Enter into the Barbiezone
I’m going to start doing about me tags for the next 5-10 posts… with work, and Tiler’s schooling, I’m bored so enjoy.
What is your full name? Barbara Nelson-Cravens
What is your middle name? Jean
What is your nickname? I go by many things. Barb, Barbie, Mommy, Mother, Marvin, Aunt Snackie, and very few can call me Barbara Jean.
Where are you from? If you are asking where my hometown is Bradford, if its where I’m currently located, My ass is on a couch in Kewanee, IL
Where did you grow up? Bradford
Where did you go to school? Bradford kindergarten-9th grade, Stark 10th-12th grade
Which is your favorite beverage? Dr.Pepper, Water, Seeq, or Isopure Fruit Punch
What is your favorite color? Yellow, Purple, Black, and Mint Green
Which is your favorite ice cream flavor? Homestyle Vanilla, or Sweet Cream
How do you like spending your birthday? It depends, my daughter was born 3 days before my birthday
Which is your most memorable vacation so far? 2011’s trip to Missouri, a week after I arrived home the Joplin tornado hit. I was so scared for my family down there, texting everyone I could think of, just to make sure they were safe
Which is your favorite food? Authentic Mexican, Pizza,
Which is your favorite drink? Dr Pepper
Which type of music do you like? I was raised on the 70s and country music. Now, I listen to anything, but I love Paramore, Piercing the Veil, Motionless in White, and Trivium.
Which is your favorite hairstyle? I dont have a preference
What makeup item do you always carry? Lip Gloss, eyeliner, and mascara
Have you ever attended a live concert? My first concert was Nickelback in 2006, Finger Eleven at the Heart of Illinois Fair in 2007, and I will be attending an Alabama at the end of this summer.
Which is your spirit animal? I am a mentally exhausted penguin
Which sports team/player is your favorite? George Kittle, San Francisco 49er, and Erick Fedde St Louis Cardinals
Are you a tea person or a coffee drinker? I prefer Dr. Pepper, but I like coffee.
Which apps do you always have on your phone? Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Spotify
Which piece of clothing can we always find on you? My Beanie which I am forever losing
What is the meaning of your name? I am named after both of my grandmothers. Barbara after my maternal grandma, and Jean after my paternal grandmother Phyllis Jean.
Who gave you your name? My Mother
After what/whom are you named? Again, after my grandmothers
Who were your childhood idols? John Ritter, My cousin.
What are your hobbies? Walking, Horror Movies, Writing, and listening to music
What do you like about yourself? I am loyal.
Who was your favorite teacher in school? Mrs. McCune, Mrs.Bulthaus, Mrs Nolan.
Which of your parents do you resemble? I look like my dad
When was the last time you cried? Watching a video on tiktok last week
How did you perform in school? I did ok once I got to Stark County
Did you enjoy school? Once I got to Stark County I loved school
Do you have a school memory? During my Junior year, I tripped getting off the school bus, I did a complete flip, landed, and broke my ankle
What is your education? CNA certified, and some Gen Ed classes
Who has left a strong impression on you? How strong my daughter is for everything she went through in Stark County
Who is the first person you call whenever something happens in your life? It used to be my mom, but now it’s one of my best friends.
What inspires you? My daughter.
Is there someone you cannot live without? The supportive people in my life
Do you appreciate blunt people or people who choose their words carefully? I want people to be honest.
What qualities do you want in a friend? Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty
Do you make friends easily, or does it take time? I used to make friends easily, but now I keep a distance until I know I’m not gonna get stepped on.
What is one thing you want more people to know about you? I’m weird, but I am loyal.
What are your life goals? Make it to my 50th wedding anniversary
Who did you go to prom with? My Husband
How long did your longest relationship last? The one I’m in now. 23 years
What are the qualities a best friend should possess? Honesty, Loyalty
If you could advise your 10-year-old self, what would you say? Stay strong, things get better.
Do you have a 3 am friend? Yes, and I am a 3 am friend
Do you believe in karma? Sure do
Have you met any celebrities in real life? Ashley Massaro
Have you seen a live play? Babes in Toyland
Have you ever had a supernatural experience? Yes
What is your proudest moment/achievement? Getting my driver’s License (if you know you know.), and having my daughter.
Why do you consider yourself lucky? Depends on what you consider Lucky
How many pairs of shoes do you own? Lost count, I think I own over 20 pairs of shoes, 4 pairs of sandals, and 2 pairs of motorcycle books.
What did you want to be when you were a kid? A Nurse
Which was your favorite class in school? Science, Social Studies, and English
Which is your current favorite song? Demon in your dreams
Which is your all-time favorite song? Cheap Seats
Which is your favorite movie? Pet Sematary, Friday the 13th, Fight in the Family.
Which is your favorite book? Hell in Boots, The Veil, Friends, Lover, and the big Terrible thing.
Who is your favorite actor? Matthew Perry, Skeet Ulrich, and John Ritter.
What do you prefer: PC or Mac?PC
Which phone do you have? Iphone
If you could choose to be one character, who would you be? Not sure
Do you assess yourself as a good cook? Yes
What is the one dish you can make best? Swedish Meatballs
Are you a bathroom singer? No
Who is your favorite YouTuber? Scarlet and Shotzi
If you decided to get inked, where would you get a tattoo? I have 7 tattoos.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be? invisibility
If Aladdin’s genie appeared before you, what three things would you wish for? My biggest dream. (I’m not saying what it is, but if you know you know.)
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? California
If you could learn a new skill, what would it be? Piano
If you had a time machine, would you travel to the past or the future? Past
If you could visit any planet besides Earth, which one would you choose and why? I would stay on earth
What are your parents’ occupations? My dad worked at Caterpillar, and my mom was a homemaker
Which of your parents do you resemble? I look like my dad
Do you have any siblings? I have one biological older brother.
What did your grandparents do for a living? Both of my grandfathers worked for Caterpillar, my maternal grandmother worked as an LPN, and my paternal grandmother worked for her church.
Where do your grandparents live? My maternal grandparents lived in Bradford, and my paternal grandparents lived on a farm in Manito IL.
Do you have children? I have one daughter.
What are the names of (or what would you name) your children? My 13-year-old is Tiler Melinda-Sue Cravens.
Do you have pets? I have a 5 lbs rat dog. (Chihuahua)
What are the names of your pets? Sugar Rae
How many languages do you speak? English, Ubbidubbi, and some Afrikaans
What is your first language? English
Have you ever been out of your country? No
Who is the most crucial person in your life? My Dad.
Do you have any bad habits? I bite my fingernails.
Do you have any allergies? Too many to name
Do you have a garden? Not currently because it’s early spring
Do you have a tattoo? I have 7. working on getting more
Who is your best friend? Trina, Jessie, Janet, Brandi, Cathy, and if you want to count him, Jason.
Did you go to college? Yes
How dangerous or safe was your childhood? Safe
How tall are you? 5ft
How many countries have you traveled to? haven’t
Did any of your grandparents or family members fight in the World Wars? My Maternal grandfather fought in World War 2
Which of your parents are you more attached to? I am attached to both of them. My mom has been gone for almost 6 years, but we had a very close bond.
Are you religious? Not anymore
What is your best physical feature? No clue
What is your best trait? Loyalty
What is the most important thing in life for you? Watching my daughter grow up, graduate high school, go to college, and get married.
What is your eye color? Blue
Do you evaluate yourself as sarcastic? Oh yea
Do you avoid conflict or face it? It depends on what the conflict is
Do you get angry quickly? I use to
Do you prefer hanging out with many friends or a small group? Small group, the smaller the better.
When do you go to bed? 10:00 only because I have an internal alarm clock that gets me up at 5:30 every morning
What makes you angry? Don’t spit out shit if you don’t know the true story, and Do not come at my dad, my brother, my kids, my friends. I will box you in a quick second.
What is your pet peeve? I can’t stand someone chewing with their mouth open, or smacking their lips. When my little guys won’t pee in toilet toilet and pee on the seat and don’t clean it up.
Are you always on time or always late? I am usually early
Are you a morning person or a night owl? I am a morning person
Are you an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert? I am an introvert
Can you always speak the truth, or can you lie easily? I am honest
How would you describe yourself in three words? Friendly, Kind, and weird
What is the first thing on your bucket list? Seeing the 9-11 memorial
If you won the lottery, what would you do? Paying off my student loans, buying myself a brand new car, bought myself a house, and make sure my dad and in laws were secure.
What is your morning routine? My internal alarm goes off at 5:30, I get up use the bathroom, brush my teeth, make tilers lunch if she needs it, and fill our water bottles with ice water. 6:00 wake the child up, make her breakfast, get her backpack ready, 6:50 walking out the door to either catch the bus or take her to the jr high school.
What is your nightly routine? On a work night. Get home at a little after 9, wash my face, brush my teeth, make sure Tiler has everything she needs for the next morning, take my meds, turn on a horror movie, and I’m asleep by 10:00.
What exercise do you never miss? Morning walks
Do you have a bad habit you want to change? Nope
Do you prefer cooking or baking? both
Do you prefer a bath or a shower? Depends on my mood
Do you have a comfort toy? My Bayley doll, waiting on my talking Bayley to get here.
Do you like playing board games? Yes
Do you like DIY or craft projects? Yes, just put together a bookshelf and a rolly cart for my boss last night.
What do you like most about the Christmas holidays? Christmas is hard for me now, but we started the new tradition of staying with my in-laws on Christmas Eve after Dad’s Christmas.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? San Jose California. (If you know you know.)
Do you prefer the beach or the mountains? Beach
Do you prefer watching a series or playing video games? It depends on my mood.
What is your idea of comfortable attire? Jogging pants, a tank top, and my running shoes
Are you afraid of the dark? Nope, it has to be pitch dark for me to sleep properly.
Are you a miser or a spendthrift? I’m careful
Are you short-tempered? I used to be
Do you think people take advantage of you frequently? It’s not thinking, it’s true because I am a pushover and let people walk all over me. Give me a break it is something I’m working on
When faced with difficulties, do you assume leadership? No, I’m a follower
What do you think is a boring activity? My husband watches car movies or TV shows
Would you rather explore space or go underwater? Neither scared of both.
If you were given a choice of living in the Sahara desert or Antarctica, which would you choose? Antarctica
When you say a word, do you visualize it in your head? yes
How do you react when someone flirts with you? I walk away
What is the strangest thing you have ever seen? In 2018 my mom, niece, daughter, and I were in the Goodwill parking lot and we heard a baby crying. A mother left her 4-year-old in her van to watch his infant sibling. (Yes Cops were called immediately.)
What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten? Scramble eggs and cream corn. (puke)
What is your most embarrassing moment? Bus incident in high school
Who is your celebrity crush? Hehehe You’ll never know
What is your star sign? Cancer
161. Are you a dog person or a cat person? I am a dog person
Where is the furthest you have been from home? New York
What is your favorite childhood memory? Having the best supportive parents in the world.
How many girlfriends/boyfriends have you had? Excuse me a little personal.
What was your favorite TV show when you were a child? Full House, Family Matters, Friends, ER, Melrose Place, Simpsons, Boy Meets World, Murder She Wrote.
What was your first job? Ice cream shop cashier
How do you analyze your life right now? Going pretty solid
Did your classmates have a funny name for you at school? Not that I know of
Do you like karaoke? I’ve sung karaoke, but don’t care for it.
What is one weird talent you have? I can’t do it anymore, but I used to be able to make my toes twitch.
What is the most useless piece of trivia you know? Women hiccup less than men.
If you were on a deserted island, what three things would you want with you? My phone, a fishing pole, and a knife
Have you ever been addicted to anything? Not answering this one. (For those who know know.)
What nightmare do you frequently get? Something happened to my daughter, wrecking my car dying, and losing my mom.
What is the one joke that never fails to make you laugh? Not a joke, but if you know you know. “Bye Dom, hope you find your balls.”
Are you always hot or always cold? I am forever hot.
Which was the last time you laughed until you cried? Anytime Trina and I are together.
Do you have a catchphrase? Bye, Dom hope you find your balls or Holy Buzz Kill.
What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend? I love spending the weekend in the country with my in-laws.
If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be? Basketball, piano, drawing.
What’s one thing you’re proud of that not many people know about? I was 31 when I became a driver something even my mother never saw me doing because of my fear.
What’s your idea of a perfect day? My days off.
If you could live in any period, past or future, which would you choose? The past, Late 90’s early 2000’s
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done? Went on the sky coaster at Six Flags during my senior trip
What’s the most unusual food you’ve ever tried and liked? Calamari
What’s your go-to comfort food? Mac and Cheese, my mother-in-law’s lasagna, my dad’s chicken and noodles.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? When you get paid, pay yourself, put that away in savings, then pay your bills. But always pay yourself first.
If you could only watch one TV show for the rest of your life, what would it be? I’m not really into TV programs, I’m more into wrestling and movies.
What fictional character do you most relate to? Eeyore cause I have depressive moments, but gets me in a mood and I turn into Mutley with the famous laugh.
What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to learn but never did? Piano
If you could be famous for one thing, what would it be? My writing
What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever visited? Hammond Springs
Do you believe in the idea of fate or do you think we control our destiny? I believe in Fate
What’s your go-to method for de-stressing? My music, cuddling with my daughter, reading a book.
What’s one goal you’re currently working towards? Losing and maintaining my weight
If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be? John F Kennedy
What’s the most challenging thing you’ve ever had to overcome? My bowel obstruction.