Saturday Nine: Harper Valley PTA (1968)

This week's Saturday Nine:

1. This week's featured artist uses her middle initial (C. for Carolyn) all the time. Do you use your middle initial very often? I actually don't have a middle name!
   
   
2. In this song, a mother tells off the local PTA. What's the most recent school event you attended, whether as a parent, a teacher or a student? Graduation from make-up school, September 2010. Technically, my ten-year high school reunion was last year, but I refused to go.
   
   
3. The lyrics reference the mom's miniskirts, which were trendy in the 1960s. The website Popsugar reports that gingham checks are trendy for 2015. Tell us about the most recent addition to your wardrobe. When it comes down to it, I actually don't spend a lot of money on my wardrobe. I sort of rotate between a lot of black staple pieces. Honestly, I think the last clothing items I bought were in NYC in February. So... black Leggings Pants from Uniqlo?
   
   
4. Thinking of moms, Access Hollywood named Carol Brady of The Brady Bunch TV's #1 mom. Who is your favourite TV mom? Lorelai Gilmore (from Gilmore Girls), hands down. I somehow want to be her and be her daughter at the same time.
   
   
5. Mother Winters always gave Sam peppermint tea to calm her stomach. Do you have any tried-and-true home remedies to share? Hot water with honey and lemon for sore throats; echinacea for colds; flat ginger ale and soda crackers for upset stomach; White Flower Oil for headaches, stomach aches, and nausea.
   
   
6. Sam's mother always tips 15% in restaurants. Sam has worked in food service and is more judgmental, tipping between 10% and 25%, depending on the quality of the service. What's your tipping policy? Are you more like Sam or her mother? More like Sam. At restaurants that are about efficiency and food/drink (e.g. Chinese restaurants, bubble tea places) rather than actual service, I tip 10% (these types of places generally have multiple servers helping all tables, and they share the house tips). At restaurants that are about the whole dining experience, I tip anywhere from 15 - 20% depending on how good (e.g. efficient, polite, attentive, helpful, informative, etc.) the service is.
   
   
7. When the tip of her shoelace becomes frayed, Sam's mother snips off the end and then paints the tip with clear nail polish. Good as new! Sam thinks that's crazy because you can just buy new laces for less than $2. Are you more frugal like mother or spendthrift like daughter? Depends on the situation and how much I care. But as you can tell from my haul posts, I'm more of a spendthrift. If something's broken or torn, I'm far too lazy to actually repair it myself and I just use it as an excuse to buy something new.
   
   
8. Mother Winters loves how french vanilla smells and burns her Yankee Candles all year around. Do you use scented candles or air fresheners? In my house, candles. In my car, air fresheners.
   
   
9. Sam is celebrating Mother's Day with her mother's favorite, Hershey Bars. Would you prefer classic milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or chocolate with almonds? I'm not a big chocolate person, but when it really comes down to it, chocolate with almonds. Can't resist the chocolate + nut combo. If it's chocolate on its own, then I usually opt for dark.