the A to Z of me

I'm in a fog folks. I need to step away from the computer. My house needs cleaning and radishes need harvesting. But I am intermittently working on this hardship letter which details all the reasons why our lender needs to take our house back, and soon... so I guess that justifies my lingering online and otherwise unproductive morning. So to further justify the fact that it's 11:09am at this moment and I have done basically nothing entirely meaningful with my day, I shall now share the A to Z of me. I've seen lots of other bloggers put this up in the last couple of months... and I even did one for my son at 11 months (I really ought to do one for him now - he is so dang cute)... but now, uninspired and lacking the mental clarity to formulate any other blog post on my own, I give you this.

photo from 2006... in my old downtown apartment

• Age: 32 (born October 8th, 1979)
• Bed size: King. We upgraded when I got pregnant with our third. We were already co-sleeping with my daughter, and I just couldn't imagine being any more cramped than we already were with my belly AND squirming toddler.
• Chore that you hate: Laundry. I have a major problem with laundry. I have a constant backlog of about four to five loads at any given time. 
• Dogs: We have two. One is a dutch shepherd named Shelby (after the Civil War historian Shelby Foote who I just want to give the biggest hug for his sweet face and long southern drawl) who we adopted from the Humane Society. I am not much of a dog person but my husband showed me her picture online and it was like the light from heaven beamed down upon her. She has been the perfect family dog right out of the box. The other dog we have is a young Belgian Malinois whose dad is a world champion sport dog (French Ring) named Us'Ton. French Ring is a protection dog sport. He is meant to be a world class working dog but we don't have the time to train him. It's such a shame. I am trying to convince Jason that he needs to be in a home where he will reach his potential.
• Essential start to your day: Coffee and snuggles from the babies. 
• Favorite color: Green.
• Gold or Silver: Gold, lately.
• Height: a long legged 5'8"
• Instruments you play: I've played guitar for 17 years and piano even longer, both by ear, but guitar most proficiently. Oh yeah, and I sing too... classically trained, but love to sing jazz and blues.
• Job title: Hammel household manager, owner/operator of Clementine & Nellie, etc.
• Kids: Dakota Manuel - 11 (boy), Shiloh Micaiah - 3 (girl), Noah Bear - just turned 1 (boy)
• Live: near Atlanta, Georgia in the Deep South
• Mother’s name: Marcia Jane
• Nicknames: Brookie, Brookelyn
• Overnight hospital stays: When I had Dakota, Shiloh and Noah.
• Pet peeves: overhead lights, someone taking a poop in the bathroom while I'm taking a shower
• Quote from a movie: well, I'm not much of a movie person... it's hard to think of anything!
• Right or left handed: Right handed.
• Siblings: I come from a "Brady Bunch" sort of family... I only have one blood related sister - she is 9 years older than me. My dad remarried when I had just turned 5. My stepmom had three kids at the time - another daughter 9 years older than me (same age as my sister), a son 7 years older, and a son my age (only 6 months difference). Then they had a son who is all of our half brother and he is 7 years younger than me and my stepbrother. So... can you figure it out? There are six of us... today ages range from 41 down to 25. My stepdad has a son too who is in his late 30s I think... we don't see each other much. So I guess I have 6 siblings.
• Underwear: The older I get, the more I appreciate granny panties. Don't judge me.
• Vegetable you hate: I like all vegetables, but have you ever eaten raw eggplant? BLECH! That is one vegetable that should NOT be eaten raw. 
• What makes you run late: my husband!
• X-rays you’ve had: I've been x-rayed for dental reasons and at the chiropractor (as I am sure many of us have been), both ankles (sprained both at least twice, as a kid playing hide and seek, rock climbing TWICE), knee (in the line of fire of a tumbling soccer player), head (got hit in the head with a golf club in full swing... I was standing behind my brother and he didn't stop to look for me, hit me square in the head and knocked me out - I had black eyes down to my chin for two weeks).
• Yummy food that you make: I used to have a baking business. I love to make sweet stuff - cakes, cupcakes, cookies, cake truffles and cake pops, cream pies and regular pies, good southern comfort food is another specialty... well, really I love it all. And I can pretty much make it all. 
• Zoo animal: THE LION!!!

:)

Brooke