Blog Journal: Day 9

I wasn't able to post this yesterday, but I'm having too much fun with this Blog Journal event to let that stop me! ;-) Yesterday was about weddings. It's a chance to share photos/stories from our weddings. I definitely have a story. Not sure about pictures ...

This is me before the wedding:

My mom and me before the wedding:

Mr. Ham and me right after the wedding:

And me at the reception:

Unfortunately, that's all I have on photobucket. The rest is still in the album – this was done before photogs were using digital! ;-) I don't have time to scan others in.

The main story of our wedding was the weather. We were married on January 2, 1999. We lived in the Chicago area, and anyone from anywhere within a couple of hundred miles of there likely knows what that day was.

Background: December of 1998 was unusually nice. I remember relatively warm temps as recently as a week before my wedding. I remember going to bed the night before and there not being much snow. I must've heard of the impending storm, because I know the FIRST thing I did when I woke up. I looked outside. We had been SLAMMED with snow overnight. There was TONS of it. It's what we Chicagoans call the Blizzard of '99. It was absolutely NUTS. My sisters and I got stuck in the snow about a block from our house on our way to get our hair done. One of my sisters ran back to the house, and I remember my dad, my uncle, and my brother-in-law running our way with shovels! LOL They dug us out, and we decided only to take major roads. Fortunately, the salon was in a major shopping center in Wheaton. My hairdresser said she had her husband on standby with his four-wheel-drive truck to get us there if needed! LOL

The snow, the storm, the weather. Many, many – nah, most – of our guests weren't able to come. Including important family members. It was sad not to have them there, but we totally understood. Amazingly, all of the people who had a part in our wedding were there. Every last one of them. One of my bridesmaids had to dig out the entire alley on her block to get her car out, but she did it! LOL At the end of the festivities, our photographer told me that we must be really special because we had a GREAT showing for the way the weather played out! That meant a lot to us to hear.

That storm ushered in a NASTY cold snap, and the temperatures were the coldest I remember in a long time. There was so much snow, ice, etc. that even O'Hare Airport was closed for a couple of days. (That is almost unheard of!)

The funny thing is people we'd meet at friends' and family functions all knew about our wedding. We'd meet someone, and our wedding would come up, and they'd say "Oh, that wedding!" LOL We were famous – sorta! ;-) We still hear that sometimes, but nowadays it's usually, "You were married during that storm?" It's definitely a day most Chicagoans will remember.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Head on over to Toddler Awesome if you wanna play along and/or read others' blog journals. Next up: What are you afraid of?

Blog Journal: Day 8

Today's question: What does romance mean to me?

My answer: I honestly don't know. I haven't given it much thought, really. So, let's see what Webster says ...

1 : to try to influence or curry favor with especially by lavishing personal attention, gifts, or flattery
2 : to carry on a love affair with

There are lots of others totally unrelated to anything I associate with romance, so this is it, I guess.

The first one, well, I think that's the courting/engagement phase. It all but disappears once a couple settles into marriage. At least, that's how the story goes. And, honestly, that's how things have played out. He does occasional grand gestures, but generally they're a thing of the past. Now, honestly, I'd like a bit of the gifts – that's my love language ...

Anyway, the second is definitely true. It can encompass the first, but it's not dependent on the first. It's the things we do every day that show each other that we love each other. It's him making me chai on the weekends, trying to replicate how they make the chai tea lattes at Starbucks or Panera. It's me making sure there's a cold beer waiting in the fridge for him at the end of the day. It's him cleaning up after me when I was SUPER sick, never griping, never giving me crap about it, and to this day being graceful about it. It's me putting a towel in the dryer for a few minutes so he's got a warm towel when he steps out of the shower on a cold day. It's him leaving extra cash for me to find when he goes out of town for work. It's me leaving a lamp on in our bedroom when I go to bed so he doesn't have to come to bed in the dark.

It's all of those things, and so much more. I am very blessed that God gave Mr. Ham to me. I couldn't imagine my life without him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Head on over to Toddler Awesome if you wanna play along and/or read others' blog journals. Tomorrow we share our wedding pictures and/or stories (or your dream wedding if you're single).

Tune-In Tuesday #9

A day late and a dollar short. But, hey, better late than never, right? RIGHT? ;-)

I have two songs for you. One is the aforementioned Switchfoot song, the other is appropriate right now. (Sorry, no lyrics today)

1. The Bed's Too Big Without You by The Police ~ I love this song. Always had. And this one works right now. Mr. Ham is gone for the week for business, and so, this song works. Enjoy!

2. This is Your Life by Switchfoot ~ Still not on Grooveshark – I'll have to look into that. Anyway, here's a "video" of it. (Not really a video – picture of the band while the music plays.)

If you participate today (or did yesterday despite my forgetfulness), please share a link! :-)

Have a blessed day,

To All You Domestic Women

You know who I'm talking to. If you're one of those domesticated women, I got a question for you.

Excuse me? What do I mean "domesticated"? Oh, let me lay it out for you ...

If you're one of those women who cooks and cleans, and does it WELL. And you also have time to be a good mom to your kids, and time to blog, and read 100 books a week, and hang out on facebook, and garden, and sell Tupperware (or Pampered Chef, or Lis Sophia, or ____________ (fill in the blank) ), and still be a good wife to your husband. You know, dates, quality time ...




sex ...




(Damn! Listing it all totally gave me a minor anxiety attack!) I have a question for you. How do you do it? Seriously. I mean, is it for real, or is it a front? If you really do it, HOW? Spell it out for those of us who apparently missed that class in school.

Better yet. Send me some of that super-mommy mojo, PLEASE! I could use some.

Oh, and as for the real question: Do you use index cards for your recipes? Do you file them? And here's the STUPIDEST question ever: do you put the labels in front of or behind the tabbed thingy that says the letter of the alphabet?

Say WHAT?

Does your recipe box go: A ~ Recipes starting with "A" ~ B ~ Recipes starting with "B" ...
Or does it go: Recipes starting with "A" ~ A ~ Recipes starting with "B" ~ B ...

Or is your system completely different – more like a cookbook? (I do alphabetical, because I think of the name of the recipe I want, then get it, rather than think of what I wanna make, then where it's categorized, etc., etc., etc.)

Inquiring minds wanna know ...

Blog Journal: Day 7

So ... no. Sorry. No graphic again today. I'm just not into it. When you see what I see, I think you'll understand ...

Today's task is to write about what's going on with each of your senses (taste, touch, smell, sight, hearing).

The Eyes Have It

I see clutter. The books I need to find homes for, the ever-growing pile of laundry (both to-be-washed and to-be-sorted-and-put-away), the never-ending dishes to clean, the toys scattered all over the place ... and it's much worse than usual, because my wonderful hubby is gone for the week! :-(

Do You Hear What I Hear?

I hear the kids playing outside – well, the older two. I also hear the birds chirping and some people mowing their lawns. Occasionally, the dog barks. Inside, I hear silence (outside noises coming in through open windows – YES!), because Miss Natalie is still napping.

Oh, Taste and See

I taste Dr Pepper. Love that stuff ...

What's that Smell?

I smell ... spring. Finally! (We've had a it of a "cold" trend lately.)

How Touching

I feel slightly chilled with the windows open, letting in the below 70º F air. But, I'm LOVING it!

If you wanna link up, do so HERE. Tomorrow's topic is to discuss what "romance" means to you.

Top 2 Tuesday: Bucket List

Another fun new meme. This time I found it thanks to Sam over at Life is Beautiful.




This week's subject is the top 2 things you wanna do before you die.

I honestly can't say I have a bucket list. Sure, there are things I wanna do, but I haven't sat down and really thought about this much.

1. Help my children find Christ and become saved. If I accomplish nothing else, I will be happy with just this. I want to spend eternity with them in Heaven!

2. Visit a few places that I really, really, really wanna see. Examples: Hawaii, Italy, and Ireland – to name a few.

If you wanna play, you can link up at the post HERE.

Blog Journal: Day 6

No snazzy graphics again today. Sorry. It's past my bed time, and I'm waiting for the dryer to finish my comforter/flat sheet (damn cat!). There's no time for graphics. And, really, (sorry, Emma) this isn't a very inspiring topic for me.

What is it?

Food. My favorite food/recipe/restaurant.

Favorite Food

Alaskan king crab legs. YUMMY! I rarely get them because they're so damn expensive ...

Something I can get regularly ... honestly cheddar cheese. I could eat just that and be happy. I once told someone that, and they looked at me like I said haggis is my favorite food! So, I rarely say cheese (especially cheddar), for fear of looking/sounding stupid! Lame, aren't I?

Favorite Recipe

I'm not much of a cook. I like to bake, though. I have the BEST sugar cookie (and buttercream icing) recipe I kindly was given by a former co-worker. But, alas, it's nowhere nearby. And, again, I'm tired. So, I'm not gonna get it. Anyway, it's my favorite because I searched for YEARS for the perfect cut-out sugar cookies recipe and FINALLY have it!

Favorite Restaurant

Honestly, I don't really have one. It just depends on my mood or current cravings. Although, if dessert is in the plans, then Chili's ...

Tune in tomorrow for a real-time post on the five senses. :-)

Sunday Stealing ~ On Monday

In reading Tethered Mommy, I came across this. It looks like way too much fun to pass up. Although, this week's is the second of a two-parter. So, I'm gonna do two weeks' worth! Fun stuff. (Bless you if you actually read it all! LMAO)

First things first: this is from Sunday Stealing.

The Speed-Dating Meme

1. What's your favorite Dr. Seuss book?

The Sneetches and Other Stories

2. If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be?
I'd love to be in Addison's house in Private Practice. A beach-front two-story house in L.A.

3. What's the longest you've gone without sleep?
Umm...I don't remember. I try not to go too long nowadays! ;-)

4. What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?
Umm..I have no idea what any of his songs is, so none.

5. Who's your favorite Muppet?
Kermit. What's not to love about Kermit?

6. What's the habit you're proudest of breaking?
Umm...I've broken a habit?

7. What's your favorite website?
Only one? LMAO Not gonna happen. Here are a few:
Proud Book Nerd (yes, it's mine, but I love it!)
FROGs (another one of mine, but I still love it)
Facebook

8. What's your favorite school supply?
Isn't this an odd questions? Umm...gel pens?

9. Who's your favorite TV attorney?
Alicia Florek in The Good Wife

10. What was your most recent trip of more than 50 miles?
Downstate to see family for Easter.

11. What's the best bargain you've ever found at a garage sale or junk shop?
I'm not much of a garage sale/junk shop person. I like brand-spankin' new stuff.

12. Where were you on September 11, 2001?
Well, I started out asleep. I had worked second shift the night before. So, I heard the breaking news in VERY small increments as I kept hitting the snooze alarm. LOL But, once I got up, I had to go to work – at a newspaper, so that meant NO TIME TO WASTE! I ended up putting in 12+ hours that day.

13. What's your favorite tree?
I've always loved the Gingko – the fan-shaped leaves are so neat!

14. What's the most interesting biography you've read?
Annie Oakley. In the third grade, we HAD to read one biography. That's the one I chose – I can't even remember the name of it or anything. But, I LOVED it. I even read it a second time voluntarily!

15. What do you order when you eat Chinese food?
Crab rangoons are a MUST. Otherwise, it depends on where we go. I love egg foo young. But, the place close to us that is good doesn't make that. So, I get beef with mushrooms. And now I'm hungry for Chinese. Thanks a lot...

16. What's the best costume you've ever worn?
I've blocked most costumes out of my memory, thank you very much.

17. What's your least favorite word?
Oh, there are lots of words that bug the hell outta me – my degree's in English, after all! ;-)

18. If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be?
One of the states that actually are used as a name: Georgian, Virginia, Caroline. I think Virginia, so I could go by Ginny.

19. Who's your favorite bear?
My husband! :-)

20. Describe something that's happened to you for which you have no explanation.
Oh, I believe everything happens for a reason. I don't believe there is anything that lacks explanation. Even if I don't quite know it, God does.

21. If you could travel anywhere in Africa, where would it be?
Egypt.

22. What did you have for lunch yesterday?
Umm ... kids had hot dogs. Can't remember what I ate.

23. Where do you go for advice?
Depends on the type of advice I needs. Sometimes my mom, sometimes my closest friends, sometimes FROGs, sometimes one of my mommy groups, sometimes my readers, almost always my husband, and ALWAYS God.

24. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?
Dictionary. As an editor, it's FREQUENTLY used!

25. Have you ever been snorkeling? Scuba diving?
Nope, and I have no interest in either.

26. Have you ever been stung by a bee?

Yep. A few times.

27. What's the sickest you've ever been?
I'll spare you the details, but it was about two weeks ago ...

28. What's your favorite form of exercise?
Dancing. I love to dance!

29. What's your favorite Cyndi Lauper song?
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, of course! ;-)

30. What did you do for your 13th birthday?
I have no idea. That was 20 years ago – EEK!

31. Are you afraid of heights?
Nah.

32. Have you ever taken dance lessons?
Yes – LOTS of fun! :-)

33. What's your favorite newspaper?
The Chicago Tribune, of course! ;-)

34. What's your favorite Broadway / West End musical?
I've only seen a few, so I don't really have a favorite. Les Miserables was good. Miss Saigon was good. The Phantom of the Opera was good.

35. What's the most memorable class you've ever taken?
I can't say there's a MOST memorable, but there are plenty that I remember. Some of my favorites (unless otherwise noted, they were college courses):

• Chaucer ~ A whole semester of Chaucer. We even learned the proper way to SPEAK as it was written! Really cool!
• Jane Austen ~ One of my FAVORITE authors. What's better than studying her work for an entire semester?
• Human-Companion Animal Interaction ~ All about people and their pets. This was FUN. 
• AP English ~ My senior year in high school. The teacher was AWESOME. He's who inspired me to get a degree in English.

36. What's your favorite knock-knock joke?

Oooh, one my dad told me when I was a kid, but probably should've waited until I was older.
Knock, Knock!
Who's there?
Madam
Madam who?
Madam foot's stuck in the door.
LMAO

37. What's your least favorite commercial?
All of 'em! ;-)

38. If you could go to Disney World with any celebrity alive today, who would it be?
Amy Grant. She is still at the top of my wanna-meet list!

39. Do you prefer baths or showers?
Showers, unless I have a Jaccuzzi at my disposal ...

40. What's your favourite newspaper comic strip?
Baby Blues

41. What's your favorite breakfast food?
Pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs ...

42. Who's your favorite game show host?
Can't say that I have one.

43. If you could have a super power, what would it be?
Umm ... to be able to fly, I guess.

44. Do you like guacamole?
Ick, no.

45. Have you ever been in a food fight?
Um, no. And again, ICK!

46. Name five songs to which you know all the lyrics.

1. Rebirthing by Skillet
2. Jesus Loves Me
3. Word of God Speak by MercyMe
4. Strong Tower by Kutless
5. Sing Your Praise to the Lord by Amy Grant

47. What's your favorite infomercial?

Don't have one.

48. What's the longest you've ever waited in line?
A few hours, I think.

49. What's on the cover of your address book or day planner?
Nothing. It's just blank.

50. Have you ever taken a picture in one of those little booths?
Sure.

Getting to Know You

Better late than never, right? Yesterday I was absorbed in my project – setting up Proud Book Nerd on its own domain – and switching to WordPress. In case you're wondering, I haven't decided whether to do that for this blog. Depends on how it goes with PBN. So, that's why I have been so quiet. I'm working behind the scenes on PBN. That said, let's get down to business! ;-)

To play, copy the questions, answer them, post them, go back to Mann Land 5 and link up. That's it!

1. The most expensive thing hanging in my closet is.....?

My wedding dress. I still need to get it preserved ...

2. Have you ever played a team sport?

Soccer when I was in second grade. 

3. If you were a bug, what kind would you be?

Butterfly

4. Where on your body is the worst place to get sunburned?

My back – I hate when it hurts to wear a shirt and/or a bra.

5. Are you happy?

Overall, yes. God has been so good to me. I am very, very blessed.

6. People are always abbreviating..are there any abbreviations that make your skin crawl when people use them?

Sure, but none come to mind offhand. Well, except: DO NOT EVER CALL ME "Heath" (pronounced the same way as the first syllable of my name).

7. Do you love where you live..or could you live anywhere?

Eh. I like it because it is a nice area. No, I couldn't live anywhere. 

8. What, if any, extreme measures do you go to to keep yourself from overeating when you're full?

Sometimes I'll chew gum. I did the brushing-my-teeth thing for the first time recently, and that worked quite well. I think I need to do that more!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The questions, once again, for easier copying and pasting:
1. The most expensive thing hanging in my closet is.....?
2. Have you ever played a team sport?
3. If you were a bug, what kind would you be?
4. Where on your body is the worst place to get sunburned? (thanks Ian)
5. Are you happy?
6. People are always abbreviating..are there any abbreviations that make your skin crawl when people use them?
7. Do you love where you live..or could you live anywhere?
8. What, if any, extreme measures do you go to to keep yourself from overeating when you're full?

Blog Journal: Day 5

Oh, MAN! Oh, man! Oh, MAN! This was a HARD one for me. If you've been following me for more than a few days, you likely will understand why when you see what it is. (Just in case, I'll explain after I show you my graphic.) As always, click on the graphic to see it bigger.

You see? ONLY ten songs? ONLY? REALLY? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE music! It's my passion. If I could go back in time, I'd major in something that would give me a way to work in the music industry. Music engineering, perhaps – being a producer would ROCK!

Anyway, more about the songs I've chosen, AND I'll embed them so you can listen while you read! :-) Actually, I found a widget on Grooveshark that allows me to create a playlist, so, I'll embed the widget then explain the songs.

1. Rebirthing by Skillet ~ Anyone who knows me won't be the least bit surprised I picked this song. In fact, the instant I saw this journal topic, this song came to mind. Skillet is my FAVORITE band. Absolute FAVORITE. (A long cry from Amy Grant, my favorite musician for most of my childhood, huh? LOL) And this song is probably (I say probably because they have so many songs I love) my favorite of theirs. As a special treat, I'm going to share the acoustic version this time. Enjoy!

2. Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve ~ LOVE this song. Love it. Again, enjoy!

3. Ocean Floor by Audio Adrenaline ~ Probably my favorite of theirs.

4. Sea of Faces by Kutless ~ An amazing song. They are another of my favorite bands, Kutless is just awesome, too.

5. Word of God Speak by MercyMe ~ Yet another favorite band. Hmm... see? I love music! LOL I actually first heard this song on Kutless' Strong Tower CD. I didn't realize it was a MercyMe song until I got their 10 album. Powerful song.

6. Burden in My Hand by Soundgarden ~ I am a closet Soundgarden fan! LOL I love their stuff. Love it. This is one of my favorites of theirs.

7. Hold My Heart by Tenth Avenue North ~ I loved this song before they put it on the radio! ;-) So good. So very good. Their new song is pretty darn good, too.

8. This is Your Life by Switchfoot ~ Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of Switchfoot on Grooveshark! :-( And, unfortunately, the only version of this song I could find was an instrumental redo by some orchestra. Now, I love orchestras, but words are important ... I uploaded my copy, but it takes awhile for them to process it. So, I'll try to share it maybe for a Tune-In Tuesday post! 

9. Beautiful Day by U2 ~ What's not to like about this song? 

10. Shackled by Vertical Horizon ~ Another song I love, love, LOVE! A different guy is singing, and I just love his voice – for some strange reason. It's more about the sound of the music in this one than what is being said. Anyway, hope you like it!

As you can tell, and if I haven't made it clear at this point, I LOVE music. I couldn't live without it. I recently started doing a weekly Tune-In Tuesday post, and would love to have others join me! :-) So, please do.

And now, I wanna see what music you wanna share! Head on over to Toddler Awesome if you wanna play along!

Blog Journal: Day 4

I missed my chance to post this yesterday. It was a busy day. We were doing some yard/garden work, and I have been working on a top-secret project for Proud Book Nerd. That is keeping me VERY busy. So, if I'm quieter than normal (here or there), that would be why. I hope to share what I'm working on soon.

Anyway, yesterday's journal post was about your favorite vacation. Unfortunately, I don't have time for a snazzy graphic. I'm not sure I can even find pictures, but I can at least talk about it, right? ;-)

It's hard for me to pick a favorite. For one, we don't go on a lot of vacations. For another, the ones we have taken have been great.

We've been to San Diego (vacation for me, hubby was there for work), New England (Maine, Boston, New Hampshire), Europe (France and Germany), and Florida (a few times) – to name a few places.

San Diego was awesome, but not as warm as I'd expected. But, it was BEAUTIFUL. Absolutely beautiful. I'd go back there in a heartbeat.

New England was LOVELY. We were there in mid-June, and it was GORGEOUS. Plus, the lobster in Maine was AWESOME. (Lobster here in the Midwest sucks!) The hubby and I both REALLY liked it. If it wasn't so dang expensive, I could totally see us living there. Although, the corn they served us with the lobster was HORRIBLE. Absolutely horrible. Before then, I didn't know it was possible to ruin corn! LMAO This Midwestern girl wouldn't do well without GOOD corn!;-)

Europe could've been better. Why? Well, for one, I was about 10 weeks pregnant with Grant, and I felt icky. It's hard to fully enjoy a vacation when you can hardly eat and you have the energy of a sloth. Plus, honestly, it was like my hubby's dream vacation. We visited his family in Germany (which was great, and that part wasn't the dream vacation part), but spent most of our two weeks there in FRANCE, of all places. Now, I don't mind France. It's cool to be able to say I've been to Paris. And Versailles. And Normandy. And a place I can't remember the name of, but it was really cool. But, well, I can't say I ever had a desire to really go there much. I'd rather go to Italy. But, given where we were, the proximity to France just made more sense. And, again, I was feeling ICKY. I am sure that, despite being stuck in France, if I was feeling fine, I would've had a grand time – and it would be my favorite! LOL

Florida has a few trips. Our honeymoon, for one. That was nice – New Smyrna Beach. Of course, it was in January, so it wasn't all that warm, but it was a heckuva lot warmer than in Chicago. And it was GORGEOUS. There was another trip when we went to Ft. Lauderdale and took a short cruise to the Bahamas. I think, honestly, this was the most fun. We made friends – people we visited in Boston, actually. And for whatever reason, I have the most warm fuzzies when I think of that vacation. If warm fuzzies don't mean something, I don't know what does! ;-)

So, there you have it. A rundown of the few vacations we've taken. Only one since having babies – unless you count weekend getaways ...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

What are your favorite vacation memories? Head on over to Toddler Awesome if you wanna play along!

Small Talk Six: The Name Game

This week's topic is about names for your kids. Share the names you considered with your kids. Since I have three kids, and the names in consideration were different each time, I'll share what we considered for all of them. Instead of just listing six names, I'll write six paragraphs (which, according to this week's post, is just fine) – two for each child. (This one doesn't count!)

Abigail

We considered LOTS of names for our sweet Abigail. The other girl names we considered included Natalie, Isabella (Bella for short), Frances (which is her middle name), Lily, Ilena (or Elena), and Elizabeth (which is Natalie's middle name).

The boy names we considered for Abigail included Andrew (the only one we could agree on), Hayden, Zachary, Alexander, Anthony, and Ryan.

Grant

We knew he was a boy pretty early on – before I was 15 weeks pregnant. So, we didn't really discuss girl names for him from that point on. In fact, I don't remember any girl names we had even briefly considered prior to that point.

We had a tough time with boy names. Our top one was taken a year earlier by my brother-in-law for his son, so Andrew was out. Alexander was our second favorite when Abby was cookin', but also was used by family. Instead, we considered Nathaniel, Anthony James (AJ for short), Ryan, Nicholas (almost named him this, but decided not to because I knew our next girl would be Natalie – I didn't want Natalie and Nicky), Benjamin, and Ethan.

Natalie

My husband was pretty set on girl names this time around. Despite my best efforts, he wasn't really open to any names other than Natalie for her. But, a few I liked included Lyla, Allison (thought Abby and Ally was cute), Lucy, Penelope (Penny), Kate, and Gwen (probably short for something, which I cannot remember at the moment, but not Gwyneth).

We hardly discussed boy names, because we just do NOT have similar tastes when it comes to boy names (probably why God gave us two girls LOL). We discussed it a little early on, but because of ongoing disagreements in that area decided to wait until we knew what gender we were having. Once we knew we didn't need a boy name, we stopped talking about it. But, we did consider some, including Ryan, Nathaniel, Benjamin, Harrison, Anthony, and Edward.

Button Swap Blog Hop #3

Welcome to another Button Swap Blog Hop!  Where bloggers can get together and swap buttons to help promote and support each other. 

Over at Blogger Chix Designs, bloggers are encouraged to be proactive and involved in growing their blogs.  Swapping buttons with other bloggers is going to get your name out there so new readers can find you, which will increase your traffic.  So whip those buttons out and get ready to swap till you drop :-).

Guidelines:

1. Grab the Blogger Chix Designs button HERE and put it on your blog/blog roll.  Leave a comment while you're there and she'll grab your button and add it to her blog roll too!

2. Add the blog hop list (on the post linked above) to your Button Swap Blog Hop post on your blog.  Be sure to include the guidelines so all the buttons you swap with others will be returned by them grabbing yours as well. *Be sure to include your button's copy code in your Swap Post.

3. Link your blog post up to the blog hop.  (You only need to link up once and it will show up on all the hop lists on all the blogs participating).

4. Then start visiting the other participants!  Grab their button and add it to your blog sidebar or blog roll, and leave them a comment telling them your visiting from the BSBH party!  Be sure to return the favor to anyone visiting you.

*Tip for having lots of buttons swap success - don't wait for others to come to you, go to them first!*

Don't forget to grab my button:

<center><a href="http://ham1299.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Ramblings & More" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v61/ham1299/Blog%20Stuff/Heather-Button.png" /></a></center>

Blog Journal: Day 3

I hope these images are working OK for you to read them. Like last time, click on it to see it full size, and that should make it doable.

I feel this is one that requires some elaboration.

• My kids ~ Not just what doesn't require explanation, but also their births – especially the younger two. They were VBAC deliveries, and those were the most rewarding days of my life! Also, I'm very proud of who they are and who they are going to be. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for them – and for us through them.
• My blogs ~ Yes, this one, but especially Proud Book Nerd. I have put lots of blood, sweat, and tears into both. OK, maybe not those things – time, energy, and even in some cases money (this template wasn't cheap). But, it is so worth it. I'm having fun with both. But, I think in the book blog I've found my niche. I can't remember a time I wasn't a bookworm, so I shouldn't be surprised ... anyway, if you wanna know more about that, just go to the blog then click on the link (below the header) that says "About Me." I have a similar post here, but I need to rework it. I do want to add that I'm actually a bit surprised by this. An avid reader with LOTS of editing experience, I've never considered myself a writer. Never liked it much. But, well, maybe I just wasn't writing about the right things ...
• My bachelor's degree ~ I worked long and hard for four years to earn this degree. There's a reason the common way to say it is "earn" the degree. That is HARD work. While these days I don't do much with the degree, it's still an accomplishment of which I am quite proud.

And that's it for today. So, tell me, what are you proud of in your life? Head on over to Toddler Awesome if you wanna play along!

Five Question Friday ~ May 14

1. Take your pick...date night, girls night out, or night out alone?

Night out alone. I desperately need that right now!

2. Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

Nope. Never could.

3. What is your favorite flower and why?

Lilacs. I LOVE how they smell!

4. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself?

Do NOT use credit cards. EVER.

5. If you won the lottery, what is the very first thing you would do?

Assuming you mean with the money, I'd pay off ALL of our debt. (If that's not what you mean, then I'd praise God and tell the hubby.)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rules for 5QF: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then link up in the Linky provided by Mama M.

No blog? That's alright!! Just answer the questions in the comments of anyone's blog along the way...this is a fun, easy way to get to know your fellow bloggers!

Questions for Friday, May 14 (repeated for easier copying):
1. Take your pick...date night, girls night out, or night out alone?
2. Can you touch your nose with your tongue?
3. What is your favorite flower and why?
4. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself?
5. If you won the lottery, what is the very first thing you would do?

Show Us Your Life: Favorite Books

Show us your life this week is all about your favorite books – for yourself and/or your kids.

This is a HARD one for me to do. Not because I hate books, rather for the opposite reason! I LOVE books, LOVE to read, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! So, picking just a few favorites is HARD for me - VERY hard! But, I'll give it a shot.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger ~ I just read it a few weeks ago, but it was SO GOOD! If you want detailed thoughts, here's my review.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke ~ Not just the first book, but the whole series. GOOD! If you've seen the movie, I'm sorry. It sucked. The book is a gazillion times better!

The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan ~ Again, not just this one, but whole series (to date – two more are yet to be published). I took a chance with this one. I had registered to win it on Goodreads.com, and didn't win. I got a private message in which I was offered the book at a discounted price. I thought it sounded good, so I said sure. I had medium-to-low expectations when I went into this book, but I was BLOWN AWAY! This book FAR exceeded my expectations. I have read each of the following three books published since then (two of which I helped with editing), and this series gets better as it goes. Each book can be read as a stand-alone title, although I'd recommend reading them ALL because they are THAT good! My review for this one is HERE. If you want to read my reviews of each book in the series, they can be found HERE.

I'm going to stop here, because I could just keep writing until my fingers fall off. I LOVE to read. And, honestly, I'm probably a pretty easy judge of books. But, for me, it's all about the story. I can overlook sub-par writing if you get me hooked by the plot! ;-)

Blog Journal: Day 2

Again, I'm trying to be crafty. Click on the image below to see it full size, which should make it much easier to read.

Head on over to Toddler Awesome if you wanna play along!

Blog Journal: Day 1

I saw this on Toddler Awesome, and thought it might be fun. So, here we go! I tried to be artsy like a few others I saw, but I'm not sure if this'll work.

Emma did create a very cute little graphic, but with this being cute like this, I'm not sure if I'll be able to include it, but I'll try.