The one where I get some blog bling...

Haha! Say that three times fast- blog bling- I dare ya! So my author friend Scott Niven (who you should all be following) was nice enough to pass on not one, but two blog awards to me last week and I'm just now getting around to accepting them. Not because I don't appreciate them (I do!), but because its been one of those crazy busy weeks again.

Lu had another Dr. appt. Everything is still going super awesome. She's at 34 weeks- six more to go before baby Dylan makes his arrival. She's still super adorable, but she will cut you for a cupcake. True story. Do not get between her and what ever food she's currently craving. I would post a picture but I can't find the camera I took them with. So um, maybe Sunday.

Sean finished the field work for his Eagle Project and I helped him make his spreadsheet. Now there's just a lot of data entry to be done. But its getting closer to finished. He's off to work at Cub Resident Camp on weekends and Boy Scout Camp during the week. I'll be seeing him very sporadically. Bummer. I miss that kid when he's gone. He plays the "what if" game best when I'm working out story details. He also catches mistakes in my manuscripts. And he makes me laugh when I'm in a pissy mood. So watch out for that. And if I call one of you saying "what if this guy planned on killing his wife, but she turned the tables and killed the killer and then they both decided they liked killing so much that they became a serial killer team?" do not hang up on me.

I also had a bachelorette party to throw Wednesday night, thanks to my friend K and her incredible husband C, who baked homemade strawberry champagne cupcakes for the party, it went really well. Even if C did get slightly upset that we defiled his delicious cupcakes with penis sprinkles. Hey, it was a bachelorette party! Tonight is the rehearsal dinner for the wedding and tomorrow is the big event. Sunday I will probably have to hold the couch down. Don't want that couch getting up and walking away on us. I mean, its a crappy job, but someone has to do it. Might as well be me!! I'm sure I'll need the recovery period!

So here is my beautiful blog bling:

I don't think that there was any hoops to jump through to get either of these. But of course I want to pass them along! So the Sweet blog bling goes to: Peg of Square Peg in a Round Hole
Heather of Welch Happenings Blog
Suzicate of The Water Witch's Daughter
Angelia of Living, Loving, Laughing
And also to Danica at Plattitude Paradise because she's having a rough time right now and I want her to know I care.

And the stylish bling I am handing out to some of my author blogs I follow. Their blogs are decked out in scary stuff so beware the faint of heart. Personally, I think scary is stylish! So here you go:

Rebecca Treadway of RL. Treadway's Ink (she gave me a delightfully scary screensaver!)
Blaze of Blaze McRob's Tales of Horror (because who else's boss writes a horror story just for them?)
Lisa of Jezri's Nightmares because her blog is scary good.
Claudia Lefeve over at Blog- Claudia Lefeve because she's got style!
and to Carson Buckingham at Carson Buckingham because she's not only stylish, her blogs are funny as hell! Seriously, I always end up giggle-snorting.

And that is that for today. Hopefully Monday I will have an interview for you. Not an author this time, but a lady working to get her business off the ground. And she does fantastic work!

TGIF,
♥Spot

The one where people like me (doesn't everyone?)

So it's time for another awards session. Once again, I've been saving them up. And once again, I've totally forgotten where one of them came from. Yes, yes I am sadly lacking in organizational skills. This fact is evidenced by my desk. It was full of odd scraps of paper, purple post-it notes, and old mail that I had written a ton of notes on. And I'm sure to the average person it just looked like a mess. But there was order to my chaos, a method to my madness. I knew where all the notes I needed were. I planned on transcribing them into a notebook. But I knew them chronologically. Much like an archaeologist can tell what particular time period a dig site is by the layering of artifacts, I knew which phone call the notes came from by the way they were stacked. And then...Lu cleaned. And she gathered everything into a pile and set it to the side. Thus destroying my means of deciphering said notes. *sighs*

Really, that has nothing to do with these awards, but it does illustrate the fact that I am less than optimally organized. Which explains why I received one of these awards, but have no idea who bestowed it upon me or what the requirements for passing it on are. Blame my writer's brain. It's lost in my current novel, the new story I'm writing, and filing a new novel idea. So I'm not really all here. So without further ado~



This beautiful award was given to me months ago by Dorvader over at The Dork Side. Thank you sweetie! I enjoy her blog very much, because it's silly and real and the girl is talented at so many things!! She doesn't always get to blog regularly as the homework troll trips her up, but you should definitely check her our. The rules are that I have to list 6 things I'm a master at and then pass the prize to six other bloggers. Here goes:

1. I am a master of procrastination. For real. I can procrastinate with the best of them even if the task is something I really want to do! I'm not sure why I procrastinate so much, but I'm quite sure that the Internet is my master procrastination tool.

2. Cooking. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm an awesome cook. I refuse to be modest about it. I love to cook and I love to feed people. The best times are when our huge old table (seats 8 comfortably, 14 is a squeeze but can be done) is full of family and friends.

3. Snarkasm. I am a master of the snarkasm. Yes, I did just make up that word. Actually I made it up yesterday and I really like it. It's being snarky and sarcastic at the same time. You can be snarky without being sarcastic, and sarcastic without being snarky, but when you combine the two it's definitely snarkasm. Which lends itself to being snarkastic. I'm pretty sure it will catch on, much as "that stripper is off her pole!" has. I think that the Webster's people should start paying me for making up new words.

4. I am a master klutz. If there's a way to twist your ankle while walking along a perfectly clear flat surface, I will find it. I'm always covered in bruises that I don't know how I got. I frequently walk into walls, furniture and once or twice parked cars. If there's a way to injure yourself while doing something, I'll do it. I cannot cook without burning myself at least once per meal. Seriously, I'm a danger to myself and others.

5. Rescuing cats. In fact, we now have 8 cats residing with us. All but two were rescues. And those two were the babies of two of the rescues. Seriously, it's like there's a neon sign over my head that reads "Cats- need a home? Apply here". I cannot turn them down. Six of them are healthy, happy and loving living here. One hates all the others and is currently waiting on a transfer to a new home. Another is old and grumpy and doesn't really like anyone but Sean anymore. I caught him (grumpy cat, not Sean) stepping on one of the other cat's tails on purpose. He was verbally reprimanded.

6. Being a mom. Really, I feel I've done (am still doing) a good job here. Everyone is about to start college and they have plans and goals. None of them are drug addicts or alcoholics. People think they are mature, compassionate, contributing members of society so I must have done something right. Even though there were days I was positive I was ruining their lives and Lu was going to have eight kids with different fathers (one baby that only spoke spanish) and work in a gas station. I figured Sean would call me from prison on Mother's Day to tell me how it was all my fault. But it looks like I was just paranoid. Whew! That is a relief!!

Oh my...this is already a long post. I'm going to pass this off to six others real quick. And I'm giving it to these six because they never fail to comment my blog. So I guess it's kind of like an attendance award. The kid's friend Tyler ended up getting an award yesterday at graduation for perfect attendance all four years. He never missed a day of school. He was also the valedictorian. Fitting, huh?

1. Kenzie (my adopted little sister) over at The Unabridged Girl. She's a very talented writer, both of her blog and of fiction.

2. Suzicate of The Water Witch's Daughter. Suzi is a very talented memoirist and poet. Seriously, she rocks.

3. Jimmy of Jimmy's Opinion. He's a newer friend, but he never misses a blog or fails to comment. His blog is always honest and heartwarming.

4. Peg of Square Peg In A Round Hole. Peg also shares some amazing family stories. She & Suzi are sisters and the interplay between them is sweet.

5. Heather of Welch Happenings. Heather is one of the nicest people I know. And you never know what you'll find on her blog. Pictures, helpful blogger tidbits, things around the house, stories about her furbabies or the wonderful deals she's found.

6. Angelia of Living Loving Laughing. Her blogs are very often inspiring. Reminding us to be better people.

If you didn't get the award this time...relax!! I have four more of these to do. For real. And here's the one I can't remember... If you gave me this doozie, please speak up so you can get the credit and do tell what the rules are! Sorry to be such a brain frizzle!!



<---This one really suits me, no?

Thanks! Happy Monday y'all,
♥Spot

Did I say Lazy?? Whatev...

So I know that everyone is doing awards and blog bling on their 100th post, but you know me...I gotta roll different. So I'm doing some today on my 99th post. Because, well, because I can! But since I just did an award post earlier this month...I'll play the game but I'm not handing them out because I just did that. I will however point you in the direction of some talented people you should probably check out. But first a convo with Lulu from yesterday...

So I had planned to have a lazy weekend, but as everyone knows the best way to make the universe laugh is to make a plan. Lulu ended up sick on Saturday. She threw up all morning and slept all afternoon, with some mom cuddles in the middle. Luckily, she seemed fine the next day. And then, well, laundry was piled up, there was cooking to do and the boys wanted their taxes done. So I gave up and did housework. Lulu ended up taking my car to town yesterday as her's had a flat tire. She met some friends for lunch, saw a movie, hung out with another friend and then went to work to do inventory. Somewhere between leaving her friend's dorm and getting to work, she called me. I was carrying a load of laundry to the back of the house and the phone rang right as I passed by.

Me: Hello?

Lu: Why does it say "brake" on your dash?

Me: What?

Lu: Why is there a light that says "brake" on in the rpm thingy?

Me: Do you have the emergency brake on?

Lu: I don't know. Is it that pedal thing?

Me: Yes.

Lu: Oh. I may have hit it when I got in. How do I get it off? I tried pushing on it but it just keeps going down to the floor.

Me: Yes, you're just putting it on more.

Lu: Well how do I get it off??!

Me: There's a little thingy with a "P" on it on the left hand side by the steering wheel.

Lu: You mean...no. Oh. Right here. No. Um...here it is! But I pushed it and nothing happened.

Me: Because you're supposed to pull it!

Lu: oh! There we go! Thanks

I hung up shaking my head and explained to hubby. He said "I really worry about that girl. I'm not sure there's any hope for her." Does anyone remember that cartoon Dexter's Laboratory?? This is why we called her and Sean~ Dexter and Dee Dee.

So on to business...

First, I got tagged by Suzicate at The Water Witches Daughter. The rules are I have to tell you seven things about myself that you don't know. That's a toughie. I feel like you all have a pretty firm grasp on who I am. But here goes...

1. I hate Physics. Seriously. It was the only class in high school I actually studied for. And I still couldn't grasp it. I had to study with the class brain (who happened to be a good friend of mine and a brilliant girl) just to pull a C on the final exam. I worked so hard that the teacher (who was not known for her friendliness) put a smiley face on my exam. Seriously, for a C!

2. I can touch my nose with my tongue. Which is kind of gross but totally amazes small children.

3. I talk to strangers (whoa, what a surprise, huh?!). I always have. My parents hated this trait when I was small, but eventually gave up trying to make me quit. It sometimes frustrates my children as well. (Do you even know that person, Mom?? Well, I do now!) This is why I loved working at the bookstore. They paid me to talk to strangers about books, which I do for free anyway. Awesome, huh?

4. I love the snow and I want to move to Alaska someday. Or maybe somewhere else with mountains and lots of snow during the winter.

5. I'm really good at math. I can do complex problems in my head before my hubby can work them out on the calculator. I'm not especially fond of math, it's just a random ability. My dad has it. Sean has it. I can still beat Sean in speed, but probably not for much longer.

6. I love the color purple and I'm kind of a goth at heart. It fits doesn't it? I mean with all the scary stuff I like? Black is a staple of my wardrobe and I often have blue or purple fingernails. I try not to be too outrageous, since I have to attend functions for hubby's work. But since my birthday, I've decided life is too short not to be who we are and I'm getting ready to do some drastic things to my appearance.

7. Apparently (according to others), I have an amazing smile. I'm told it makes everyone think that I'm smiling just for them. My hubby says that my smile says "hi! Want to be best friends?" and that when I'm in conversation with people I also have the ability to make them think that they are the most fascinating person I've ever met, even when it's someone I can't stand or find seriously boring. I think it's the actress in me because sometimes I'm making a grocery list in my head, making mental notes for the next day's blog, or plotting their slow and painful death. It's pretty awesome that this doesn't come across to them.

There you go. Seven things you may or may not want to know! That's it for the tag game. I also need to send a big thank you to Heather at Welch Happenings and Angelia at Living, Loving, Laughing for bestowing on me this award:



Thank you to both of you! And now for some well deserved recognition:

If you haven't already, you should definitely check out Margarete at Beyond Breathing. Her blog is a beautiful tribute to her daughter Jena, whose life was cut tragically short by Cystic Fibrosis. Her blog is always inspirational, although you may want to have a few tissues handy. And I recently noticed I am on her blogroll, which makes me incredibly proud.

Also check out Tina at The Clean White Page. She is a majorly talented writer. I cannot wait until the day I get to order her first book off Amazon! And I have no doubt that I will one day be doing so! In Sean's words~ "She may be even better than you Mom." And I wholeheartedly agree.

I read many, many other blogs on a daily basis and they all have something to recommend them. But I don't usually follow the super popular ones unless they immediately catch my interest.

I did fix the comment thing on What Spot Saw, so if you feel like it, please peruse and comment. I'm going to get up a book review blog soon and possibly one with my fiction on it. Do not, under any circumstances, feel obligated to read or comment on them out of friendship. Life is too short to waste reading something you have no interest in! That said, you know I'm a huge comment and attention whore...Lol.

♥Spot

Drumroll please...

So to kind of link my posts coherently and prove that I'm not really just random chaos rolled up into a little ball of fake organization...I'm going to do the awards thing-ys I received over the holidays and am just now getting too. Please do not think in any way shape or form that I was not filled with appreciation at receiving them!! Because I am always always glad to receive a little something that screams "good job"!! So without further ado...

Thank you to Danica at Platitude Paradise for these two awards:





And thank you to KT over at Love is Definitely Enough for this one:



So now to pass the awards...

The fine print for keeping the Lemonade Stand Award torch lit:

- Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post. (done!)
- Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude. (done!)
- Link the nominees within your post. (done!)
- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.(doing...)
- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.(and done!)

And the award goes to (drumroll please):

1.) The Nerdy Nomad
2.) From the Inside Out
3.) Dreamfarm Girl
4.) The Clean White Page
5.) Booshy
6.) The Suburban Life
7.) Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock at a Time
8.) Send Chocolate
9.) Beyond Breathing
10.) The Screenplay

All of the above blogs are extremely talented. Some of them make me laugh and some of them make me cry. And some of them amaze me with their gift for words. All of them keep me reading time after time. If you haven't read them, please go check them out for yourselves. I promise you won't be sorry.


The fine print for keeping the Happy torch lit:

A. List 10 things that make you happy. (See below)
B. Try to do at least one of them today. (Will do!)
C. Tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day. (Tag!! You're it!)
D. For those 10 bloggers who get the award, you then link back to my blog and create your own "makes you happy" list.

And the award goes to (another drum roll, if you please...)

1. Welch Happenings
2. Love is Definitely Enough
3. Gay Guy/ Straight Guy
4. Happy Meals and Happy Hour
5. Living, Loving, Laughing
6. The Water Witches Daughter
7. Carolyn...Online
8. A Little Blog About Nothing
9. Everybody's Working for the Weekend
10. Life, Love, and Luluness

All of the above blogs make me smile, if not outright belly laugh! Some of them could post a little more frequently though!! (hint hint, nudge nudge, wink wink). They are all also worth your time and perusal!

Fine print for the From the Inside...Out award~

The first thing is that you may/may not put this award on your sidebar....and you may/may not link it back to me. I'm not looking for free publicity here....it's all about the loooooove. (Done!)
The second thing is that you need to fill in the following blanks. (see below)

1) My site rocks because:
2) In my next life, I want to come back as a: Because:
3) For me, the best part of blogging is:

Finally, you may pass this award on to three (3) other deserving blogs as a way to continue passing on the loooove (and done!)

So the award goes to~ (yeah yeah, you're tired of the drumroll...)

1.) Danica at Platitude Paradise
2.) Sas at Sas' Magical Mystery Tour
3.) Brite at But I Digress...

Now the homework~

*Ten things that make me Happy*

1. Waking up alive every morning (beats the alternative, right?)
2. Spending time with my family (I already did number 1 today, but I'm going to do this one too)
3. Snow (and boy do we have alot of it right now!)
4. A really good cup of hot tea. (with milk and honey. nothing relaxes me faster)
5. A new book by a favorite author (any author but Stephen King notches up my happiness level just a bit)
6. Feeling like I've accomplished something during the day (even if it's just laundry or a scrumptious dinner)
7. Writing (really it's like my own special brand of crack, only not illegal and not bad for your health)
8. Anticipating something new (a new movie, a new book, a trip. I love having something to get excited about)
9. Laughing (I know that's what you do when you're happy, but even if I'm in a bad mood, and someone makes me laugh, it turns it around)
10. Nature (whether it's a beautiful view or a furry creature)

And~

1. My site rocks because- I make people laugh (at least I think I do) and because I hold nothing back. You come here, you're going to get hit with honesty, good, bad and ugly.

2.In my next life I want to come back as a cat because I'm already fond of sleeping and eating and being cuddled and that's pretty much all they do.

3.For me the best part of blogging is a.) all of the wonderful people I've met b.)having an outlet for my thoughts and c.)having the opportunity to find new and fascinating blogs that I want to read.

So there you have it folks! I hope no one's feelings are hurt because I forgot them or didn't choose them. I tried not to duplicate people who already had the award. I also tried to spread them out. Regardless of whether you are an award recipient or not, if I read your blog it's because I think it's good. I don't read ones I don't like and I sure as heck don't comment them. So everyone needs to give themselves a pat on the back!!! Because, contrary to popular belief we are not just bloggers, we are all writers. Thank you to all of you. You are appreciated more than you know!!!

♥Spot