7 Facts

This post marks #400 for me! I'm gettin' on up there, aren't I?

My friend, Charbelle, gave me this award today. Thanks Lori! I love reading her dating stories and how incredibly dedicated she is to staying healthy. Seriously, the girl is inspiring.

To accept the award, I have to:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog.

2. Post seven random facts about yourself.
3. Pass on the award along to 15 other worthy bloggers.

Seven Random Facts
 
1. I have plants growing in my bath tub. I wanted to plant the bulbs and get them all hardy before Spring. Then I realized I needed to put them somewhere that gets lots of sun and stays fairly warm. The bathroom was a perfect spot.
 
2. I can never ever stay focused on one project at a time. It's a sickness, really. Eventually, I come back around and finish. I use to not be this bad. I'm pretty sure having a toddler doesn't help.
 
3. I haven't had a haircut in 17 months. I think it might be time, don't you?
 
4. I have a gift card with $18 on it, and I can't seem to spend it. Today, I walked through Target, looking at all these pretty things I liked, but I couldn't justify any of it. I kept thinking we could use the money towards groceries or something for the house. Before I had Noah? That thing would've been used up by now. Not sure what giving birth has to do with it, but somehow after Noah, I have a hard time spending anything on myself and not feeling completely guilty for it.
 
5. Instead of giving up something for Lent, I'm making a commitment to getting back in shape. I spent the last week eating (for the most part) nothing but salads and turkey, working out (I went 5 miles the other day!), and counting calories. And then my husband convinced me to order out Chili's on Saturday with him and "not even worry about the calories". Which ended up in me gaining a pound. So instead of worrying about weight, I'm focusing on taking care of my body. Eating well, exercising, and getting all toned up again.
 
6. My hubby and I used to swing dance. He's a much better dancer than I am, but before we were married, we taught ourselves how to do all the fun flips and stuff. It was a blast.
 
7. I'm still friends with about 75% of the people I grew up with at school. And occasionally, I still get together with some of them.
 
And now I'm passing this award onto...
 
Dani at Straddling the Century Line
Anna at Sams Club Stories
Meagan B
Ashley at Sidetracked but in the Right Direction
Katie at Team Cowan at Home
Jess at North Cackalack
Susan at The Life of Susan
Kim at Yep, They're All Mine
 
...and okay, I'm not sure who else! How about, if you want to play along, go ahead and consider yourself awarded! :)

Blog Award

My sweet friend Lori gave me this blog award the other day.
In order to accept the award, I must share the love with 6 other bloggers and fess up to 4 guilty pleasures.
So here goes...

Guilty Pleasures
1. Is it bad that the first thing that comes to mind is food? I guess that means I'll start there. My ultimate guilty food is ice cream, preferrably Edy's Double Fudge Brownie (they have a 1/2 the fat one AND one that's a yogurt blend, so I don't feel so bad about it. yay!). My other one? Grilled cheese sandwiches. I could eat one everyday, but since they require butter and cheese, I'm pretty sure my rear end is thanking me that I don't indulge often (I eat them on whole wheat though... think that might make up for it?). And finally, frozen yogurt from Yoforia. YUM.

2. Books. Right now I'm reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and I'm loving it. Unfortunately, my reading time is limited, so it takes me longer than it used to for me to finish. But that's why I love reading blogs. It only takes a couple minutes, and the story is never over. :)

3. Home decorating. I've become a bit obsessed (if you couldn't tell). I finally made my coffee filter wreath (I'll post pics later), made my mantle all pretty, and the other night I ventured into gardening... as in, growing flowers from seeds to eventually plant outside. I always admired my aunts and grandmothers who were able to have full on conversations about flowers and know their names/how to grow them/etc. Unfortunately, I have a knack for killing plants. I get this image every time I walk into the plant area in Lowes, of all those little guys cowering in fear, praying that I won't take them home. I'd really like to remedy that. I come from a long line of fabulous green thumbs. Every one of my grandparents on both sides either had a gorgeous flower garden (apparently, I inherited my love of peonies from my great grandmother) or a veggie garden or both. Currently, my aunt works at a nursery and my dad has grown a massive vegetable garden. I really don't want to be the black sheep that accidentally kills everything.

(from here)

4. Unnecessary girly splurges. Like cute new shoes, make up, manicures, new clothes, highlights... that kind of thing. Although it doesn't happen as much as it used to. But to help us stick to our budget, Brad and I agreed on giving ourselves an allowance (although he hates that word; he doesn't want people to think he's being all condescending to me... isn't he awesome?). So I've been having to pick and choose carefully what I shop for. Right now, most of my spending money has been going to home stuff or fun things for Noah and I to do (like our outing last week). But eventually? I'm SO going to splurge on myself. Seriously, the last time I had a manicure was for my wedding. My nails are feel pretty neglected.

(from Mary Kay)

And now I'm going to give this award to:

Anna at Sams Club Stories

Meagan

Katie

Lindsey

Stefanie

Lissa

(if you want to play along, then go ahead and consider yourself tagged!)

A Blog with Substance

My friend Lori gave me a blog award! There are 3 rules to this:

1. Thank the blogger that awarded you.

2. Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using five words.

3. Pass it on to 10 other blogs that you feel have real substance.

Ok, here goes...

1. Thank you so much, Lori. You're awesome, and I'm so glad we have these blogs to keep up with eachother. I think it's so funny we know more about eachother now through our blogs than we did in real life. You inspire me with your upbeat attitude, strong faith, and honesty. Keep it up, girl.

2. This is a hard one!

{1} Real {2} Life {3} Love {4} Fun {5} Journey

3. Well, it's a little unfair, since Lori picked two of my favorites... but I'm going

to give it to them anyway. There girls, consider yourself extra-awarded. :)

{1} Jess at Dude and Sweeties, because she's just so darn awesome. She's honest and real and absolutely hilarious (sometimes without even trying). Her determination to hold her family together, despite some crazy circumstances is totally inspiring.

{2} Heather at Chicago Mom is the other one that Lori also awarded, and it's not hard to see why. She's interesting, funny, and loveable. She leads a life that I would never be able to pull off, so of course, that totally fascinates me.

She's also the author of Forever in Blue Jeans, which is a fun fashion blog. I want her clothes. And legs like hers. But I'll just have to settle for the clothes. She has the cutest kids, and it's been so fun making friends with someone I've never "really" met (however, we're going to fix this soon, fingers crossed!!).

{3} Lis at the House of Lis because she's my friend and is awesome. She's so funny and very honest, and I like that in my friends. She's a total comic book junkie, so if that's your thing too, go check her out.

{4} Katie at Team Cowan at Home because she's not only a friend, but a fun read as well. She's crafty and interesting and has some seriously cute kids. If you don't know her, you'll still like her blog. Good stuff.

{5} Anna at Sams Club Stories is one my favorite people in general. She's a good friend, a great mom, and an incredible writer. She has that unique ability to take you on a journey... if she's writing about the beach, you can hear the ocean. She does some great craft posts, as well, if you're interested. And if you're still not convinced, she has a cutiepatootie of her own that's at least worth "aaawwww"-ing over. :)

{6} Dani at Straddling the Century Line because she's not one of those annoying neighbors. You know, the kind that either complain about "your leaf" blowing into their yard... or the kind that has crazy parties every weekend. Ok, yes, there's more than that. Her blog is cool because she gives a perspective on today's culture from someone who wasn't born in the 90's. She has an interesting style that makes her fun to read.

{7} Laurina at Random Rantings of a (Not So) New Mom because she deserves it. She has three kids under the age of 4, is in the process of moving, and still finds the time to blog. And when she does, it's pretty entertaining to say the least. She's another one of the great neighbors, and we're really going to miss them. Plus, their kiddos are oh-so-cute.

{8} Anna at The Colorful Living Project is another one of my high school buds I'm awarding. Not because of the association, neccesarily, but because she's an amaaazing photographer. Seriously, very talented, so go check her out if you need one. Fyi, she travels. And if you're not in the market for a photographer, still go look at her pictures. You won't be disappointed. And yes, she has a cute baby too. :)

{9} Jill at Now Seating: Yarbrough - Party of 4... but she's going to have to change that, because they're currently expecting the 5th family member. Jill is full of spunk and energy, and it shows in her posts. She's one of Brad's old buddies, and I can see why he thought she was fun to hang out with.

And last but not least...

{10} Patrick Downing and his self titled blog are mostly music based, but there's some other stuff in there as well. I went to elementary and middle school with him. He was talented back then, grabbing the guitar and playing some Hendrix and Nirvana after chapel services. lol. So while you may not be interested in music reviews and show stories, definitely go check out his band Silver. And if you're lucky enough to be able to attend one of their shows, then by all means, go! They're even better in person.