Enquiring Minds - Meme Week 28 PLUS Comment Giveaway + Winner

Thanks for sharing last week about cookbooks, appliances and take out food. The microwave got the most entries for most used appliances. Llehn uses the blender and that made me remember the days when DH would make us wonderful fruit smoothies!! Yum.  A couple of people eat take out about 3 times a week but the rest of us are less than that so most of us seem to eat more home cooked, or at least cooked at home, meals.

The Winner from Enquiring Minds Week #27 is: Dollycas! Dollycas please pick a book from the Love Books List for Giveaway or remainging Christmas Giveaway Books and let me know your choice, your address and a choice of bookmarks if desired. Or let me know what credit you want or book you want from Book Depository if international.

This meme is hosted by Dollycas Thoughts for Thursdays - which are hard for me to make.  The goal is to get to know our fellow bloggers and visitors better. Each week Dolly asks some questions for us to answer and then link up. I am late doing the post but I am trying to to participate as I would like to learn more about blogger and follower friends.

WEEK 28 QUESTIONS

1. Author Jessica Park commented this week on Facebook that "Naming characters takes me almost as long as it does to write the book." which led me to start thinking about names. Is there a story behind your first name?

My first name is Martha -  I have always known it meant "Lady  or mistress" but I do not have a story behind it.

I found this additional information which is interesting.

Additional info:
Martha is a name of Aramaic origin, meaning "lady, mistress".

She was a figure in the New Testament. According to the gospel of John, she was the sister of Lazarus and Mary, and she witnessed her brother's resurrection.
The image of the Biblical Martha is that of a hard-working housewife, and she became the patron saint of house-bound wives.  (Well that part sure does not fit me!!)

Having been out of vogue for several decades, in 2006 Martha broke into the top 100 names in the UK (number 99). Martha is the name of the Doctor's companion in the third series of the resurrected British sci-fi series Doctor Who, and as such may be poised for a revival in the UK. However, in 2005 Martha was rated at a much lower 509 in the US.

2. Do you think parents today give more thought to the names they give their children than our parents did?
I think parents today do think seriously and pull names from more than Biblical or historical names. We picked our son's name because of it's meaning: Matthew means "gift of God" and his middle name is my husband's favorite movie character, "Shane."  Our daughter we named after a flower, Heather, and after a beloved great Aunt (Rae) and her paternal grandfather (Ray) so that became her middle name spelled Raye. I think many parents are more creative and make up names.

3. What is the most unusual child's name you have noticed recently?

Actually I think my Granddaughter's name is pretty unusual: Jozalyn Bailey. I have no idea where my daughter got those names.
They have selected a couple of boy and girl names for the baby due in early May. They chose not to find out the sex of the baby.

(This isn't my Heather but sure could be!!)

Your turn to share - Is there a story behind your name? Do you think parents put more thought into naming their children? What is the most unusual child's name you have known recently?  

I did not find too many March or Irish books - I was going to add them but have made them part of the March Giveaway Hop packages instead. 

Meanwhile Enquire Comment Winners can choose a selection from  Valentine and "Love" books or the remaining Christmas Giveaway Books. 
Rules: a) Must be a follower; b) Share a comment on any (or all) of the three questions above.
Open internationally and an international winner may get a smaller book or a $5.00 GC if I decide the mailing is too much.
I will pick a Comment winner from all comments made by Friday, March 18 at 10PM central.