And the Awards Go To....

It's the Stylish Blogger Awards, and I got one!

Nanny Nanny boo boo.  Just kidding - Woot!  

A big all caps THANK YOU to Three Sisterz for nominating lil 'ole me!  If you're unfamiliar with Three Sisterz, head on over to their blog, or check out their super cute store on etsy!

With this award came some bloggy homework for me.  I am a HUGE procrastinator when it comes to all things "work" related, but I have finally gotten my act together. 

Here was my assignment:

1.  Thank and link back to the blog that nominated me.  Check!

2.  Share 7 things about yourself. Yep, major procrastination. 

3.  Award 8 recently discovered great bloggers.  I think I might have  hundreds saved on my google reader.  Hold on, this might take a minute.

4.  Contact the bloggers awarded and let them know.  Easy, I got this!

So here it goes.  

Seven things about me:

1. I'm a procrastinator.  Did I mention that already?  You know that saying, "A day late and a dollar short"?  That's me and my bright ideas.

2.  I'm all over the place.  I'm a "Jill of all trades, Master of none".  I dabble in writing, photography, cooking, crafting, a little stitching, cake decorating, interior design and room-momming. Yes, it is a verb.  If you've ever been a room mom, you already know it's an action word.  But, I'm definitely not "Martha" in any of these.  My projects usually involve a little more "what not to do" than anything else.

3.  If I had known anyone was ever going to actually read this blog, I would have given it a much better name.Something hip.  Something cool.  Something SO NOT Lizard Rae.

4.  I have always wanted to go to Italy.  Specifically, Venice.  And one day, I will.  And when I do, I'm staying a long time.  As GAWD is mah witnessss!!!!  Sorry, went a little Scarlet there on 'ya, which brings me to #5.

5.  I'm a G.R.I.T.S.  For those of you who need translation, that's a "Girl Raised in the South".  A Southerner.  A displaced Southerner for most of my adult life.  Which is the worst kind, because displaced southerners are always lamenting over getting back to "God's Country".  Which I WILL do, one day...right after that trip to Italy.

6.  It's funny how in college, I was perfectly comfortable wearing nothing but a skirt so short my butt was hanging out - in front of a crowd of 80,000 people at Death Valley.  GO TIGERS!  But, NOW....after two kids!?  Huh.  I am rockin' a head-to-toe burka every time I go to the beach or pool.  The kids ask me if I know how to swim.  Sho-nuf I know how to swim!  And I'm sure I could hold my breath longer and swim shark laps around those smack-talkin' minnows.  Not to mention, kick some marco polo booty.  And I would...but there is just NO chance I'm taking my burka off to get in the water.  Besides, sun damage is bad for you.  Now I know why my mom never went swimming....It's just like she told us.  She didn't want to get her hair wet.

7.  I may be a diplaced Southerner first and foremost.  But now I am also a displaced Virginian, Michigan, South Dakotan, Iowan, Arkansan, and Texan...and back to Virginia.  Somehow, I truly feel connected to each of those places and I still miss all the faces I ever met along the way.  Living in 8 states in the past 12 years was by no means easy, glamorous, or particularly good for mental health.  But I wouldn't re-write it any other way.  Except maybe I would have never left South Carolina, or Arkansas, or Texas....or!!! Oh nevermind.

And now.....the hard part.  Whittling down my hundreds of "blogs I'm a huge fan of" to just the top 8.  None are necessarily "small" or "recently" discovered, only most are recently discovered to me...'cause I still consider myself a newbie to this whole blog world.  So, I apologize if I'm awarding someone whose already received it 50 times or more.  But, if your name is listed below...give yourself a pat on the back...'cause you're awesome!

I now pass the crown to:

1. BoNJouR! I have no idea exactly how tumblr works yet, but I know I love everything this blogger "tumbles".  So thank YOU!

2.  California Callahans is a blog I instantly liked when I saw state of California header.(like)  Her name is Leah.(like)  She met her Marine husband in middle school.(like)....MIDDLE SCHOOL, people!!! They move around alot.(like)  She shares yummy recipes  and they make cool stuff like map pin boards and silverware silhouettes (like).  What else did I need to like???  I fell in love with the blog the first time I saw it.

3.  Lee La La is another blogger than hooked me simply with a header.  What can I say, I'm a visual person.  She had me with the newsprint heart cut-outs and pink typewriter.  Her "This blog is ME" post is inspirational to anyone out there (like me) just looking for a creative outlet and doing their best to navigate blog-land.

4.  3 Meadow Lake Cottage  For the love of all things beachy,would you just head over there and check it out already!?  It's like she and I dog-ear all the same magazine pages.  While working as an interior designer, I made color charts for clients like the ones she posted here.  If you're looking for a little color inspiration, check those out.  And yes, Benjamin Moore paints are the best.  Just my personal opinion.  Did I mention this blogger has triplets!?


5. I indulge my artistic side over at House 8810.  The photos  never fail to inspire me.  And it's kind of random and all over the place, like me.  I like that.  I can't help it, I get bored easily.  Their DIY projects are vintage-y cute, like this baby bonnet shown here.  Isn't it kinda freaky how it is on a baby doll instead of a real child?  I had that baby doll.  I still have that baby doll.  My daughter now plays with that doll.  Her name is Samantha.  We need to sew her a bonnet!  But if I never get around to actually making the stuff I see there, I can just go buy things in the shop!  Yay! 

6.  D.I.Y. Louisville  These ladies meet twice a month at a coffee shop and have an "alternative approach" to crafting, which they describe on their blog as, 

"What's alternative crafting, you ask? It's a no-holds-barred approach to making stuff. No rules. No guidelines. You make stuff you want to make, the way you want to make it." 

-D.I.Y. Louisville

That one simple statement appealed to the rebel preschooler in me who thought coloring outside the lines was way more fun.  It appealed to my child-like entrepreneurial spirit that wanted to pick daffodils from the backyard and sell them at my roadside flower stand (Mom - you should have TOTALLY let me do that!) It appealed to the college kid in me who wanted to paint what I wanted to paint and not what I was assigned...and therefore duked it out with the professor that looked like a walrus in front of the whole class. Is anyone else hearing the Fleetwood Mac anthem, "You can go your own way, go your own waaaaaaayyyy" drumming in their head?  They also appealed to my love of popcorn with this great recipe for Tim's Popcorn Seasoning.

7.  Here's another anthem for you to sing the rest of the day.  "We like to party, we like....we like to party!"  And these girls know how to "do it up right" as all good debutantes must.  If you're throwing a party and need an idea, check out Anders Ruff.  There's some serious eye-candy there to inspire you.  Come to think of it, there's all kinds of candy there.  And they have a shaaaooop on etsy (insert my annoying high voice).

8.  Pink Postcard.  Simply because I want her front door and her pug is really cute.  And she provided me with an "i told you so" moment for my mom...proving some people dig my "roadside daffodils" idea.

-Congratulations bloggers-

 Now, style ye therefore and blog it forward!