so: proper thank you


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Like I said the other day, Kate from foodie blog Tea and Tamarind nominated me for the Shine On Award. I wanted to give her a proper thank you and also think about which 10 (?) bloggers I wanted to nominate. And since I took a break from the award nominations (not that I’m not grateful for the love, just wanted others to get it too), I’m a bit rusty. And Kate and I have somewhat similar tastes in blogs so she’s nominated some I would have too (like 365 and Counting for example).

Luckily, there are so many wonderful blogs that I follow that it’s not hard to come up with 10 more. You should check these out sometime—maybe you’ll like them too:

1.  Evil Squirrel’s Nest

2.  Loving Homemade

3. The Dimwit Diary

4. Life on the Farmlet

5. The Kitchens Garden

6.  Cast Light

7. The Culture Monk

8. Pete Armetta

9. The Grammar Belle

10. lifebeam

Accepting this nomination requires me to share some random, interesting facts about myself which makes me laugh a little bit since that’s what sowsosew is all about, isn’t it? If you read this blog with any regularity you know that I have 4 dogs who have names starting with G, that I’m attempting to grow my own produce, that I’m failing miserably in the sewing arena since I haven’t touched the machine since last winter, and I’ve since spewed a bunch of other random factoids over the past 11 months. I mean, really, this blog is about as narcissistic as they come.

But rules are rules, and, while I don’t always play by them, here are some factoids about me that you may find random and/or interesting:

1. Mortroski is an amalgamation of Bruce’s last name and mine. It was created by the Grammar Belle who in her quaint Texas way really doesn’t like that I didn’t take my husband’s last name when we got married nearly 18 years ago. We think it’s a great new name and if the vet’s computer would let us, we’d give it to the Gs.

2.  I love flowers, flower arranging, giving bouquets to friends, but barely grow any except to attract bees to the Urban Farm.

3.  Guilty pleasure: fast reads! I love Sophie Kinsella, the writer of the Shopaholic series (I know, I am ashamed of myself, but I do love her storytelling and the fast read), the Twilight series, Harry Potter. Fast reading pulp is perfect for business trips and airplanes.

4.  My boss nicknamed me “Hollywood” after Bruce and I appeared on a show called Get Color (US)/Colour Confidential (Canada) starring Toronto interior designer Jane Lockhart.

5. I catch bugs that come in the house and I release them outside. Lizards too, if I can get to them before the Gs.

6. I love holidays of all kinds and decorating/doing special things/buying gifts/making special food for them, but I don’t do it nearly enough.

7. I love having so much to be thankful for that I can celebrate Thanksgiving in October (the Canadian one) and November (the American one) and I have done so for 19 years. No, I don’t get tired of turkey.

8.  At my work, we’re having a jello-shot tournament bracket style with two contestants each Friday. I was planning to make tiramisu jello shots and compete next week, but my travel schedule made me bow out.  My coworker nicknamed Plastic is taking over for me.

9.  I try to perform at least one random act of kindness/good deed every day.

10. This is my 200th blog post. (thank you for reading and following)

And now for your gratuitous dog photo of the day:

feet make excellent pillows

feet make excellent pillows

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So: family affair

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I know. I know. No more awards for a while. But when Amy at LifeBeam gave me this one this week, I was really touched. And humbled. Thank you, Amy! I like the company I am keeping with the blogs you are following.

This award seems to be a new one, has very few strings attached, and came to me from a talented blogger who frequently reminds me of the power of positivity. Like Amy, the blogs I’ve discovered or had recommended to me are very special. Each one gives me a little gift when I read them, so greedily and gluttonously, I try to read them as often as I can, wherever I am (thank you, iPhone). They lift my spirits and provide me with encouragement for life, work, writing, staying positive, being grateful, beautiful art, new ideas, connecting with far away friends, new friendships, and so much more. This award celebrates the WordPress family that we create through the blogs we love and really connect with.

The big thing of this award is spreading the love. So before I do so, here are the simple rules for this award:

  • Display the award logo on your blog (done)
  • Link back to the person who nominated you (Amy)
  • Nominate 10 a bunch of others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family (sorry, but I can’t help myself)
  • Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them (you guys will probably see this post before I alert you all, but I’ll get around to it in the next few days)
  • That is it. Just please pick 10 people who have taken you as a friend, and spread the love to more folks.

Drum roll please for my WordPress Family (I wish we all lived closer by! I’d throw a swell dinner party so we could all hang out in real life. Can you imagine that night? Trust me, it would be excellent. So thank you all for being you, inspiring me, and keeping up the good work!):

Happy Weekend, everyone! Make it a good one. If you need to find me, I’ll be moving furniture/spring cleaning/tearing out carpet, digging in the dirt, and harvesting lettuce.