I'b so oddered

It's mold/ragweed season here, and I AB BISERABLE!!! I've become one of those annoying people to be around, constantly sniffling, attempting to clear my phlegm-y, rasping throat, wiping my streaming eyes, moaning with my latest headache as my longsuffering, Neti-Pot-using husband, plies me with morning coffee. (An aside: do y'all remember that episode of The Office where Jim gives Pam that teapot for Secret Santa and Dwight nabs it and plans to use it as a Neti-Pot? And that is just SO Dwight? Well, I read an online interview with Jenna Fischer (who plays Pam), and she said that ever since that episode introduced the concept to her, she's become a dedicated user! Doesn't that just make my husband even cooler?)

But guess what? On a far more cheerful note, my friend Jennifer was kind enough to nominate me for my very first BLOG AWARD! Wooohoooo! Now I get to pass along the award to seven other bloggers, and that daunts me to no end because I feel like I'm back in the schoolyard picking a kickball team (and here we veer sharply into historical fiction, because I was never, EVER picking the team) and Somebody may get left out and have hurt feelings and think I don't like her blog and nurse a grudge forever. My house may be TP'ed. If so, please use a good quilted brand like Charmin', since we're thrifty enough to collect the stuff and re-use it.

So, um ... if I don't nominate you, DO NOT BE OFFENDED! I love you and I'll leave you double comments next time!

Let's see.
Blogs of friends:
Another Nicole. Nicole is super-smart and super-articulate about things I wouldn't dare even try to write about (like politics). The girl reads Supreme Court Cases FOR FUN. I read her posts FOR FUN.

Yet Another Jenny (is there a theme here?). Her blog is just plain beautiful to look at, and she shares her gorgeous digiscrapping artwork plus the very honest ups and downs of life as a teacher and a mom. And we've been friends, like, forever.

Daddy Magic. Okay, this is totally cheating because my husband writes this one, but I love how he captures some of the moments at our house that I miss. Plus, there's a reason this family has two parents!

Hands, Head, and Heart. Melanie is such a creative and dedicated artist (principally as a stamper and stamp designer), and so generous in sharing her work, complete with instructions. (Cheating again: I met Melanie through my talented friend Vanessa, who also has a cool blog!)

Blogs of people I wish were my friends because they're just so inspiring:

Frog and Toad Are Still Friends. Yup, can't help it, I guess I've become one of Beck's many groupies. Confession? When people are kind enough to say to me, "I love your writing," I've become secretly glad they haven't read hers. It's darn near perfect.

Blue Yonder. I totally want to meet this gal because she has three kids and lives somewhere near me (and has chickens! and homeschools!), but meanwhile, I'm soaking up all her great ideas, not to mention her ability to paint amazing pictures with both her camera and her words.

Trivium Academy. Journal of a homeschooling mom whose organization, dedication, and vision I totally admire.



Here are the rules, which apply to all seven awardees:

1. The winner can (and should, really) put the logo on his/her blog

2. The winner must link to the person from whom they received their award.

3. The winner must nominate at least 7 other blogs for an award.

4. The winner must place links to those blogs on their own blog.

5. The winner must leave a message on the blogs of the people they’ve nominated.


Have fun! I'm off to see if my kids left me any cough drops and to start a new book about which I am totally excited because it's about the National Spelling Bee and the subtitle contains the phrase "Word Nerds."