My First Blogging Award!

ver·sa·tile - adj - embracing a variety of subjects, fields, or skills; turning with ease from one thing to another.

What a pleasant surprise I found when I checked my email a few days ago... Colleen over at Cheap Wine and Cookies had chosen me for a Versatile Blogger award!

Isn't it puurrrrty? :) I've seen these types of "awards" floating around on some of the blogs I read, but this is the first time I've gotten one myself. Yay! Thank you thank you thank you Colleen!!!

Here are the official rules for this award:

• Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
• Tell your readers seven (7) things about yourself.
• Give this award to fifteen (15) recently discovered bloggers.
• Contact those bloggers and let them in on the exciting news.

So here we go... Seven things about me:

1. I love to read. When I was little I spent a lot of time alone (my brother is 6 1/2 years younger than me) and I read A LOT of books. My favorite day of the week was Fridays when I could go to the library and get the next 2-3 books in whatever series I happened to be in.
2. I collect spoons. Not eating spoons, but souvenir spoons. It started when I was 4 and went on a trip out west with my mom & dad. They bought me a collector's spoon in every state we visited. I now try and look for a spoon every time we go somewhere new. I have 38 of my own, and 22 from my late mother-in-law, who also collected spoons.
3. I took a sheep management class in college. I got to do things like castrate lambs and spend the night in the sheep barn just off campus watching for baby lambs to be born. (I went to Michigan State)
4. I was a drum major in my high school marching band. It was an interesting role for me, as I was (and still am) quite the introverted person. But I decided to go for it, and was one of 3 drum majors both my junior and senior years. Marching band is probably the only thing I miss about high school.
5. Speaking of high school, I do have one regret: that I never was involved in the school plays. A lot of my friends were in them, but between my introverted personality, and my super-busy schedule with 4H and church, I never tried out. I now go and watch a number of high school dramas each year (I know a lot of kids, and Rocky runs lights & sound for NPC's), and I find myself wishing I'd done it. There just aren't the opportunities for that kind of thing now.
6. Have you ever taken those personality quizzes that rank you based on 4 animals -- lion, otter, beaver, golden retriever? I am very much a beaver. VERY much. A few points in the lion and golden retriever categories, none in the otter. Lots in the beaver category.
7. I enjoy web design. I currently work on our church's website. It needs some work, and I'm actually in the process of starting it over fresh with a new template. That's the kind of thing I like to do in my spare time. 

Ok, enough about me! Time to pick some award winners! I really don't think I'm going to do 15... While I do follow a lot of blogs (<----- as you can see from my list over there), a lot of them are very specialized and focused on a specific topic or niche. So I'm really going to search my list for "versatile" bloggers!

Here are my chosen winners, in alphabetical order! (since that's the order I found them in :)

Bread, Water, and Chocolate - One of my closest friends growing up, Kelly says, "I am a wife, mother, friend, and daughter. I cook, clean, shop, organize, clip coupons, and bargain hunt. I love my life and the people who are in it. I have so much to be thankful for!"

In the Whisper - Monica has such a passion and a gift for writing. She writes about her family, she writes about Scripture, she even writes about writing. You really should follow her!

Lovin' Life with Lucy - I met Sadie through Kelly, and I love reading her posts about her daughter who is only two weeks older than my Abby! "The other loves of my life include Dr. Pepper, Olive Garden, my family, TV, chocolate, and writing about myself!"

A New Mommy's Blog - Rachel and I seem to write about a lot of the same types of everyday-life things. Her blog tagline sums it up well: "My Wonderful Life and my Random Rants"

Straayer's Scribbles - Liz is one of my husband's co-workers, and while it's been awhile since she's written, she's been a little busy - the newest member of her family was born right around Easter! I hope she gets back into blogging again, "thoughts on my life or that of my family, thoughts on my work, thoughts on my pets, thoughts on devotions or sermons; random knitting projects and personal patterns." You at least need to check out her awesome Etsy store.

the blue room - Rachel always has great things to say. "Some days I'm loud and demonstrative. Other days I think and wonder. And sometimes I write. This is my blue room, my sanctuary space."

The Laundry List - Another mom who writes about things similar to what I do: "The Laundry List is a forum for my thoughts on writing, mothering, budgeting, politics, cloth diapering and pretty much any other aspect of my life. It represents that endless list of things that need attention in life, many of which define who we are."

Through the Wrong End of the Telescope - I love Jess's blog ties to Dr. Seuss. She's a newly-wed working as a nurse, and her blog will really "wake up your brain cells."


So how many is that... 8? Good enough for me. :) Congrats to you all, I love reading your blogs!!