People Love Me...

...and I feel like a complete heel.

So blog awards have been floating around and I've actually been tagged by a number of people and I never properly responded. So today, I'm acknowledging the love and giving it back. Sorry it took me so long.

First, way back when, Pickleope tagged me with a trio of awards, the Liebster, Kreativ Blogger and a quiz. I started off strong and then promptly got swept up in the Photo a Day and A to Z challenges. I was supposed to also tag others and list ten things about myself that were super top secret. Pickleope is one of my earliest followers and consistently makes me giggle and you should visit if you haven't yet. Plus, I think I might have inadvertently caused Pickleope to have arachnophobia and snort milk out of her nose once (do pickles even have noses?) so I sort of feel bad.

Then Ruby at Whispering Thoughts and Fuchsia Vision tagged my with a Liebster which I never properly acknowledged. Whispering Thoughts is a sweet blog and Ruby posts short stories there - often participating in Trifecta challenges. On Fuchsia Vision Ruby posts a lot of great photos! She is one of my early followers and always make such positive comments. I am a little concerned for her though...she once mentioned she had a monkey problem in her garden! And I was worried about aphids and pickleworms!

Melanie at Sporkin' On Down The Road gave me a Liebster too. She has fast become one of my blogger BFFs and if she lived in Florida or I lived in California we would totally hang out and she would cook fabulous food for me (not that I can't cook fabulous food. I do. Often. But she totally has an adventurous side to her food of which I am in awe). Plus she sent The Girls and me some radical wallets. Just Because! Who does things like that anymore? Her blog is very down to earth, honest and funny.

Finally, just the other day, Ken at ken-inatractor sent a Kreativ Blogger my way. Ken, a Canadian farmer who likes killing moose (or at least likes taking credit for moose slaying) and picking rocks, has quickly become on of my favorites. His posts are sometimes sweet, sometimes quirky all the time well written and awesome! And he once promised that he would ask his wife if they needed an Underwife (because I want to be a farmer's wife and Scott doesn't seem too interested in becoming a farmer) but I never heard back from him on that...odd, right?

So first up the Liebster.  

Liebster is the German word for beloved / dear / favorite. the Liebster Blog Award is "passed from one blog to another to honor smaller blogs (those with less than 200 followers) that deserve recognition for their fabulous blogging abilities."

The rules: 

Thank your Liebster award presenter on your blog.

Link back to the blogger who awarded you.

Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.

Reveal your five picks.

Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

Okey Dokey.

I did the link backs above, so a big thank you to Pickleope, Ruby and Melanie. You guys are great! Fantastic even! And I really appreciate the recognition (despite the fact that it took me a bit to actually acknowledge the recognition).

And for the Kreativ Blogger:

The Rules

Thank and link back to the awarding blog.

Answer seven questions. (Note - When Pickleope gave me this award there were different questions which I did answer here)

Provide 10 random factoids about yourself.

Hand the award on to 7 deserving others.

 Again, the link backs are above so a huge thanks to Pickleope and Ken for sending me an award!

The Seven Questions:

#1. What is your favorite song?

 I really don't have a favorite favorite song. I cycle through. I have a terrible fondness for 80s Monster Ballads and Rodgers and Hammerstein Musicals.

 
#2.  What's your favorite desert?
This is an unfair question that is probably a trick question designed to make me reveal a weakness! But I don't have any weaknesses unless you count tapioca, cake, custard, frozen yogurt, cookies, cupcakes, truffles...anything with sugar or chocolate or caramel or... Is it any wonder why I need to lose weight? Nope. It really isn't. 

#3. What do you do when you are upset?
It depends on what you mean by upset? A pissed off upset sends me to my room or as far away from the cause as possible. I am non confrontational and do not like to fight because I start to cry. Am I upset because I broke my favorite mug? I yell. Loudly. And curse without any profanity. Am I upset because Florida drivers give me road rage? I seethe and fume until I erupt (regardless of who is in the car) with sailor talk the likes of which should only ever be said on the docks.
 
#4. Which is your favorite pet?
Currently or ever? Currently, it would be Zoe because she is such a cat, but rarely has hairballs like her sister Simone, and she is never freaked out by everything like Junie. In fact Junie is probably my least favorite pet although she has taught me a valuable lesson: I should never own dogs. EVER!! My all time favorite pet was Precious, a beautiful grey cat we had while I was growing up. Or Abraham, a pit bull that had a heart of pure and solid gold! Or maybe Buddy my turtle. Man! This question is like asking me which kid is my favorite!!
 
#5. Which do you prefer, White or Whole Wheat?
I like both. Seriously. Weird, right? But yeah. Breads of all types are equally loved in my house. 

#6. What is your biggest fear?
Sharks. Zombies. Aliens. Bigfoot. The Dark. Growing Up.
 
#7. What is your attitude mostly?
I try my hardest to always have a good attitude. I try to look on the bright side and try to not let little things bug me.


Ten Super Secret Facts (but don't tell anyone! Okay?)

1. I’ve come close to death twice. The first time brought me one of my greatest joys: Ashleigh. The second time was far less pleasant.
2. When I sit, I curl my toes under my feet instead of having my feet flat on the ground.
3. I joke about it, but I really am terrified of aliens. The idealist in me hopes that if aliens came here they’d be benevolent like E.T. or Vulcans. But it is more probable that they’d be out to conquer and destroy.
4. My favorite painting is Flaming June by Frederick Lord Leighton.
5. I cry every. single. time. I watch Lilo and Stitch because I love my sister.
6. I am so terrified of becoming a hoarder I throw things out and donate stuff all the time.
7. I used to bite my nails but I stopped and now when I am nervous or upset, I pick at my cuticles. Sometimes until they bleed.
8. I only swim in the ocean when there are plenty of other swimmers and surfers in the water because I figure my odds of getting bitten by a shark are greatly reduced.
9. I spent three plus years working to save enough tickets at an arcade with my dad to get a stuffed 20 foot long pink snake. I slept with it curled around my bed for years until I outgrew stuffed animals and it ended up in the basement being used as a home for mice.
10. I was six credits shy from earning a double BA when the financial office met with me and informed me that I had exceeded my lifetime Stafford Loan limit and I had to graduate or come up with my own money to continue.

Bonus Facts: I can recite The Jabberwocky from memory, my favorite class in college was Milton and I have never, ever had a leech attached to me for any reason at all.

And these are the cool bloggers I am tagging for both awards:

Meg at Tales of a Half Crazed Housewife
KC at The Occasional Adventures of a Hermit
Charlie at The Semi-Retired Gamer
Valerie at Valerie Nunez and the Flying Platypi
Jamie at Awakenings and Reflections
Carly at A Sewcial Life 

And finally Sara at A Bend in the Road 

If giving blog awards is like tag then it means there are no tag backs. Stupid rules. But even so, I also think Pickleope, Ruby, Melanie and Ken deserve lots of love so go visit them too!

WTF? Now there are quizes on blogging?

Earlier this week, in a fit of child-like rage and jealousy, Pickelope tagged me for a bunch of awards and a quiz. Seriously, Pickelope? It isn't enough that my comments make you laugh, now you have to give me a pop quiz? And there's math involved!

Fine. But I'm doing this my way. I'll complete your little quiz but you'll have to wait to see what I do with the awards! Mwa ha ha ha!

1. Out of the different races of life in Lord Of The Rings, which do you prefer and why? (Answer carefully.)
a. Orc
b. Halfling
c. Elven
d. Human
e. Dwarven
Of all the questions, this one is the simplest: Halfling. They are homebodies and all about food. They can adventure when the need is great. They find joy in the simplest of pleasures and burst into song at the first hint of a good meal or alcohol. I would totally be a Halfling.

2. If today will be yesterday, and tomorrow will be today, What will tomorrow be when it is yesterday?
Monkey Farts! I have never been good at math…but I’ll take a stab at it…umm? Thursday²(2a+½xy)= ? Crap what was the question again? I’ll just skip this one. It can’t be worth more than two points.

3. Do you consider yourself a writer or a person that places rather large words together to form a sentence, and thus, a story/post/epic?
I’m not sure I consider myself either really. I often misspell rather large words so I tend not to use them. And sometimes fragment. Also.

4. If you happened upon a war and you had to take part in it, what would be your weapon of choice?
a. rifle
b. sword
c. slingshot
d. bow and arrow
e. dematializer
I’d go with F – The Transmogrifier and turn everyone into Unicorns. Then there would be no more war and I could continue with my peaceful pacifist lifestyle. And as a bonus every little girl would be issued their own unicorn (complete with a curry comb and sparkle ribbons) when they turned five. I'd be a celebrated hero!

5. If you were stuck on an island with no means of escape, and were given one wish, what would it be for?
No wishing for more wishes?

One wish I supposed I’d go for is a companion. I’m totally a people person and I would go Tom Hanks crazy by myself. It would have to be someone that I could deal with forever though. At first I thought, The Bloggess, because she would keep me amused arranging little plays and skits with her collection of taxidermied animals. But then, since she doesn’t know me she might get slightly pissed that I wished her away from her family even though my island prison would be a beautiful paradise full of talking animals and coconuts.

Then I figured my husband would make okay company…but he doesn’t like sand.

Maybe I’d just wish for a machete.

6. If you participated in the TV game show Fear Factor, where would you draw the line in regard to consuming odd "meals?"
Pretty much everything on the show I’d have to draw a line for. I’ve only watched a few minutes of the show when it first premiered and quickly decided that if I wanted to spend 30 minutes being nauseous I’d rather just have a stomach bug.

 
7. What is your favorite album of all time?
I really don’t have one favorite album (and yes, I am old enough to remember vinyl), although I do remember a certain Smurf album that I listened to pretty much constantly when I was about 8.

8. What is your favorite movie of all time?
This changes frequently, currently it is Sharktopus. Clue, Groundhog’s Day and Billy Elliot are always in the top five.

9. Are you taking part in the 2012 A to Z Challenge this year? It may be the last one, depending on your answer for question 11.
I am. Because I needed one more thing to fret about.

Actually, I am really looking forward to it. I don’t have a theme although I have a few ideas for a few of the letters. And I don’t want to wing it because at some point in my life I’d like to sound polished and reasonably assured that I make sense.

10. If, by chance, you were endowed with one super power, what would it be and why?
I hate this question. It gives me the heebie-jeebies. My daughters ask me this all the time and every single time I tell them the same thing – I don’t want a super power, I’m not responsible or trustworthy enough to have one.

Here’s the deal, I’d like to believe that if I had a super power I’d use it for good, but I know I wouldn’t. I would become a criminal mastermind or a dictator or the executive director of show development at Disney or Nick (the ones who make all the crappy decisions about what to put on the air – don’t get me started about those guys!). I would use whatever power I have to ensure that my family was well taken care of and screw the rest of the world. So no matter what power I selected it would be corrupted.

Well…it would be kind of neat to be able to draw perfect geometric shapes without the aid of a stencil or protractor…for purely crafty purposes, I assure you.

 
11. Do you believe that the Mayans are on to something concerning 12.21.12?
Short answer: Nope.

Slightly longer answer: I think that ancient civilizations were pretty brilliant to come up with the things they came up with. I watch Ancient Aliens almost obsessively. I love Stargate. But the ability to predict any outcome as an eventual absolute outcome? I don’t buy it.

The Mayans had a great calendar system. So did the Egyptians, the Jews, the Chinese. But it is nothing more than the marking of our movement around the sun. The Mayans were freaking amazing astronomers. They didn’t have the bright lights and Jersey Shore distractions that humans today face. With nothing to do, they watched the sky and mapped the patterns.

Medium answer with more humor: No, but just in case I am making a 2012 Waiting For the Apocalypse scrapbook to preserve my family’s memories in the event that civilization collapses and we are some of the few survivors (I have no doubt we’ll survive because I’ve got 20 pounds of rice, two cans of beans, and five jars of Tang – I am so ready!). 

And now, I have to tag someone else for this quiz. So...Sporkgasm? You're it!