8 Things and an Award

My sweet, funny, and sassy blog friend, Jennifer @ Love, Laughter and Lyrics tagged me for a little meme. She is a mommy of two kiddos...each about a year younger than my two, so it is fun to read her blog and remember what 12 months ago looked like for us. Just be sure to chew and completely swallow anything you might be consuming before reading her page...she is the kind of funny that might just send things spewing. And that just isn't fun...for you or your monitor.

I'm trying to keep that little rule in mind for myself when we hopefully meet in real life one day. We were both disappointed to realize that she recently visited just a few minutes from where I live...and we didn't meet up. Ugh. Next time, next time, friend!

8 things I'm looking forward to...

1. The self tanner that I just put on my legs not only tanning them, but sculpting muscles into them and removing any hint of cellulite just in time for swimsuit season. Now that would really be worth the 8 bucks.

2. The wedding shower we're throwing in two weeks for some very dear friends. We hope to bless their socks off.

3. Our tenth anniversary trip this summer...and hopefully a trip to WI and MI to see both of my grandmothers and extended family. Jerry, are you taking notes?

4. Lily actually learning how to swim. 14 weeks into swim lessons here and well...the girl still can't swim. I'm finding it comical at the moment...but not always.

5. Getting Jade potty trained. Guess I actually need to start that in order for it to happen, huh?

6. Seeing our friends, Phil and Rachelle, become parents and meet their precious adopted twin boys.

7. My husband's reduced work ours during the summer months. Hallelujah!

8. Getting multiple extra keys made for my van and hiding them in various places so I don't have to fess up to seriously losing them every ten days or so.

8 things I did yesterday:

1. Went to work out with the hubby. I love gazing across the weight room and seeing him pump that iron. I was proud that I only annoyed him once to have him show me how to work a new machine.

2. Pretended that Jade was not waking up after only napping for 45 minutes. Please Lord. Please. Seriously. A 45 minute nap on a Saturday afternoon? That should be a crime. She did 3 hours today though...that's my girl.

3. Ate the best Mexican food ever. Soft fried corn tortillas...which, from what I could tell, just meant that they were soaked in oil...not crispy. Anyways, they were filled with beef fajita meat, onions and cilantro and then drizzled with lime juice. Mas taquitos mexicanos...y pronto por favor!

4. Managed to not cook one meal. The ENTIRE day. Therefore no dishes were dirtied. In fact, neither was the floor, the table nor the counter tops. I'm liking this plan.

5. However, I did have this unusual urge to stay on top of the laundry. Any time something was taken off or dirtied I was rounding it up, getting it washed, dried and put away. That might give you a hint of how behind I had gotten on laundry over the past few weeks. It scared me silly.

6. We went on a hunt for cheap patio furniture. Of course the last place we hauled ourselves and two little ones into during the rainy weather was the place with the best deal. So let me save you stops into Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart, Yard Art Patio, and Big Lots. Garden Ridge is the answer, friends. Although those other locations might have some good scratch and dent sales going on after our visits with Lily and Jade.

7. Researched dimensions for King size beds. Was shocked to learn that Kings are 16 inches wider, but no longer than a queen. A California King is 4 inches longer, but not as wide as a normal King. Isn't that strange? Not that Jerry and I are growing longer...probably just wider, but it just doesn't make sense to me.

8. Started reading a new book to Lily. It's actually an old English classic from the turn of the century, The Wind in the Willows. I was mortified that twice in the first chapter alone I had to skip over the word a*s*s. And it wasn't referring to a donkey. I realize that language changes over time, but seriously? Did people just walk around saying that all the time? The funny thing is that it was given to Lily by an retired librarian in the family...one of the most proper women I've known in a long time. I'm just trying to envision her reading it aloud to a group of kids and fumbling for a word to replace it with like I had to last night.

8 things I wish I could do:

1. Dance without feeling like an idiot.

2. Mix the perfect Margarita.

3. Finish reading all the books that I've started.

4. See both of my grandfathers one last time.

5. Take a photography class to learn how to use my fancy camera with multiple lenses that I don't own and probably never will.

6. Make my mom's life easier.

7. Add 3 more hours to my day.

8. Go to bed on time!

8 shows I enjoy...

1. Sesame Street
2. Caillou
3. Jay Jay the Jet Plane
4. Martha Speaks
5. Sid the Science Kid
6. Clifford the Big Red Dog
7. Word Girl
8. Super Why

Did I mention that we are too cheap to have cable? Thank goodness for PBS! And no, Mom, the girls are not in front of the TV all day...just most of the day. Totally kidding. I seriously do try to monitor how much TV they watch...but it sure comes in handy at times though...so that is why I am listing them as shows I enjoy.

I don't watch TV at night. AT ALL. Crazy, I know. I used to be a huge Grey's Anatomy fan, and then they took that show in a direction that I just didn't feel comfortable soaking in each Thursday night. Blogging and Facebook more than fill the void.

8 friends I tag:

Anita
Jenn
Jennifer
Lacie
Laura
Linda
Marci
Traci

Jennifer had also passed along this cute little blog award to me a while back...and I'm passing it along to these fine ladies as well. It is the Great Attitude award...boy I must have her fooled. She has the guidelines written in this post. Love you gals!

Honest Scrap and other blog awards

I've had a couple of fellow blogging gals pass along some fun little awards to me lately and I am very delinquent in sending them on their way. Forgive me for that and a couple of tags that I've failed to complete also.

Where does the time go? As I finished putting away way too much laundry today I pondered the thought of our family going naked for a few weeks so I could get caught up. That wouldn't be a pretty sight around here, but it is still tempting.

Anyway, I'd like to spread the love and finally pass these awards on today.

I'll start with the least delinquent one that Lacie gave to me last week. I'm supposed to list 10 honest things about myself- and make it interesting, even if I have to dig deep. Then I need to pass the award on to 5 bloggers that I feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

Hmm...interesting? I'm going to go with more random, little known facts.

1. I am a number freak. I have the ability to remember random dates and numbers from when I was a kid...dates of friend's birthdays from long ago, hymn numbers, even my first childhood phone number.

2. I lose my keys at least twice weekly. Last week I "lost" them in my car and had to miss Lily's swim lesson (thankfully we made it up later).

3. I've moved 7 times in the past 10 years.

4. Elvis Presley died on my first birthday.

5. I am somehow related to "Buffalo Bill" Cody. I need to track down the details. Mom?

6. I am deathly afraid of swimming pool drains.

7. I wore glasses one day in 5th grade and then conveniently "lost" them. Was blind for two years before talking my mom into getting me contacts in 7th grade.

8. I am so blind that I once took a shower surrounded by ants and didn't even know it until Jerry got in after me and freaked out when he saw them.

9. I only put my makeup on in the car. So if you come to my door before I've driven anywhere...you will see one pale face in need of lipstick.

10. In junior high I used to let my best friend iron my hair...like with a real iron on the ironing board. Stupid.

I'd love to hear some Honest Scrap from Amy, Jennifer R., Janet , Raggedy Girl, and Jennifer.

Thank you, Carolina Mama, for awarding me this next one that I get to share with 8 bloggers whose blogs show an "Investment and belief in proximity - nearness of space, time and relationships".
I'd like to award it to Laura, Tammy, Michelle, Kristi, Gwendolyn, Sara, Debbie, and Lisa.

And Jackie was so sweet to give me this cute one that I'm passing on to Rachelle...she's the one that got me into this whole blogging mess to begin with...and FaceBook as well.


I'm surprised my husband still likes her. Obviously he does since he now also blogs and FaceBooks too.

Thanks ladies...I enjoy stopping by all of your blogs and hope you have a fun time passing these along.

We interrupt the Hurricane Ike coverage for...

a little blog award fun.

Not that I don't take hurricanes seriously, but if I see one more second of footage that involves a drenched weatherman nearly being blown away while giving a report...well, I might just have to change the channel. So I can see a different weatherman do the same thing.

These are the days I wish we had cable. You know, so we could get more in depth coverage of the storm.

I could understand all the news if we were really going to be affected by the storm. But when I wanted to make a quick trip with the girls in and out of the local Walgreens yesterday, but instead got stuck in line for fifteen minutes...it just seemed like a lot of hype. As I saw case after case of bottled water being purchased...along with WEATHER RADIOS...I got a little annoyed. We are, after all, a good 300 miles from where it made landfall. A weather radio? Please. Please put that money towards the needs of the thousands of people who are taking refuge here during the storm. They may not even have homes to return to when it's all done.

Don't even get me started on the gas lines in town.

You can see that I'm not in a good posting frame of mind. Let me lighten things up a bit.

I've recently had a couple of blog awards passed my way. The fun part is that I get to pass the love on to a few of my favorite reads.

Thank you Brandy, for the Brillante Blog Award.

I'm supposed to pick seven other bloggers to spread the love to. Wow. Seven. Here goes:

*Rachelle @ With One Step...because I figure the more I butter her Texas Toast, the more likely she'll be to move back home. Then I can introduce her to Jaret Reddick (see post below).

*Alana @ A Kiss, A Hug, and A Squeeze...because she is a mom of boys and on a diet...one I can relate to and the other I'd love to have the chance to; both of which I love reading about. And because her hubby secretly wanted to attend Jade's 1st Birthday party.

*Jennifer @ Three Men and a Jenn...a friend of a friend and another mom of boys...who I am so glad has recently started a blog. Welcome to blog world, Jenn.

*Tricia @ Trends With Tricia...she's a realtor friend and I think I enjoy her blog because I'm a closet realtor wanna be. Go check her out. I owe her a favor for helping us lower our tax appraisal this year.

*Jackie @ Our Moments, Our Memories...I just love her writing style and I'm sure you will too. (PS...Jackie meet Rachelle...Rachelle meet Jackie...y'all both have CFNI connections)

*Traci @ The Sullivan Sitcom...Cute blog Name, Cute Blog header, and Cute blog kids. Plus, we both know what it is like to have a preschooler in an arm cast.

*Marci @ Joy in the Journey...I love the way she writes out her praises, she also has a daughter named Lily, and she has quite the knack for photography.

Thank you also to Sarah @ Life in the Parsonage, for the I Heart Your Blog award. I'm pretty sure the whole world reads her, but in case you don't...go there...in a minute that is. This is the first blog award I've seen that is actually cute.

I'd like to pass it on to 2 old teacher friends of mine and 3 old church acquaintances that I would have never guessed I would have reconnected with via blogging. I heart their blogs for many different reasons...their honesty, humor, struggles, faith...they are all worth a visit.

*Debbie @ The Savage Family

*Carol @ Monaghan Mayhem

*Andrea @ Morning by Morning

*Melissa @ A Long Way from the Theta House

*Jana @ Eyes Toward Ethiopia

Wow. Can I get the award for most links in a single post? Some of these gals may have already been awarded these before. I'm terrible at keeping track. And no pressure to pass them on either. If that's your thing, great. If not, I understand.

Well, thanks to Ike, I think today is shaping up to be a great day to fly a kite (Lily's latest poopoo prize).

I better consult my weather radio though just to be sure.

I now know how to get comments.

Lots of comments. 30+ comments.

And it is so easy. No real effort at all.

This is what you do. Write a post. Post the post. And then don't come back for ten days or so.

And when you return...you will feel lots of love. The comment kind of love.

Sorry folks. I seem to have disappeared again. Not really intentional.

It was more like...preschool started, extra hours at work were demanded, small group started up again, and I finally am attempting a Bible study at church.

I haven't done one of those since Lily was itty bitty. Now Jade is more than itty bitty and it is time. Anyone done Beth Moore's Believing God?

Anyway, something didn't feel right about postponing Bible study in order to keep up the blog.

And believe me, there are so many posts swimming around in my head. They are perfecting all sorts of strokes. It's exhausting.

It's easier to push quiet time with the Lord when you don't have an accountability group staring you in the face every Wednesday morning. I need that accountability and am so glad to have it again.

How do the rest of you guys balance it all?

Other news. I added Blogger's new "Followers" tool. It's over there on the left under my subscriber box...just above my blogroll. Do you want to follow me?

I'm easy to follow...just one post every ten days or so.

Just kidding. I'll be back shortly. A couple of blog awards were recently given to me and I plan on passing those on pretty quickly.

Comment Love + Award Love = Happy Blogger.

I'm off to make some other bloggers happy. Peace out. (That was for you, Rachelle)

And the Award Goes to...

Kerry @ Colored With Memories.

That is what my eyes read a while back when reading Taking My Time.

After which I experienced much shock, awe, and most of all...disbelief.

An award? A blog award? For me?

Wow, thanks Jennifer!

It is intended to be passed on to 5 other bloggers. This is the fun, yet difficult part. Here are my choices...in no particular order.

With One Step, the blog of my best friend, Rachelle. Her blog is filled with stories of humor, adoption craziness, and spiritual encouragement. She is a Texan at heart who was transplanted to PA where her husband is from. So you can also catch some pretty funny Amish stories from her. Like the one where a horse and buggy came through the drive-thru at her bank. Rachelle was the first friend I thought of when I read/watched this post today on Whittaker Woman.

Whittaker Woman is the second blog I'm choosing to award. Heather is one of my favorite reads, along with her husband Carlos at Ragamuffin Soul. She is a super creative mother and is nothing but in your face honest. I'm amazed at her ability to post multiple times daily while being mommy to three. Her thematic family night posts are not to be missed!

JMom who writes Lots of Scotts is a daily read for sure. Her story of bringing triplets into this world is amazing. I'm giving her this award because, day in and day out, she manages to post the most relevant stories from her life from a creative biblical perspective. It's almost like getting a little devotion in every time I visit her site. I also won my custom header from her during a giveaway, so for that I'll always be thankful to her!

Speaking of blog headers, Mommy Esquire had hers created by the same girl who did mine...and that is how I found her. I have been laughing ever since. Julie is such a joy to read while she is on leave from her law career and raising three kiddos. Her header design is precious, so if for nothing else, go check it out.

Last, but not least, I'm picking Life with the Wisners. I found Janet's blog from Big Mama's Blogroll...so that should tell you a lot. Soon after I began reading her though, I realized that we have two mutual friends in real life. That wasn't what hooked me though...she is so funny and has the cutest kids...Big H and Goo. I know "Goo" may not sound cute, but just click over and you'll be smitten with her blue eyes and curls. Can you tell I have a blog crush?


You don't have to worry about having a crush on the award though. Not the prettiest thing floating around blogland these days. Nonetheless, I present to the above, the Arte Y Pico Blog Award.


Now, the fine print:

1. Pick five (5) blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself. Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.


Thanks again, Jennifer!