awarded

My Wednesday suddenly got a lot more exciting when I discovered that I WON.

I really love winning.

E over at E, Myself, and I gave me my very first BLOG AWARD!! I'm pretty sure this means I can quit my job and be a full-time stay-at-home-blogger now, right?

No?

Well, okay. Maybe after my next award. [Incidentally, I am staying home today anyway. But not because I quit my job. Because I'm sick. But this does give me the opportunity to blog. But I doubt I'll make any money. From blogging, not from work. I'll make money from there cause it's a paid sick day...pretty much the best thing EVER about having a job. OK this is the end of this parenthetical statement.]

So...with this great Blog Honor comes some Great Responsibility. Here are the requirements:

1. Thank & link to the person who gave you the award
2. Pass this award on to 15 bloggers you've recently discovered & think are fantastic.
3. Contact said blogs and let them know they've won
4. State 7 things about yourself.



So here we go:

1. Thanks, E!! I've very much enjoyed stalking you over the last few weeks as well and feel so honored to be given an award! It's enough to make a girl wanna keep on bloggin.


2. This one is tough. "Recently discovered" is the hard part. I think I will just take that with a grain of salt and recommend to you 15 blogs I enjoy and that I think you'd enjoy too. And because I'm (mostly) just picking from the most frequently updated blogs on my Blog List (right hand side of my page), I figured I'd give you a quick blurb about why you might want to check 'em out...

Blogs I Love (that are frequently updated)

E, Myself, and I-- a Roanoke, VA teacher (although lately not so much, since they're perpetually snowed in) who got married the exact same day I did!

Timshel-- my IRL (in real life) friend Alyssa, an Atlanta-area grad student who will impress you with her wit and her insight...often in the same sentence. She just started blogging in December but she's done a remarkable job of keeping up with it!

All Boxed Up-- my IRL friends Brooke and Patrick, both Georgia natives (and teachers) who have recently been transplanted to the Snowiest Place on Earth, Iowa. I laugh and cringe as they try to adjust to life in the Arctic.

The Gurleys-- my IRL friend Mollyanne who has a beautiful four-month old baby boy and also knows more about football than any person I've ever known. I always want her on MY team in a board game situation (which occur frequently).

The Simple Bees-- Stephanie was a friend from high school whom I recently became re-acquainted with via facebook and blogs. She lives in Virginia and raises her three beautiful kids (and is growing another in utero). I love her thoughtful honesty on child-raising, homeschooling, and her passion for the orphan.

Lovely-- my IRL friend/sister Kristina, a photographer residing in Charlotte, NC. She's pregnant with her first baby (a girl) and writes about life, pregnancy, faith, and crafty-things-you-can-make...with a liberal sprinkle of pretty pictures.

I'm Trying-- my IRL friend Amanda (from SOUTH Georgia), who gave birth to a stunningly beautiful baby girl about 2 weeks ago. When she's awake and coherent, Amanda offers an uncensored insight into pretty much anything...aka you frequently find yourself thinking I cannot believe she just said that!

Big Jen the Punisher-- I was acquainted with Jen in college, but over the past few years have gotten to know her much better via blogging. She and her husband live in Alabama and are expecting their first child in May. Big Jen keeps things lively by writing about books, stuff in her life, celebrity fashion mishaps, and (my personal fave) Thoughts From a Banker.

Ellipses-- another high school acquaintance-turned-blogging-friend, Hollie is a L&D nurse in Corpus Christi, TX. She inspires me with her fabulous decorating skills, her commitment to trying Pioneer Woman recipes, and some truly touching stories of doggie diarrhea.

Life is Golden-- Christopher & Katy are IRL friends who reside in Greenville, SC. Although the blog-frequency has suffered since Katy became gainfully employeed as a counselor, I always look forward to their updates on life, their dog-child Eva, and crafty pursuits like Netflix origami.

Blogs I Love (that need some encouraging to update more frequently!)

Where the Heart Is-- Liz is an IRL friend (Greenville, SC) who has a beautiful 7-month old daughter who evidently keeps her SO BUSY she never has time to blog? What's up with that?

To Be Decided-- If the blog title tells you anything, it's that Jolene pretends to be unsure about whether or not she's into the whole blogging thing-- although secretly she loves it. She lives in Harlingen, TX with her husband and their heart-stealing 9 month old daughter. Jolene spends her days speaking Spanish and working in the mental health field.

Catherine Corry-- Catherine is one of my dearest IRL friends (Athens, GA) and she might be one of yours, too, if she'd blog a little more frequently! One of the most detail-oriented people I've ever known, she's your go-to girl for all things child-, cleaning-, and craft-related.

Famous Blogs I Love (they don't need my endorsement to rock)

Kelly's Korner--this 30something mother to a Miracle Baby, Harper, inspires me daily with her passion and her life. She's also singlehandedly introduced me to the world of Giant Baby Hairbows/Headbands and Tons of Monogrammed Stuff.

Steece's Pieces-- a girl only a few years older than me raising quadruplet two-year-olds?? Yes, please. For a real treat, go back through her archives to read all about her pregnancy. With FOUR BABIES.

Wow, number 2 took awhile. And I meant this "Blog Award" Number Two. Not any other number 2 you may be thinking of, freaks.

3. Well...we'll see about that. Alerting 15 people seems like a lot of work, something I'm not apt to do on a day off. Hopefully they'll all come to MY blog and discover their winnings on their own!

4. Facts about me: GO!

1. Matt and I didn't have TV the first 2 years we were married. I mean, we had a physical TV, but no cable/satellite/access to SHOWS. I think this was really good for us.

2. However, now that we have DirecTV, I think we're addicted. To everything. To staring at a glowing rectangle. It's sad, really.

3. My dream job (for now) would be to be a personal financial planner, I think. I love nothing more than working on our budget, making (and reaching) goals, finding ways to get a deal. Actually the only thing I love more is helping OTHER people do this same thing. Which is why I think that would be a great job. But in a low-level kind of way...I don't know anything about investments, retirement plans, etc. I'm just talking about your day-to-day spending/saving, and how NOT to live paycheck to paycheck.

4. I cut Matt's hair and my own bangs. This started (and succeeded) as a money-saving scheme, but I actually really enjoy it!

5. I have extremely dry, cracked lips pretty much at all times. "Chapped" is such an understatement that I wouldn't use that word to describe it. My lips bleed daily just about year-round. I've tried everything I've ever heard of and then some (and seen a doctor about it) and nothing has provided long-term relief. Any other ideas?

6. Every day I have to fight the urge to get another dog. I think I'll be one of those people who starts collecting pets (in lieu of the children I really want). But I'm trying to fight it.

7. This is the SECOND time I've written this blog. It took so long the first time that Blogger timed me out (and hadn't auto-saved it in like 30 minutes). I almost cried I was so frustrated. Needless to say, this time around I've hit "save now" every 2 minutes. If this seems to lack in passion and wit...well, it was better the first time around. This is your sloppy seconds.

AND we're done! To all of the new Blog Award winners, congrats! I hope you have hours and hours of uninterrupted time in which to accept your award. May I recommend a nasty cold? It can provide you with the time you need (unless you are simultaneously caring for a small baby. In that case, I can't help you).

Go check out the bloggers I mentioned and show them some love! Remember: TRUE stalkers leave comments.

That may not be true, but I wish it were. Everyone loves a comment!