Big thanks!

I was given the Sunshine Award by 2 crafty bloggers last week - C.R.A.F.T. and Lucky Star Lane.  If you haven't checked out these ladies' blogs, you really should.  They both have some really fun and unique things to show off.  And they both make me smile, too.  So thanks ladies - the feeling is definitely mutual!

It is my duty and privelege now to pass this award on to 6 other bloggers that make me smile.  And here they are:

Char at Crap I've Made

Char is a long time friend, since before we were bloggers, and I *heart* her.

Kierste at Brown Paper Packages

Kierste is a breath of fresh air and such an inspiration to busy moms everywhere. 

Jen at Tatertots and Jello

Jen is in the "big time", but she still takes time to say hello to the little people that visit her blog.  I really appreciate that about her.

Amber at Crazy Bloggin' Canuck

Amber is always good for a laugh!  Her life never ceases to amaze!

A Joyeful Journey

A Joyeful Journey is a feel good blog.  I just love going to see what she has to share for the day.

The Tortoise and the Hare

The Tortoise and the Hare is my favorite place to see what cool things are being made in the crafty blog world.

I'm going to go let these ladies know about their awards.  I hope you will also drop in and tell them Lei sent you over!

My blog is loved!

My good friend smart mama recently highlighted me as a blog she loves. I must say, that no matter how much time passes between my blogging spurts, I have a few blogs that I too cannot stay away from. Smart mama of course is one of them. She is bursting at the seams with creative genius. We talk of getting together and having a mass 'o fun. I daydream of all the projects we could come up with by putting our 2 heads together. It really, really needs to happen, don't you think?

Morning Glory and I are long time blogging buddies. She co-hosted Woman to Woman with me. I've tied myself to various mother figures over the years due to the loss of my own a few years back. I look up to MG in many ways. She is kind and selfless and an abosultely beautiful person. How can you not love someone like her? I know many of you feel the same way about her as I do. She's such an inspiration.

Shelah at Hitting the Ground Running always has something engaging to read. She's a very talented writer and a smart and strong woman who motivates me always! She's the ultimate "doer". Check her out at fMh and Segullah as soon as you can! And you'll see what I mean about her! I'll be so, so sad when she leaves TX. Because I haven't taken advantage of her living here!

Zoe from Fresh Preserves and I go back, back , back to the college days. We were roommates and have remained close friends since then. Zoe is another creative soul sister of mine. We could spend hours going over ideas, or doing anything for that matter! Because she is fun and funny and I adore her thoroughly. :)

Michelle, aka Scribbit is someone I would really like to meet some day. She has always been so personable with me, regardless of how busy she is with her zillions of blog fans. ;) She's another woman who "makes it happen". Her blog is very innovative; she's become a strong leader in the world of mom blogs! But the bottom line is that she's down-to-earth and kind and a wonderful mother... I especially love it when she shares her kid-friendly activities with her readers!

Allysha at Bells on Their Toes is another old friend. We both attended BYU and danced with Dancensemble. But we didn't really get to know each other until happening upon each others' blogs in the last few years. Funny how that works, isn't it? Allysha has such a way with words (you just have to check out Just an Orange sometime), it is clear that dancing is not her only talent! I will probably never, ever stop reading her blog. Ever. She's easy to love. :)

My sister-in-law Sarah at Slightly Crunchy Mama is such a blessing in my life. I'm tearing up! Ack! I just love her (and selfsihly want her to move to Austin, not Houston, in April)! They are job hunting right now and I have everything crossed that we will soon be neighbors!

Relishing Motherhood

I am thrilled to have stumbled upon this blog recently... any shout out to motherhood catches my attention and Michal appears to be as devoted to that as I am. She held a writing contest recently, which I am shocked to have won! Just wanted to thank her publicly and point all of you in her direction!

Feelin' the love!

Happy V-Day to all! I had a ton of fun this morning making my kids' lunch as well as a special breakfast. Even my husband got the royal treatment this year, with a foot long sandwich and heart o' chocolates (and some love coupons ;))! Cupid came last night and got each child a small treasure to play with after school (board games). And now I will run from classroom to classroom all day being the dedicated mom. Lol!

Yvonne,at the The Life and Travels of Me gave me this award last week. Thank you Yvonne! Yvonne is one of the sweetest women I've met in blogland and I really appreciate the compliment from her. :)


The rules for being A Roar For Powerful Words recipient are that I share 3 writing tips and pass the award on to 5 more bloggers worthy of recognition and esteem. So here goes my unsolicited advice!

1. Chances are, you began blogging for fun. After a while you get more and more commenters and before long you think you're "all that" and have to become more and more impressive. Don't let blogging take away from your life. It is too easy to get hung up over the number of comments you receive and your stat numbers and your ranking. And if you're really in it for the writing, then you probably already know this. If you don't have time to comment on your 30 commenters blogs each and every day, don't sweat it. Those bloggers who really enjoy what you have to say and are genuine friends will stick around. Trust me.

2. When you get an idea for a post, save it with the rest of your published posts. I usually have about 10 drafts going for ideas for future blogging topics. I used to jot them down on a piece of paper, but then I had random blogging ideas stashed all over my house. Not the easiest way to go. Just remember, when you finally do post your idea, that it will be published with the date you saved it. You need to adjust that using Post Options (for Blogger) for it to appear as your top post.

3. Just be real. Be yourself. Let your blog represent who you are. If you'd like a good tutorial on how to make a personalized header for yourself, read this tutorial posted at Design Mom. Also, blogrounds are fun to play around with, and you can find a nice selection here and here. And for even more unique ideas check out this site.

I feel this award should be passed on to 5 women who I have thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly, enjoyed reading. I'd like to thank them all for their way with well written words, and I encourage you strongly to visit them and see for yourself what I mean.

Lords of the Manor
Bells on Their Toes
Life is a spasm who flow
mind-muffins
Tongue in Cheek

Hope you all have a lovely day!

blogging for a higher purpose

Elder Russell M. Ballard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints recently addressed graduates of BYU Hawaii, urging them "to use the Internet — including blogs and other forms of 'new media' — to contribute to a national conversation about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." The original transcipt can be read here. It was brought to my attention at Times and Seasons, one of my new favorite places to visit.

The thought occurred to me while reading this that there are a lot of LDS women bloggers out there. Just check the ongoing list here. I certainly don't hide the fact that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but how often do I use my blog to help spread the gospel? Only occasionally. I like that I have a variety of readers. I learn so much form women of all different religious backgrounds. So I've not wanted to seem "exclusive". Still, I'd like nothing more than to help dispel any misunderstandings about my beliefs, and I welcome questions any time.

I encourage us all to find more ways to use our blogs to inform others of our convictions. The Lord has blessed us with a multitude of mediums in which to display our beliefs - art, music, literature and now blogging. ;) Lol. So who's with me?

I've received 2 awards from Angela. Thank you!

*The great blog awards originated here, and The Daily Dose originated here.

In order to share the love I'd like to pass the great inspiring blog award along to Seeds From My Garden, An Ordinary Mom and Nettie. And The Daily Dose to Scribbit , Crazy Bloggin'Canuck and my dear friend Zoe at Fresh Preserves.

Let's get down to business

It's all work and no play around here today. I've got a meme to do and an award to pass on. So bear with me, will ya? Besides, tomorrow is Woman to Woman, and I know you'll all come back then to play.

I was tagged by Pam in Colorado from Pinnacles, Pitfalls and Pottychairs to do the 8 Random Facts meme. I posted 7 Random Facts about myself here. I'll add one more and call it good. :)

#8 - I have an addiction to gift wrapping. When I get a present, I look for what can be reused from it... ribbon, paper, the front side of the card (which usually has no writing on it). And I give serious thought to everything I wrap. I use pictures from magazines, buttons, wire, wallpaper, material, newspaper, flowers - anything and everything to adorn a box/bag/envelope. Christmastime requires just as much wrapping time as shopping time. Hours and hours are spent sitting among my glorious piles of trinkets and pretties trying to decide which present deserves which decoration. I love it.

Morning Glory at Seeds from my Garden graciously awarded me the Blogger Reflection Award, and I'd like to pass that on to 5 bloggers I've really enjoyed "getting to know".

Lucy from Life is a Spasm Who Flow - What I love about Lucy is how real she comes across in her blogging. She has no front, no agenda. Down. to. earth. And she mixes things up - there's a bit of family business, a bit of food for thought, a lot of good stuff. She's also a SWEETHEART.

Shelah from Hitting the Ground Running - I have been reading her practically from the beginning of (both our) blogging days. She's funny, smart, AND cute (no really, I've met her, she's CUTE). Never a disappointing post, not even when she hits the publish button too soon. Lol! Shelah is one of MOFs.

I've been intrigued by Allysha at Bells On Their Toes for quite some time now. I hate to say I was first drawn to the appearance of her blog, but it's true. Simply stated. 3 sets of perfectly sweet toes in her avatar. What's not to love? Then after reading her for a while, I realized what a fun approach she has in her writing. Witty. Humorous. Side note: we (recently) discovered that we performed in the same dance ensemble at BYU. Small bloggy world, isn't it? And here we are 10ish years later blogging in the same circles, both with 4 children in tow.

Scribbit. Run, don't walk, to her blog. I wonder how she keeps it all together, but somehow she does. If her blog is any reflection of who she is, then she is one incredible woman. On the ball! A place for everything and everything in its place. Well written. Organized. Informative. And very personable. I don't see how anyone could not love this gal.

Belladonna at mind-muffins has some really, really incredible posts. I am always excited when she's decided to join us for Woman to Woman because she always has so much to add. Her perspective is always refreshing and she really makes you think/reconsider your views. I love that.

Now the rules of participation:
1. Copy this post.
2. Replace [my bloggers with yours] & Reflect on five bloggers and write a least a paragraph about each one.
3. Make sure you link this post so others can read it and the rules.
4. Go leave your chosen bloggers a comment and let them know they've been given the award. 5. Put the award icon on your site [also found here]

Finally, some (not all) songs from the Mommy and Me Mix CD are finally playing for all to enjoy! So turn it up and dance, cuddle or just plain listen (with your little ones, of course).

Raising a sensitive male

I'm not sure how, but I've managed to do it. Why else would he create this sweet little arrangement on the arm of my adirondack chair?

Why else would he sit tenderly in my lap and run his little fingers through my hair?

Why else would he happily let his sister decide what to watch (Angelina Ballerina, Strawberry Shortcake - you name it)?

Why else would he want the pink plate at dinnertime?

Or beg to help make dinner?

~~~
Woman to Woman was wonderful, yet again! Thanks to all who participated! Feel free to advertise this project on your blogs! Please use one of the two buttons we have provided for the official logo, in order that it will become the easily-recognizable symbol of Woman to Woman. If you'd like the URL for putting one of them in your sidebar, email Morning Glory or me for the code. If you prefer, you can use it just on the posting for that particular day, but please use the logos provided. We'll have the next topic up later next week for the April 10 posting.

Also, I have been nominated by two of my favorite bloggers, Morning Glory and An Ordinary Mom, for the "thinking blogger award". Since it is my goal to make you think, I am very appreciative of the recognition! And in keeping with the spirit of the award, I am going to forward it on to 5 other bloggers that are good at making you think: my hip MOF Smart Mama, thoughtful Barb at A Chelsea Morning, Ivey Sirmans' amazing mother - Gwen, the always fun-to-read Shannon from Rocks In My Dryer and witty Rachelle at Teacher, Mom, Mad Woman.

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging.

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

I am so impressed...

... with the caliber of women we had participate on Tuesday. Reading your entries confirmed that this idea I had of joining perspectives "woman to woman" would be beneficial. I am so grateful that Morning Glory agreed to do this crazy thing with me... I know its success was matched by her ideas and her readership. I hope you all enjoyed reading some new blogs as much as I did. I hope you saw the benefit of being your own self and appreciated the differences of your fellow women as well.

My house is upside down right now. We are in the process of creating a play area for our children, which has meant undoing an entire room and building it back up from the bottom. I am also getting organized and purging while I have the drive. It's been a tiring and fun and tiring week.

In other news, my entry to Scribbit's Write-Away Contest received an honorable mention. You should really go read the other entires and winners. There are some amazing writers out there.

I know it's not often that I leave you with nothing to chew on. I promise I will be back soon with some new thoughts. In the mean time, visit my other blog for some pretty stuff to look at. :)

Childhood Memories

*This post was awarded an honorable mention by Scribbit in her March "Write-Away Contest".

I stare at the faces peering back at me. I smell pizza. The lunch bell is going to ring in 30 minutes. I repeat the word I've been given to spell in my mind a couple more times. Goddy. Gawdy? Seriously, how hard can it be to spell gaudy? I feel weak in the knees. This word does not ring a bell. Images of late nights, homemade spelling tests and a variety of dictionaries whiz through my mind. My mother encourages me with her eyes. Although the butterflies are clearly about to fly right out of my mouth I take another minute to compose myself so that I do not stammer. "Goddy, g-o-d-d-y, goddy".

"I'm sorry, that is incorrect."

All the butterflies flop back down into my stomach with a hard thud. I take a step back and sit down. There are only 4 students left. I'd won the 4th grade spelling bee and made it past 40 some odd 5th graders only to lose to the word "gaudy". And now I wouldn't be representing the school in the district spelling bee. Great. Just great.

I avoided my mothers eyes now. I'd disappointed her. And embarassed her. And I wanted nothing more than to disappear and show back up sometime next week when this was but a distant memory.

I don't have a lot of "fond" childhood memories. I came from a home where perfection was demanded and the repercussions of not attaining perfection were what I did not realize was "child abuse" until I was in my 20s. I've used what memories I have left (many have been stifled) to define my approach to motherhood. I feel that the best measure of how well I do as a mother is going to be what my children remember of their childhood. So, I am constantly asking myself, "Do I want them to remember this?" Do I want them to remember losing sleep night after night to the point of nausea to win a spelling bee? Or that I was the fun, spontaneous mom that let them have a camp in?

Thankfully I've chosen not to let ill childhood memories consume me. I am not bitter and I have forgiven my parents. I have instead chosen to find the good part in it all and use it to my advantage. Because of my mother's demands, I have interests and strengths to suit any fancy. And when I'm in desperate need of an outlet, I can choose to dance it out, play it out, or paint it out. I figure that in turn encourages my children to work hard to become good at what they love for themselves.

The curse that was my childhood has become a rare blessing, and because of that my memories have helped me hold onto the things I love. And I can wear them "around my neck like a rainbow, instead of a noose." (Hortense Calisher, Queenie, 1971 )

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I've been fiddling around with my template, so some of you may have been alerted to some updated posts from long ago. I've created a new section in my sidebar for things I have made and shared already, but readded some pictures that had gotten deleted. Eventually I will create a separate crafty blog, but for now they'll be kept itemized in my sidebar. I've also FINALLY alphabetized my blogroll, and updated/cleaned up my other sidebar items. Now I can finally live up to my self-proclaimed neat freak status out here in bloggy land. And I'm sure you'll all sleep better at night. Enjoy the changes!

PS - The "Share the Love" blog awards are back... I've been nominated in "The Most Inspiring", "Blogger You'd Most Like to Meet" and "Blog You'll Never Stop Reading" categories. Thank you for the nominations. I am giddy with excitement! And for those who are new to the contest, get the details here.

And the award goes to...

Thanks to all who participated in the guessing game. The winners were Morning Glory and Allie for birthdate and cmommy for weight. Your luxurious prizes are virtual chocolate and a pedicure.

Enjoy. :)


Things are going well here. Sasha loves to be held. She is sleeping 4-5 hours at a time at night. And I feel great!!! Now if I could just get back on top of my housework, lol.