Pressman

3. What was the last book you purchased? Writer’s Market 2008

4. What five books are most meaningful to you? Hmmm…This list changes…

• The Bible
• White Oleander
• Gone With the Wind
• Can You Keep a Secret
• Chasing Cool

5. What is your most obscure favorite book? Or, favorite most obscure book… The Tao of Pooh – Not sure if it is obscure…but we’ll go with it.

Now I will tag five phenom bloggy folks

Anne Hart
Creechman
NikNik
Eric Peterson
Kris Berg

He tagged me over at Making Life Work for You, but I am sure he will understand if I answer here at Beautiful Chaos.

1. My faith is a journey.
2. I still battle with the mean things kids say.
3. I have horrid fashion sense. My husband is my saving grace in this category. He is very artistic with an eye for color (and tacky). He always makes sure I don’t make a fool of myself. His years of guidance are paying off – I can almost dress myself now!
4. My favorite food is birthday cake -the yellow kind with white icing…preferably from Kroger. However, red and blue icing are deal breakers – yuck!
5. I used to love going to the gym. I put on 80lbs. during my second pregnancy. Savannah only weighed 8lbs 15ozs - guess where the other 71lbs 1oz were…So, I got real serious about it. I really wish I could get back to that place mentality. It would sure benefit me physically.
6. My kids and I all have Hawaiian middle names – Kekuewa (both mine and the oldest), Kauailani, Kahaunani, and Pakalana. Cool, huh?
7. I hate the way I look in photographs and sound in audio recording. How egocentric is that?! But true none the less.
8. Coloring my hair is one of my favorite things to do…well, having Kathlene color it for me. I just wish red didn’t fade so fast.

Notes:

• Explanations of #1& #2 are intentionally left out – those require you buying me a cup of coffee
• There is a bloggy contest associated with this meme – ready?

1.  Give your guess in the comment section for the English meanings of #6 according to my great grandma (sorry, that’s the rule – she trumps all English-Hawaiian dictionaries). You get an entry for each right answer.
2. Give your guess in the comment section for the pronunciation of #6. Again, one entry for each right answer.
3. Just leave a comment.
4. Participate in the meme and link back here. I am not tagging anybody in particular – hate to wear out my memey welcome If for some reason your link back doesn’t show up in the comment section, let me know and I’ll make sure you get your entry.

That’s it – you can obviously enter more than once to increase your chances. I’ll pull early next Tuesday, email the winner, and post the result in next weeks Turn Around Tuesday newsletter. You can subscribe on my website.

The winner will receive Managing with Aloha by Rosa Say. If you haven’t checked out her wealth of information, you should do that now.

But, I know I believe in intellectual honesty.  I also know I believe in the growth and evolution of self. So, in honor of those things, I feel it necessary to acknowledge the fact that there is one area where I am already completely comfortable with, if not addicted to, the facade of the placebo.

I totally dig on comfort items.

• Right now, I am drinking Chocolate Velvet coffee – not because it tastes good, but because it feels good. 
• When I was in the Navy going through the 2nd hardest school they had to offer, I, the squared away, had the matching Winnie the Pooh notebook and pen. 
• Before I deployed, I bought a pretty purple pen because it made me smile. 
• I own 4 Webkinz myself because they make me giggle. 
• I have a favorite coffee mug (which the Chocolate Velvet Coffee is in right now). 
• I will start having my husband light up the fireplace too early in the fall.
• I have a favorite blanket.
• I have footy pajamas.

They say confession is good for the soul – so, couple this with today’s affirmations and I should be unstoppable!

“The Starbucker Meme” rules (named for the creator, not the coffee).

1. How full is your glass?
2. What kind of glass is it?
3. What’s in the glass?
4. Reasons for #1, #2, and #3

Here we go…

1. Empty
2. Anges, the Sea Turtle Coffee mug
3. Nothing – hence, answer #1
4. My coffee mug is empty because I am always the first one up. So, the coffee is still brewing. But very soon it will be filled with fully caffeinated, french vanilla (sugar free) flavored, coffee. And, no, I am not crazy. But, yes, this particular coffee mug has a name. Well, not really the mug, but the sea turtle on the mug. Just thought he looked like an Anges.

Now on to the business of tagging others…

I tag…

1. Theresa
2. Stacey
3. Dolores™
4. AtholK
5. Diana
6. Penny
7. Jason
8. My folks

Gotta go fill up Anges!

I have been asked about my tagline “Beautiful Chaos.”  Where it comes from and what it means.  It was born during a conversation with a girlfriend and is the perfect definition of my wonderful life. And I love explaining it and refuse to apologize for it.

I look down at my daily planner, cross check it with the one on my desk, then make sure I haven’t missed something on my Outlook. First thing that crosses my mind as the coffee touches my lips – “yeah, right.”

Some may think it is a defeatist attitude to start the day knowing that 10% of your “to do list” will still be left to do tomorrow. Not me. I am a busy woman with lots of priorities. I will get to them all – eventually. I will leave the “performance guilt” for somebody else.

My husband adores me, my children think I’m the best, my friends depend on me, and my company regards me as valuable. Who cares if I failed to chart the steps or follow the action plan? So what if there was a day (or week) my house was messy, or my desk cluttered. I love my beautiful chaos!