Various, Sundry & Crazy

Just a few tidbits...

I recently discovered and subsequently subscribed to Google Analytics. What a handy blogging tool!

In the last few days, Mrs.W's Kitchen has had visitors from Turkey, the Philippines, Israel, India and Australia, in addition to various locations within the United States. Some of you I already knew about--but others were a big suprise!

And to all my readers, please accept a big Thank You from me. It's nice to know that someone out there likes to read what I have to say. What a blessing.

I also just discovered this handy-dandy--and FREE--banner creator tool. It's called MyBannerMaker and is pretty easy to use. In fact, that's what I used to create the banner above. How fun is that?

Finally, Mrs. Mecomber of New York Traveler tagged me for a meme and, in an effort to keep up with blogging obligations, I'm answering the tag below. Enjoy!


Crazy 8's Meme

8 Things I’m Passionate About

• the gospel
• good food
• good friends
• family
• the truth
• my marriage
• cooking
• spelling

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die

• have, or adopt, a child (or both)
• get another pedicure (cause my dogs is nasty)
• lead a particular family member to Christ
• open a business
• write a cookbook
• have a clean house
• have an organized house
• overcome diabetes

8 Things I Say Often

• "Jiminy Crickets!"
• "Crappadoodle-doo."
• "Holy Smokes!"
• "Go lay down!" (to the dogs)
• "I'm hungry." (because I usually am)
• "Wanna go outside?" (again, to the dogs)
• "Frickin' A!"
• "Know what I'm saying?" Ugh. I cringe every time I hear myself say that one.

8 Books I’ve Read Recently

• The Bible
• The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden
• The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice
• Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques
• The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa by Marcus Samuelsson
• My South: A People, A Place, A World of It's Own by Robert St.John and Bryan Curtis
• No, David! by David Shannon
• Eating Stella Style by George Stella

8 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over
This is a really difficult choice for me--I love all sorts of music and have literally TONS of favorites. Here are just a few.

• Oh Jah by Paul Wilbur
• Anything on the album Glory Revealed: The Word of God in Worship
• Anything from Hillsong's You Shine album
• Long Black Train by Josh Turner
• Mighty is the Power of the Cross by Chris Tomlin
• The Potter's Hand by Darlene Zschech
• Come Away with Me by Norah Jones
• At the Cross by Hillsong - this is a wonderful one for Easter. LOVE IT.

8 Things That Attract Me to My Best Friends
This is another difficult one, because I have a number of friends from the various places I've lived and of course, made during different periods of my life.

• common history
• common interests
• common faith
• being genuine and open
• great sense of humor
• appreciating differences in each other
• learning about the history behind the exterior
• cleverness

8 People I Think Should Do Crazy 8s

• someone who needs something to blog about
• a dog-lover
• a cat-lover
• a brother
• a Dilbert-lover
• a mother
• someone who travels frequently
• someone who wants to travel frequently