The Claus's invaded the nativity set

The Claus's invaded the nativity set, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

Friday Fill-in...thanks to Janet

1. I enjoy Christmas.

2. Clear is my favorite color for the Christmas tree lights.

3. The candles in the window have no bulbs because there are no canedles!

4. A Christmas Story is one of my most favorite Christmas movies.

5. My favorite Christmas lyrics are "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"

6. I'm dreaming of Husband being home for Christmas.

7. And as for the weekend, Friday I'm looking forward to pizza from Papa Murphys, veggie, it was WONDERFUL!!, Saturday my plans include washing the car (whew hoo, all kinds of excitement around here) and Sunday, get the rest of the laundry done. Like I said, lots of excitement!

TSO Carol of the Bells

TSO Carol of the Bells

I found this Christmas Meme several places, most recently at Kerri's of More, More, More.

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?Hot chocolate - Neither, how about hot buttered rum?

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Since they are just now getting into Santa, I think they will be wrapped. (note: I said 'will' be....meaning they are not done!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? white lights on tree, none on the house.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No

5. When do you put your decorations up? The weekend after Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert): grilled asparagus with an aioli sauce

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Sitting in the hall at my grandparents home with my cousins, waiting for the older kids to bring us our presents. We would all laugh when my great aunt Ruth gave us socks or a box of chocolate covered cherries.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't really remember.....

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I did growing up . ...as a family now, we open one and the rest on Christmas morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? We collect ornaments from various places we have lived, so there is no color theme, though I do tend to gravitate towards a cranberry red color. We also do an ornament exchange in lieu of gift with Husband's sisters, so we have various ones from them now too.

11. Snow: love it or hate it? Hated shoveling it when we lived in Alaska.....

12. Can you ice skate?...Tried it once, so uuuhhhmmmm, NO

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?Husband is getting better after years of training! .....He would probably say it was a paper shredder...which I did LOVE!

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Enjoying it.

15.What is your favorite holiday dessert? divinity, which reminds me to make this for Muffin Monday some time this month!

16. What tops your tree? an angel

17. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?hard one!! definitely giving, I love trying to find the perfect gift and seeing their reaction.

18. What is your favorite Christmas song? Carol of the bells**trying to insert a video here**....it's not working! ugh! ...okay, I got it working, but it has to be in it's own post....what am I doing wrong??

19. What is your favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story.....

20. What would be the best gift you could receive this year? Husband home, safe and sound with our family.

Thursday 13.......#18......thirteen things I bought at the commissary

Thirteen things I bought at the commissary since the Husband is coming home before I go again!!

1. Pert-his favorite shampoo...scary, I know.

2. boy-smelling body wash.....I don't think he would like to smell like sun-ripened raspberries.

3. boy deodorant - okay I didn't get this, but I need to....I couldn't remember what kind he uses....how sad is that?

4. boy razors- again, didn't get these, but need to...another one I couldn't remember.

5. some 'helpers' ...let your mind wander...just let me say we don't need any more kids in about nine months! (Is this TMI??) Have I just crossed the line on my G-rated blog? I am sure there is already going to be a baby boom in this town, there always is when the guys get back from a deployment.

6. chips

7. hot salsa, oh wait, I think I got medium...I thought I would break him into the hot stuff slowly.

6. beer

7. bratwurst

8. junk cookies, like those Pepperidge Farms chocolate with macadamia nuts. ( I always get the ones I can't eat, so I won't even be tempted!!)

9. real Dr Pepper

10. granola cereal

11. real coffee ( I accidentally bought some half caffeinated early on, and never switched back) With as much coffee as he drinks, I am sure he would notice!

12. honey roasted peanuts.....he likes those when we go on road trips!

and finally the best one of all was from his parents.......

13. Omaha Steaks came in the mail for him yesterday from his parents. If you have never had these, they are very much splurge worthy!! Like the box says, it is truly the world's finest beef. One of Husband's favorite meals are these steaks with roasted peppers and olives......it really is a little piece of heaven in your mouth. After eating at the mess hall, ooops wait, dining facility food for the last fifteen months, a superior piece of beef is well deserved.

ps, the peppers are sauteed with a little garlic, then tossed with olives that have been simmered with broth, balsamic vinegar and oregano.....then you combine the peppers and olives with a bit of butter to reduce to a glaze.. It really is a wonderful relish on top of great steak. This recipe is from a Charleston cookbook we got on our honeymoon.

***Here is the recipe****

*Roast 2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 yellow) under broiler until blackened on all sides.
*Put in a paper bag for 15 minutes.
*Peel, stem, and seed the peppers, then cut into stripes.
*Heat 1/2 T. vegetable oil in a skillet over high heat.
*Add peppers and 3 large minced garlic cloves and cook 30 seconds.
* add 2/3 c. chicken broth, 1/3 c. Kalamata olives, and 2 t.balsamic vinegar; boil about 8 minutes, until liquid is reduced to a glaze.
*Stir in 2T of butter until it melts.

*Spoon over steaks (grilled or pan fried....however you like them)

We love this with a Chateau St. Jean Merlot....enjoy!

10,000 ....and the winner is......

A little history of Tuesday Update:

When Will was born four and a half years ago, we were living in Oklahoma.....only about five minutes from my mom. But the rest of our friends and family were stretched from Alaska to Ohio.

Will was born on a Tuesday. I took a picture of him doing something or reaching a milestone every week. I kept a scrapbook called "Tuesdays with Will". I would email the journaling and the photo to our friends and family every week. In the subject line I had "Tuesday Update".

I started this blog in February 2005.....but promptly quit after two posts. I had a four month old and a nineteen month old. ....It was too much.

In the mean time, we moved to Texas. After only being here four months, Husband left on a fifteen month deployment. Yahoo also removed the feature of being able to insert photos into an email. So I decided to give blogging a try again.

Little did I know that I would find the fellow bloggers that I have. I have fourteen days left in this deployment....I know once he returns I will continue this. I enjoy the creative outlet it gives me! I never dreamed anyone besides my family would give a hoot about what I write or what pictures I take!

So, rat a tat tat.......drumroll please: and the winner is Wendy at Snips and Snails. So Wendy, send me your address and I'll send you a little piece of Texas!

Manic Monday, Muffin Monday, and a contest

fleur-de-lisa hosts Manic Monday here.

What’s the longest you’ve ever waited in line? I am not a big waiter for much.....though I did wait in line for over two hours to get into Nell Hills warehouse sale. Well, worth the wait. I scored about $1000 worth of stuff for a little less than $100!

It’s been said that, “The best things in life are free.” Do you think this is true? Why or why not?
I do think it is true. Time spent with friends and family, making memories doing whatever are priceless. Everywhere we have lived, we have made lifelong friends.

If you could go back in time and re-live one day in your life, which day would you choose and why?Ooohhh, that is a hard one.....I think I agree with Lisa, though the birth of our kids was rough, right after delivery is so memorable.

Ginger Pear muffin mosiac, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

These were the best muffins ever! Right next to the pear is a piece of dark chocolate you tuck in once they come out of the oven...it makes a little gooey pocket of chocolate!!

Finally, I am almost to my 10,000 visitor to my little blog.....so, whoever the 10,000 visitor is I will send you an ornament (if you are willing to share your address!!)

Edited to add recipe: (my notes in red)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour ( I use 1 c. whole wheat flour, 1/2 all-purpose flour)
1 t. baking powder
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2/3 c. mild molasses
1/4 c butter, melted
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. boiling water
2 small pears cut into six wedges each
3 oz.dark or bittersweet chocolate broken into small pieces
raw sugar ( I used turbinado sugar)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and flour. (oops, I forgot the flour part and they came out fine out of a stoneware muffin pan,)

2. In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a second bowl, whisk together molasses, brown sugar, butter, brown sugar, and egg. Pour into flour mixture. Stir until combined. Whisk in boiling water. (If you are using a stand mixer, do this VERY slowly or it will splatter hot water everywhere!!!) Divide evenly among muffin cups. add one pear wedge to each muffin, press lightly. (Don't press all the way to the bottom, or the muffin falls apart.)

3. Bake 15-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Add chocolate pieces to top of muffins. (I pushed the chocolate piece in just barely half way to make the little pool of chocolate.) Cool in pan on rack ten minutes. Use table knife to smooth melted chocolate. Remove from cups. Cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 12.

Weekly Winners

Hosted by Sarcastic Mom. The basic idea is that every Sunday bloggers post their best/favorite photos from the previous week. Here are my Weekly Winners:

I just love profile pics.....why is it boys have such pretty eyelashes!

She gives the best cheesy squirrel grins!

Remember one of the few goals I have for this deployment is to NOT go to the emergency room.....well, we almost didn't make it. While we were outside playing, Will comes up to me, "I hurp my poop."

Me: "What? You pooped! "

Will: (his lips curled around his teeth): "No, I hurt my pooth."

Me: finally understanding lip-curled-over-the-teeth speak: "You hurt your tooth? Let me see." There is no blood and he is speaking, so I thinking he just bumped it.

Will, showing me the DENT on the handlebars of his bike: "My mouth hit it here!"

Me, feeling a tad more worried after seeing tooth dust on the bar...."Yep, buddy, you chipped it."

Just the tiniest bit chipped off the corner of his tooth. He was so worried the other kids would laugh at him at school. But by the next morning he was fine.

Whew hoo....another crisis averted....move on grasshopper, we only have 17 more days to go!

Finally, here is one we took today....yes, she is wearing short sleeves and a little pink tennis skirt ...it was 80 degrees here today!!

Friday fill in

Courtesy of the Janet.

1. When my blog is broken, I just save a draft in an email and email it to myself.

2. I saw the most amazing smiles this afternoon!

3. Enchanted is the new movie I’m most looking forward to seeing.

4. Work: Necessary and never ending!

5. Of all the new tv shows, I enjoy fluff reality tv the most. (Real Housewives of Orange County is the current favorite.)

6. If only the next 19 days would fly by.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to enjoying a glass of wine, tomorrow my plans include putting the rest of the fall decorations in the attic and Sunday, I want to make pancakes for the kids and stay in jammies all day.

Happy tenth anniversary, Husband

Happy anniversary, Husband, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

***These are pictures of pictures in our wedding scrapbook....I don't have a scanner!***

My version of how we met:

I was a single teacher in a junior high that the kids from the military post went. Over Christmas break this one military wife I had become friends with needed a house-sitter. They had a huge third floor that was basically an apartment. They got home a few days early to throw an impromptu New Year's party.

I was cleaning up empty beer bottles to help Debbie out. (I have always compusively cleaned!) Some little Lieutenant (Husband) kept asking me why I was cleaning. I had no desire to meet some single soldier. They had been hitting on me at the mall since I was 13 years old!

I was only staying at the party for a bit because we were driving to Bricktown in OKC to a party as well.

Later on that week, I called a friend of that little Lieutenant to get the scoop on him. By Spring break, I knew we would be married it was just a matter of when. The when turned out to be engaged just before the fourth of July, and married the weekend after Thanksgiving.

I don't know what changes lie ahead or where our shared path will lead. But what I do know is that I'm here for you today to listen or talk, to applaud or console, to want, need, and to love you with all my heart. It hardly seems like it has been ten years. Love you, Husband, hurry home.


His version of how we met:

What do I remember about when we met...I remember getting invited to the Clark's for New Years and thinking that I wouldn't go. I ended up going with the intent of making an appearance and then going out. I remember it was free beer and some good food. Since I was single, good food and free beer was very important. I remember seeing you there and thinking you were cute. I figured you were there with someone else and wondered why you were spending so much time cleaning up. I remember talking to you and being sad that you were leaving because I wanted to steal you away. I ended up staying at the Clark's until late and the colonel and I sat around listening to a Pink Floyd album until Debbie kicked me out.

I remember we called each other a while later and I was suprised you remembered me. I got stood up one time and was really disappointed. I think the next time we went out was valentines day. I can;t remember the details, but I remember we weren't apart much after that. I know that I fell in love with you pretty quickly because of your pretty smile and your just a nice person. I was amazed that you liked me and wanted to hang out. I know I love you more each day and I'm proud to be your husband.

Hope you have a good day today. We can celebrate and find something nice for ourselves when I get back.

Thursday 13.......#16 ......thirteen strengths of my Melancholy self

Since I did strengths two weeks ago, I will do weaknesses this week....this test is from: Free Personality/Temperament test . This test is based on a book called "Personality Plus: How to Understand Others by Understanding Yourself "(Paperback)by Florence Littauer.

The Melancholy As a Friend **my notes in red

1. Lives through others **I don't see this in me.

2. Insecure socially **used to be, but not so much as I have gotten older.

3. Withdrawn and remote **yes, and some people interpret it as witchy

4. critical of others **sadly, yes

5. Holds back affections **not a big hugger...well, unless I have had a few, then I will hug just about anyone!

6..Dislikes those in opposition **I think 'dislikes' is a harsh word, but I would probably be 'critical'....see #4.

7. Suspicious of people **very much so

8. Antagonistic and vengeful **Not so much, that takes too much energy

9.. Unforgiving **I can be.

10. Full of contradictions **I don't think so, most people know where I stand.

11. Skeptical of compliments **Very much so, it is very hard for me to accept a compliment, this is something I have worked on for years. But it doesn't come natural for me to just say, "thank you!"

The Melancholy As A Parent

12. Puts goals beyond reach **They are only 3 and 4, so I don't think so.

13. May be too meticulous **Nothing wrong with being neat.

Bonus ones, since they were on the list:

14. Becomes martyr **This is so not me!

15. Sulks over disagreements **With the kids!! There are no disagreements, I am right...they are only 3 and 4!!

16. Puts guilt upon children **I don't think so, but I can see how I might be able to do this.

See why I wanted to start with strengths? This makes me sound like Debbie Downer! The one thing I liked about this test was it made me see what my weaknesses are and deal with them...especially the parental ones!

The stockings were hung.....

I finally got some decorations hung. The night before we went to my mom's for Thanksgiving, I had pulled the bins down from the attic....so they were just sitting in the entry waiting. I went through the house and put away all the fall stuff. Whew hoo....where do I start?

I figured I would start with something big that would make an impact....OOOPPPS, let me back up....We are not decorating the tree until Husband gets home. I set it up, but that is it....Yes, it is fake. I have massive allergies.....anyhow...back to the decorating.

I pulled out the bins labeled "French doors garland" ....Well, this was where it was used in our home in Kansas. But here I am going to use it around the fireplace mantle. A little peek into some 'Tommie madness'....I take a picture, print it out, and stick all the things that are in that area in the same Rubbermaid tub. So, a year later when I pull the bins out, I just try to figure out where that 'french doors garland' is going to go. In this bin was the greenery, ornaments, snowflakes, and silver ornaments.

In Kansas this was on both sides of the French doors, so they didn't have the stockings. I will probably print this picture out as well since we could use this around a mantle wherever we are next year at this time.

By the way, all these decorations are from Nell Hill's. If you are ever near Kansas City, it is an awesome store. I don't think a month went by that me and my neighbors didn't load up and drive over to the original one in Atchison, KS. Husband would see the familiar black shopping bags and wonder what was new in out home.

So, are you done with decorating???

happy Tuesday

Manic Monday....and oh how it has been one

You can find my meme Manic Monday here, each and every Monday.

Which personality trait has gotten you into the most trouble? probably being so talkative.....I got kicked out of a music class in high school because and I quote "I cannot offer Tommie the structure she needs in order to be successful in my class." LOL Whatever! It was a time to catch up with my friends! Or at least it was for a few weeks.

If you had to gain 10 pounds what would you eat to gain the weight? cheese and crackers with a glass of wine

How is your private self different from your public self? Just thinking off head, sad to say I am probably crankier. Because I am wearing the "I-can-do-this-deployment-thing" with a happy little mask, once I am settled in with close friends....then they see that I have worries as much as the next person. I just try to keep a positive face in front of the kids.

My first Weekly Winners

I saw this at Libby's ....who got it from Sarcastic Mom. Weekly Winners is photo feature that is the brainchild of Sarcastic Mom. The basic idea is that every Sunday bloggers post their best/favorite photos from the previous week. I think this is an awesome idea. I usually have some random photos that I am not sure how to blog. So whew hoo! Here are my Weekly Winners:

I love this shot of him....just peeking over his shoulder to see if I am still there. That goofy grin of his .....he was saying, "Hey! I thought you put your camera down."

Nope, sweety, I didn't. He is actually jumping on a trampoline. I was playing around with some settings. So I am very happy the way this one turned out.

The trampoline didn't have a safety net, so I only let them jump alone. I was paranoid that one of them would flip off. If I haven't said it here, one of my goals for this deployment is to NOT go to the emergency room. Even better, to NOT go to an emergency room while traveling somewhere far from home!!

Anyhow, Livi is saying, "STOP taking pictures!!!"

But if I did that, baby girl, I never would have captured this side of you!

This picture has no great qualities or anything, but it does show how much the kids love to read and be read to......This is one of the many cousins reading a story to them. They sat in there for almost 45 minutes listening to her read to them. Both Husband and I are readers. This is one quality I want to pass on to the kids......so, so far we are doing good!

Happy Sunday, y'all!

Since I could not figure out how to post this ticker on the blog itself, I will stick it in the post. I could get it to show up at the bottom, but not above the posts. Oh well.....whew hoo, we are down to a little more than three weeks!!

Edited to add: MUCHO thanks to Libby for getting it at the top of my posts. I was wondering if I was going to have to copy and paste this thing into every post!! LOL

Friday fill in ....a day late....

1. I enjoy good food, friends, and wine more than anything else.

2. Blogging satisfies my need to keep Husband and family up to date with us.

3. When I look at a full moon, I feel peaceful.

4. If I want a snack, I usually reach for cheese and crackers.

5. The most recent movie I saw, (how about listened to ...on the drive home) Barbie, Island Princess made me want to get home quickly .

6. If only the next 24 days would fly by .

7. And as for the weekend, (last night) I looked forward shopping with sister (which is a post in and of itself!), today my plans include driving back home and Sunday, I want to put up some Christmas decorations.

Many thanks to Janet for providing the Fill-In!

yeah, we made it back safe and sound.......hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving!

Our link chain to count down the days....

Our link chain to count down the days...., originally uploaded by tommiea1.

This is the paper chain we made to count down the days. Rather than deal with the fight of who would cut each one off each day, each kid made their own. I am all about eliminating as many whiney fits as I can. Of course there is the token 'crazy face' pic for Dad. I can hardly get them to take a normal one now.

here's Manic Monday, hosted by Lisa


What is your least favorite day of the week and why?
None really, but if I have to pick just one, I'd say Thursday....it's not quite the weekend, and if it has been a long week, it just seems to go on forever…



What’s the best way to end the day?
Relaxing - catching up on whatever DVRd fluff I have that isn't kid appropriate.


Which animal would you have left out of the ark?
Definitely scorpians! Also exactly why the Orkin man comes out every month.

Happy Thanksgiving all....the kids and I are off to the land of no internet....Yes, there are still people who still don't have it, even dial up. I am related to them!

Starting to see the light at the end of this tunnel of deployment

just peeking through, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

I got the email I have been waiting fourteen months for......the email that gives me an end date to this deployment! WHEW HOO!!!!

Husband should be home (give or take a couple of days) by the 19th of December! I can't even begin to describe how exciting it feels. I have a million things I need to do before then.

Should I wash all of his clothes? They have just been sitting there for the past year. He will most likely need new ones...when he came home on R&R in March, he had lost quite a bit of weight. So maybe I shouldn't wash them?? See, lots of things to wonder about!

The kids and I made paper chains to count down the remaining 31 days. Each day we will cut off a chain. I will write a post about it later.

because.....
I better cut this short, the kids are being way too quiet!

Happy Sunday

I don't want to be brown

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Brown

You're brown, a credible, stable color that's reminiscent of fine wood, rich leather, and wistful melancholy. Most likely, you're a logical, practical person ruled more by your head than your heart. With your inquisitive mind and insatiable curiosity, you're probably a great problem solver. And you always gather all of the facts before coming to a timely, informed decision. Easily intrigued, you're constantly finding new ways to challenge your mind, whether it's by reading the newspaper, playing a trivia game, or composing a piece of music. Brown is an impartial, neutral color, which means you tend to see the difference between fact and opinion easily and are open to many points of view. Trustworthy and steady, you really are a brown at heart.

Take this test >

I thought this was quite funny since I did the personality test the other day and they used the same word...."melancholy".....sounds so depressing.I don't want to be brown.....brown seems so not 'fine wood, rich leather'....

I thought the challenge your mind was good. I love a good Suduko puzzle. My mom got me these four levels of Suduko puzzles from easy to hard. I have finally worked myself up to solving the hard ones. I like to do one just as I crawl into bed.

I guess I should embrace my brown self because this was fairly accurate.

Happy Saturday

Friday fill in #11

Courtesy of Janet

1. The things I give thanks for this Thanksgiving are my family, friends, my health, and most importantly ...my Husband....even if he is thousands of miles away.

2. My Thanksgiving traditions include watching the Macy’s Parade!

3. The best part about Thanksgiving is spending it with whatever family or friends nearby.

4. My favorite Thanksgiving food is the stuffing Husband makes.....since I don't eat pork, this is one of the recipes we have altered from the notes we have from his mom.

5. I don't think I have anything that was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me on Thanksgiving.

6. After the meal, I talk with my family and help with the dishes.When I was younger, my older cousins and I used to load up the kids in a couple of cars and take them to see whatever Disney movie was released. Now that the cousins are older, we are now taking our own kids! It gives the 'adults' some time to spend together and the 'kids' love it. Sounds funny now that I am 39 and still considered one of the 'kids'.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to putting my feet up, tomorrow my plans include going to a kid's birthday party (yeah me!) and Sunday, I want to get the laundry done so I can lay out what clothes we need to take to my mom's house.

ps....just a little note on the slippers....I was very hesitant to get them...I HATE toe cleavage...but they are oh so comfortable and remind me of the old ballet house slippers I use to wear. Do they not make those anymore? You know, the ones with the little leather soles, the little stretchy tops.....oh well....these are a close second, even with toe cleavage!

Happy Friday, y'all.

Conversation with Will tonight

Beach house, originally uploaded by tommiea1.

Tonight while putting Will to bed, he asks, "Mom can we go to our other house?"

I am wondering if he is talking about when we lived in KS....or even CA. I know he remembers going to a Wiggles concert when we lived there. I said, "Which house are you talking about, baby?"

Will: "Our beach house!" Like I am three degrees of crazy that I don't know what he is talking about!

I had to explain to him that we only rented that house this past summer. It is not ours! Boy that was not the right answer. He finally settled down after I told him we could go back when Daddy got home.

This picture is a some of the little houses that were just to the right of the one we rented.

I guess we will be making a beach trip in the spring before we move! I would hate to disappoint him and I know Husband would love to go with us this time!

Thursday 13.......#16 ......thirteen strengths of my Melancholy self

Thirteen Strengths according to: Free Personality/Temperament test ....kind of scary how right on these are. Next week, I will do weaknesses....gotta start with the good stuff.

The Melancholy as a Parent: (my opinions after the **)

1. Sets high standards **I do this, even Livi can make her own bed at three.

2. Wants everything done right **check....why do it wrong?

3. Keeps home in good order ***again, Flylady keeps me sane

4. Picks up after children ***what mom doesn't, even though they do most of it

5. Sacrifices own will for others **I am getting better at making time for myself, but with Husband gone it is hard!

6. Encourages scholarship and talent **I try to do this.

The Melancholy as a Friend

7. Makes friends cautiously **biggest understatement EVER

8. Content to stay in background **I do have to disagree with this one.

9. Avoids causing attention **true....

10. Faithful and devoted ***Very true

11. Will listen to complaints ***Depends what it is about. I find it hard to listen to someone griping about something they can't change. For example: Not a single thing I can do about this deployment. I will listen to my friends and neighbors gripe, but then "Get over it....not a single thing we can do but mark off the days!"

12. Can solve other's problems ***I usually can do this, but have to really refrain from offering my opinion unless I am asked.

13. Deep concern for other people ***Definitely...

Bonus ones since they were on the list

14. Moved to tears with compassion ***Only if it Aunt Flo is here

15. Seeks ideal mate ***been there, done that....Hurry home, Husband

Edited to add: This test is based on a book called "Personality Plus: How to Understand Others by Understanding Yourself "(Paperback)by Florence Littauer