I always hated that commercial. It made me talk to my tv.
Lady, we don’t hate you because you’re beautiful. We hate you because you’re a snot. Get over yourself.
But hate is a strong word. More like ‘want to throw a pillow at you’.
Anyway.
I mentioned before that a second blog award was coming, and here it is. The big reveal.
Because I know you’ve been waiting anxiously.
I actually got this from 2 different people, so I must be really beautiful.
Don’t hate me.
For this one I’m also supposed to list 7 things I’d like you to know about me. I’m not sure that I really feel that you need to know anything about me – I’m sure you’ve survived just fine without knowing all about me. But in case you’re interested, here are a few tidbits.
I’m a Christian. I would hope that this is evident in my life without me telling you, but because I am Hopelessly Flawed, I’m sure it isn’t always obvious. For that I am sorry – I’m trying to do better.
I adore Alton Brown. I love his knowledge of food, his scientific approach, his quirky camera angles, and his whole ‘I know I’m a bit nerdy and I’m cool with that’ attitude. I’m pretty sure he & I would have been great friends in high school.
I’m a sort-of runner. I was serious years ago and pretty much gave it up when I had kids, but a couple of years ago I took it up again and I’m glad. I like the time alone on the treadmill to process my thoughts.
You know those crazy old women with 100 cats? I could easily be one of them, only with dogs. I hate cats, but I’m a sucker for a puppy every single time.
I secretly fantasize about making a radical life change, like moving abroad. I’m too emotionally attached to my parents to ever do it – they live a mile away and I’d be miserable without them nearby. But I watch House Hunters International and daydream.
I’m a night owl and an insomniac – a bad combination. I usually get a very unhealthy 3-4 hours of sleep a night.
I am a terrible singer, which is quite sad considering how much I really love to sing. I used to be semi-decent until I had my tonsils out at the age of 20. However, I think I’ve found a way to make my love of singing – despite my terrible voice – work for me. The Singing Bee. I’m destined to be a champ, if only I can get up the nerve.
If there were to be a #8, it would be that after making my 100 list, there is nothing left to reveal about me. I’m fresh out of tidbits, people.
Moving on, I’m supposed to share this award with 3 other beautiful bloggers, so here are the lovely ladies I’ve selected.
Such the Spot – If you’ve read her blog, you know why Darcie is beautiful. And if you haven’t, you need to – now. Darcie is one of the most beautiful, inspirational friends I have ever been blessed with, and I am very grateful for her presence in my life. If only she didn’t live so far away…
She Just Had To Say It – Soliloquy is one of the most fabulous bloggers I’ve ever encountered. She’s wicked funny and brutally honest, and she shares her faith in a way that is both passionate and inspirational. She is one of the most approachable, un-intimidating Christian writers you will ever find. I admire her in many ways and would love to be more like her.
Sellabit Mum – Tracy is a friend that I knew before her blog was born, and have enjoyed getting to know her better through her writing. She is a beautiful, beautiful writer, and she touches my heart and brings tears to my eyes on a regular basis.
Now that I look back, I’m seeing an inspirational theme here. I love to be inspired. Hopefully you do as well.
I’m zoinking a meme from my friend Darcie over at Such the Spot. She lets me steal from her all the time. And by ‘lets’ I mean ‘doesn’t complain when I do it.’ Thanks Darcie – you rock like that.
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Coached a soccer team, joined a school committee, made peace with certain family situations, made my own laundry detergent, and went roller skating as an adult. (It’s still just as fun as it was when I was a kid.)
2. Did you keep your New Years resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t really do resolutions. I’m anti-establishment like that.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, my beloved grandmother.
5. What countries did you visit?
None this year, unless those in Epcot qualify!
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Financial independence
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory? Why?
January 14 – the day my Grama died
Or does this mean ‘date’ date? In which case, I have an awesome, hysterically funny date story from this fall that unfortunately I can’t publicly share. But I can say that the date of the date was October 11.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Making it through.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Just barely making it through.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
A few, but mainly I attend to the illness and injury of others.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Either my new Blackberry, or the living room chair that no one ever sits in. It’s beautiful.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My three girls. And not my own.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
On the macro level, pretty much every member of Congress. Heck, let’s extend that to government as a whole. And Hollywood. And Jon Gosselin. And Tiger Woods. On the micro level – they shall remain nameless.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Medical bills.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Seeing my sister, brother-in-law, and niece – it only happens every few years.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
17. Compared to this same time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder?
b) thinner or fatter?
c) richer or poorer?
Sinning is probably too generic, huh? I wish I’d been more faithful and less fearful. I wish I’d yelled at the kids less. I wish I’d been less selfish. I wish I had saved more money. I wish I’d spent less time getting pumped up for a football season that isn’t exactly panning out the way I’d hoped.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Surrounded by the most amazing little people I know, watching their joy, and feeling very blessed.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Nope. Unless you mean with my new self-invented scallops recipe, in which case yes, I so totally did.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
Glee baby. I’m all about the Glee.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I try very hard not to use that word.
24. What was the best book you read?
Anyone who can remember all of the books they read in a year doesn’t read enough. But the best is of course the Bible. (Made all of you people that said Twlight feel shallow for a second, huh?) But assuming this means something more fluffy…I don’t know. Jodi Picoult? A couple of newish Sophie Kinsella books. I don’t read a lot of fluff, I like the heavy stuff.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Well since this is the year I began trying to learn the guitar, I’m hoping that by this time next year I can say that my best musical discovery of 2009 was my guitar playing ability. But since I can’t yet play all the chords that’s clearly premature here, so I’ll go with this cool invention.
26. What did you want – and get?
A leg lamp. The soft glow of electric sex gleaming from my very own front window. Also known as, a dream come true. Thanks Mom and Dad.
27. What did you want – and not get?
Arrested Development. The one and only thing I asked for, and I did not get it. And I know what a jerky ingrate this makes me sound like, but seriously. When you provide someone with the gift idea, the link to purchase, the account to use, and the money to pay for it, is it really so hard to just make the purchase? Apparently yes, for some people it is. Humph.
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Yeah…not a clue. I’d have to google to find out what movies came out this year first. I think this meme was written for someone with the memory of an elephant.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Again, I have no idea what I did. I was 15, 22, 35, or 73, depending on how you measure. thirtysomething is the easy answer.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeausurably more satisfying?
Having won the lottery. Not in a selfish way, either – I long to win big and get to donate money to a lot of good causes. (I suppose the personal pleasure is a little selfish) But since I’ve never purchased a lottery ticket, my chances aren’t good on this one.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
The same as it has been since Annie was born – t-shirts and yoga pants. I have an entire closet full of t-shirts in various categories. I need to get out more.
32. What kept you sane?
A very big God. And very fabulous parents.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Like tweens and teens the world over, I’m going with the Jonas Brothers on this one. Not because I’m a creepy middle aged pervert, but because I admire their character. I really hope these boys can stay true to their convictions, which isn’t easy in Hollywood. They are good kids, and especially in the public eye, that seems to be harder and harder to find.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
I’m actually sticking with Darcie’s response on this one. This was big for me. HUGE. Also, the bailouts. Don’t even get me started. Oy.
35. Who did you miss?
My Grama. My friend Nella. The old me.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
My kids’ teachers. We are so incredibly blessed to have the awesome school and the awesome teachers that we have. Not ‘new’ people, but many old friends that I reconnected with thanks to Facebook – Summer and Matt, especially.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
That bad things don’t always happen to other people. They sometimes hit a lot closer to home. [Darcie's answer again, but it's applicable for me as well.]
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I’m going with an entire song on this one. A song that has been a comfort to me in the tribulations of the year, and a hope for a better future. An oldie but a goodie.
Hold Me Jesus – Rich Mullins
Well sometimes my life
Just don’t make sense at all
When the mountains look so big
And my faith just seems so small
So hold me Jesus, ’cause I’m shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won’t You be my Prince of Peace
And I wake up in the night and feel the dark
It’s so hot inside my soul
I swear there must be blisters on my heart
So hold me Jesus, ’cause I’m shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won’t You be my Prince of Peace
Surrender don’t come natural to me
I’d rather fight You for something
I don’t really want
Than to take what You give that I need
And I’ve beat my head against so many walls
Now I’m falling down, I’m falling on my knees
And this Salvation Army band
Is playing this hymn
And Your grace rings out so deep
It makes my resistance seem so thin
So hold me Jesus, ’cause I’m shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won’t You be my Prince of Peace
You have been King of my glory
Won’t You be my Prince of Peace
and she’s totally amazing. Rock-your-world, lift-your-spirits, where-have-you-been-my-whole-life amazing. I’m so blessed and so grateful for her, and today I need to brag about her a little.
She’s smart. So smart, and not just in a brainy factoid kinda way (although she’s got that book smart thing down too), but in a clever, resourceful kind of way. She approaches things in a way that I wouldn’t ever think of, and she gives me the best and sneakiest tips on how to get great seats, hard to snag reservations, and the very best deals. (I so never knew that you could get free groceries!) How cool is that?
She is strong. Strong in a way that I find both inspirational and intimidating. Life has thrown out some curveballs and she didn’t bother dodging them, she swung her bat and knocked them out of the park. It’s true that sometimes you have no choice about what comes your way, but you always have a choice about how you react and her reactions are remarkable. Where some would wallow in self-pity, she forged ahead. When some would wail about the depths of despair, she created a new normal. She has a beautiful and blessed life because of her beautiful and blessed heart, and I am in awe.
She’s funny. Wickedly funny. She can make me laugh like few people can, and who doesn’t need more of that in their life? How wonderful is that! Humorless people are such a drag.
She’s a great writer. She writes in a way that instantly connects with you, across time and distance and differences. She makes you feel exactly what she is feeling, and she has a unique way of blending raw emotion and sarcastic wit that is really unforgettable. She’s made me laugh and cry out loud more times than I can count, and she’ll be doing it for you one day too. I’ll give you a heads up when her book is published. I hear it’s fantastic. Not that I’ve been able to read it yet… ahem. Moving on.
She’s thoughtful. Kind. Generous. She is a giver, of herself, her time, her resources, her emotions. She is such a loving, caring person and she doesn’t give herself enough credit for it.
She is beautiful, inside and out. Her self-deprecating humor makes mention of a blueberry muffin, but pay that no mind; anyone who has seen her knows that she’s a hot mama. If you don’t believe me, just ask the broom boy.
She is honest. She’ll tell you what you need to hear no matter what, even when it’s unpleasant. She’ll talk about the embarassing stuff that only the very best of friends will talk about. She’ll tell you what she really thinks, no holds barred.
She gets me. She just gets me, no words necessary. Of course we do share lots of words, because when we know we’re thinking the same thing it’s really nice to be able to share that. Rant a little, laugh a little – ok, laugh a lot. People who get it so easily and comfortably are hard to find, and I have The Mouse to thank for bringing this one into my life. Another way that Disney has been good to me.
Well ok no, it’s still the same old me. But it’s a whole new beautiful look, anyway.
I was really fed up with the Blogger platform. It was an easy, un-intimidating way to get started with a blog, but I had outgrown its capabilities and was frustrated. I knew I wanted to switch to WordPress, and at the same time there were some other changes I wanted to make as well.
Enter Darcie – yes, Such the Spot Darcie. She’s multi-talented! I gave her an idea of what I wanted, and poof! this beautiful blog appeared. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t quite that easy on her end, but on my end it was like magic. She was fast, and if I do say so myself I think it is a beautiful design. Did I mention that this is the first one she’s ever done? Wow! If you’re needing a whole new look for your blog, or just want a button made, I highly recommend Darcie!
So…if you were following me over at A day in the life…, please change your bookmark to reflect the new site. I’ll be leaving that site up and live for now but it will not be updating, so if you want the new scoop you’ll need to hop over here to Hopelessly Flawed. Thanks for joining me on this crazy ride!
PS) If you find any broken links, errors, or other assortment of bugs and glitches, please let me know. Still feeling my way around here!
Congratulations Darcie – your book will be in the mail as soon as I find your address!
Darcie winning this actually gives me a great lead-in to tell you something else about her. Namely, she rocks. And as evidence of her awesomeness, she is now a finalist in the Mabel’s Labels scholarship contest, just a few votes away from a trip to BlogHer. Could you please take just a moment to pop over here and vote for Darcie? You don’t have to take my word for it – read all the essays and I know you’ll agree. This girl needs to be BlogHer bound.
The lovely Darcie over at Such The Spot gave me this idea a few weeks ago, and now it’s time to cash in. However, reading my post just isn’t the same unless you’ve read hers first, so hop over and check it out here . Go ahead – I’ll wait.
All caught up now? Alright then, here we go.
Remember that lovely picture of organization Darcie gave you? Not so much the case in my world.
I have a cute bag, if I do say so myself:
But the contents are, ahem, slightly less organized:
Now I’m supposed to answer a few questions.
Describe the contents of your purse. Um, well…approximately 31 pieces if miscellaneous paper, including store receipts, vet receipts, tax donation form from Goodwill, doctor’s appointment card, Chris’s paystub, and a cry cleaning tag from 2006. Not joking. The we have two Shout wipes, sunscreen in a stick, lip gloss times two (if you haven’t tried Mark cosmetics yet you should!), bag of crayons, diaper cream, credit card checks I keep forgetting to shred, business card from a lady who I need to quilt something for me – I met her last year, diaper, wipes, cell phone (HATE the Razr, BTW), broken cover for cell phone, keys, a tupperware lid I need to take back to my mom, three Cheerios, two broken bits of the phone faceplate, and one googley eye from a craft project. And now I really must say that this is a pretty good day mess-wise in my bag. Scary huh?
What is the most important thing in your handbag? Well it’s not like I ever have money in my wallet, so I’ll go with car keys. I have remotes on there for my van and Chris’s car both, and those suckers are expensive to replace.
What’s the most embarrassing thing in your handbag? The almost-three-year-old dry cleaning tag. Seriously, at no time in the past few years could I have spared a moment to throw that away?
What’s the smallest thing in your handbag? The broken bits of faceplate. FYI, you get what you pay for when you shop at Dollar Tree.
Is there anything illegal in your handbag? Um…no.
I love Darcie, and we have a lot in common. I often feel I can look at her and not say anything because she just gets it, and that’s such a rare quality to find in a friend. Kindred spirits, Anne of Greene Gables might say. But tidiness is clearly an area where we part ways:
Poor Darcie is probably cringing as she sees this. (And if you are my friend, let me assure you that the rest of my life is in a similar state of disarray. Anytime you’d like to fly in and help me organize would be great!)
Would you like to play along? Here is the fine print:
Find a safe quiet place free of significant others, nosey meme makers, priests, nuns, all things religious and men in general. (If you’re a guy just reverse this process to male and tell us about your wallet, tool box, briefcase or metro sexual accessory.) Hello?!?! I believe that’s called a European carry-all!
1. Dump the contents of your handbag in a pile.
2. Take a photo of your handbag and the contents.
3. Be brave and explain to your fellow bloggers what lurks inside the handbag.
4. Tag others who might want to embarrass themselves.
5. Answer the above questions in your blog.
And leave a comment here to let me know if you’re playing along. I wanna see if your mess can top mine!
My friend Darcie from Such The Spot told me about a fun neighborhood game a few months ago. After our conversation I googled it and learned that apparently it’s all over the country, but our little Kentucky town seems to be behind the times (shocking, I know!) So we decided to jump-start the tradition locally, and thus the Bardstown Boo began.
Now if I was a really good blogger like Darcie, this is where I’d show you a picture of the baskets we assembled. But since I’m just me, this is where I will tell you what was in the baskets that I forgot to take a picture of.
The girls and I hit the dollar store for ours, figuring that we needed to do several baskets to ensure the game took off. We bought black wire spider baskets and filled them with little battery-powered pumpkin lanterns, Halloween paper plates and cups, a little resin home decor piece, Halloween pencils and erasers, candles, I made applique hand towels, and of course the obligatory candy corn. I think that’s about it.
Then we cut out large ghosts and put “We’ve been BOO’d” on them, and included this poem:
You’ve Been BOO’d!
A friendly ghost has come your way
To wish for you a wonderful day.
He left a small gift and something sweet
Never heard him come cause he’s light on his feet.
You must be light on your feet too,
Cause this is what you have to do:
Choose two neighbors, and choose them well.
Now this is a secret, you mustn’t tell.
Copy this poem, and the sign twice,
If you do it by hand, make sure it looks nice.
Take a couple of gift bags down from the shelf,
Or a plain paper bag, you can design yourself.
Fill them with sweets, and a gift of your choice.
Leave em’ on your friends porch,without any noise.
Hang this sign on your door, for all ghosts to see.
They’ll know you’ve been “BOO-D”, and will leave you be.
This is only a game, to have a little fun,
Let’s see how far it goes, before the month’s done.
Now you have 24 hrs. to visit your friends.
Please don’t be the cause of our games early end.
Happy Haunting!
The idea is to do this at night and run, which would be fun…but totally unworkable for 1, 3, and 5 year olds. We opted instead to leave the baskets leisurely during the day, while everyone was at work. The girls were so excited! For two days we had to drive through the neighborhood at least twice a day, looking to see if the ghosts were out. And just when Annie was getting worried…ghosts began popping up everywhere! Yey! It wasn’t long before we got Boo’d ourselves (much to their delight), and then soon followed Boo #2! Not sure why we got a second, really, but we hung that ghost up too and now our front door looks like this:
At the second boo we decided to pass it on to another neighborhood or two, so we went to some people who live on the road near our house which isn’t part of any subdivision, and we went over to my parents’ neighborhood as well. The kids were delighted to suprise Pappap and Grama, who of course had no clue who Boo’d them. Even after Grama called to tell Annie that she got Boo’d and Annie said, “I know! I wonder who did that?” LOL Gosh, we sure fooled them!
But I’m pleased to report that it caught on in both places, and ghosts are popping up all over our end of town! If I had unlimited resources I’d be popping a basket or two into every neighborhood in town, but maybe this will get the word out, at least, and a few others will take the initiative next year. All because of Darcie, a thousand miles away. Thank you my friend, for the fun you brought into our lives. The girls (and I!) have had a blast with this!
The Disney Moms Panel opportunity has been wonderful for me in many ways. Sure, there’s the obvious honor of it all, the good fortune to be chosen, the excitement over our rewards, the many ways Disney has ‘plussed up’ my life, the magical memories, the daily pleasure of helping others plan their first Disney vacations…not to mention the micro-celebrity status. So yeah, of course that’s fabulous. And all in all, it’s more than I ever imagined. Certainly more than I dreamed would happen to me!
But beyond all of those things is the biggest gift I’ve gotten from Disney, and I am so thankful. I have made a wonderful friend named Darcie. I’ve bragged about her fabulousness here before (if anyone was paying attention), but today I need to do it again. Today dear wonderful Darcie sent me a present.
Not only was she thoughtful enough to remember my birthday, she was generous enough to send me a very lovely, very pampering present. And as if we had a telepathic connection, she knew exactly what to buy. You’d think she had flown over and peeked in my window about 2am. Because I am so desperately in need.
Now really, my ugly point-and-shoot picture aside, are those not the cutest jammies ever? I currently sport gym shorts and my husband’s old tee shirts, so this is a huge step up. And I am ever so grateful. For the cute PJs for sure (they are so going in my suitcase tomorrow too!), but more importantly for the gift that is Darcie in my life.
Thank you so much. Thank you for being so sweet and so thoughtful. Thank you for being such an awesome, inspirational person. Thank you for always knowing the right thing to say, and for saying what you really believe no matter what. Thank you for injecting a little pixie dust into my life. Thank you for being my friend.
She’s amazing y’all, seriously she is. I’m thinking of starting a fan club. You should hop on board now – membership slots are filling quickly.
PS) I promise I don’t get a commission for saying this, but I am repeating it again. Check out Darcie’s blog at Such The Spot!
The very lovely Darcie at Such The Spot has bestowed on me my first bloggy award. Thank you so much!
For those of you who don’t already know her, you really should. She’s one of the coolest chickies in cyberspace, and a great writer to boot. Her blog makes me laugh on a regular basis, and I’ve even shed a few (good) tears too.
So paying it forward, I’m going to award my dear friend Peppi at It’s All About Me. She’s another great lady that I am honored to call a friend. She’s a rare find in a friend – that person who knows what you’re thinking because they are thinking the same thing. And even if you don’t talk as often as you’d like, you don’t feel like the friendship has been affected by the passage of time. An all-around high quality person, you might say.
I am also sending this out to Tracy at Sellabit Mum. She has a great sense of humor, fantastic fashion sense, and really amazing gardening tips. She always has a new post up when I read her blog (more than I can say about myself!) and she always has amazing pictures to go along with it. And she is THE source for everything Matilda Jane. And really, who doesn’t need a little MJ in their life?
Thank you ladies for brightening my day with regularity!
From Darcie’s lovely blog at Such the Spot, here are my blanks all filled in for you:
What were you doing ten years ago?
Gosh, that’s hard to remember! Apparantly nothing too exciting! I was dating my soon-to-be husband, I know that much for sure. I was working a little and playing a lot, I still ran 3 miles every morning, and I was fluctuating between sizes 2 and 4, depending on how much I ate (or drank) the night before. Ah, the good old days!
What are 5 things on your to-do list?
1. Pre-load Jimmy Buffet on ipod we got for mom’s Mother’s Day present 2. Spread truckload of mulch in backyard playground area 3. Finish dress for nautical/patriotic launch coming up next Tuesday 4. Harass doctor’s office for the 5th time about the delay in my test results 5. Get snacks ready for Annie’s soccer game tonight
Well we’d move. We want to build a bigger house on some land (no neighbors, yahoo!). I’d buy a new van, and a truck for Chris who misses his terribly. We’d pay off my parents’ and my sister’s debts and make sure they’re all squared away. Set up a trust fund for my cousin with cerebral palsy. Set aside enough money to live comfortably. Then give the rest away, the sooner the better. I have zero desire to sit on mega wealth, and am often disgusted by people who do.
We’d give a chunk to our church, to the March of Dimes, and Kosair Children’s Hospital which has been a godsend to us. I’d also like to help fund adoptions for wonderful deserving families who can’t afford to adopt on their own.
Name some of the places you’ve called home.
Home for me is always Pennsylvania where I grew up. I have no desire to move back there, but it will forever be home to me.
I’m also at home whenever I am at my parents’ house, be it in Kentucky, Alabama, or South America – family is home to me.
My adult life has primarily been spent in Kentucky, though in 6 different cities!
I also feel like I live in Rainbow Pediatrics. And once upon a time I lived in WVU/Ruby Memorial Hospital.
What are some of your bad habits?
I’m stealing three of these verbatim from Darcie, who plucked the words right out of my brain:
I offer too little praise and too much criticism to the people I love the most. I’m not as patient as I strive to be. I let my tongue get the better of me when, many times, I’d do much better saying nothing at all.
Also…
I’m not neat enough (just ask Chris). I can’t seem to completely finish anything before jumping into the next project. I can’t tell people no, so I get overextended frequently. I eat when I’m bored.
What are some jobs you’ve held?
Newspaper reporter waitress bartender receptionist title clerk MOM
Blog Awards | Heather February 20, 2010 | 
Comments (3) 
So yeah, of course that’s fabulous. And all in all, it’s more than I ever imagined. Certainly more than I dreamed would happen to me!
