A Blog Award of Substance

Judy over at What I Live For, gave me this award earlier this week.  And it just made my day. 

The recipient, after thanking the giver (check) is supposed to sum up her blog philosophy in 5 words.  Hmmmm.  Ok, my blog in 5 words is:

A "For My Family - Sanity Saving" Blog.

Then I'm supposed to tag 10 people and I would, I really, really would.  But.  Butbutbutbutbut.  It's late, I'm tired. 

So I'll give it to you - do you think you have a blog of substance?  If so, why?  I do think mine is of substance.  I think it's grown over the year into having way more than it did at the beginning.  I'm ready for it -to have even more substance.  Hint - check back Sunday for what I mean - it's my 1 year blogging anniversary. 

Friday - Follow - For - Fun and . . . AWARDS!

I've decided to do Friday Follow again this week - I found some great blogs last week and would love to spend another week "browsing!" 

If you are new here (from there) - welcome!  Happy to have you and I would love to meet you too.  Just leave a comment.  Some day soon my posts will be meatier, but summer time is about not enough time to blog apparently! 

And Hippie Mommie gave me two awards on Wednesday.  I just love her!  And not just because of the awards either!  She bubbles with enthusiasm and it's contagious.  If you want to feel more cheery - spend a few minutes on her site!

Rules are to say 3 things I love about myself and pass them on.  I'm a bad, bad, bad, girl.  I'm not passing them on.  Not because there aren't totally deserving peeps out there, but because of time - summer time that is.  Which means NO TIME.  Sigh. 

What 3 things do I love about myself?  Wow, tough.  Hard to shine the compliment spotlight on yourself, isn't it?  Makes you feel a little braggy?

Here goes:

1. 
   
   I love that my children make me cry over my love for them.  I wouldn't have it any other way.
2. 
   
   I love my sense of humor.  Some people don't get it, but that's the POINT.  It's not for simpletons - it's wit and wit requires a little je ne sais quoi in the cerebellum.  At least that's what I tell myself when people don't laugh. 
3. 
   
   I love that I'm comfortable being alone - or just with our family.  So many people I look around and see people who MUST be with other people at all times.  I am ok with solititude. 

happy weekend.

Rockin' Awards Day!

I am long overdue to thank people for the lovely, lovely, lovely blog awards I've received over the last two weeks.

First, my most humble apologies for not writing about this sooner.  Last week I got a little caught up in the revelry of life.

Second, many thanks to the following bloggers for the following awards:

b sparkly for the

"You're going places" Award.  Why, thank you, b Sparkly!  I think you're going places too, baby!

Midwestern Mama for the "Sunshine Award"

From one midwesterner to another, thank YOU!  Here's to a spring FULL of Sunshine, right?

Zen Mama for the beautiful blogger award.

No, no, Zen Mama, YOU are the beautiful blogger.  Truly.  I love your posts.  :)

                  

And I think there was one called "kewl blog?" But for the life of me, I can't find it.  If anyone knows what I'm talking about and wants to tell me so I can properly thank the sender, please do!

Now, enter the heavy breathing, drum rolls, breathless anticipation, or whatever else you need to do to feel suspenseful, but here are my recipients of these lovely, lovely, lovely awards.

 goes to Dalia at Generation X Mom.  Anybody who can make me lie awake nights worrying about the things she shares has definitely gotten my attention and is definitely going places.  :)  Congrats, Dalia!

 is going to the lovely 504 Main.  Holly always injects positive good humor into her blog and I always leave feeling better about myself through what she's written.  Congratulations, Holly!

 goes to Hippie Mommy.  Sarah has a spirited, wonderful, son and her posts remind me of a place I lived in about 4 years ago (emotionally, that is).  She uses heartfelt emotion to work through her days and therefore wins Beautiful Blogger.  Congratulations, Hippie Mommy!

Alas, I am now all caught up on my awards.  Until next time's ceremony, have a beautiful, sunshiney day going to all the places you go today!

If you received an award, I have violated many rules in the giving.  So I guess I'll make up my own rules to pass them along - just give them to someone you like and admire on the web!

And finally, if you haven't read enough from me today - go check out my post at Sited and Blogged - I tell you how I really feel about Blogging Awards . . .

Blog Awards Give Me the Warm Fuzzies

Look at all the bling from last week!  I actually couldn't keep up with it and saved it all up for one special thank you today (sumthin' about sick kids, snow days and holidays turning last week into a spontaneous mid-winter "break" - for the kids - but I'm so over it, really!).  Truly, I am thankful for all of this blog love - you know how to make a girl's week bright!

Also, WELCOME new followers!  So happy to have you.  I hope you enjoy what you read and I hope you give me feedback, which is always a gift.

So without further ado, I would like to thank my family, for entertaining themselves while I type feverishly on the computer, Sidney for planting the seed to do this to begin with, Blogger for annoying me with your limitations now that I "get it" more, Rabbit for my hot design, Hal for paving the way to a new, better, I own it myself blog if I could just pull the trigger on what I want to name it, Old Man Winter for finally giving a girl a break from his wrath, and the following lovely award presenters:

Beautiful Blogger from Autumn and Alicia (who both have beautiful blogs themselves - don't miss out on them!).  I'm supposed to tell you 7 things about me:

1. I think buying new shoes is cruel and unusual punishment.
2. I learned how to fill my own gas tank before my mother did.
3. I owned a horse (Arabian mix) for 5 years as a child.
4. My 20th high school reunion was last summer.
5. My lips love cake, cookies and ice cream.  My thighs do not.
6. I like root canals more than exercise.
7. I love being awake at 6am, but would never, ever do it if That Puppy  weren't waking me up every day.  

Next:

The You're going places, baby Award from  Miss Angie - because, according to the award giver, the things I blog about will be talked about in 10 years.  Why, thank you Miss Angie!  How flattering!  My assignment - answer "where do I want to be in 10 years?"

Hmmm,  I'll be on the verge of 50, with a Senior in High School and a 7th grader.  Literally, I hope to be getting ready to take the mac Daddy of all Spring Break vacations ever, as it might be our last full family one.  Sniff, sob.  Professionally, I would like to no longer be a volunteer and be bringin' home some bacon myself, preferably through writing and not hog butchering (get it?).  Personally?  Still happily married, sleeping past 6am (finally) and never having run a marathon (b/c I know my limitations).

Next:

One Lovely Blog - from A Mom After God's Own Heart - this one is for newly discovered blogs - and thank YOU for discovering me!  I'm happy I discovered YOU!

Next:

Sunshine Award - from a Short Southern Momma - - seriously, I love that name and I love her blog!  True southern charm.

And last, but not least, Kevin, for putting me in his Favorite Link Friday post - TWO WEEKS RUNNING.  He has a great blog worth the follow.

Thanks all!  I am honored, humbled and thankful to each of you.  I'm also supposed to give awards out myself, but alas, I have to punt this morning.  I think I would be giving out close to 30 if I did them all and I just don't have that in me.  BUT, for those of you who gave them to me, you ROCK IT and if you're a new follower and want one of these shinies, by all means - take it and say you got if from me!  Let's spread the love around.

Peace out.

25 never before known facts . . .

About yours truly.

Miss Angie, at My So Called Chaos, tagged me to write 25 things about my life - sometime last week.  Thanks, Angie!  After much debate and agonizing over what 25 fun facts and trivia made the cut, I present to you, "25 reasons to think SHAZAM! - ain't that nifty!"  Enjoy.

1. I am a Montessori kid.  As are my kids.  
2. I took 7 years of French in HS and college, only to travel to Paris and get mocked over my midwestern United States accent attempting French.  Mocked, I say.  Like answering me in English with a French accented TWANG, for gosh-sakes!
3. If I went back to school, I'd major in psychology.  It's what I've used most over the years - the dimestore variety, that is.
4. I've been married 12 years this May.  We've been together 16 years this July.  We had our first kiss at a 9 hole party - ever heard of those?  Let's just say it's a shock we even remembered the kiss.  On a curb outside one of the party houses.  I'll teach a Romance 101 class to anyone who needs one, btw.  
5. I ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain when I was 22 years old.  I swore I was coming back again and now 17 years later I know it's not going to happen.  Unless my kids want to do it and I go with them because there ain't no way on God's green earth they're doing that alone.  Like Mommy did.  
6. I did my Senior thesis on Earnest Hemingway - do you know the connection b/w #5 and #6?
7. Going to law school taught me many skills.  Love of debate was not one of them.  I used to throw up behind the courtroom on trial days.  Love of compromise was one of the skills I learned and love.  There's very little in life that CAN'T be a compromise.    
8. I love grocery shopping.  L-O-V-E.  If I had time to go 3x/week, I would be even happier.  THAT would be the key to My Happiness Project.
9. I might be the worst laundry doer ever.  Seriously.  Ask my Husband.  
10. I am organized, almost to being OCD, with schedules and keeping our family running smoothly.
11. I let junk build up on counters and keep a really dirty car - the dichotomy between #10 and #11 must mean something - maybe I need to go to therapy to find out.  Or maybe I just need to LEARN TO CLEAN UP.  
12. A life goal was to have my first child at 30.  Oldest was born 5 weeks before I turned 31.  I like meeting goals, even stretch ones.  ;)  
13. I had an Arabian horse for 5 years.  Her name was Bambi Queen.  
14. Husband and I are completely over-the-top about our love of Our Lady Peace.  We've seen them 9 (Me) and 11 (H) times.  It's our THING.  You know, something that ties you together as a couple like nothing else?  Our love of that band.  They have been "with" us on many occasions - singing Somewhere Out There endlessly to Oldest when she wouldn't stop crying as a baby, things like that.  We met them this summer.  I cried.  
15. Speaking of being a fan, I've seen the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar 7 times.     
16. I am the youngest of 6 children and an only child.  Impossible?  Nope.  Think Brady Bunch.
17. I skydived when I was 20 years old.  
18. Last Spring, I read all 4 Twilight books in 2 weeks, proving that young children really can raise themselves if given the opportunity.
19. Some people splurge on shoes - I splurge on books.  It's a sickness.
20. I flunked the first semester of contracts in law school and still pulled a 3.0.  Had I not flunked that class I would have never had to earn extra credits that summer.  Therefore I would have never met Husband.
21. Every time I think about my children growing up and leaving me, I cry.  I've heard the teenage years will change that for me.  
22. One of my "bucket list" items is to travel start to finish on Route 66.
23. My nickname in college was Dixie.  I'm guessing only 25% of the people who knew me had any idea it wasn't my real name.
24. My children have been listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks so much lately I find myself singing the songs when I'm puttering around.  Help me.
25. I was a much better parent and had all the answers to other parent's kid problems before I had kids.  Having kids sucked that sanctimonious knowledge right out of me.  Now?  I just limp along like the rest of us, seeking wisdom from those who have done this before.  Thanks to everyone for that. 

Because I am feverishly finishing my book du jour (Water for Elephants - get it) and watching the BIG SHOCKER on the Bachelor at the time of this draft, I'm punting on tagging 25 people.  

I'll just ask YOU to share something nifty about your own life in a comment.  If I get 25 comments, maybe I'll post them, WITH tags, so people can come and check out your interesting blog based on your interesting fact!  

Let the over-sharing begin . . .

Happy Tuesday!  Today is even more snow for the great state of Ohio - 10 more inches.  Really?  We'll see.  

Who Received the Sunshine Award?

You can STILL be the 100th follower and get your button on my sidebar for the month.  Hurry and do it today, before tomorrow's marathon Friday Follow!  As a matter of fact, some people on this very list today could be the lucky month long winners.  Go for it!

Michelle at Flying Giggles and Lollipops gave me this award a few days ago!  So nice!  Thank you.  Check out Michelle's lovely blog so see why getting this award from her is such a nice compliment!

In the tradition of this award, here are the rules I must oblige by in order to pass it on:

- Put the logo on your blog or within your post.  Check.
- Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.  Check.
- Link the nominees within your post.  Check.
- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.  Check.
- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.  Check.


My 12 nominees of the Sunshine award are:


Jen - Laughing at Chaos - she needs a little sunshine and has been a follower and supporter from the beginning
Becca - Becca's Backyard - Becca told this girl about Friday Follow - thank you
Gayle at Gramme's Blog - she is so nice!  If my parents did a blog, this would be them
Diane at Created by Diane - suh-weet is an understatement on this blog
Sonia at Adventures of Sonia - my sorority sister
Alix at Casa Hice - because I love her
Cate at Show my Face - because I love her 6 word Saturday
Kat at 3 bedroom bungalow to let in crazytown - because I love her Dear So and So
Hal at Weblog Redux - because his dry wit is hilarious and he gives great advice
Autumn at Living Out Loud - because she's a great commenter 
 The Professional Family Manager - because I'm a sucker for anyone who promotes the JOB aspect of parenting and running a home.  
Kiesha at Highly Favored - because we just discovered each other
Miss Angie at My So Called Chaos - she gives great comments and is a relatively new blogger like me!


Wow.  Doing this - the backlinking and commenting?  Took a loooooonnnnnnng time.  Enjoy these blogs - they are worth the gander!  Plus, some of the people I thought about already had this award.  If you have it already (or if I know you do) then I didn't give it to you again.  


Spreadin' the love . . .