Friday's Five: Michelle

Welcome to this week's edition of Friday's Five, my regular feature that asks a fabulous blogger five random questions.

Today I'm talking with Michelle, the author of Table for Nine. She and her firefighter husband live in Texas, where in addition to working full-time in real estate, Michelle is mom to seven children who range in age from toddler to teenager. You never know what you're going to get from this feisty blogger—she writes about her garden, shows you how to cook up some of her favorite dishes, documents the ongoing construction of her family's new house, and makes you laugh with her wickedly funny observations of life around her.

1. How old are your children and what quality do you admire in each? Leader of the Pack (15) will make a wonderful father when he has his own children. He is patient and kind and usually fair. He is a tad bossy like most oldest children, but since I too am an oldest child, it is endearing, not annoying.

Second in Command (14) is my protector and my most faithful defender. He does not tolerate the other kids being disrespectful to me. He is incredibly intelligent, but at the same time, a little bit blond.

Tonto (12) is very loyal. He refuses to say ugly things about anyone, even people he doesn't like. He is very quiet and reserved, but once he gets going, look out.

Mr. Dynomite (12) is extremely sensitive and caring. He can always tell when I am upset or sad. When I am busy, he is always around, asking if there is anything he can do to help out. Mr. Dynomite always does things in a big way. He will either be a Nobel prize winner or in prison, but whatever it will be, it will be big.

The Drama Queen (9) should actually be renamed Little Momma. She is very protective and nurturing to her two little sisters. She will step in and organize an activity for them when I need to distract them. She is very dramatic and her goal in life is to be famous. She doesn't care how she gets famous, just as long as she gets to be the center of attention. Look out world, here she comes!

Little Miss Sunshine (6) is my most easygoing child. She is very rarely disruptive or disagreeable. When you are having a bad day, she can always bring you a little ray of sunshine to brighten your spirits. She is a little bit clumsy like her Momma and she almost always has a bump, bruise, or scrape somewhere on her. Her middle name is Grace because it's the only way she got any.

Tornado is almost 2. Oh, goodness, the Tornado. Where do I even begin. She is a bundle of energy with a huge smile and an even bigger personality. When she comes into a room, everyone knows it. If she isn't crying, screaming, or breaking something, then she is charming the room with her big smile and too-big-for-a-two-year-old vocabulary.

2. You are in the middle of having a house built, you poor thing! Tell us the one thing we must know beforehand, should we ever decide to undertake such an adventure. Whatever they tell you, get it in writing, because they lie. Whatever they say it will cost, it will cost more, because they lie. Whenever they tell you it will be done, they are wrong, because, you guessed it, they lie! Even with all the stress and chaos, it is very exciting to build a house that no one else has ever lived in, or messed up, or cooked in. Every home I have ever bought the first thing I did was change out the toilet seats. Yes, I am that weird.

3. Here's what I've heard about Texas: oil, cattle, and it's second in size only to Alaska. What else can you tell me about your great state? You forgot the boots. If you have ever watched the TV show Dallas, then you are completely mistaken about what Texas is really like. Texas is this incredible place of extremes. We have cold weather in the pan handle, sweltering heat in the valley, beautiful pine trees in the east and dry, desert-like landscape in the west. I live in central Texas, in the Hill Country and it is beautiful and scenic. I am currently in the process of joining the Daughters of the Republic of Texas because my people have lived in Texas since we were our own country. Texans are so proud of our state that we teach a whole year of Texas History in junior high school. (By the way, was the comment about second in size some kind of dig? 'Cause I'm a little offended.)

4. What keeps you blogging, and do you think you'll still be blogging a year from now? I blog because when I write, I can be myself and I don't have to care what anyone else thinks. Also, it's hard to get interrupted when you blog, because no one is there to argue with you. Except those voices in my head, but I have been told not to mention them.

5. What did you have for dinner last night? Shoot, I can't remember what I had for dinner tonight! We drove home from a funeral that was three hours away, so it was junky car food. Pistachios, Dr. Pepper, crackers, beef jerky. No telling what else I ate. At one point, the Tornado was pulling out old stale cereal from her car seat and throwing it at me. I won't admit that I ate it. I won't.

Thanks, Michelle! (By the way, I've come to the conclusion that "Michelle" was the favorite girl's name among our mothers' generation, as you are the third Michelle I've interviewed!) I love your spontaneous style of writing and really do admire that you are able to post whatever you feel like, without caring what anyone else thinks. I've always wanted to explore the Lone Star State and some day I plan to visit Texas, and when I do I will make sure to wear a T-shirt that says, "My state is BIGGER than your state."

Don't worry, gentle readers, Michelle knows I'm kidding. I promise I won't give my next blogger such a hard time . . . unless she's from Texas. You'll have to tune in next Friday and see!

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