Feel the bloggy love. Really, FEEL it!

The thing I love most about blogging is YOU.

This amazing, ever-expanding community full of wonderful people...coming together despite the miles, building strong friendships without meeting in person, and changing the world for the better together. I can't imagine what my life would be like without all of you.

To that end, I'd like to share a few things with you:

Have you heard about Lotus (aka Sarcastic Mom...that's her rack to the right by the way), the mold that was infesting her home, and the landlord who refused to do anything about it despite the fact her family was getting sick? Bloggers to the rescue! Angie from A Whole Lot of Nothing, Dawn at KaiserAlex and Victoria at VDog and Little Man have teamed up and provided the interwebs a few different ways to help Lotus and her family get some cash together to help them get out of that mold pit and into a new home. Wanna help? Click the link below (or if you're feeling randy you can click on that aforementioned rack ---------->).



I also suggest visiting the sites of these amazing women who are banning together to help a fellow blogger...I know I am. It's what it's all about.

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On a more personal level...

Jill at Caffeine Court was kind enough to bestow upon me her Slammin' Post Award for one of my pee stories (I am soooooooo highbrow): "One more time when I really, really had to pee."



I'd like to hand it over to Marjorie at 280 Main Street for her touching post Random Kindness. Her kindness, warmth, and humor ooze out of her every post; this one is no exception.

I'd also like to extend it to Sarcasta-Mom at The Adventures of Sarcasta-Mom for her oh, so perfect post about being broke. Not frugal...broke. As I know all too well, there's a distinction and she not only explains the difference, but offers up some tips on dealing with it.

"Slammin' Post" doesn't do this post from Casey at Moosh In Indy justice. This is one of the most gut-wrenching and yet inspirational things I've ever read. It's haunted me since I first read it back in November. It starts with this, "I overdosed on prescription medication when I was seven months pregnant.

On purpose."

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The love continues...HRH at June Cleaver Nirvana awarded me this:




How awesome is that? I'm extending this bloggy love to one of the most beautiful (inside and out) bloggers I know and am honored to call 'friend.' Loralee from Loralee's Looney Tunes...I puffy pink heart you big time!

I'm also sending it to Domestic Chicky...for a lot of reasons including the fact that her blog is always a fun read and the fact that she loves Eddie Izzard (whom I've met and is super nice. And hot).

And Jennifer from Playgroups are No Place for Children for a consistently hilarious and touching blog. Plus, she's genuine and loyal. You just have to love her.

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And yet more love: Liz at Pink Lemonade of Life was kind enough to send this one over:



Now, I'm just blushing. Robin from Around the Island, this one's for you. I can't read her blog without feeling a little better about the world, knowing there are people like her in it.

Mrs. Flinger gets one as well. If you don't read her, you should. She's funny and insightful and super nice and she looks great first thing in the morning, too!

And last, but MOST definitely not least, Mrs. Incredible from In the Fast Lane because her writing is super and entertaining and I after reading her posts I sometimes wish I were her. Or at least, that I'd written what she did.

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Now, time for a meme!

J over at Take a Walk on the Childside, a loooooooooontime online friend from my pre-blogging days and a big part of the reason I started blogging, has tagged me for a meme.

So here are the rules for this little one.

1. Grab the nearest book of 123 pages or more.
2. Open it to page 123.
3. Find the first 5 sentences and write them down.
4. Then invite 5 friends to do the same.

"No, precisely no!" He leaned forward of their coffee cups, his voice low and fervent. "What could be rarer, more precious, more compelling than unmasking these hacks for what they are? Than an instrument to trumpet that the emperor has no clothes, and the grand vizier has not clothes, and the empress is starkers, to-do you get my point? Debunk the lot of them."

Oddly, that paragraph speaks to the title, which is The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud. I just started it and am really enjoying it.

And in the spirit of bloggy love, consider yourself tagged! Unless you don't want to, then you aren't tagged!

*whoop whoop* v2

Seriously, how much do I rock? I get my first two buttony awards, and they are the same award. Man, I must be really fucking nice!

Velveteen Mind has also been sweet enough to grace me with a 'Nice Matters' award. And like I said in my last post, this is wonderfully timely and makes me all happy inside. Thank you for the kind words, Velveteen Mind...they mean so much.

And Jennifer, you know I love you, but I have to say that I am way more of a twisted bra strap type of girl than a Victorian shoes overflowing with flowers and pink ribbons type of girl. But then, if I know you at all, so are you.

To those of you I proclaimed as deserving of this Nice Matters award, grab whichever button you prefer. Choice is good!

*whoop whoop*

When I started this blog oh so many months ago, I thought I was in essence creating a public journal that, once in a while, someone would stumble upon. And that would be that.

I had noooooo idea. I didn't know how dynamic this blogging world is; I didn't realize I would make new friends, real friends . But I have, and I am amazed and grateful for these friendships...because, as trite as it sounds, I am a better person for knowing them.

So when Jennifer (aka Binky Bitch Extraordinaire)(aka Playgroupie) awarded me with what must be the sweetest accolade ever, I fell back in my seat. 'Being Nice' is something that has come up as a topic of conversation in my life recently in a variety of venues...if everyone would just 'Be Nice' the world would be a far better place. Duh.

Jennifer, thank you so much for your timely buttony award; the fact that it is my first buttony award makes it all the more sweet.

I'm thrilled to pass on the love to these bloggers...they are also super, duper NICE. And nice matters.

Candace at Not that I don't love my kids...
Mrs. Fussypants at Fabulous Mrs. Fussypants
Misty at PDX Mama
Heather at Just Treadmilling Around
Jenn at Serving the Queens
Jennifer at Take a Walk on the Childside

This just feels good

I was cruising around the internets and found this ...an unexpected compliment from someone I'd never met/read before. I've come to discover she is an amazing woman and writer.

Thanks Nordette...you made my day.

My glass half full of air

Some of the Worst Compliments I Have Ever Received:
1. Whoever marries you will be lucky, because you will be better looking at 40 than you are today. (I was 20) from a dude I was casually dating

2. You look better naked than you do in clothes. from boyfriend at the time

3. You look like you could be on 90120 from some dude also trying to pick me up, circa whenever that show was watched

4. I had more fun with you when we were together than I've ever had with anyone. I really loved you. from a guy I'd dated over ten years prior to this conversation, who had insisted we keep our relationship casual because he wasn't *feeling it*

5. It hurt me to think that an employee as loyal as you, who has been with us for so long, could betray us. I realize now I was wrong and that you didn't in fact steal that $3.50 rice paper card, and for that we will always be grateful. However, we have already made an example of you to the other employees; they know if we could fire YOU, we would certainly fire them. So we have to let you go. from the owner of the retail store in which I spent years working for during college



Some of the Best Compliments I Have Ever Received:
1. Whoever marries you will be lucky, because you will be better looking at 40 than you are today. (I was 20) from a dude I was casually dating

2. You look better naked than you do in clothes. from boyfriend at the time

3. You look like you could be on 90120 from some dude also trying to pick me up, circa whenever that show was watched

4. I had more fun with you when we were together than I've ever had with anyone. I really loved you. from a guy I'd dated over ten years prior to this conversation, who had insisted we keep our relationship casual because he wasn't *feeling it*.

5. It hurt me to think that an employee as loyal as you, who has been with us for so long, could betray us. I realize now I was wrong and that you didn't in fact steal that $3.50 rice paper card, and for that we will always be grateful. However, we have already made an example of you to the other employees; they know if we could fire YOU, we would certainly fire them. So we have to let you go. from the owner of the retail store in which I spent years working for during college.

It's the mineral make-up

Yesterday afternoon one of my 8 year-old son's friends told me, out of the blue, that I looked too young to be a mom. I take my compliments where I can get them, so this 41 year-old ran with that one.

Just then the doorbell rang. I was about to mention my graceful aging to my friend as she stood in the doorway when the kid came running around the corner and announced, "I should probably tell you that I am somewhat color blind in the red and green range...I think that's why you look young to me."

And so it goes.