I'm Stylish!

You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him. ~Leo Aikman

Dru Ann gave me an award!

I don't feel particularly stylish (I say, sitting here in my jammies!), but thanks, Dru!

The rules for accepting this award are:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award on

Now ... I'm trying to think of seven things y'all don't know about me that are kosher to share in public. *G*

Hmmmmm......

1. I eat cooked spinach with mayonnaise... which is especially odd because I don't really LIKE mayo. I never put it on my sandwiches, etc., but spinach and artichokes cry out for mayo. Listen to them next time ... I swear you'll hear: "Eat me with mayo."

2. I'm always cold. Unless it's 110 degrees out with humidity, I'm shivering. I wear flannels to bed every night, even in June. My doc says it's partly due to having low blood pressure, so there's not much I can do (save eat LOTS of salt... *G*). DD, OTOH, is always warm. I've stopped buying her winter clothes: long-sleeved shirts, sweaters, etc. She never wears them. Made for interesting times when she was a baby, because the doc always said to dress her how I would dress, so there were occasions I'd look at her and her face would be beet red with sweat rolling down while I was shivering. Poor kidlet.

3. I know how to milk goats. I had goats growing up, showed and raised goats for 4H, briefly. I wish I had a goat now, but DH says no. *sigh*

4. I don't drink milk. I don't LIKE milk. I like milk products: yogurt, cheese, ice cream. But I can't stand the taste of milk. :::shudders::: This is something that distresses both my DH and my DD's doctor. DH because he was raised to think that "milk does a body good" and my DD's doctor because I never gave her milk to drink and they were sure she wasn't getting enough calcium. First: she and I both take supplements. Second: there are plenty of other foods that contain calcium (and, in fact, your body absorbs less calcium from milk than it does from vegetable sources). Occasionally, I use the bone meal I buy for Dakota's food (don't worry -- it's human grade) in food that I cook. I'd be willing to bet I know more about food and nutrition than DD's doc...

5. I'm a study in opposites: I love to talk to people and spend time with them, but I also NEED time alone. When I'm out, I gab with anyone and everyone. I know most of the clerks at the stores I go to regularly, for instance, and enjoy chatting. But if I don't get enough time away from people I start acting like a grizzly bear with a prickle in its paw.

6. I hate camping. I think it can be traced back to when I was younger and we "got back to nature". We lived out in the boonies with no electricity, no running water, no phone ... and initially, no house. We slept in a tent until we finally got a little bitty trailer and my step-dad built a shed for us kids to live in. Our "running" water was a hose he ran from the spring up the hill from us down into the trailer. We used an outhouse, showered with an army shower in the summer and spit baths in the winter. I did my homework by kerosene lamp and once set my pillow on fire when it fell on the little gas heater by my bed. So, yeah ... camping isn't any fun for me. I got it all out of my system back then.

7. I don't understand most womens' attraction to fancy shoes, purses and other accessories. I see posts on Facebook and on blogs, etc. about "I have to have these shoes!" and a picture of 6" stilettos and all I can think is: give me my sneakers any day. I carry a fanny pack -- one I've had for years. I own maybe eight pairs of shoes, and only two are "dress" -- both flats.

I'm passing on the award to:

Angelina Rain (someone who LIKES camping!)

Maria Zannini (whose husband lets her have chickens and goats)

MJ Fredrick (who stays warm down in TX)

Liz Fichera (a desert dweller ... lucky girl)

Let me know when you post so I can come see what you say about yourselves!

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You Are Old Navy

You are a wholesome person. You live a low-key, low drama, and healthy life. You are emotionally stable. You understand what matters most, and you prioritize well. You know where you're going in life... and why you're going there. Social pressure doesn't get to you. You are dependable and trustworthy. Your friends know that you're solid and true.

Are You Gap, Banana Republic, or Old Navy?

Yep.

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I Haz a Happy ...

Those who can laugh without cause have either found the true meaning of happiness or have gone stark raving mad. ~Norm Papernick



Talented author and friend, J. A. Saare nominated me for a Happy 101 award a couple of days ago.



Here's the plan: I share 10 things that make me happy (as an aside, I made a "happy journal" once -- because I'm not a naturally happy person -- and listed more than 200 things that made me smile... it's a great thing to have and to pull out when you're down in the dumps) and, in turn, nominate 10 blogs that make me smile! It's going to be tough to whittle it down to 10, but I'm going to give it a try...

10 things that make me happy:

1. My daughter -- who needs at least forty hugs a day. Since the dog and the cat and I are the ones she's around, we get them. No, I'm not complaining :-)

2. My goofy dog.

3. Really good books.

4. Talking to my mom.

5. Watching clever, fun TV shows like "Leverage" and "Bones" and "Eureka"

6. 80's music

7. Gardening

8. Sunshine

9. Long walks in the sunshine :-)

10. Quiet time

Here's a list of blogs I try to get to at least every couple of days because it makes me happy to keep up with them!

The Bandwagon

Writing Wrongs

Notes From Me

Book Mom

Maria Zannini

Melissa McClone

Jennifer Shirk

Groovy's Ruminations

Diane Craver

Becoming Briggs

Thanks to all those folks (and so many more!) that give me a happy on a regular basis.

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For those who asked: Dakota is acting as though nothing happened night before -- as though she didn't nearly vomit up a lung or put me through the wringer. I don't know what set her off, but she seems to be fine and dandy.

DD and I are helping out with a beginning agility class on Thursdays now. It's a HUGE class (12 dogs that range from a Poodle to a Great Dane!) and she asked if we could. DD loves it and I think it's fun, too, though it exhausts me. The dogs are all really good dogs -- a few are pretty alpha and try to assert themselves now and then, but for the most part everyone gets along and most of them really enjoy what they're doing. It's been so much fun to revisit how things were when we started agility over a year ago. It's all so effortless for Dakota now it's hard to remember when she was scared by the see-saw.

It rained for most of the day yesterday, and is overcast today. They're not predicting a very nice weekend, which is a drag. I've gotten spoiled this past week with the sunny, warm weather.

How's the weather where you are? Any plans for the weekend?

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You Are A Chocolate Ice Cream Girl

Dramatic. Powerful. Flirty.

What Flavor Ice Cream Girl Are You?

Dramatic. Powerful. Flirty.

Oh, yeah... that's me...

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I'd Like To Thank...

The words "I am" are potent words; be careful what you hitch them to. The thing you're claiming has a way of reaching back and claiming you. ~A.L. Kitselman

I got an award!

jmberrygirl awarded me the Honest Scrap award.



The rules are as follows: Thank the blogger who awarded you, and then list 10 honest things about yourself. Choose 7 other blogs to receive the award, and inform the bloggers that you've chosen them.

So... wow... ten things... hmmm...

10. I'm honestly not squeamish about very many things. I don't mind spiders or snakes or rats (in fact, I really, really LIKE rats). Blood or other bodily fluids don't squick me out. BUT... I REALLY REALLY HATE TICKS. They freak me out in the worst way if they are on me. If they aren't on me? I'm fine and dandy. I can pluck them out of friends, family and pets without a shiver. But on ME? ACK!!! GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!! And, after finding even one on me, I typically have the need to shower and wash all the clothes I was wearing in scalding hot water immediately.

9. I honestly hate when people mess with my stuff. I put things where I put things because that is where I want them. When I lived alone, I could have walked through my house and found every single thing I owned with my eyes shut. Now, I live in endless frustration because PEOPLE MOVE MY STUFF. I remember watching a movie where someone was like that, and every time they left the room, someone would move something ... usually only an inch or two, and every time the character returned, they'd move it back immediately. That's me.

8. I honestly can't sleep on my stomach. I prefer my side, but I do sleep on my back sometimes. But never, never ever on my stomach. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

7. I'm honestly the person you'd want around in an emergency, because I don't panic. I remain level-headed and I'm a great problem solver. I don't mind dirt or blood or fire, flood and pestilence. I'll be a wreck afterward, but during the emergency, I do great.

6. I have an honest obsession with brushing my teeth. When I was in high school and had braces, my orthodontist showed me pictures of some kid who didn't brush his teeth thoroughly when he had braces, and they were just disgusting. He warned me that I had to be diligent, and I took it to heart. Apparently, I'm a little TOO diligent. My current dentist tells me I'm too aggressive about brushing and it's making my gums recede and exposing my dentin. They give me extra soft brushes and tell me not to brush so hard or so long. And here I thought I was doing a good thing!

5. I honestly think water is the best refreshment. I love water. Water is the only thing that makes me feel rehydrated when I'm truly thirsty. BUT... I don't like bottled water (except Dasani) and I'm not fond of city water. We have a well, and the water tastes pretty dang good. Best water I every drank, though, was when we lived up in the boonies and had a spring. YUM.

4. I honestly cry at anything the least bit sappy. I used to cry at those old phone commercials and always at Hallmark commercials. I cry at the end of "Charlotte's Web", I cried at "ET", I cried when Flower died in "Meerkat Manor" (with that one, DD and I were both inconsolable -- we cried, hard, for a good twenty minutes).

3. I honestly don't understand how anyone ever thinks a writer will run out of ideas. I get ideas for stories every day. My problem is never lack of ideas, but only lack of time. I completely believe the "thing" that separates a writer from a non-writer is the ability to see ideas in everyday life, or the lack of the "what if" gene.

2. I honestly can't believe I'm going to do NaNoWriMo this year.



1. No offense to the rest of you folks, but I honestly think I have the best daughter in the world. Just saying.

Now... tags? Hmmm... how about:

1. Ceri

2. Anne-Katherine

3. Dru

4. Groovy

5. Keri

6. Judy

7. Mary

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Tomorrow I'll talk about some of the great new blogs y'all pointed me to on Tuesday. THANKS!

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Saying Thanks!

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone. ~ G.B. Stern



Diane Craver gave me this lovely blog award. Thanks, Diane!

Here are the rules:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to other blogs.
3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Although I don't always comment, I usually make it by several blogs nearly every day (or at least when the update):

Tori
Brandy
Melissa McClone
Allie Boniface
Dru Ann
Jen
Ceri Hebert
Sarita Leon
Keri Mikulski
Maria Zannini
Jennifer Shirk
Wendi Zwaduk
Charity Tahmaseb

And ... gah... so many more I'm probably forgetting some (I feel a little like I won an Academy Award, lol). But, hey -- I love you guys!!

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As you probably know from the posts below, yesterday was busy in Pillar Place: Swallowtail. Sadly, we may have also had a casualty, though we won't know for a week or so.

Carole, the pillar who made her pupa on the netting, had an accident. When we release the butterflies, we carry the entire box outside with us (the last thing we need is for the butterfly to be lose in the house). Yesterday, when we released Able and had set down the box, the wind blew it over. It gave ALL the remaining pupae a good jolt, but Carole had one set of her anchors break, and literally dangled by a thread. They can't hatch like this, not safely, so I made an executive decision.

Handling the pupae is never a good idea, but I had little choice. And, I remembered reading that super glue was originally developed for closing wounds, so I hoped it wouldn't injure the butterfly.

Yep. I used superglue gel (I figured the gel would be less likely to soak through the outside casing) and glued Carole back into place. I had to hold her for several minutes, though, and just manipulating her into place required a large amount of handling. The last time we had any of our pupae fall, the butterfly emerged only partly formed.

It's been a rough season for Pillar Place. Because of the incessant rain, the butterflies haven't been able to eat or breed efficiently. Last year, we raised nearly 30 swallowtails and we left several butterbabies outside (on DD's carrots) to raise themselves. This year, we've been unable to find ANY pillars except the nine we found originally, and this includes looking on my SILs dill plants (where we hit the motherload last year). So, I'm worried, and I deeply value each of our butterflies. They may be nine of only a few hundred that survive this season.

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You Are a Monroe Piercing

You are glamourous, sophisticated, and very classy. You're the type to think carefully before getting any sort piercing or tattoo. You are naturally charming. People find you to be very alluring. Your manners are impeccable, and you always have something witty to say. While you look like you're high maintenance, you have simple tastes. You're a homebody who often rather curl up with a book than go out.

What Piercing Are You?

Yep, that's me: glamorous, sophisticaed and very classy! LOL... seriously though, they have most of it pretty close. And since my only piercings are in my ears and I have NO tats I'd say I'm pretty careful about them.

You?

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DD and Lemons

It's bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children's health than the pediatrician. ~Meryl Streep

First off, an update on DD (for those of you not on Facebook): It seems she has a nasty, icky, awful ... cold. It's full of mucus and drainage and is causing her "heavy head" feeling and the pain in her ears (which are clean and lovely according to the doc). She's using saline mist and mucinex and ibuprofen and moaning and groaning. She is not a good sick person. She is truly a drama queen. But, she's not terminal, lol.

Also, the doc said, "I'm not going to give you antibiotics." and I said, "Good, I don't want them." and she was pleasantly surprised because so many folks come in just wanting a prescription for them no matter what. I told her that my DD has never been on them and that I've only used them twice in my entire adult life (and then, only under extreme duress). I hate the things. I found the whole conversation interesting, however.

Unfortunately, DD being sick caused us to miss Dakota's last class before her AKC Canine Good Citizen test on Friday. She really needed the practice. I'm terribly afraid she's going to fail spectacularly.

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It's only taken me NINE DAYS to respond to an award I received: the "Lemonade Award" (As in: "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."). Lynn Reynolds bestowed it upon me.

She said: A big lemonade award to Marianne Arkins, whose blog introduced me to the insidious joys of blogthing quizzes!

LOL...

I have so many favorite blogs, it's hard to choose only a few. But for ones that make me smile the most?

Melissa and Mary who almost always post LOLCats, which I love.

Amy with the photo essays on her life.

Brandy with her crazy cat pictures (cats do the darndest things).

Dru with her talk about New York, New York so I can live vicariously (and the pictures of her quilts).

Groovy with her crazy sense of humor. She seldom fails to amuse me.

There are so many more... but it's early on a Sunday so my brain is sleeping in.

Have a great day.

And, in honor of Lynn, here's a quiz!

Your Friendship Style is Independent

You love your friends, but you don't always need them as much as they need you. You like to do your own thing. Sometimes this means taking a break from your friends and carving your own path. As long as your friends give you the space you need, you are happy to be there for them whenever you can. Your friends lean on you for advice and problem solving. You tend to be "the rock." You and an Empathetic Friend: Go well together. Your Empathetic Friend understand and accepts you... but may be too needy sometimes. You and a Gregarious Friend: Get along well, as long as your Gregarious Friend is happy to only see you occasionally. You and another Independent Friend: Have a love / hate thing going on. When you agree, things are blissful. However, more often than not, you butt heads. You and a Philosophical Friend: Are somewhat a matter of opposites attract. You're both thinkers, but you think very differently.

What's Your Friendship Style?

That's pretty close to right, lol...

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I'm Loved...

There are big ships and small ships. But the best ship of all is friendship. ~Author Unknown

Lookie what I got! And... from TWO PEOPLE. I feel so loved... really... for once I'm not being sarcastic.

Jennifer awarded it to me a couple of days ago, and Dru did so yesterday. And, guys, I love your blogs right back. Just saying...

Now for the rules:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

Okee dokee... I can do ALL that, even as busy as I am. The hard part is choosing only seven blogs I love and visit regularly (I'm not going to use folks I know already rec'd the award like Diane, Sarita and Dru)!

1. Melissa's Diary -- I read her daily. She posts about herself, her writing and frequently uses LOL Cats (I <3 them).

2. Writebrained -- Amy shares recipes, funny stuff, and anecdotes about life in general. She's made me laugh, cry and think. It doesn't get better than that. Plus we and our cats are twins. Ha.

3. Allie's Musings -- I've known Allie (virtually) for... a long time. I'm thinking six years or so! I keep up with her daily via her blog. It's easier than email, lol.

4. Ceri Hebert -- I "met" Ceri my first year doing NaNoWriMo, and we've become good virtual friends (despite living in the same state -- we haven't managed to get together... maybe someday!). She's a talented author and all around kewl chick.

5. Groovy -- Groovy is just an all around hoot. She's a Christian, homeschooling mom and aspiring author. I honestly don't recall how we "met", but I read her blog every time she updates her blog. Sometimes, I go back and read more than once, just because she cracks me up.

6. Maria Zannini -- an author I met through Samhain Publishing, and just thoroughly enjoy her blog. She has industry news, books stuff and personal stuff. Plus... she's a dog lover. What's not to like?

7. Writing Wrongs -- Charity is another virtual friend from a long time ago. We "met" in an online romance writing class at Writers Village University. She was a big help then, and is a terrifically talented author (Note to C: I still want to read "Cold Comfort" from beginning to end).

There are a TON more that I should mention, but the rules say seven... so there you go. I won't say anything about Brandy or Tori or ... *G*

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So... okay... I ended up stopping at 1000 words yesterday because I had so many other things I needed to do. But I have ideas, and I'm excited, so I have great hope that I'll get a bunch more words done this a.m.

I'm currently at a total of 8,928 words for the story.

So... for town names, I'm torn between these (feel free to vote!!):

Fate
New Hope
New Genesis (or even Genesis)
Unity

Thoughts?

Okay, off to write!

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