The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award

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My wonderful friend Tami over at Misc. Ramblings has been so kind as to pass along to me The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award. I thank her SO much because I happen to think she is one of the sweetest people I know, she definitely deserved receiving this award. Love you girlfriend!!

The rules: Give 7 random facts about yourself and then pass this award on to 10 deserving bloggers and let them know they have been awarded. So, here goes:

Seven random facts about myself:

1. I didn't get braces until I was 28 years old and had to wear them until I was 32.
2. I have two titanium rods in my spine and 8 screws - it's fun going through an airport.
3. My favorite thing to drink in the whole world is ice water... really!
4. My son's "gave me away" at my wedding to Bill - they looked SO cute.
5. I have kissed the Blarney stone in Ireland.
6. Cinderella's Carousel and It's a Small World are my favorite rides at Walt Disney World.
7. Bill is 24 years older than me... I'm his "trophy wife" and I am a "kept woman!" TeeHee!!

Here are the 10 absolutely sweet bloggers I want to pass this award on to:

1. Noelle of Jumpin Beans
2. Marie of XmasDolly
3. Maria of Maria's Space
4. Alexis of Running Away? I'll Help You Pack!
5. Grace of Sandier Pastures
6. Tricia of The Night Owl Mama
7. Amanda of Confessions from Householdsix
8. Krystyn of Really, Are You Serious?
9. Tanya of Mommy Goggles
10. Kathleen of Life with 4 Boys

So, thank you again, my dear friend Tami... and to all those I passed this on to... please display it with pride, you deserve it!

HUGGLES!!

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Stylish Blogger Award ~ Aw, Shucks, You Shouldn't Have.....

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I have been blessed by two of my dear friends, Joanie of Joanie's Random Ramblings and the wonderful Marie of XmasDolly to be given the Stylish Blogger Award.  I am so grateful to both of these women because I find them both to be so sweet and generous and loving that I am beyond words in how to say thank you. 

Joanie is the mother of 3 grown children and in a relationship with the love of her life who she says "can absolutely curl her toes." I just love that about her!! The other amazing thing about her is that she is the caregiver for that wonderful man as he is battling lymphoma. However, she is always upbeat and encouraging with her posts and her comments and emails. She is truly a remarkable woman. Please head on over to her blog so you can see what an incredible person Joanie is.

As for Marie from XmasDolly, you probably all know her really well because I talk about her all the time... We have become really good friends through blogging and emails and phone calls. She and I co-host Monday's Music Moves Me {shameless plug noted} and are always trying to help each other promote things on our blogs.  Marie aka Dolly, is the mother of 4 and grandmother or 9 - though you would never know it to look at her. She is also married to a marvelous man who is a superb musician and loves her dearly, as well he should. Dolly also has some of the same medical problems that I do, so we spend time complaining to each other when we are in pain and then helping each other when we need a boost. I am very lucky to have found such a wonderful friend in Dolly.


So... onto the award. The rules of the award are:

1. I am to thank the people who awarded me (Done) and link back to their blogs (Done).

2. Share 7 things about myself. (OK, listed below, but promise you'll keep them a secret).

3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers and let them know they have been awarded. - Well, I am really not one to pass on awards, so I'd like to offer this to my last 15 followers. If that is you, please take the award and write a post please and let me know who you are. I will come on over and leave you a wonderful comment. (Don't forget to leave an email.)


So here are seven things about me:

1. I started getting gray hair at age 22 but refused to let it show and colored my hair until I was 40 and it got too expensive to have it done professionally and too painful for me to do it myself.

2. My husband is 24 years older than I am... Yes, people, I am a trophy wife... NOT! I'm a kept woman. No, seriously, Bill and I met and became friends but refused to fall in love... then we refused to get involved... then we refused to move in together.... then we refused to get married. March 15th with be our 14th wedding anniversary. Oh, well..what can I say, he's a sweetheart.

3. My immediate family (mother, sisters and brothers-in-law) have nothing to do with me because of religious differences.

4. I am disabled due to spinal stenosis and spinal arthritis along with nerve damage and have had two spinal surgeries. I have 8 screws, 4 bars and cadaver bone in my lower and cervical spine.

5. I drink my coffee with one Equal and no milk.

6. My favorite thing to drink over everything is just plain water - pretty boring, huh?

7. I LOVE the fact that I have met so many wonderful people through blogging, it has become my lifesaver so many times over the last year and a half.


So, thank you so much to Joanie and Dolly for giving me this award, you are both such amazing women and I want to be like you both when I grow up. HUGGLES!!

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They Like Me... They Really Like Me!!

My wonderful friend Dolly from XMasDolly has graced me with two awards and I am so grateful. Please head on over to her blog and check it out to see all the wonderful things she blogs about. She has great reviews, giveaways, terrific pictures of her family and we do a great meme together on Mondays called Monday's Music Moves Me - don't forget to come back to play along with us.

Here are the awards she so graciously passed on to me along with the rules and the bloggers I am giving the award to.....

~~ GREAT BLOG NEIGHBOR AWARD

RULES:

Pass this on to five great blog neighbors.
A great blog neighbor as someone that consistently comments on your posts and responds to questions or comments that you have.

The five bloggers I am passing it on to are:

1. Noelle of Jumpin Beans
2. Tami of Misc. Ramblings
3. Alexis of Running Away? I'll Help You Pack
4. Freda of Day One
5. Erin of Slice o' Heaven



~~CHERRY ON TOP AWARD

The Cherry on top Award Rules are:


~ Answer this question:

If you had the chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?

I think the one thing I would change would be leaving my first husband earlier than I did. He was an emotional abuser and I had no self-esteem or self confidence so I had no courage to leave, and stayed much longer than I should have. I wouldn't say that I wish I never married him because he gave me two beautiful sons that have grown up into fabulous young men whom I cherish with all my heart and I wouldn't change that for anything. All the other things that have happened to me in my life, even the terrible things, have made me into the woman that I have become and have gotten me to the place in my life where I was able to fall in love again with my terrific husband, Bill, who is the most wonderful man in the world.


~ PICK 6 people with beautiful blogs with that little bit extra, give them this award, and let them know in a comment they have been awarded. 
 
Here are the six that I have chosen for this award:
 
1. Jennifer of Eighty MPH Mom
2. Michelle of Flying Giggles and Lollipops
3. Kim of What's that Smell?
4. Maria of Maria's Space
5. Amanda of My Kids Might Be Martians
6. Annette of Annette Funnyjello
 
 

Thank you so much, Dolly for being such a sweet friend, always being there for me, and giving me these awards, I truly don't deserve them - there are so many blogs that deserve them much more than I do and I have chosen some of those. Please go visit Dolly's blog along with all these other wonderful women that I have passed the awards on to and give them some bloggy love and let them know that how fabulous they are.

Sunshine Award

I'd like to say thank you and give a shout out to my friend Kerri over at Kerri's Klutter who recently so very sweetly bestowed upon me the Sunshine Award. I was so moved because this award is given "to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogging world.” What a wonderful sentiment to be known for and I thank Kerri so much.

I have been so lucky and blessed to be given this award in the past, so I'm going to skip passing it on at this time to anyone specific. I would like to pass it on to ALL of you, my wonderful followers, because you have all been so terrific to me during the last few weeks as I have been feeling so lousy. I thank you all for your kind words and encouragement through your emails and tweets... I am grateful to you all. Have a wonderful weekend.

Until next time..... Lorie

I'm a Total Slacker - Blogger Awards

I want to first say how sorry I am for not posting these sooner. I love each and every one of the awards and the wonderful friends that have passed these awards on to me and I have thanked them personally and on their blogs for them. Now I need to let YOU all know how generous they have been to me and pass them on to some other wonderful people...

I have been so blessed to receive the Sunshine Award from four of my favorite people from wonderful blogs: Melissa from Outnumbered 3 to 1, Debby from Just Breathe and For Your Tears, Annette from Fairy Blog Mother and Dolly from XmasDolly. I think this is such a truly wonderful honor as I try to make people happy with my blog and bring a little light into their world, so thank you so much Mel, Debby, Annette and Dolly I really appreciate your thinking of me and love you all so much! I also think you all bring a great deal of sunshine to my life as well... Please, dear readers, head on over to their blogs and give them a look, you will NOT be disappointed!

Here are the rules of this award:

- Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
- Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.
- Link the nominees within your post.
- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Here are the 12 bloggers I would love to share this award with (in no particular order):

1. Beth from Manic Mother
2. Kailani from An Island Life
3. Margaret from Old Digger
4. Erin from Mrs. Cox Slice o' Heaven
5. Felicia from Go Graham Go
6. Karen from 3Garnets & 2Sapphires
7. Shannon from The Mommy-Files
8. Jennifer from Eighty MPH Mom
9. Michelle from Flying Giggles and Lollipops
10. Noelle from Jumpin Beans
11. Margaret from Nanny Goats in Panties
12. Sissy from My Kids Might be Martians

These next two awards I received from my wonderful friend Kayla over at The Eclectic Element. She is a great blogger and has a wonderful Etsy site where she sells her beautiful hand made jewelry.

There are no special rules for this award, so I will just pass it on to my top five blog commentors - well, I have to skip #4 and include #6 because #4 happens to be the one and only Miss Kayla.

• 5. Maria from Maria's Space


• 4. Debby from Just Breathe and For your Tears


• 3. Crystal from Simply Being Mommy


• 2. Noelle from Jumpin Beans; and finally (drum roll, please....)


• 1. Alexis from Running Away? I'll Help You Pack!

I'd like to thank Kayla for also bestowing the Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award on me and in the spirit of the award, I'm supposed to list 10 things about me, you may know some of these and you may not, but here goes:

1. My husband, Bill is 24 years older than I am, I am 44 and he is 68.
2. I have two children: Nikolaus age 21 and Alexander 18; and two step-children: Del and Denise (ages will be left personal); plus 4 step-grandchildren. None of whom live in Florida, they are in Connecticut and Texas.
3. I HATE green peas and will not eat them in anything.
4. My middle name is Jean and my maiden name is Sullivan.
5. I became the luckiest girl in the world when Bill and I were married on March 15, 1997.
6. Bill & I went to Ireland for our honeymoon - we landed on St. Patrick's day.
7. I have something Disney in every single room of my house (you probably could have guessed that one - TeeHee).
8. My favorite colors are red, green and blue.
9. I finally got my dream car in 2004, hubby bought me a blue (to match my eyes, he said) 2000 Jaguar XJ8 4-door Sedan. I LOVE it!!
10. I have the most wonderful man in the world as my husband and am extremely lucky to be married to him. I make sure to tell him that every single day!

Annette from Fairy Blog Mother also bestowed upon me the Happy 101 Sweet Friend Award. I like being called a sweet friend so thank you Annette, I think you are a sweet friend also, even with your smartass attitude, when it comes down to it, you have a wonderful heart and soul and I am happy that you are my friend! I have met SO many wonderful people in the blogging and Twitter communities in the last year that I really would have a hard time picking out a few to receive this award, so I'd like to give it to you all - those of you who follow me, those of you who comment, those of you who subscribe and especially those of you who are always there when I need encouragement when I am down or send me an email to make me smile just when I need it most. Thank you for being my friends.

Finally I was tagged by my good friend Michelle at Flying Giggles and Lollipops for the 5-5-5 Tag. I am to answer the five questions with five answers and tag 5 more bloggers, here we go:

Question 1: Where were you five years ago?

1. I was 39 years old
2. Living in Connecticut
3. Working as a Compounding Pharmacy Technician
4. I played Pokeeno once a month with my girlfriends for $1.00 a game
5. Bill & I went out to dinner every other Saturday evening for dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant (the one we got married at)

Question 2: What is (was) on your to-do list today?

1. Laundry
2. Give Nano a bath
3. Laundry
4. Watch movies with Bill
5. Laundry
   

Question 3: What five snacks do you enjoy?

1. Chocolate.....mmmmmm!
2. Ice Cream
3. Jelly Beans
4. Potato Chips/Tortilla Chips and Dip
5. Cashews
   

Question 5: What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

1. Pay off my mortgage and pay off the house we are building.
2. Buy both my children a home and pay off both my step-children's homes.
3. Set up college funds for my grandchildren and pay for my children to go to college.
4. Donate to animal, childrens' and battered women's charities.
5. Take my marvelous husband and family (and Nano) on a cruise around the world on my own private yacht with a full staff.
   

And 5 bloggers to pass it on to...

1. Amanda from Confessions from HouseholdSix
2. Tami from Misc. Ramblings
3. Lisa from Crazy Adventures in Parenting
4. Connie from Brain Foggles
5. Kaylen from It's Serious this Time

So thank you all so very much... Please visit all these fantastic bloggers, they are wonderful to me and have terrific blogs, I'm sure you'll find something you will like something you like.

Until next time..... Lorie

I'm January's Top Commenter on An Island Life = Amazon.com Gift Card

See my adorable button... I was awarded that by my friend Kailani over at An Island Life because I was her top commenter for the month of January... WooHoo!! Along with that adorable button, which I also have posted on my left sidebar, she generously sent me a $10.00 gift card to Amazon.com. What a sweetie-pie she is!

Please head on over to her blog and look around, she has three adorable daughters (Kacie, Kiana, and Kaila) and Kailani takes the most beautiful photographs of them. They live in Hawaii and she posts gorgeous photographs of the state, it makes me want to go and visit even more than ever. Kailani is also a flight attendant who has recently returned to work after maternity leave after the birth of her youngest beauty, Kaila, so we also get to learn about her life aboard airplanes. She does wonderful honest reviews from the heart and great giveaways.

Thank you, Kailani, I am very appreciative of the gift card, but I REALLY love the button! :-) I will keep it on my site proudly.

Until next time..... Lorie

Blog Award from Xmas Dolly

My wonderful friend Marie over at Xmas Dolly has so generously given me this "One Lovely Blog Award". Marie is such a sweet blogger and is terrific at commenting. I am blessed to have her as a friend and truly honored to have received this award from her.


I have passed this award onto some other bloggers before, so I will skip passing it on again at this time, and just say thank you again to Marie for the honor.

Until next time..... Lorie

Blogger Buddy Award

My friend Kaye from J.Kaye's Book Blog has graciously awarded me the Blogger Buddie Award. I was very happy to receive it from her because I love Kaye's blog and visit it every day. She has tons of information on books of all kinds and has lots of different book challenges. Plus Kaye shares lots of tips on how to make your blog better - she is really smart and has great ideas on how to get traffic to your blog and how to write wonderful posts for your blog. Head on over to J.Kaye's Book Blog to see all she has to offer.

I have mentioned my really close blogger buddies {Maria, Alexis, Crystal, Shannon, Felicia, Piera, Jennifer and Erin} several times. This time, I would like to pass this wonderful award on to some of my new blogger buddies who have been so wonderful to me. This award goes to the following wonderful bloggers :

~ Annette of Fairy Blog Mother

~ Michelle of Flying Giggles and Lollipops

~ Tami of Misc. Ramblings

~ Kaylen of It's Serious This Time

~ Noelle of Jumpin Beans; and

~ blueviolet (I wish I knew her real name) of A Nut in a Nutshell

Please take the time to visit the wonderful blogs I have mentioned, I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Until next time..... Lorie

1/21/10 EDIT: I am SO mad at myself for forgetting to mention one special person who has been so very wonderful to me in the last few months, so I wish to rectify this immediately!! Please head on over to this blog:

~ Connie of The Young & The Relentless

Your Blog is Fabulous Award!!

A wonderful woman and friend named Noelle over at Jumpin Beans has so surprisingly given me the Your Blog is Fabulous Award. I am so very grateful to her because I am so amazed by Noelle because of what she is accomplishing. Noelle is the mother of a sweet little baby boy named Braxton, and a very proud Army wife to a young man named Marc who right now is deployed and will not be home for Christmas. However, she still manages to blog about how wonderful her life with her family and friends is and how blessed she is to be married to the love of her life. I am very thankful that she considers my blog fabulous and me a friend.... I feel the same about her. Please go over to Jumpin Beans and look around, you will see what I mean.

Now on to the "rule" of the award..... I am supposed to list my top five obsessions; then pass the award on to five other blogs that I find FABULOUS (boy, only 5, that's gonna be hard!). Well, here goes.... My top five obsessions:

~ My family

~ My puppy, Nano

~ Photography

~ Blogging (DUH)

~ Chocolate (mmmmm)

Now, to pass this on to five other bloggers..... There are lots of bloggers I think are fabulous that I have given awards to before, I would like to pass this one on to some new ones I have discovered:

~ It's Serious This Time

~ Confessions from Household Six

~ Mrs. Marine and the Tiny Troops

~ Telling Dad

~ Yummy Mummy on a Pink Park Bench

Please check out all the blogs that I've passed the award on to, they are fabulous in there own ways. They are very special and unique, and have touched my life in wondrous ways. Thank you again Noelle, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday your family celebrates.

Until next time..... Lorie

I've Been Graced with The Best Blog Award

I am so honored to have received this Best Blog Award from a lovely woman, Sheress at Through My Eyes. She has an adorable family and a wonderful blog that I hope you will all go visit. She is fairly new to blogging and is a stay at home mother of 3 daughters and 1 son and, according to her, wife to the most loving man around. Isn't that just so sweet? An I think that just describes her to a "T" -- SWEET!!

I have been very lucky to receive this award before, so I will just say Thank you SO much, Sheress and not pass it along this time, but wish Sheress and her family and ALL my wonderful blogging friends a very happy and healthy holiday season.

Until next time..... Lorie

Kailani Thinks I am Over the Top ~~ WOW

My friend Kailani who has this fantastic blog called An Island Life, was recently graced with the Over the Top award. She absolutely deserves this award as she has one of my favorite blogs. She lives in Hawaii with her husband and two daughters, Kacie (aka Girlie Girl) who is 7, and Kiana (aka Baby Bug who) is 3, plus her brand new baby girl Kaila. They are the most beautiful little girls, and Kailani writes with such love about them that you can just feel how wonderful her family life must be.

The photos of Hawaii Kailani shares are so gorgeous that every time I visit her blog, it makes me want to visit the islands more and more. I love seeing all the non-touristy {is that a real word} places that she shows us, plus all the beautiful food and festivals that she shares with her readers teach us about the wonderful island customs.

Since I have recently received this award from another lovely lady, I will skip passing it on again, but I am so amazed, surprised, and grateful that I have been given it again, and feel totally unworthy!! I want to thank Kailani SO much for thinking of me, and please, go on over to An Island Life and visit her blog. I know you will all love her and her site as much as I do.

Until next time..... Lorie

Loyal Commenter - Say it Forward from Sandier Pastures

My fabulous friend Grace from Sandier Pastures who lives in Dubai, UAE, has also given me the Say it Forward: Loyal Commenter badge this weekend. I am just overcome with love for my blogger friends. This has been a very difficult year for both my husband and I, both physically and financially, which also has led to some emotional difficulties for me. Because of some things in my past, I suffer from depression and anxiety disorder, and since I've begun blogging regularly, I have met so many wonderful people that have made me laugh and lifted me up when I've been down. For me to be the one that encourages others and makes others laugh just seems unbelievable to me. In my comments I am only speaking the truth and returning the favor that they have given me.

So I would encourage all of you to visit other blogs, leave comments, read other comments and make friends with other bloggers. They can truly be your lifeline when you need one, they have seriously helped me, and I truly love these women whom I now call FRIENDS!!

Until next time..... Lorie

I'm the Featured Blogger on Eighty MPH Mom

I am SO excited... Jennifer over at Eighty MPH Mom has asked me to be the Sunday Featured Blogger over at her site. She is a fantastic blogger, and I am so honored that she chose me. Please head on over to her site to see it, and while you are there, take a look around her blog as she has LOTS of things that are WAY more interesting than me.

Thank you Jennifer for asking me and for taking the time to feature me.

Until next time..... Lorie

Update:

After I wrote this post, I read the post that Jennifer wrote, and not only did she feature my blog, she graciously gave me a Loyal Commenter award and wrote such wonderful things about me that it brought me to tears. So, I want to thank her here on my blog because Jennifer is such a gracious woman and I want you all to know how grateful I am to her for being so kind to me. Please head on over to her blog and return the kindness to her, she absolutely deserves it!

More Awards for ME??? I'm Not Worthy!!!

OMG... Here are more awards I just received.... I seriously DO not deserve these awards. I am no where near as good as these people think I am... THEY are the ones with the fabulous blogs. But I want to thank Piera for thinking of me, she is just so wonderful. I received the Over the Top Award from Piera who has a wonderful blog called Jolly Mom. Her blog is full of wonderful reviews, giveaways, and terrific posts about her family including the greatest pictures of her adorable son Lucas. PLEASE, head on over to see for yourself what an amazing woman she is.

I was also graciously awarded this fabulous award by my friend Crystal from Simply Being Mommy. She was my VERY FIRST FOLLOWER, and has been by my side from the beginning - for that I am eternally grateful to her. She has always been there to help me build up my blog and answer questions for me, so I owe a lot to her for my blog's success to Crystal, so I wish to thank her very much for that, along with this wonderful award! Crystal is married and has three adorable children and is one of the sweetest and kindest women you could ever meet. I do have one disagreement with her... she says she is married to the most wonderful man in the world, I happen to think that I am, so, on that point, we will have to agree to disagree. :-)

Here are the rules for the Over the Top Award: USE ONLY ONE WORD! Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on.

1. Where is your cell phone? Nightstand
2.Your hair? Curly
3. Your mother? Self-Righteous
4. Your father? Deceased
5. Your favorite food? Chocolate
6. Your dream last night? Forgotten
7. Your favorite drink? Water
8. Your dream/goal? Health
9. What room are you in? Bedroom
10. Your hobby? Scrapbook
11. Your fear? Widowhood
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Traveling
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren't? Wealthy
15. Muffins? Blueberry
16. Wish list item? Self-Cleaning-Home
17. Where did you grow up? Connecticut
18. Last thing you did? Blogged
19. What are you wearing? (Ahem... embarrassing) Nude - I'm in bed...
20. Your TV? 56"
21. Your pets? Nano
22. Friends? Loyal
23. Your life? Complicated
24. Your mood? Tired
25. Missing someone? Debbie
26. Vehicle? Jaguar
27. Something you're not wearing? Anything (See #19)
28. Your favorite store? Pyramid.com
29. Your favorite color? Red-or-Green
30. When was the last time you laughed? 5-minutes-ago
31. Last time you cried? Tonight
32. Your best friend? Hubby
33. One place that I go to over and over? Pharmacy
34. One person who emails me regularly? Maria & Alexis (I couldn't do just one)
35. Favorite place to eat? Home

Next, Melissa and Alexis have graced me with the incredible "I Give Good Blog" award.... and I thank them so much.

Melissa over at Outnumbered 3 to 1, shares her home with two sons and a wonderful boyfriend fiance. I can totally relate to her as I was also always surrounded by testosterone living with Bill and my two boys, Nikolaus & Alexander, who are now grown and out of the house. Of course, now I have just have my two men (Hubby and Nano) to outnumber me.

The same award from Alexis at Running Away, I'll Help You Pack, as I've mentioned in a previous post, Alexis is one funny chick!! She LOVES to share her recipes, her favorite books, her favorite shopping tips and finds, anything and everything that makes her happy, to make her readers happy! Her 2 little boys, Caden and Cole are so adorable that you cannot help but want to hug them to death. The things Alexis writes about them remind me SO much about Nikolaus and Alexander when they were little, I get so nostalgic when I read her blog.

Alexis also passed on THREE more awards to me... bestill my heart, I am overwhelmed with love!! She is just too kind!! They are:

~ My Comments Rock Award

~ Dragon Loyalty Award

~ The Best Blog Award

The Best Blog Award was also so generously sent on to me from Felicia at Go Graham Go who is such a wonderful woman. She is a full-time mom and part-time school counselor; all while being a full-time friend, who ALWAYS has time to give an encouraging word to someone who is in need of a lift... and I should know as I have been on the receiving end of those wondrous words many times. So, thank you very much Felicia, you are very dear to my heart.

Please check out all these blogs and say hello from me.....

Since I recently did a post and passed on several awards to very deserving bloggers, some of whom are mentioned above, I will forgo passing these along for now. I do, however, reserve the right to pass them on at a later date.

Wishing you all a wonderful week and a glorious Autumn!

Until next time..... Lorie

AWARDS: Received and Passed On

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I am extremely humbled ..... and totally embarrassed to have waited so long in acknowledging them all. I have become the recipient of some wonderful awards by some of the greatest bloggers in the world - people whom I have the greatest respect for. I have been very neglectful in giving them the respect they deserve by showing the recognition they deserve here on MY blog. {Please forgive my negligence, but know in my heart I am eternally grateful!} I have thanked them all personally, but it is time for me to let YOU all know how I feel about them, and to pass on the love...




I received The Heartfelt Award from Bridget at Readaholic.


Do you reach for a cup of cocoa or tea when your relaxing, seeking comfort, sharing a plate of cookies with family and friends? You know the feeling you get when you drink a yummy cup of cocoa, tea, or a hot toddy? That is what the Heartfelt Award is all about, feeling warm inside.





Awe... that is just so sweet of Bridget! She has one blog that I always enjoy reading because of her book reviews and giveaways. Plus she has great info on all kinds of things all over the web. She also runs a site called Deal Detective that helps link you up to ALL kinds of giveaways and free things; it is truly fantastic. Nothing is more warm and fuzzy than FREE stuff!! Thanks so much Bridget.....


Rules:



1. Put the logo on your blog/post.
2. Nominate up to 9 blogs which make you feel comfy or warm inside.
3. Be sure to link your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

Here are the blogs that I pass this award on to:

Maria's Space ~~ Maria always has such beautiful photographs of her children, who are such wonderful, and special human beings. She also has such other gorgeous photos that she has inspired me to increase my photographic work and experiment more with black & white and sepia tones. She also does wonderful book reviews, and writes incredible posts about all things in life; plus she has an Etsy site Street Angel where she sells her gorgeous artistic jewelry creations. I feel like I have known her forever, and like I am SO lucky to be her friend.

Sandier Pastures ~~ Grace is always writing about her lovely daughter Pristine and about their amazing life in Dubai. She is Japanese and so graciously talks about the customs of her heritage and showing photos of family celebrations. Grace also highlights the old and new parts of Dubai through essays and photographs on her blog, while explaining Muslim customs in such a way that we can all understand. I feel like I am getting an education from a long time friend every time I read Grace's blog......;

and finally.....

Running Away, I'll Help You Pack ~~ Alexis is one funny chick!! She also LOVES to share, her recipes, her favorite books, her favorite shopping tips and finds, anything and everything that makes her happy, so it will make you happy! She has the two sweetest little boys that say and do the cutest (to those of us who aren't their mother) things. When you read her blog, it is like being at her kitchen table having a cup of coffee chatting with an old friend.

The Uplifting Blogger Award I have received from Annette over at Fairy Blog Mother... I am so happy to receive this from her as she has a wonderful blog and she always makes me laugh with her terrific sense of humor and her fabulous way of looking at life - I am the one uplifted from reading her posts. Annette never lets life get her down, and always sees the funny side of things! One of my favorite parts of her blog is Bitch & Moan Friday, a meme I participate in, grab the button and join in if you want - it is really cathartic!! Thank you Annette.....


The Rules:

1. Include the award logo in your blog or post.
2. Nominate as many blogs which you like.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.


Here is who I would like to pass the Uplifting Blogger Award to:


Manic Mother ~~ Beth is an incredible woman... she has gone through a lot in her young life, but will not let it define her. She has 2 young sons (which I used to have, mine are now very BIG boys), and her youngest, Ezra, has leukemia. I admire her honesty and strength in dealing with this horrendous disease. She NEVER gives up the fight for her son and because of her, neither will I... he has the most gorgeous smile and when you go to her site, you cannot help but leave uplifted. Please go there and find out how we can ALL help those dealing with cancer.


The Mommy-Files ~~ Shannon always tries to post things that are truly uplifting and beneficial to everyone who reads her blog. She has wonderful giveaways, reviews, and does amazing videos that are interesting and just plain fun! There have been some who have tried to rip her down recently - all while hiding behind the "anonymous" moniker, but she has always taken the high road and been the bigger person, and I for one am so glad that I am following her and constantly read her blog. I am so very glad to "know" her.




I received this Award from Kaye over at J. Kaye's Book Blog. The Who Love's You Baby! Award is designed with one purpose in mind: pass this on to other bloggers who have awarded you in the past.



I am thrilled to receive this from Kaye, because she is such a busy blogger, I don't even know HOW she has the time to look at my little ole' blog. Kaye has reads tons of books every week and writes reviews for them all, not only for her blog, but for Amazon.com as well. She is also really smart when it comes to blogging, and is always offering tips on how to get the most out of your blog. She always takes the time to respond to you when you post a comment on her blog or answer a question when you ask her one. When I become a grown-up blogger, I wanna BE Kaye!! Thank you Kaye.....

Please head over to the following blogs that I pass this on to. I KNOW you will see why I love each and every one of them:


~ My Kids Might Be Martians : Sissy is hysterical and so down to earth!
~ Fairy Blog Mother : Annette just oozes humor and realism.
~ Readaholic : Bridget is a terrific writer a so socially aware and loves animal as much as I do.
~ S3x in the Pantry : Lynn is so spicy and articulate that I truly think she should write a book.


This next award I received is from Lynn over at S3x in the Pantry, and it is very special to me because it is for writing and I have been trying to improve my writing. It is nice to be recognized by someone other than The Hubs and my oldest son for having decent writing (not that I don't appreciate their complements). Lynn's blog is hysterical, and in my opinion fabulously written - so she was very well deserved in receiving this award. Lynn takes every day situations that we as parents go through, and makes us remember (1) WHY we had children in the first place, and (2) why we still love them and our partner; doing this all with insight and humor. So, Lynn, thank you not only for the award, but for the laughter and sanity every day, and remembering that no matter how old we get or how long we have been married, it is still possible to have gr(8) s3x.....

Rules for the Superior Scribbler:
• Each Superior Scribbler must pass The Award on to 5 Bloggy Friends.
• Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
• Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to this post, which explains The Award.
• Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. To keep a list of everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor.
• Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog


So the following blogs are the ones that I pass this award onto. I think that they each are Superior Scribblers, no matter what subject they choose to write about! Please visit them to see what I mean.....


~ Piera at Jolly Mom
~ Felicia at Go Graham Go
~ Margaret at Nanny Goats in Panties
~ Jo at The A-Priori Mommy
~ Tonya at A Day in My Life....

I am very grateful to these wonderful bloggers who passed these awards onto me, and I do hope that all of my readers will go and visit these beautiful people that I have given these awards to. They are all terrific women and I know you will enjoy their blogs, please let them know that I sent you over and say hello for me.

If I have forgotten anyone who generously gave me a wonderful award, please forgive me, accept my sincere apology, and give me a swift kick in the butt by leaving me a comment.

Until next time..... Lorie

TWO More Awards - I Can't Believe It!!

I was so shocked when I received word from Tim over at Fort Tompson Blogspot, (http://fortthompson.blogspot.com/) that I was the recipient of TWO more blog award, I was speechless!! I really cannot believe it, within 2 days, I received 3 blog awards.

I am overwhelmed by the support I have received for my blog that I have been reduced to tears. Now don't you all, or as we say down here in the south: ya'll start laughing at me, because, The Hubs had me begin blogging a little to occupy my mind while I recovered from my spinal surgery. He thought I could enter a few sweepstakes, like he does, but he thought I was a better writer than he was, so he had me enter the blog sweepstakes. I found that although I enjoyed entering, and oh, yes, WINNING, the sweepstakes, I REALLY enjoyed learning about people and their families ON the blogs. And, I truly enjoyed interacting with these people all over the country and all over the world -- a shout out to you Grace...

So, as I lie on the couch in pain, trying not to move too much with the laptop entering sweeps and learning, laughing, and crying about other people and their families, I found that I wanted to do more with my own blog that had just been sitting there for years. So with the help of other people that I met through blogging, thank you Crystal and Felicia, I was able to fix up and upgrade my blog and make it a little prettier. And look at me now... three awards in 2 days (o.k., so 1 calls me a whore, but I'll take it... thank you very much Amanda).


So, now onto my awards.... and here are the rules for the Awards:

1. Include the award logo in your blog or post.
2. Nominate as many blogs which you like.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

The first award is the "Adorable Blog" award, which I truly appreciate and I know just who I have to pass this onto... I pass this to the following people:

- Felicia at Go Graham Go Blog (http://www.gograhamgo.com/)
- Piera at The Jolly Mom Blog (http://www.jollymom.com/)
- Paige at The Nurse Mommy Blog (http://www.thenursemommy.com/)
- Ryann at A Working Blogging Mommy, and last but definitely NOT least (http://taylorsmommy-taysmommy.blogspot.com/)
- Crystal at Simply Being Mommy: my very first follower!!! (http://simplybeingmommy.com/)



The next award I got, I don't even know if I deserve... but it is the "Uplifting Blogger" award. Thank you Tim for this one, I hope I have, in some way uplifted someone, some where's day at sometime. I know there are a lot of you out there who have helped me heal by just leaving a comment on my blog - just knowing that someone ACTUALLY reads what I write is amazing. So this award I pass onto:

-Crystal at Simply Being Mommy (http://simplybeingmommy.com/): again she was there for me from day one

- Felicia at Go Graham Go (http://www.gograhamgo.com/): she always says such nice things

- Kaye at J. Kaye's Book Blog (http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/) : she always responds to comments on her blog - I wanna be like Kaye

- Amanda at My Kids Might be Martians (http://www.mykidsmightbemartians.com/) : she can always make me laugh; and lastly

-Maria at Maria's Space (http://reesspace.blogspot.com/) : she is so inspirational she has been through a LOT, but she has such love to give and it can be seen through her children and her photographs

So, Tim, thank you so much for the awards, and I hope I have done you justice in my paying them forward....

Until next time.... Lorie