Q&A

My bloggy friend Farah had a great idea. . . she had her readers ask her random questions and she provided the answers.

So, feel free to ask anything you'd like. I'm pretty much an open book. . . ask away!

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Cassandra asked why we chose Will as the nickname for William, rather than Bill, Willie, or William.

Will was named after my late-grandfather, who already has namesake - my Uncle Bill. My husband also has an Great-Uncle Bill. So, we wanted to keep things from getting confusing. Also, we both really like the nickname Will, so it was really just a matter of preference. My mother-in-law and my dad both call him William some of the time and I am sure I will, too, when he is in BFT (big, fat trouble). What really appealed to us about the name William is that there are so many shortened versions that he can choose the one that he really would like when he gets older.

Jen asked what kind of books I like to read.

Ha! Who has time for reading?!

Seriously, however, I do love to read and I am finding more and more time as Will's schedule starts to even out. I don't really have a favorite author or genre, since it really depends on what I am in the mood for. Sometimes, I want something truly mindless like a cheesy romance novel, other times, I want something more serious and intellectual. Usually, I settle in the middle with a suspense thriller or some chick lit. Authors that I like include Elizabeth Berg, Lisa Scottoline, Laura Wolf, Anita Shreve, Sophie Kinsella (and I am very excited to see the Shopaholic movie, so long as they don't ruin it), Jane Green, James Patterson, Jonathan Kellerman, Ann Rule, and John Sanford. Just to name a few.

Of course, I also am enjoying quite a selection of children's books lately, my current favorites (because they make Will laugh) are The Belly Button Book and Pajama Time by Sandra Boyton and Peek-A-Boo, I Love You by Sandra Magsamen.

Farah asked if I have an i.pod and what my favorite songs are.

I have to say that I do have an i.pod and that I love it. Love. It. Some of my current favorite songs are "Where I Stood" by Missy Higgins and "Unbelievable" by Craig David. I am also a HUGE Michael Buble fan so I have every single song that he has ever recorded on my pod, my favorites being "Home", "You Are Not Alone", and "Everything".

She also asked what the one thing in the world is that I cannot live without.

That's easy. . . Will!

But, less seriously, I really wouldn't want to live without Ameri.can I.dol. Yes, I am afraid to admit that I am very much addicted to that show right now. But I am not a fan of the fourth judge, so I am hoping she is just temporary.

Anonymous asked when I will reveal the big secret that I have been blogging about.

Alas, dear readers, I am even less able to reveal the secret now than I was a few weeks ago. Just when I thought we had really and truly made our decision, a complete monkey wrench was thrown in. Seriously, life can be kind of crazy sometimes. As soon as we have made a definitive choice, I will be posting all about it. Promise, cause things might get kind of crazy around here and I will need some serious advice.

Christine asked when I am going back to work.

February 20th is my return to work date.

Joy asked about my decorating style.

I don't know if my decorating style falls under any particular category. In our formal living room and master bedroom, we have mission style furniture, flowing drapes, and muted colors. In our family room, we have more modern black furniture and brighter colors. My kitchen is done in warm tones and has a wine theme. Just around the house, we have a lot of black frames, black and white photography, candles, etc.

I'd have to say that overall, my style is more of a philosophy derived from when I was in my first post-college apartment. I asked an older girlfriend where she got her inspiration for her decoration style (which I loved). She said that the key to interior decorating is to surround yourself with things that have special meaning to you and you will always have a beautiful home. For example, her living room had framed paintings from her kids, a straw hat her mother used to wear hanging from a peg on the wall, a quilt her grandma made for her on the sofa, and an end table that her husband made in his high school shop class held a lamp that she herself had made the lampshade out of the burgundy satin from her prom dress. It sounds ecclectic and it was, but it all came together really nicely to create a warm, homey feeling. You could feel the love and sense of family and history in her house. So, I try to follow that rule myself, and I think it works pretty well for the most part.