Hodgepodge of Reader Questions

1. How long have you been married and how did you meet your husband? Also, how many children do you have?

LV and I have been married for nineteen years. On one hand it doesn't seem that long, but on the other hand thinking back to before we were married feels like a lifetime ago. You can read about the day I met my husband here.
We've been blessed with four children.

2. What is the best wedding gift you received?

You know, this is something I never really stopped to think about before. We received a lot of gifts that are still used regularly.
Mixing bowls, out of the 80+ that we received I use eight of them regularly.
I can't even begin to count the number of pies I have baked in my favorite blue and white speckled granite pie pans.
Two cookbooks The Basics and More and Favorite Amish Family Recipes. I still use both of these often even though my cookbook collection has grown quite large since then.
Pots and pans that I use to cook every day.
A lovely Victorian Rose china dinner ware set, that I display in the cupboard in the living room, and take out to use on special occasions. Christmas, birthdays, visitors, or any other occasion that feels a little more special.

3. How did you choose your name for your blog?

I wish I could have some deep meaningful answer to this question, but I don't. I simply sat down one April day back in 2009 and decided to begin a blog to share my childhood memories, thoughts, and day to day happening so my children can read them someday. As I started plugging in all the information needed to start a blog I was presented with the challenge to find a blog name. Looking around me for inspiration I noticed the condition of the house. The children had covered the floor of the living room and into the dining room with pictures they had cut out of magazines and catalogs to play paper dolls. Such chaos, but they were having so much fun, and just like that A Joyful Chaos was born.

4. What is a sound or noise you love?

There are a lot of sounds I love.
The sound of birds singing.  The sound of the rushing waterfall. The lovely chiming of the Corinthian Bells wind chime hanging on the front porch. The sound of footsteps on the stairs when LV comes into the house. The sound of children laughing. The girls singing around the house. The gentle pitter patter of summer rain. The whistling winds of winter. Katydids calling. Leaves rustling in the breeze, and in the fall the crunchy sound of fallen leaves as you walk across the yard.

5. When was the last time you had butterflies in your stomach?

Several weeks ago when we went on a short excursion we had to drive along a narrow winding road with steep cliffs and banks right beside it with no guard rails. I squeezed my eyes shut for a good portion of the ride, only peeking out now and then to see that yes, it's still necessary to squeeze my eyes shut. I had a whole bunch of terrified butterflies in my stomach then.

6. Random bit.

Speaking of enjoying listening to the waterfall. Last night it was thundering as it tried to carry away all the water from the flash flooding.