The Sunshine Award

The other day I got a message from another blogger, Abby, from Things for Boys . She was letting me know that she nominated me for The Sunshine Award! Abby was one of the first people who I didn't actually know in real life to comment on my blog, and she pops in every now and then with nice supportive comments. Abby has an amazing archive of creative projects for the home, the kids, and even a couple of things for us moms. She is also another Baby Led Weaning mom so there are tons of tasty recipes as well. The Sunshine Award is given from bloggers to bloggers. It is for someone "who positively and creatively inspires others in the blogosphere." Thank you Abby, for thinking of me!

Here's how the award works:
First, use your lovely manners and thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them. 
Next, answer the following questions about yourself. 
Then, choose up to 10 of your favorite bloggers and link their blogs to your post.  Be sure to let them know that you are nominating them for the award. 
Last, be sure to copy and paste the award to your blog! 

The questions:
1.  Favorite color - Green. It is so nice and springy. Especially a nice peridot green.

2.  Favorite animal - Cats. Some people think they can be stand-offish but, I think, it depends on the cat. We have quite a few cats that are huge people cats. We even have "Uncle Tim" stay with them to babysit if it is for more than one night so they won't be alone.

3.  Favorite number - 11. Can't say why, it seems so nice and even, though it is an odd number.

4.  Favorite Drink - I do really like those blue margaritas. I don't know why they are so much better than the regular ones, but they are. And no salt! Ew. 

5.  Facebook or Twitter - Facebook. Twitter confuses me. Why limit yourself? I did make a Twitter account way back but only to follow S#$t My Dad Says before they got a facebook page.

6.  Good book or good movie - I used to like a really good movie, at home, not in the theater. (I'm a grouch, I hate crowded theaters, especially ones with teenagers) but now since Bubba, I think books are just easier, because I can put them down and come back a hundred times without making my poor husband wait. It can take me 6 hours to watch a movie at night or days in a row during nap time (if I  told my husband " Go on with out me, it is one of those nights, I'll watch the rest tomorrow afternoon", HA!) 'cause Bubba always knows.  (As we speak, I am actually 50 minutes into In Time which started today at nap time.)

8.  Giving or getting gifts - I think everyone like to get gifts, but I really like finding "the perfect gift" for someone. I have bought things in March for the following Christmas for some family members, if I think I have found that perfect thing and I don't think they will go out and buy it. The past several years my family has done a no shopping Christmas (except for things for Bubba of course). My mom and aunt started doing it years ago and then the rest of the adults joined in. We just have dinner and hang out. It is so much more relaxing that trying to find things with all of the holiday madness, and then if you do find something special you can get it for their birthday, or just because.

7.  My passion - This is tricky because I can get caught up in new hobbies for a bit and drop the old ones. Before Bubba it was metalworking, and jewelry making and now I have moved to softer crafts  that don't involve fire or sharp tools (like making stuffed animals out of jeans, my new post with the giraffe jean animal is still in the works. In hindsight hand sewing all those spots may not have been the best idea, but so far it looks so cute, it is probably worth it.) I'm sure I will be back to being a "pyromaniac with an outlet" once he is older.

9.  Favorite day - Friday. Even though I don't go to work anymore, it is always nice to know the weekend is coming. So full of possibilities. 

10.  Favorite flower - I love how lilacs smell, but I like the color and look of sunflowers. Back in high school I stenciled a border around the wall in my room and growing up, I even named one of our cats Sunflower, though she did end up going by her nickname "Bunny".

My 10 Nominations:

Here are my top ten favorite blogs to read. They are a mix of parenting humor, crafts, and of course cooking.


Play at Home Mom All of the projects here focus on play based learning, and look like so much fun! There are so many things here that I cannot wait until Bubba is old enough to try. They have a lot of ideas for infants too, but a lot of the ones I really want to try are for bigger kids like this colored sand project.

Parenting Illustrated with Crappy Pictures I first discovered this blog right after Bubba was born and remember laughing so hard I had tears streaming down my face as I went through her archives. My particular favorite is The Phenomenon of Parenting and Pet Annoyance. Every week I look forward to a reading about a new wacky adventure.

How to be a Dad This is such a creative blog written by two dads. From their hilarious "My wife just said..." quotes to the instructional baby diagrams these guys crack me up, which is exactly what I need on some of those tough days.

Kirbie's Cravings This blog is THE place for mug cake recipes. I originally found it playing around on pinterest when I first discovered these magical treats. I still am obsessed with the nutella and peanut butter mug cakes and haven't managed to make any of the others yet, since they are so fabulous.

The Baby Sucks Wonderfully done cartoons with a great sense of humor. The breastfeeding related posts are my particular favorites, like her Lava Boobs post, but all of them are cute and really funny. 

Crick Tricks This blog is so well written. I love Suzie's stories about growing up and about her family now. Her posts are very honest and it makes you feel like you really know her. This one is one of my favorites, about dealing with difficult preschooler tantrums. I love the video link in there. She has a sense of humor when dealing them. Hopefully I'll remember it when Bubba gets to that stage.

Cupcake Project From sweet to savory cupcakes this blog has it all! Every new post I end up adding the recipe to my "to do" list. A very dangerous blog to read for some one with a recipe collecting addiction like me. At the top of my list are the Buffalo Chicken Cupcakes, they look fabulous!

Baby Rabies I love her sense of humor. One of my favorite posts was her How To Earn A Cupcake. I can really relate to the "hiding" treats since Bubba has just started noticing if I eat something different than what he has, so if I want a cookie, I have to save it until bedtime like she does, or duck behind the counter and eat it when he isn't looking.

EmmylouBeeDoo! I discovered this blog while I was looking for something to do with some of Bubba's onesies that were too small, but to cute to give up. She had posted this tutorial on making a onesie into a shirt. The styles were a bit frilly for Bubba, but she makes things for her adorable little girl. There are so many great sewing ideas on here and if we ever have a girl, millions of cute little girl clothes patterns.

The Yummy Life So, so many yummy recipes here that I am dying to try. Especially this one: Fancy Chocolate covered Strawberries. They almost look too pretty to eat. Relax, I said almost. They'd be gone in two seconds if they were here in the room with me.