I Just LOVE Cherries! {Another Award!}

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Last Friday, a few hours after receiving my Stylish Blogger Award, I was alerted to yet another award: The Cherry On Top Award "For beautiful blogs with that little bit extra." (Insert Squeals and Giggles here!)

Tiny Temper from one of my favorite blogs, Prince Charming, My Arse, was kind enough to think of me when she was choosing who to pass this on to. I'm not kidding when I say she writes one of my favorite blogs - I'm almost stalking her! When she didn't post much last week, I was so very close to emailing, Tweeting, and posting on her Facebook wall in an effort to find out what happened. Luckily, I didn't have to reveal my creepy side, she posted just as I was on her blog trying to find her email address!

Thank You to Tiny Temper from Prince Charming, My Arse for this lovely award!

Now, as with most blogger awards, there are a few things I need to do in order to properly accept this award. First, I must list three things that I love about myself. Next, I need to post a photo that I love. And, finally, I need to pass this on to other blogs that I love. Well, here I go...

Hmm... three things that I love about myself?! This is really tough. I don't think of myself that way, you know? Well, I'll try - I really want this award in my sidebar!

1. I finally have hair down to my waist! Yeah, this is a superficial thing, but you have no idea how much it took to get it this long. There comes a point where your hair just stops growing, for months. You think, "Ah, it's never going to get long. Maybe I'll do something else with it. A bob? Farrah Faucet hair?" And then, one day, you look in the mirror and see it's going again - Yipee!  I am proud of my hair and love it!
2. I am a critical thinker. This is so very important. I can read just about anything and see the pros and cons of the message. I do not just believe something because an official-sounding organization has published it. I don't listen to my friend who is convinced of X happening if I continue doing Z because she read about it in the paper. Even if I agree whole-heartedly with what is being said, I look for more opinions. This can be dangerous because I truly believe that ignorance can be bliss. Especially when it comes to making decisions for my children. But, I think I love being informed and critical and wouldn't trade it for all the bliss in the world.
3. I love that I can admit when I don't know something. If my kids ask me a question and I don't know the answer, I do not make one up. I will simply tell them I don't know. Then we go look for the answer. I love giving advice. I think it is very important that children see that adults aren't all-knowing (although, I loved it when my oldest had that hero-worship of me for the brief time of his life when he asked me all the easy questions!) Kids need to know that it's OK to say "I don't know", as long as they also see that it's important to search for an answer.

Whew! I think I got through that OK. Now it's time for a picture I love. This is tough, too! I love my digital camera. I take tons of photos all of the time. I'm so happy that I can capture little moments of time to remember later. So, let's see... a photo I love...

 

 Yeah, I love this photo. It was taken about six weeks after Little Guy was born. My oldest just made that face on a whim and I happened to capture it. The red-eye from Little Guy was just the icing on the cake! Thin is, Little guy really is a little troublemaker for his big brother. Somehow, he knows that in the hierarchy of out family, Brubber ranks just above him. He does things like throw toys at his big brother, then scream bloody murder when my oldest takes the offending toy away and tells him "No throwing toys!" He's the epitome of the definition of "Little Brother." He doesn't get away with this stuff, but he's stubborn and keeps on trying. UGH!


And now, it's time for me to pass on this award to a few other blogs that I really love.  This is tough. I read quite a few blogs every day and I love each of them for different reasons.

Mama Eve - Now, I'm sure that she has probably already received so many awards that this one will just be another. But I have to share her blog with you. She is a completely crunchy, natural parent and writes and shares so many great subjects with her readers. I always find each post intriguing and find myself commenting on all of them (usually thanking her for posting!)

Hybrid Rasta Mama - She's just getting started with this blog and I'm already in love! Jennifer is another natural parent who I would like to, someday, be like. Here is a potential schedule of her blog posts that she is thinking of using. It will give you an idea of what she writes about (taken from one of her posts):

Monday – Mama’s Monday Musings. I love this day! You get to see little snippets of my life as well as the inner working of my mind!

Tuesday – Parenting post of the week

Wednesday – My day off! J

Thursday – Recipe of the Week

Friday – Mindful Mother Challenge Results

SaturdayNatural Parents Network and Job Description Mommy.

The Crafty nest - I'm pretty sure that Vanessa has already received this award. She's really the cherry on top when it comes to fun and interesting crafts both with and without your kids. The crafts are easy to follow and never the same old thing. Whenever I find that we have an hour or so to do something, I check out this blog because I know I'll find something that both of the kids and I will enjoy.


And, I guess that's it! There are lots of other blogs I'd love to share this award with, but it's been days and I really need to get this posted. You can check out my sidebar for other blogs I like. I truly like the blogs over there, they're not just there to win a giveaway!


EDIT!!!
I am so sorry - there was one more blog that I wanted to pass this awar on to. I feel terrible about forgetting. But, being the kind person that she is, I'm sure I'm already forgiven!

  















Becoming Crunchy - Kelly is also a relatively new blogger. I feel like we have a ton in common. She's writing her blog as a kind of journal about her journey to, well, "Becoming Crunchy." She's a few steps ahead of me on this road, so I really love following her posts to see what the next step might be for me. Please go check out her blog and follow - she has a lot of great things to say!

Quick Giveaway - $5 Gift Card {Ends 4/2}

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So, I received a $5 gift card from iCard Gift Card Select. What you do is take the code and redeem it for a gift card from the merchant of your choice. I don't shop at any of these merchants, so I really have no use for it. Rather than just let it sit there, unused, I figured I'd see if anyone else would like it. Here is the list of merchants that you can get a $5 card from:

1-800-Baskets
1-800-Flowers
Athleta.com
BananaRepublic.com
Barnes & Noble eGiftCards
Bass Pro Shops. com
BathandBodyWorks.com
Brookstone.com
Cabela's.com
Cheryl & Co. Fresh Baked Cookies
Chili's eGift Card
Chocolate.com
Crutchfield.com
CVS eGift Card
Dell.com
Dick's Sporting Goods.com
Drs. Foster & Smith
endless.com
Fairway Rewards
Fandango.com
Fannie May Chocolates

FragranceNet.com
Gap.com
GapBaby.com
GapKids.com
GapMaternity.com
giftback Charity Card
Harry London Chocolates
Kmart.com
L'Occitane
L.L.Bean.com
Lands' End.com
Macys.com
Magazines.com
Maggiano's eGift Card
Modell's.com
NASCAR.com
NFLShop.com
NHL.com
Nike.com
Nutrisystem.com

OldNavy.com
Omaha Steaks.com
On the Border eGift card
Overstock.com
PapaJohns.com
Piperlime.com
REI.com
Romano's Macaroni Grill eGift Card
Sears.com
Sephora.com
Shoebuy.com
Shutterfly.com
Spaweek.com
Sports Authority.com
The Popcorn Factory
The Voice Library
Timberland.com
TravelocityIncentives.com
Wine.com
Zappos.com
Now, after checking out the iCard site, I understand that some of these merchants do not redeem the $5 card, so it may be that a few of these won't go through. There weren't many that didn't, though.

So, here are the rules:

Mandatory - Just leave a comment with something like, "I want to win," in it along with your email address.

Extra Entries -

• Follow me on GFC (top right side of this page)
• Like me on Facebook (there's an easy "like" widget in the right sidebar on this page)
  
• Follow me on Twitter

This giveaway is not sponsored by anyone. I merely received a gift card and don't need it, so I'm passing it on to you. I am in no way affiliated with iCard Select or any of its merchants. I am not responsible for any injuries, etc. resulting from someone winning this prize (like heart attack from learning you won.) This giveaway will end at 11:59 pm EDT on Saturday, April 2. Winner will be notified by email and have 48 hours to accept before a new winner is drawn. I'll use the little random.org widget at the bottom of this page to choose the winner.

I Was Featured!

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Please go check out The King's Court IV's Gardening 101: Shout Out! This week, she featured some of my tips and photos!

Yay! It's Time For Meet Me On Monday!!! {March 28}

Every Sunday Never Growing Old will post five get to know you  questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we  can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!!

I had a great week! I won a bunch of stuff (and here), ended my first giveaway with lots of entries,  started a new giveaway, and have been asked to write a guest post! (Yeah, little ol' me!) OK, on to this week's questions!






1.  Crunchy or soft tacos?
      Soft. Always. It's not that I don't like the taste or texture but, as I mentioned in last week's spaghetti question. I hate making a mess when I eat. And hard-shell tacos and I do NOT get along. No matter how carefully I bite into one, no matter that I've wrapped the darn thing in 18 napkins, meat, cheese, salsa, etc. ends up on my lap.

He really doesn't look pissed. More of a, "What the hell are YOU looking at?" face.

2.  Do you scrapbook?
      Nope. I have all of my photos on the computer. Whenever a good photobook deal comes along, I upload my pics to whatever site is doing it and make myself a book. I just don't have time. Now, I've tried scrapbooking, but it just never worked out. I have a little one who likes to help and, when you spend upwards of $5 on a sticker, you really don't want it in the middle of Daddy's face!

THIS is what it would look like if I attempted to scrapbook at this point in my life!

3.  Do you take any daily medications?
     Um. Medications, no. I take prenatal vitamins because Little Guy is still nursing on and off and I occasionally take Fenugreek to keep that milk supply going and to help me out with stuffy nose and coughing from seasonal allergies. Oh! I lied. I DO take Claritin from April through October, everyday, along with a giant spoonful of raw, local honey for those allergies. They're terrible. If I don't keep on myself to do those two things, I will have a sinus infection within a day. Sucks.

My absolute worst fear in the summertime (especially if I'm down wind.) You will see me literally running away from this guy with my nose and mouth covered with a Kleenex and a look of pure terror in my eyes.

 
4.  What is your favorite sound?

      Silence.

      OH, okay. An actual sound? Low, rumbling thunder in the evening, warning of an impending storm, after a long, hot, dry summer day.

5.  Where were you born?
     In a hospital. OK, I know, I'm getting tired and the smart-ass is really coming out tonight! I was born in Toledo, Ohio. The home of Jeep, Libby Glass, and Owens-Illinois (AKA Owens-Corning.) Known as "The Glass City". Oh, and it's where Klinger (Jamie Farr) from MASH is from and Tony Packos.

 
OKAY... I'm off to link up and check out some of your answers. See you all next week, if not before!

Lower Your Alexa Weekly Hop {March 28}

Thanks for stopping by on the Lower Your Alexa Hop! Please make sure you have your Alexa toolbar installed AND on! 

If you have a few minutes, check out some of my recent posts from this past week:

It's the Journey, Not the Destination

My Newest Random Acts of Kindness {March of Kindness - March 18-23}

My Random Act of Kindness for YOU!  A GIVEAWAY!!!

My Lucky Day? You Bet!

I'm a "Stylish" Blogger?!

And here are the rules, as copied from our hop host, Real Mom Reviews:

Please Read..

I'm BEGGING you!

This hop works a bit differently than most!
IMPORTANT Please make sure you have the ALEXA TOOLBAR installed.


Why do you need the Alexa Toolbar? "Alexa computes traffic rankings by analyzing the Web usage of millions of Alexa Toolbar users and data obtained from other, diverse traffic data sources." Now in English... When someone with the Alexa Toolbar visits your site, it helps lower your Alexa! More info on that here and here


In the Linky Please leave a link to a post you would like people to hop to and leave a comment!


Then hop to the other blogs on the linky and leave a comment on their post!
Do NOT just link to your blog, link to a POST people can leave a comment on, so you know people actually are hopping

Welcome to Week Two of the "Lower Your Alexa Hop"!




PLEASE grab the "Lower Alexa" button and link it to a post about this hop. Because this is a new hop, it will really help get the word out!

If you follow me in any way (GFC, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) please leave a comment and let me know!!! Even if you don't, leave me a comment so I may visit your blog and help you out, too!!!

I'm a "Stylish Blogger"?!

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Yes-Sir-ee Bob! At least, that's what Kelly from Becoming Crunchy thinks! We recently "met" through another blog (I'm thinking it was probably Code Name: Mama?) Anyway. I'm very happy to accept this great surprise of an award! Here's my lovely button, which I will be proudly displaying in my sidebar from now on:

Now, in accepting this award, there are a few things that I must do:

1. Of course, I need to thank and link back to the person who was so kind as to bestow the Stylish Blogger Award to me.
2. Share 7 things about myself.
3. Award 10 - 15 bloggers who I feel are "stylish" this award.
4. And, notify those bloggers of their award.

So, first of all:

Thank you so very, very much to Kelly at Becoming Crunchy for thinking of my little blog when you were choosing who to pass this award to! (Go check out her blog. She went to go see Ina May Gaskin in Toronto and is going to be writing all about it. I can't wait to read her post!!!)

Next, there are those seven things about me. Hmm... let me see if I can come up with some interesting ones for you.

1. I graduated from high school a year early. No, it wasn't because I was super-smart. I absolutely hated the rural school I went to. I had moved from a city to B.F.E. the summer between 8th and 9th grade and, boy, was it a shock! The culture was all wrong for me. So, my freshman year, I skipped school for four months straight. I just didn't go. I finally got caught when I made my weekly call to the school as my mom, saying that I was still really sick. Problem was, they had my mom on the phone on another line at the same time! They didn't tell me a thing. Instead, my mom came tearing into the driveway like a bat out of hell about an hour later! Anyway, I decided to go to summer school each summer to rack up enough credits to get out of school ASAP. Oh, and the summer classes were made to ensure that all those kids who failed would pass, so they were extremely easy!
2. I'm left-handed. So is my husband. So was my first husband. And my dad, my brother, my grandfather... About 90% of the people I meet and really like turn out to be left-handed. I don't go around looking for left-handed people to make friends with (or marry!), it just turns out that way. Oh, and by the way, two lefties always make a righty. At least, that's my experience!
3. When I waited tables at a nice hotel in Los Angeles, I met some pretty famous people (and I didn't freak out, either!) I waited on: 

• Joe Walsh - he tipped pretty well and was nice and polite.

• Marlon Brando - He always ordered blueberry pie. And he wanted it heated - just not in the microwave. I'd have to take the piece of pie, fight my way past the cooks in the kitchen, put the pie in the oven for 5 minutes (and hope I didn't forget about it!), then transfer it to a plate and pop a scoop of ice cream on top. He tipped, but it was 20%, which doesn't amount to much for a cup of coffee and pie ala mode.

• Willie Nelson! - OK, I'm not a huge country music fan, OK? But this guy is well-respected by me for his ideals. He came walking in and sat at the counter with his long hair un-braided (yeah, this was way before the weird page boy cut.) He ordered a simple breakfast of eggs, hash browns, sausage & toast. He left me a $50 tip!!!! OMG! I think it was 1) because he gets the working class thing, and 2) I managed to keep every drooling tourist (and most of the restaurant staff ) away from him so he could eat his food in peace.

 Ahh... I screwed up the numbering thing with the bullets! Oh, well.

4.   I used to work at a wild animal rehabilitation center. Did you know that raccoons and squirrels make up 98% of the wildlife that abuse drugs and alcohol? OK, OK. It's just that when I see the "rehabilitation" thing, it's the first thing I think of! What I really did was volunteer once a week to care for animals that had been hit by cars, orphaned, accidentally shot by hunters, etc. And I raised two raccoons until they were weaned from the bottle every spring. And I used to run around the woods with a big net, trying to catch injured owls and other birds (yeah, imagine running through a bunch of trees with a huge fishing net on a pole. You get about two feet before you have to climb up a tree to untangle the damn thing - over and over...) It was fun and I learned a lot. I still take in injured animals that my oldest finds from time to time. *I'd like to add here that no wild animal should become a pet - ever! At a certain age, all animals "mature" and have urges. When they have those urges, they tend to become aggressive. They have to - in nature they need to fight off other potential suitors to their mate. They will be even more aggressive if they're being held captive and don't have anywhere to release all of that pent-up ... uh.. you know what I mean, right?



6.   Oh, geez! Am I only t six??? OK, if you made it this far, email me and I'll send you some kind of blog award. Maybe "most attentive reader of blogs" or something.OK, here's one. I love going fishing. I've done it since I was a very little kid. By the time I was seven, I was going down to the river on my own. I can put a worm on a hook (I just do NOT think about what I'm doing!), take a fish off the hook without hurting it, fix any kind of pole, and know which hook, line, and sinker to use in all kinds of situations. I always throw my catches back. Drives my husband nuts. I tell him that if he wants fish that bad then he can catch his own. He's tried, but he sucks. He can't sit still for two minutes, let alone an entire afternoon. Fishing is the only way I can get a few hours completely alone. No one else in my family likes fishing, so I can go sit under a tree, toss in a line, and read, read, read!

7.  We made it! I watch TV with the sound off and Closed Captioning on. I live in a tiny apartment with two kids and a husband who's losing his hearing. It is always loud around here - ALL. DAY. LONG.  I get aggravated from the noise. So, I stay up late. Once everyone's in bed, I put Turner Classic Movies on and pray that the movie they're showing is captioned. I can read super-fast now and I can almost always guess what's going on in a movie that's not captioned.

And now onto who I'd like to pass this award onto. I'm choosing blogs that I love and aren't really popular - YET. These blogs are great and more people should know about them. (No, there aren't 10-15, but I figure this post is WAY too long already!)

Prince Charming, My Arse!

OK, first of all, how could you NOT be stylish with those slippers?! You have to go read "Tiny Temper's" posts. You'll be rolling on the floor. She writes about somewhat serious subjects with so much humor!  Oh, and she's British, so she uses really cool words like: Crikey!, bloke, lorries, and grassing (I've got NO CLUE as to what that means, but it's still cool, right?)

The Peaceful Housewife

 I love Jenny's posts! She shares some of the easiest and yummiest recipes around. She has lots of great crafts, too! I love reading her posts and, although I'm nowhere near being a religious person, I always take a little something from her message with me to mull over the rest of the day. Her thoughts on parenting are very similar to mine and I have learned quite a few new ways to deal with the frustrations of being the parent of a toddler through some of her writing.

I'm Lucy

You may be familiar with Lucy's other blogs, Lucy Likes It and The Ultimate Gift Guide. I'm Lucy is a little different. It's an artistic blog that I really enjoy reading. Her posts are funny and enlightening. And she has just started a hop this week (not sure which day, yet) called Constrictive Critique where you can link a post of something creative you have done and get constructive criticism from other blog hoppers. I love this idea! It is so hard to get real opinions that help you get better. Most people will just say, "Oh, yeah. It's great." when you ask for an opinion. This hop is designed to get actual help and honest opinions. You can submit any kind of creative endeavor - poetry, photography, artwork, anything that is creative and you need someone's honest opinion about. Go check it out!

My Secret Experiment

Tawna began this blog after watching a documentary called The Secret.  Up to that point, she says her life was just not what she wanted - negativity had taken over. The movie helped her realize that she wouldn't be happy until she chose to be happy and to look at things in a positive light. She posts lots of positive quotes and things that have happened to her that most would consider a "bad day" and shows her readers the little ray of sunshine through all of the bad. I love reading her posts - I can always use a little boost of happy during my day!

Not So Average, Hippie Mommy

I LOVE Cassie's blog! We are very like-minded when it comes to living green and attachment parenting. Only, she's what I aspire to - I am not quite as "green" or "attachment-oriented" as I'd like to be. Reading her posts gives me inspiration and ideas of how I can keep changing to become a better mommy and person.


OK, that's it! Thank you very much!!! (Play exit music here)

My Lucky Day??? You bet!

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Yesterday was just amazing. In fact, I'm remembering March 25 next year to see just how it goes. Do you know that, three years ago, I learned I was pregnant with Little Guy? Last year, I received my tax return on March 25 (I had to go check in my files to be sure!) And yesterday, I had four really great, out-of-the-ordinary things happen to me.

First, when I checked my emails, I saw that the Umi shoes I had managed to win from Cincinnati Coupons were on their way! I love these shoes and know that there is no way I could (or would, for that matter) pay $60 for a pair of sandals for a little one who will outgrow them in one season. Heck, I can't justify buying myself a pair of sandals that I'll wear for years for more than $15! But Umi is a company that really is worth the extra money, if you can afford it. They're shoes are made in an environmentally-friendly way (from the leather processing to putting them into the boxes) and they're biodegradable when they've lost their usefulness. Plus, it's really hard to find good sandals for toddlers. We didn't even have any for him last year. All I could find were crappy plastic ones or flip-flops. Yeah, can you imagine a little one, just learning to walk, trying to navigate a sidewalk in those things?!

Here's what I picked for Little Guy:

Racer in Black

NEXT...

I jumped over to check out my Facebook pages. After going through all of my personal page stuff, I hopped over to my FB blog page and was greeted with this:

Becoming CrunchyMcCrenshaw

Hi McCrenshaw! You are on my list to get a Stylish Blogger Award :) http://www.becomingcrunchy.com/2011/03/becoming-crunchy-is-in-style/

Becoming Crunchy is in Style!

www.becomingcrunchy.com

What?! No way! My first blog award - ever!!! Look for my post "receiving" my award later today!


AND THEN...

I got another award later that afternoon!

Prince Charming, My Arse

Hop over to my blog - there's an award waiting! :-)

Yep! another one. Yeah, there'll be ANOTHER post for this one later.




AND FINALLY...


My first giveaway ended last night for the stickers from Sticker You. I was amazed to have received exactly 200 entries. I had only 79 entries on Wednesday and, thanks to Airplanes and Dragonflies, Tight Wad in Utah, and Mommy D's Kitchen, those more than doubled in two days!

All of these great things happened thanks to the great blogging community I've become a part of. I was so apprehensive about starting this blog a few months ago. That one big question hung over my head for the first month - What if no one reads my stuff? Well, I decided to just write my thoughts and if anyone liked it, so be it, If not, at least I had an outlet for all of these ideas I have, right? And now there are like-minded people actually reading my stuff and I've found some great blogs that I love to read, too!

Crazed Fan Weekend Hop {March 26-27}

Hello! Thanks for stopping by. If you're a new follower, PLEASE leave me a comment so I can check out your blog and follow back!


If you're interested in joining this hop, here is how, taken straight from The Blog Entourage:

Just a few things to do before you link up:

1. Grab the code for this hop :

<center><a href="http://theblogentourage.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="The Blog Entourage" src="http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i37/billiejean0310/saturdaycrazedfan.jpg"/></a></center>

*Post this in a new blog post today, or add it to your page.

2. Follow The Blog Entourage (if you already do, please follow on Twitter, FB, etc.)
Click here to  join The Blog Entourage on Facebook, where you can share links to your posts everyday!
And if you want to, please visit my other blogs, Kaitlin & Kylie's and The Green Girl.

3. Follow my lovely co-host, The Unexpected Mother.

Your link will show up on all lists, so you only need to enter it on one.
4. Follow this week's featured host, my daughter!

Together we have started a cooking blog, Cooking with Kylie , for kids and parents who love to cook together. We will share fun snack ideas, healthy lunch ideas, and we will take all kinds of recipes and adapt them to make them easy for kids to follow!
I make sure to follow each of you back. If I haven't yet, just leave me a comment.

WINNER of Sticker You Giveaway!!!!!

OK, first of all, you guys ROCK!!! I can't believe I received a whopping 200 entries! I have to give credit to a couple of blogs that helped me get those last 100 entries over the past two days:

And the winner is  #158 - Caroline:

Caroline said... 

tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/Carolineinbc/status/51312810055057408

March 25, 2011 12:06 PM

CONGRATS!!! I'm sending you an email right now...

Don't forget - you can still get a 25% discount off your order with the code: McCrenshaw25 through March 31. And after that, Sticker You has given me an ongoing code for 10% off: McCrenshaw. Also, if you check on their Facebook page, they have codes posted often. I saw one for 40% off last week!

Last Day to Enter - Sticker You Giveaway

Just a reminder that this giveaway will end tonight at 11:59 pm. Entries are pretty low, so you have a pretty good chance! And don't forget that you can get 25% off with the code McCrenshaw25 until the end of march at Sticker You.

Go HERE to enter.