Overdue Thank you's ...

I love blogging. Really! I've met so many wonderful people, heard amazing stories, watched unbelievable progress and transformations, and made some of the best "bloggy friends" you'd ever hope to have. It's a medium unlike any other, almost always positive - without fear, guilt, or rejection. And even when I get tired, or life picks up around me and it keeps me away from my computer and camera - I know, you're all going to be here when I pop back in!

So, though long overdue, Thank You! (and you, and you, and you, and you, you and you ....)

You all humble me everyday, and keep me focused on finding, creating, and sharing inspiring interiors, thoughts and tips on design and decor, and the sometimes off-colored stories of my hectic life. I still shake y head every month and say: "That many people care about what I have to say!?"

I was looking over comments on my last post about the new colors of the house, and found that a lot of people had been directed over from my new friend, Mr. Goodwill Hunting. I bounced over to find that he had nominated me for the STYLISH BLOGGER AWARD! (I don't think any of you would find me very stylish if you saw me this morning, er - afternoon. Still in bed with a headache after Scott's Birthday party last night!) Of course, awards like this always come with rules ... this particular one is to write 7-things about yourself, and then pass the award on to 10 other blogs I find to be stylish.

Now, thinking of sofas, paintings, art, rooms, rugs (you get the idea), THAT is easy. Thinking of 7-things about myself ... that you'd even care to hear ... not so much. So this took some time ... and without further ado:

1. I'm a singer. Baritone and Tenor, and I can't hear a song that I know without singing along.
2. I'm a pretty picky eater. Well, very picky. I don't eat mustard, mayo, olives, peppers, lamb, duck (this list goes on and on) ... It's something that I've done since I was a child, and I suppose it was my mother's fault for always letting me have my way, huh? {thanks mom}
3. I sleep with a pillow over my head. In fact, can't go to sleep without 2-pillows. I know - weird. But there is a story! My grandmother grew up in the middle of the depression, and wouldn't waste electricity on nightlights or hallways light. We would visit my grandparents every summer for 2-weeks. They lived in the woods of Mansfield, Louisiana, where creepy shadows, sounds, and creatures crawled around. So, when it came time to sleep - the moon shining through the trees through the window, along with the noises, and darkness left me no choice but to cover my head with a pillow and pray for morning. It stuck.
4. Sometimes I pick a floor plan from a house plan website and then decorate it from the ground up ... paint, furniture, rugs ... I guess that started at about 13 when my mother gave into my odd request for a Better Home and Gardens Floor Plan magazine while my 8-year old brother asked for toy dinosaurs and matchbox cars. (I'm sure grocery shopping with us was a real treat!)
5. I'm addicted to the series': CASTLE (OMG! I can't go a week without watching it, and am itching for a boxed set of all seasons.) GLEE (I told you I was a singer! I'm a total GLEEK!), I SURVIVED (This one creeps Scott out ... and I agree, the stories can be odd when you walk in during the middle of the show - but if you can watch it from beginning to end ... it's very inspiring. These people battled amazing trials and struggles and won!) DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (In Love!!) and finally BROTHERS AND SISTERS (Don't you LOVE that house Nora Walker lives in?!)
6. My favorite ice cream is Death by Chocolate.
7. My dream is to have a small-ish, 2-bedroom house on the lake. We've found a great lot, (which we haven't purchased) on Lake Erie with a brilliant view of the Toronto skyline. One day ...

Now, I love so many blogs! So many more than 10. So - if yours isn't on this list, please don't think I don't love your blog or what you do. Picking and choosing is a difficult task! I decided to make it easier, I'd pick blogs that I recently found and connected with ... many of them are new bloggers, and I urge you to visit them and see what they've got going on! (Click on the photo of their header to visit!)