Award Winner?!

I am so honored to get the Beautiful Blogger Award from 52 Week Preschool! Thank you so much! I have no idea who started this award, but it certainly was a nice compliment to receive!

The rules:
Thank the person who kindly passed this to you, and link your award back to them.

Pass it on to 5 blogs that deserve a Beautiful Blogger Award. Let them know they earned this award.

List 7 random things about yourself.

1. I love to bake, but not to cook. There is a huge distinction. There is most likely a direct link from the baking to and my sugar dependency/addiction which has resulted in exorbitant dental bills tight jeans . I wished I felt the same satisfaction from whipping up a marvelous dinner as I do frosting a six layer chocolate orange pound cake with whipped chocolate ganache filling (which I made on Monday) but sadly, I do not. I have also accepted the fact that skinny people do not bake in real life - Paula Dean and The Barefoot Contessa will back me up on this point.
   
2. I cannot spell. Spell check is a crutch that I cannot live without. FYI Blogger people, why can I not perform a spell check on my titles? I can type pretty quickly, but only if I am looking at my hands - this comes from being self-taught.
   
3. My biggest regret over the last ten years is not having more children. That may sound ridiculous considering all that was going on over the last few years, but I always wanted more children and I think the fact that I regularly watch 10+ kids suggests I probably could have handled it. I regret thinking that my whole focus needed to be on what was best and easiest for someone else and not thinking about what makes me happy and brings me joy because at my age, there will not be any more children and that makes me sad.
   
4. I do not really miss having TV except during the Olympics and showings of BBC productions like Emma and Return to Cranford. I have a Netflicks account, but it takes weeks for me to watch the movies. I find I read more books since the TV was disconnected several years ago. Even so, I have about 300 unread garage sale purchased books in my bedroom right now looking at me disapprovingly. I need to alphabetize them. I need more bookshelves.
   
5. It took me 37 years, but I finally figured out how to get cute curls in my hair. Wash, towel dry, add heat protector mousse, let dry completely. Take really hot curling iron (the gold 1-inch kind) and wrap little pieces of hair away from your face around the barrel - do not open barrel. Spray. Voila! Curls that are loose, cute and somehow stay in my pin straight hair! It's pretty easy, but I still find I only manage it about once every two weeks. Spend more time on myself - a good if not completely unrealistic goal.
   
6. I have no idea what I want to do with my life. This is a huge problem as I find myself needing to have a career beyond motherhood all of the sudden. I love to be creative, I love to bake, I love to craft, I love photography, I love to read, I love babies . . . none of these jump off the screen as a sensible career choice for a single mom needing to support three young children. Do I go back to school? If so, where and for what and how do I pay for it and who takes care of the kids? My Humanities/English degree is somehow not very helpful right now. I have permanent worry lines in between my brows now.
   
7. I love to blog. I really do. I need to communicate with people and having this blog makes me happy. I enjoy trying to make it beautiful. I enjoy sharing our lives and connecting with our friends and family and with new friends I have made on-line. It allows me to feel like I am sharing with someone on a regular basis (someone over the age of 10) and I need that. I spend my days watching children, I spend my evenings taking care of children alone. I spend my weekends taking care of children, I spend Sundays teaching more children. I imagine this blog being read by adults somewhere in the bloggisphere and isn't that a wonderful thing?
   

I pass this award on to (keep in mind most of these blogs have far, far more readers than I will ever have and most likely do not even read my blog, but I don't care. I love to read their blogs and you should too):

Janiemoon - I think I first found her blog through some connection to NieNie or CJane. Their whole extended family has been such an example to me of what it should truly mean to be a family. They inspire and uplift me. Janiemoon is clever and funny - and just like NieNie and Cjane, she seems to have a very strong marriage. I am drawn to that and to their funny little creative life - also she has one of my favorite all time headers on her blog.

Voice of Reason - I think I found her blog through my friend April. She is hysterical, a great writer and has what could be my dream job if it actually paid enough money to support me and my three kids. We share a love for period dramas like North and South and Cranford and she is going to Hawaii soon and my parents are in Hawaii, so . . . that's a connection, right?

A Bushel and a Peck - I found this blog a long time ago when I was searching for project ideas. I admire her for raising a family and being able to do design work from home. She plans the most amazing birthdays and projects for her calling working with the Young Women of our church. Great ideas!

Cooking Up Crafty Fun - There are a lot of crafting sites out there. This is one I visit frequently for ideas and also for free printables! She has a couple of etsy shops and frankly, I do not know how she keeps up - especially with a new baby!

Color Me Kate - She is a young photographer and street artist in New York. Her blog is colorful, vibrant and most of all fun. I love to read it because she always looks like she is happy and laughing - she is in love and it shows. She has a million followers, but if you have not found her blog yet, go and visit. It'll pick you up.