Wednesday's Random Dozen! :-)

It's that most wonderful time of the week again! Time for Wednesday's Random Dozen hosted by Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee! Just click on Linda's blog back there to join in the fun!!!
1. Ever had any run-ins with the "library police?"
Noooooo. :-) I used to BE the "library police"! And, now that I am no longer the "library police", I am in good with the staff and they cut me some breaks if I have overdue books (egads!) or movie fines (horror of horrors!). Hey, it happens to the best of us, but, thankfully, because of my connections good standing as a library patron, those awful things....fines....are taken care of.
I do try my best not to take advantage of these special privileges, though.....just so you know!!!
:-)

2. Do you have a special organizational plan and place for wrapping paper, gift bags, etc., or do you just purchase whatever you need as you give gifts?
I didn't know there was a "special organizational plan and place for wrapping paper", etc. LOL
Okay, does a huge "already been used" gift bag, sitting on the shelf in my closet, that contains all of the gift bags that I've gotten things in and then folded and stuffed into this huge bag, count as a "special organizational plan and place"?
I haven't purchased wrapping paper for years! I would love to shake the hand of and offer my appreciation to the wonderful person that came up with the idea of gift bags!! I love them!!!! AND I love that you can get gorgeous ones at Dollar Tree for a DOLLAR!!!! :-)

3. Have you ever been in (first-hand witness) a natural disaster?
The closest I (we) ever came to being in or witnessing a natural disaster was one time when it rained, I mean POURED rain for an hour or more. We had had flooding in the lower part of our back yard before but this was different. It was unrelenting rain. The creek, which is fairly wide, overflowed its banks but soon we heard a roar coming down through the valley and out of nowwhere came this huge torrent of raging, muddy water down through the valley, flattening small trees and brush. I had never seen anything like it!
I had heard about flash floods but this was the first time I had seen anything close to one!
Thankfully, we live on a slope and we were up high enough so that our home was not damaged but many who lived up our road were.
Soon after the water tore through the valley, the rain subsided and it was amazing how quickly the water receded, leaving a muddy trail of debri in its path.

4. What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?
The only Barry Manilow song that I can remember is "Mandy" and, indeed, I DID looooove that song!!! *sighhhhh*

5. What's the best costume you've ever worn?
Good heavens! Let me see......*thinking* thinking* I would have to say a clown costume that I made and wore for our outreach program when I went to church in Lancaster.
I had gone to the church early that morning, gotten all dressed and applied my makeup. We then proceeded to get on the church bus and do outreach the entire day. I remember it as being so hot that day.
Well, when we got back to the church, I discovered that I hadn't brought anything to remove the makeup with and I was so bone tired, that I just decided to drive home.....about a 25 mile trip down Rt. 33........in my clown getup, makeup and all.
Welllllll, not long after I left the church, I heard cars honking. Remember I am boned tired, but I've got this smile and surprised look painted on my face. :-)
People are driving by me honking and waving and laughing, expecting me to respond in kind and so I did! It was just the best trip home ever! And it re-energized me so!
I was just amazed at the grown-ups who still acted like little kids when seeing a clown...ME....driving along in the car. They just waved and waved and were so excited when I responded back!
It was an awesome experience, because, you know.....clowns are never off-duty. :-) And, wow, to think that I brought so much happiness to so many people on that drive home. Talk about a ministry?!

6. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?
The dictionary, though by dictionary I mean http://www.m-w.com/ :-)

7. What's your favorite breakfast food?
Bacon!!!! Bacon!!!! Bacon!!!! LOL

8. Have you ever purchased anything from an infomercial?
Yes! We purchased a set of the Dean Martin DVD's. We purchased the first five, I believe. (I'd look but I'm at the library.) Of course, they tried to get us to buy more but we were just a tad disappointed in the ones that we purchased, as they didn't have alot of the scenes that they showed on the commercial....of course!!! I'm sure that was a ploy to get us to buy the other ones, but we didn't!

9. Have you ever crawled through a window?
Oh yes! Do you want the gory details??
I was home alone. It was in the morning after Daniel had gone to school and Ed had gone to work. I had on my robe and I had hot sticks in my hair. While waiting for the hot sticks to curl my hair, I went outside to feed the dog and so on. (We live in the country. I can get away with this.) BUT just as the door clicked shut, it occurred to me that I might be locked out. I was!!!! Thankfully, the bathroom window was open BUT it was way up high and it is a slender......and that is the OPERATIVE word here....SLENDER window. Hello. Sooooo, I got the ladder from the garage, steadied it as much as possible, removed the screen and somehow managed to wrangle myself through that window without doing any lasting damage to myself or the window.
*WHEW*

10. Do you believe in love at first sight?
No. I believe you are attracted to someone. You respect them. You love them to a degree. But, in all honesty.....you LEARN to love someone. Love is such a process. Real, true love, that is. My dear dad always explained this to us as we were growing up and maturing and I can say that I've come to really believe it.
"Love doesn't come and go,
When it takes a notion,
Is not only concerned with itself.
Is not given to impulse,
Or emotional swings,
Never takes away,
More than it brings,
Love accepts responsibility,
Love gives a guarantee,
The reason that love is the way it is,
Love gave its life on Calvary."

11. How man pairs of jeans do you own?
WE own one pair and they belong to my husband and let me just say that he looks REALLY good in them!!! ;-) Oh yes he does!!! ;-)
I wear only skirts and dresses. :-)

12. If someone were going to bake a cake to honor/represent you, what would it be? (Think creatively, like Duff and Crew on "Ace of Cakes.")
Hmmmm......it would have to be something musically oriented, I believe. A black baby grand piano accessorized with musical notes and sheet music, possibly.