So…what is the Monday Poll?
Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).
As a matter of fact…this is the seven hundredth installment! Holy $$%@@#! Can you believe that? Wow, right? It’s effing incredible! I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start. 🤗
1. Strawberry or banana?
Strawberry…mostly because I like strawberry pie and fresh strawberries, although, hmm… I do love banana bread and banana pancakes.
Gah! I refuse to overthink this, so strawberry it is. 🍓
2. Are you a twin?
I am not, but I have often wondered what it would be like to be one.
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday?
Portugal. I loved the food!
4. Do bugs freak you out?
Most don’t, but the really big ones? Like the ones I’ve seen in Hawaii? (Those centipedes are horror movie caliber!) Also, bugs that fly really fast and have stingers scare the bejeezus out of me.
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid?
Well, I was Big Bird once in kindergarten, and it was one of those uncomfortably sweaty plastic costume situations from the ’80s. I certainly remember that one.
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care?
Can I get both? 😁 If not, I understand. If I can only have one, then I’ll go with expensive skin care.
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?
My heart belongs to the sea, so I’ll take the beach, but ya know… I’m finding that I’m not as easygoing as I used to be about spending time at the beach. I really have to have at least an umbrella for shade, a beach chair and some sort of bathroom situation with running water nearby because my days of climbin’ down rocky cliffs to reach a secluded lagoon or rolling up to the surf with just a towel and a bottle of sunscreen are long over.
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK).
Put my night guard on my upper teeth. Seriously, that thing is the real MVP. My teeth would’ve been ground to dust over the last two years without it!
9. With or without hot sauce?
Hard pass on the hot sauce. Without! 🌶️
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.
1. Strawberry or banana?
2. Are you a twin?
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday?
4. Do bugs freak you out?
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid?
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care?
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK).
9. With or without hot sauce?
P.P.S. I hope the day treats you well, my friend! 🤗 Have a most excellent week.
1) Strawberry. Very versatile and great in cream. But my kids would go bananas…
2) Nope. But I do have an older brother.
3) Tokyo in particular and Japan in general. I lived there for a while and I want to walk the old neighborhood. Such a wonderful country.
4) I hate bugs. Concessions are made for the friendlies and the necessaries (hello, bees, butterflies, and all pollinators). But if you fly towards my face, I make no promises.
5) I was Cinderella in a big, poofy dress. So fancy.
6) Skincare! Sorry hair but you are far more sturdy than my skin.
7) Oh geez. I love the mountains, but my family loves the beach. For the sake of the kids… beach.
8) Wash my face and brush my teeth!
9). Depends on what I’m eating and how hot is that hot sauce? I’m down with the spice if the dish calls for it.
Thank you for popping in today, Susan. Have a great day!
I read your blog most everyday. Always puts a smile on my face. I hope you had a good day as well.
1. Strawberry or banana? I love both…but if I had to choose one it would be bananas.
2. Are you a twin? No
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday? Jamaica:) I got married there.
4. Do bugs freak you out? Yes..I scream…LOL🤣
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid? My parents always got basic costumes for us…witch, vampire, etc.
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care? Hair care…It’s so hard to find good fragrance free products
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? The beach…but a quiet cabin in the mountains sounds really peaceful right now
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK). I watch tv with my hubby
9. With or without hot sauce? No hot sauce
LOL to your answer to the bug question! I have many friends that do the same!
Have a great Monday!
1. Strawberry or banana? Bananas! Grew up eating them so I always see myself choosing this fruit; strawberries are more costly so I can do without
2. Are you a twin? Nope, but I would like to experience being one for a day
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday? Shenzhen, China – where my maternal grandparents came from before they traveled overseas for a better life; I grew up disconnected from my mother side so it would be lovely to get a glimpse of my history
4. Do bugs freak you out? Not really, but poisonous, flying, stinging bugs do, eek!
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid? Clown, but more of a sad, solitary clown, rather than the Pennywise we know
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care? Expensive skin care, no doubt!!!
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? Mountains — I’m deathly afraid of big bodies of water (oceans, seas, lakes)
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK).
try to read a few pages of the current book on my nightstand 🙂
9. With or without hot sauce? Depends on the food I’m eating, but I always like a bit of spice so I don’t mind hot sauce
Aww, I think your sad clown costume sounds cute. I bet you were adorable!
Have a great rest of your week, Noi.
1. Strawberry or banana? I love local strawberries when they are in season only.
2. Are you a twin? No, I am not a twin. I have a younger sister about 21 months apart and we are the bestest of friends.
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday? Israel, I hope to be going soon.
4. Do bugs freak you out? Only bees.
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid? A princess costume, we were not very creative when it came to Halloween.
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care? Expensive skin care. My sister and I were at the new Chanel Beauty Boutique in Short Hills on Saturday to celebrate my birthday and boy that Sublimage line felt so nice on my skin, unfortunately it is way out of my price range.
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? The beach anyday.
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK). I pray that all is well in the world.
9. With or without hot sauce? Without most of the time, mild though if needed.
So I ordered my first Lisa Eldridge lipstick and liner for my birthday and I am getting a sample card of her new foundation. I am soooo excited!
Hope all is good with you. Be well my friend.
Hi Jane,
I’m hanging in there! Work has been super busy (lots to learn), but I’ve been stretching my writing muscles so it’s been good. You’ll have to tell me if you like that new foundation!
1. Strawberry or banana?
Strawberry all the way. I too love banana bread but I do not like the texture of fresh bananas.
2. Are you a twin?
Nope. But fun fact-my great great grandmother had 3 sets of twins!
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday?
London
4. Do bugs freak you out?
I can deal with the huge exception of roaches.
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid?
I love Halloween now but as a kid it wasn’t a big deal. I wasn’t particularly creative. But one that stands out in my mind is Barbie cowgirl.
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care?
Skin care
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?
Have an appreciation for both. For me the mountains are a day trip and the beach is a vacation. I’m going to the beach for a week in November for my first vacation in 2 years and I am beyond excited!!
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK).
Apply lip balm.
9. With or without hot sauce?
Mostly without but that’s just because I don’t keep it on hand. The exception is when my mom cooks greens-we always have hot pepper sauce on top. I think it’s a southern thing. I actually like a bit of heat on the right dish.
Happy 700th!!!
Thank you, Megan! 700 is a lot of Mondays. Have a great day!
1. Strawberry or banana? Both! Although hard pass on banana ice cream or yogurt
2. Are you a twin? No
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday? Paris
4. Do bugs freak you out? Yes. Hate them.
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid? Raggedy Ann.
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care? Both but expensive haircare more.
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? The beach.
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK). Floss and brush. My face is already washed and skincare applied several hours before bed.
9. With or without hot sauce?
1. Strawberry or banana?
I eat more bananas, but my real love are strawberries.
2. Are you a twin?
Nope, but everybody says Alisson and I look almost identical sometimes.
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday?
Madrid, it was beautiful.
4. Do bugs freak you out?
Not really, I may scream, but I’ll catch it.
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid?
It wasn’t Halloween, but for before Christmas festivities I was a sheep in kindergarten.
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care?
Expensive skin care.
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?
The beach, but with all the commodities you said.
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK).
Put hand cream and my hair up.
9. With or without hot sauce?
With just a little to spice things up.
I can’t believe it’s the 700th poll! Have a nice Monday Karen.
1. Strawberry or banana? strawberry
2. Are you a twin? an only
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday? Italy but just for the espresso, the pastries and the wine.
4. Do bugs freak you out? omg yes. I had a really trippy experience on my walk the other day. I came upon a really bizarre looking spider and a grasshopper walking together down the shoulder of this really busy road. I have a bad fear of spiders and I’m not nuts about bugs but they generally don’t scare me. It was just so weird to see this spider and grasshopper walking together like they were on this journey. I carefully shot a photo of the spider and texted it to one of my friends who is into spiders and he told me what it was and that it was somewhat rare in Maine. Incidentally the critters were walking south so maybe fleeing Maine for the upcoming winter?
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid? an old lady. super easy to do.
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care? Both but if I have to pick I’ll say skincare. You can manage with basic hair care but I’ve noticed a real difference in my skin since I started pouring some money on it.
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? Beach
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK). tell my son I love him.
9. With or without hot sauce? Just a dash
I’m stealing your answer to #8, Jennifer. So sweet. I do the same. Followed by repetition by text with heart emojis.
Sniff, sniff. Amy after I wrote it, I realized that there’s going to come a day sooner than later when he’s not going to be living at home anymore–he’s 18 and graduated from high school last spring. He’s taking this year to work and figure out what he might want to do. And then when he’s gone what am I going to do? Be the annoying mom who texts every night? I can’t be that mom! But I’m going to be so sad!
Oh be that Mom! As I told my son…I always get to call you my baby. No one else can. But when you’re 40, you’ll still be my baby. It’s great for them to spread their wings…and to have Mama’s love behind them all the way. ❤️
1. Strawberry or banana? Strawberries, I do not care for bananas.
2. Are you a twin? Yes I am! I have a twin brother, he’s two minutes older than me. And he’s my best friend in life. My mom knew a week before we were born that she was having twins, no ultrasounds in 1975. I can’t even imagine what that was like.
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday? Michigan! We were there for three days, five years ago. Loved it so much that we’re moving there, from central CA, in six months.
4. Do bugs freak you out? If they’re big, or if there’s a lot of them, yes. I also don’t want them on me.
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid? My mom made my brother and I costumes one year where I was an angel and he was a devil. Adorable!
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care? Skin care.
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? I really love both, but if I have to choose, I’ll go with beach.
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK). Slather my face in all the moisturizer.
9. With or without hot sauce? With!
Wow, 700!! That’s epic. How does it feel??
1. Strawberry or banana?
Banana smoothies all the way. I first had them (licuados) made by a family I stayed with in Mexico and never looked back. Strawberries are a bit acidic to me and have to be 100% perfect to enjoy, which is hard to find. On the other hand, strawberries grow naturally in the USA, whereas the history of banana imports and “banana republics”… holy moly!!
2. Are you a twin?
Yes.
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday?
Mexico. England.
4. Do bugs freak you out?
Not really. Some spiders…and I feel you on the centipedes.
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid?
A panda costume my mom made was arguably the best! And I well remember those plastic masks from other years!!
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care?
Skin, no question.
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?
So hard! The beach on Lake Michigan has my heart, though.
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK).
Take out the dog.
9. With or without hot sauce?
Usually without. But a splash in chicken soup along with a splash of lemon juice…heaven!
GAH! Holy the Cow on 700!! I think I’ve done at least 4.3% of them on an actual Monday. 😉
1. Strawberry or banana? Banana
2. Are you a twin? No, but I have some! They’re fraternal and have no special twinsie-ness. They just argue and irritate each other like regular brothers. And they look nothing alike. But I recommend them to everyone. Especially if you only want two kids. So much easier to do all the same things at the same time. 🙂
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday? Hawaii, and better sooner than later!
4. Do bugs freak you out? Yes, I’m the worst. I just hate them. I’m not afraid – I know they won’t hurt me. They just skeeve me out, especially if they’re crawling on me. Shudder. I do like lady bugs and bumble/honey bees, though.
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid? I honestly can’t remember. Most were homemade but I definitely had at least one plastic mask kind that’s good for a couple of hours. Superman, maybe?
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care? I was going to say skin, hands down and then realized that my hair care (color and shampoo is pretty expensive, too). I never thought I’d say this, but I think I’ve already chosen hair!
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? You ask the hardest questions. I am not super beachy but I “need” water and mountains. It can be the ocean or a lake but flat and dry are not for me. Give me cliffs and the sound of the waves any day!
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK). Jinx! I also put in my bite guard on my top teeth.
9. With or without hot sauce? With, please. I am all about the spicy!
1. Strawberry or banana? I like both, but strawberry if I really had to pick one because bananas sometimes make me nauseous.
2. Are you a twin? No- I wanted one though.
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday? Berlin to see my Dad’s relatives.
4. Do bugs freak you out? Of course
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid? Madeline
(Book by Ludwig Bemelmans)
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care? Both- the quality is better.
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? Beach
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK). Put lip-gloss and hand lotion on.
9. With or without hot sauce? Without- can’t do spicy.
1. Strawberry or banana?
Can I have cherries please? I don’t like bananas or strawberries.
2. Are you a twin?
No.
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday?
Germany. I was born there, but I don’t remember it at all.
4. Do bugs freak you out?
It depends on the bug honestly. I’m really easily overwhelmed though by even my favorites. Butterflies have all sorts of colors, textures and the sound of wings can be SO OVERWHELMING. Butterfly pavilions are not my favorite!
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid?
I was Snow White for 3 years, half ruff and all.
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care?
Hair care. To be honest, my skin care is really all $20 all under. LOL.
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?
I’d like the beach with a mountain backdrop please. In other words, I really prefer both.
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK).
Give my dog a kiss good night. Seriously, she does! I feel weird when I can’t give her kisses.
9. With or without hot sauce?
No hot sauce. I hate hot sauce.
Happy 700th episode of the Monday Poll! It feels so weird to say that!
1. Strawberry or banana? Strawberries fresh from the field and still warm from the sun. When we go strawberry picking, we always take a bottle of water so we can gently rinse the berries before savoring their juiciness.
2. Are you a twin? No
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday? Turkey. There is something about that country that resonates strongly with me.
4. Do bugs freak you out? Nah. I live in a semi rural area so I’m pretty calm when it comes to bugs. My husband, on the other hand, freaks out.
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid? A couple of times I went as a scuba diver.
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care? Expensive skincare.
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? I’ve always lived along the coast and feel the most at home in that kind of climate, but I also love the mountains. I’d be hard pressed to pick one place over the other–love them both.
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK). The very last thing I do before lights out is perform Isha. It fills me with peace.
9. With or without hot sauce? I love a good hot sauce, but not if it obliterates the rest of the flavors.
1. Strawberry or banana?
Oh man. It’s easier to get bananas year-round but strawberries are my favorite. Strawberry, I guess.
2. Are you a twin?
No, though I had a really good friend and we called ourselves twins (we looked nothing alike). She passed away last year.
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday?
St. Malo! I only spent one evening there, it’s beautiful.
4. Do bugs freak you out?
A lot of them, but to be fair I’m freaked out about almost anything that flies.
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid?
A banana! My grandma was a seamstress, we had some cool costumes.
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care?
Skin!
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?
Oh man, gingers aren’t great in the sun but the mountains are so damn dry… Beach.
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK).
Put in my bite guard!
9. With or without hot sauce?
Without! I’m a baby with anything spicy.
1. Strawberry or banana? Strawberry
2. Are you a twin? No – as my family would say, one of me is more than enough
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday? France – my dad took me when I was 12 and I want to go back with my husband. Waiting until Notre Dame reopens
4. Do bugs freak you out? Not a fan but the big crickets we get in our house are freaky! One jumped on my in the shower and I wouldn’t go in there until my husband would check it for months! My exterminator gets plenty of business from me
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid? I was Bugs Bunny – complete with the plastic mask that you could barely breathe through
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care? Skin care
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? Mountains
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK). Feed my husband melatonin 😂
9. With or without hot sauce? Without – I like heat but with spices more than a sauce
1. Strawberry or banana? Strawberry-I’ve always thought bananas were too bland and mushy.
2. Are you a twin? No-I’m an only child.
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday? Chicago. I went as a kid and would love to have an adult experience and see things that weren’t there then, like the Bean! As a Disnerd, I’d also love to go back to Walt Disney World and have the “Disney adult” experience!
4. Do bugs freak you out? Some-bees and all related bugs because I got stung as a kid, mosquitos because they always bite me, and any that dive-bomb my face!
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid? During the 1995-98 period, I dressed as the Disney heroine of the year 3 years out of 4-Pocahontas in ’95, Esmeralda in ’96, and Mulan in ’98. I wanted to do it all 4 years, but Megara from Hercules was so popular in ’97 that all the Meg costumes were sold out. However, I had a more unique related experience that year-I went to WDW that summer and got invited onto the Hercules parade float by Meg!
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care? Expensive hair care. Neutrogena and L’Oreal skincare products work really well for me.
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? The beach, as long as I have the supplies you listed-I like my creature comforts!
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK). Take my birth control pill-my hormones go haywire if I don’t.
9. With or without hot sauce? I don’t like hot sauce, but I love Popeyes, so if they ever sold their seasoning blend separately I’d probably buy it and put it on ALL THE MEATS.
1. Strawberry or banana?
Strawberry.
2. Are you a twin?
Sadly, no.
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday?
Brideshead (sorry, couldn’t resist the joke).
4. Do bugs freak you out?
Depends on what bug and where it is.
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid?
Baseball player. This involved carrying my brother’s baseball mitt, and, oddly, sporting enhanced freckles.
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care?
Expensive hair care. If the skin care is overly expensive, I find myself saving it rather than using it.
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?
The beach, but the mountains will do.
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK).
Tell myself I should’ve gone to bed earlier!
9. With or without hot sauce?
Without. Acid reflux is a complete drag.
1. Strawberry or banana? Banana. I’ve never really liked strawberries.
2. Are you a twin? No, but I’ve envied them my whole life. Having an identical twin would mean there’s always someone who understands you.
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday? California.
4. Do bugs freak you out? Not too much. I can tolerate spiders much more than most people. My early childhood was in a rural area, so I spent a lot of time looking at the native creatures (mostly benign) whenever I was outside. It makes my day whenever I get to see a monarch butterfly (not often at all, lately).
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid? They had no imagination when I was a kid, for girls’ costumes. I always had the generic “princess” costume – very cheaply made, with a hard-shell type face mask.
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care?
Skin care. Expensive hair care is almost entirely a scam (but so is a lot of expensive skin care).
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? Probably the beach, though I love a mountain backdrop, like we had where I lived in the desert.
8. Every night before I go to bed I (FILL IN THE BLANK). Try to get in some quiet time to myself. I’m not only a cancer patient who still has a job, I am a caregiver to my elderly mother, so I don’t get that much time that is truly my own.
9. With or without hot sauce? Without. I’ve never liked it, and now that I’ve had chemotherapy, my mouth is even more sensitive to the burn it creates. I’ll never really understand the “macho” nonsense about hot sauce.
Hi CL,
The Monarchs are simply gorgeous and always make me smile. Some years they’ll swoop through our area during their annual migration. For 2-3 days, they’re all over the place. It’s glorious! I wish you many more Monarch sightings and peaceful times to enjoy their beauty.
1. Strawberry or banana? Strawberry.
2. Are you a twin? No, unless I was at Costco and they were handing out samples of Cheesecake where I’d say “I’m shopping with my twin, she may be by to get some of this too.”
3. A place you’d like to revisit someday? Beaches of Northern Ireland
4. Do bugs freak you out? Yes. I was based as a pilot in a desert city and found a Tarantula in my bed one night. I slept on the couch for a month.
5. A Halloween costume you wore when you were a kid? Black Cat outfit.
6. What would you rather splurge on — expensive skin care or expensive hair care? Expensive skincare.
7. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? Beach, it’s flatter for walking and no bears.
8. Every night before I go to bed I drink a cup of hot herb tea and spray my pillow with lavender spray.
9. With or without hot sauce? Without.