Tagged

tagged by Sara/Sofa (thanks, Sara!)

Here are the Smile Award rules:

1. The recipient must link back the the award's creator (http://thebabblingsofmere.blogspot.com).
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must choose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself.
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver. 

tagged by Rebecca

In order to accept this Bloggy Award/Tag in disguise, you must do the following:

1) When you receive the prize you must write a post showing it, together with the name of who has given it to you, and link them back. 
2) Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in their content or design.
3) Show their names and links and leave them a comment informing they were prized with ‘Honest Weblog’.
4) List [if you can and/or dare] at least ten honest things about yourself. And then, pass it on.

(rules on the button)

tagged by Julia

Okay, okay, okay already!

I've been tagged a few times over the past few months and have ignored you all.  Ha!  It's not for lack of love, but simply lack of time.  Time didn't come out of thin air today- I am just choosing to put my feet up after a long few weeks and waste a bit of time on the computer.  Here it goes:

Smile Award:

Now, I'm not "tagging" anyone because, well, I don't want to burden anyone.  But, I will praise the qualities of those bloggers I think deserve the award.

Amy of Lemons and Roses for having an upbeat attitude in spite of endless home improvement projects and chronic illness and for always depending on the Lord for guidance and wisdom and strength.

Mary of Calico Dreams for letting her light shine and for bringing smiles to others with her limericks!

Leslie of Room for At Least One More for showing hope and smiles in the midst of the storms of life (by trusting in the Father), and for letting the world see the glorious and miraculous  smile of dear Susannah- an inspiration to many!

The whole family at Two in Taiwan for their faith-filled wait for Sarah Grace.  Through trying times, they still bare smiles and encourage others!

Rebecca of China Baby! for staying positive, trusting in God with a smile, and walking alongside the rest of us faithfully in our adoption journeys with empathy and encouragement.

Honest Weblog

7 blogs I find brilliant in content or design: Rumor Queen, Anna Maria Horner, WhipUp, Journey to Hannah Claire, Taiwan On, Speckled Bird Art, Design *Sponge

10 honest things about me:

1. I haven't read a novel in years.  I don't have much reading time, and while I like the concept of "being a reader", it seems the most I strive for is to read my Bible and get in some non-fiction in short spurts at the gym (adoption books, parenting books, spiritual insight, magazines).

2. I have a lot to learn

3. While I love color and encourage others to be bold in their choices, I have a mostly khaki/greige/brown interior.  I buy main things (sofa, rugs etc.) in neutrals with the intent of adding "extras" that have pops of color.  Sometimes I just don't get around to the extras or have the budget for what I want so it remains a little boring.

4. I am letting my kids watch TV today

5. More often than I let on, I cry about missing my mom

6. The idea of turning 30 has finally started to bother me a bit

7. This probably has something to do with the grey hair I found a month ago, or the fact that I just started buying concealer for under my eyes (where did those bags and dark circles come from?!)

8. I would love to enter the Amazing Race.  I see no other option for satisfying my travel bug.  Though, I fear it might not "satisfy" my travel bug, but might encourage it!

9. I don't wear gloves when I wash dishes.  I feel like I should, but I just can't stand the feeling.

10.  Sometimes, I have more faith for others' situations than my own.

7 Random/Weird Facts

1. I can not stand lipstick.  It has so much less to do with the taste, and more to do with the fact that I never, never, never seem to find a shade that compliments my strangely pale and rosy (but not pink) skin tone.  I someone out there could find a shade that would compliment my features and not look strange on me- I'd buy 6 tubes of it!  Because of this, I enjoy chapstick.  My most favorite one is by Alba- totally natural without parabens, petroleum products, or artificial anything.

2. When I was younger, I played soccer for years.  The first season I played (I think I was 8 years old), I was infatuated with Kirk Cameron because Growing Pains was one of my favorite shows.  I would imagine that he was in the crowd watching and that I had to impress him- this was my internal motivation to 'kick it up a notch and try even harder'.  Can you believe that?!

3.  I was raised vegetarian and I actually LIKE tofu, and crave it at times.

4.  Music isn't something I'm naturally aware of/into.  I like music.  I appreciate music.  But, I'm not super particular, nor do I have any inclination to follow bands or attend concerts.  I usually am not in the car long enough to do more than listen to Way FM for 15 minutes or talk radio.  Because of this, Eric is the main purchaser of music.  He has a wonderfully eclectic collection in our iTunes library: worship, rock, classical, show tunes, soundtracks, pop, country, alternative, some rap... most everything.  There are things he doesn't like, or doesn't get around to buying and that is where it becomes funny.  I am totally out of touch.  I had no idea who John Mayer was because he wasn't in our library.  Hearing that my sister-in-law was attending one of his concerts made me curious and now I'm listening to some songs that are new to me, but rather old.  Same with Coldplay.  And Feist.  I like all three.  Often times, I'm so pathetic I actually forget to play music in the house.

5. I love to research things.  Looking for the best vacuum, finding the lowest price on stainless steel water bottles, picking curriculum, selecting art supplies, seeing what methods others use for hanging laundry on the line.  Nothing is too small to uncover all my options!  The down side, of course, is that I'm not great at being impulsive.

6. I like cooking things from scratch and want to try making doughnuts some time.  Ooooh... and puff pastry!

7. I never buy clothes that truly need dry cleaning.  Most things can be washed by hand even if it says "dry clean only"- you just have to know your weaves and your fibers.  With five people in our family, laundry is enough of a chore without having to worry about if something is at the cleaners.  It also saves money.

Tag, I'm It.

Jenny tagged me and since Eric is on the phone with a work call and its late and I figure I can post this in a somewhat quick manner (maybe before he gets off the phone, but if not, it is easily finished up later by retrieving from my drafts....)

The rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

The facts

1. When I am eating, I like for the last bite to be of my favorite thing. If it is an all-in-one type meal, like a burrito, I make sure that the last bite has more of my favorite ingredients. Like, if its a Seven Layer burrito from Taco Bell, then I want my last bite to have more guacamole in it.

2. I have a very unrealistic dream/ fantasy about being in a place where there are secret doors and nooks and passageways to explore, and no one else knows about it, and its mine. I think that all started when I read The Secret Garden as a child and some other book [I don't remember much about] where there was a clock in the wall. Because of this, I have an urge to jump the ropes when touring castles and access the "restricted" areas.

3. When I get hurt, I'm a bit of a baby and I get hurt often because I'm a klutz. Eric has the ability to tell if I'm whiny and overreacting or if I'm truly hurt. God only knows how I was able to have three babies naturally.

4. I hate going to bed without my husband, even if I'm dead tired.

5. The first time I remember going to church was in second grade after I asked my mom if she would take me. I wore a cotton dress with puff sleeves and a ribbon belt. I loved that dress and took my second grade picture in it, too.

6. My big toes are crooked.

7. I wrote my own wedding vows. (he wrote his own, too)

8. Up until this last cleaning at the dentist, I still had a tiny spot of orthodontic glue on one of my teeth near the gum line from braces in high school. I think this hygienist was the first to enjoy the challenge and understand my frustration.

Now, I tag: Amy, Mary, Colin, Erika, Amber, Shelley, Ann, Jess