Blog Blessings

I have been very fortunate to have received some wonderful things through the blog world. I don't enter every giveaway out there; only things that really jump out at me, or mean something to me.

Recently, I won two amazing giveaways, and received both things within the past week. These two items are both incredibly special. They aren't just a simple prize, they are both artwork. I was able to have some choice in what I received. I am SO thrilled to have both of these things in my home!

The first was a painting that I won from Mama Sick. It's by an artist named Robin Maria Pedrero. I was able to choose the print that I wanted. It was SO hard to choose! But the one that spoke to me, which will probably not surprise anyone, is called Fleurs with Black Cat. I absolutely love it.

The picture doesn't do it justice; I took it outside for better light but it was overcast. Check it out on her Etsy shop; it's really beautiful.

The other wonderful creation that I won was from Pooh's Corner. It's an owl pillow! And totally adorable. She asked me what color I liked, and of course I said purple. But I didn't expect her to personalize it the way she did! She put my blog name and tagline on it. It's a Putting the FUN in DysFUNctional owl! It is just so special to me.

It was so beautifully packaged, especially before my kids got ahold of it.

How cute is that?!

Not only is Christina from Pooh's Corner sweet and talented, she is also generous! She told me that for the next two weeks, if my blog readers order an owl from her Etsy Shop, and type in the coupon code: dysFUNction - you will get a 25% discount! The owl price is $20 and that would make it $15 plus shipping. Fantastic!!

**ETA:** There's a glitch going on right now on the Etsy page and the owls aren't showing up, so if you want to order one, you can contact Christina via email: forever1pooh@yahoo.com and/or via her PC Boutique Facebook page.

Have you received any Blog Blessings? Tell me about them!

While I'm Away....

....I thought I'd give you something to read in my absence.

A blog that makes me laugh: You Are Not a Photographer

A blog that makes me cry: Cora's Story

A blog that makes me think: Corbyn Hightower

A blog that makes me drool hungry: Home Cooking With Sonya

A blog that makes me wish she was my neighbor: Not a Perfect Mom's Blog

"No worries....I'll be back soon!"

The Definition of a Loyal Friend

I created this award a LONG time ago with the intent of giving it out periodically.

And I gave it out....once.

I know awards are not as popular as they used to be. But today when I checked my email, I immediately knew that I was dusting off this award and giving it out.

You see, Debby from Just Breathe has always been an awesome blog friend. She is a frequent commenter on my blog from way back. Even when I'm being a slacker commenter, I still get comments on my blog from Debby. She is a loyal friend. She's genuine, kind, and thoughtful. Her blog is like a breath of fresh air.

None of this is new; Debby has been a great friend and commenter for a long time. The reason I was so amazed today is that Debby has been out of the country for 3 weeks. She was in the UK, France and Italy (I think that's all, Debby, correct me if I missed any). During the time she was gone, she posted on her blog a few times and even visited some blogs.

But then today, now that she is back...she filled my inbox with comments. She came and read all of my blog posts that she missed while she was gone - and commented on each and every one! Who does that? Well clearly, Debby does, because she is awesome.

Instead of clearing her reader and starting fresh, she took the time to catch up with me (and I'm sure, many other blog friends).

There's no way I can let that go unnoticed. Debby, you rock as a blog friend! Thank you so much for your loyalty & support!

Do what you wish with this award; you can pass it on, keep it all to yourself, absolutely anything. No obligations - I gave it to you simply because you are the very definition of a Loyal Blog Friend!

I'm so glad you had a wonderful vacation, and I'm so glad you're back!

Everyone else - go visit Debby at Just Breathe

and read about her European adventures!

Family Bonds

As I was going through my reader today, I read a blog post about a family going through a hard time.

The very next blog I read was about the exact same family, same story.

Then I posted about it on Facebook, and found out that this family is a friend of a friend.

Somehow, I feel like I'm being led to this story for a reason. I can't do much, but I can use my blog to spread the word, so that they can get all of the support & prayers possible. And they need a lot.

You see, this couple, Nathan and Elisa Bond, were both diagnosed with advanced cancer within 9 days of each other. First dad Nathan, 38, was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer. Doctors give him a 60% chance of living five years or longer. Nine days later, mom Elisa, 36, got the results of a breast biopsy: Stage 4 cancer considered incurable. They are the parents of an 18 month old daughter.

I can't even begin to imagine how they and their family are feeling. They have a personal blog, Family"BOND"ing Time. There's also a blog, Friends of Nathan and Elisa, at which you can make donations to help them with their medical & other expenses. I hope you will go read, and offer your support to them, in whatever way you can (prayers, encouragement, donations, etc.)

And maybe stop for a moment and reflect on how fortunate (or blessed) you are to have your health, and to be grateful for each day, each moment, that we have here on Earth.

My Happy List

I have some ~*Happy*~ to share with you today!

So I'm joining in with Mamarazzi's Happy List.

~* I think we've found our house. I don't want to jinx anything, so I'm not going to say much....but I'm crossing everything crossable!

~* My parents invited us to go out for dinner with them tonight - their treat! This is a rare occurrence, so it definitely goes on the Happy List!

~* I won an adorable Coffee Cozy from Cream No Sugar via Mamarazzi's Taking Back Mondays. It came in the mail today (so fast!) and I just love it! Thanks, Sue & Mamarazzi!

~* One of our cats scared us very badly this week. I was certain we were going to lose her. Now - she has made a full recovery! I will post the whole story next week. But I am SO happy that she is okay!

~* I start my new job on Monday! Happy happy happy!

~* After a run of some bad luck, it seems like maybe things are turning around for us. What a relief!

~* I have a giveaway up at Southern Loving. Giveaways make everyone happy!

~* Mamarazzi makes me happy. I'm so glad I found her blog; she is one of the sweetest bloggers I've ever "met"!

Hope you have a ~*HAPPY*~ weekend!

Fragging: A Whole Lot of Happy, a little bit of sad.

Friday already?! This week has flown by!

But I'm not complaining.

If you visited on Sunday, you saw that Elayna injured her thumb this weekend. She went to the orthopaedic doctor on Tuesday and they said that it was a minor break. They put her in a soft splint, and she goes back next Thursday for a recheck.

It was broken while she was practicing soccer. She decided she wants to try soccer this season, which is great because she and Andrew will be on the same team. We were at the park practicing, just me, John & the kids, when she hurt her thumb - the season hasn't even started yet! But the good news is, she will still be able to play. I'm excited! I think it will be fun - and less hectic! - to have both of them in the same sport, on the same team.

On a sad note: Yesterday, our old dachshund girl, Suzie, passed away. You may remember me posting about her in January. It was sad, but at the same time a relief. Her health was failing and we were struggling with whether or not to have her put to sleep; she didn't seem miserable but she wasn't 'right', either. Thankfully, the decision was taken out of our hands as she passed peacefully in her sleep during the night. It's just going to be so hard to get used to not having her around.

On a happier note: It looks like I will be going to work soon! A friend of ours from church is expanding his business and wants me to handle the new portion of the business. So far it sounds like it's perfect for me right now. I'm excited about that, too.

Last night we got to see the Harlem Globetrotters. I won four tickets from a local TV station. We had a blast! I'll share pictures later. I love winning stuff like that!

We had my FAVE, Chipotle, for dinner afterwards. I LOVE me some Chipotle!

I have gotten some of the most wonderful, heartfelt, supportive comments this week, and I want to thank you all. Most of you I thanked in email, but some of you don't have your email enabled, and I wanted to let you know that I appreciate each and every one of you!

That's all from here! We're looking forward to a relaxing weekend with gorgeous weather. I wish you the same! Join in the Fragging Fun at Mrs 4444's place.

P.S. I added Twitter & Facebook share buttons - feel free to use them! ;-)

Saturday Samplings from Half Past Kissin Time

Saturday Sampling

In case you didn't know, Mrs 4444's from Half Past Kissin Time hosts Saturday Samplings every Saturday.

She links up favorite posts that she's come across over the past week, and invites others to do the same. You can post one of your own favorites, and/or great posts that you've seen around the blogosphere. They can be funny, sad, touching, entertaining....just plain good reads.

I often come across really great blogs during my strolls around the blogosphere. Excellent posts, and sometimes they are from blogs that are new or have a small following. I write myself a note, and then on Saturday, link those posts up so that they get some well-deserved extra attention.

I really love this feature of Mrs 4444's, and I hope you will go check it out! I've linked up four posts this week, including one of my own.

Pretty Please?

{button by Mamarazzi}

Lately I seem to have acquired several fabulous readers/commenters who are "No Reply" bloggers. Often, they even ask questions in their comments, only I can't answer them.

I worry that they then think I'm rude or stuck-up or something, and then they won't ever come to my blog and leave lovely comments again.

Because often, No Reply bloggers don't know that they are no-reply bloggers. For example, somehow, when I switched my email address for this blog, I became no-reply and had no idea until a kind friend pointed it out to me. But if you're not getting replies to any of your comments, you might want to check. If you are even a tiny bit unsure, you might want to check.

So please, please, please. Follow the steps that Brandy@ You Don't Know took the time to type out so that no-reply bloggers can become start getting replies to their thoughtful comments! I'll be happy, you'll be happy; really, it's a win-win situation. I love replying to my comments (although I am ALWAYS behind on doing so). It can make for some great conversations and closer blog friendships. For me, it's a very important part of blogging, and it's disappointing when I can't do that with some of my readers.

What are you waiting for? Drink the Kool-Aid, already. All the cool bloggers are doing it.

*ETA* You're gonna love this. After I posted this, I posted a comment on a fabulous blog called Life with Kaishon. A little while later, I got a comment from her on this post. She tried to reply to my comment on HER post, and I came up as no-reply! So I checked and sure enough, my box was not checked. I think I figured out why that happened and I think the problem is fixed now but it just goes to show - GO CHECK!!!

Have I told you lately that I love Fragging? and you?

I'm going to start my Fragging on a serious note.

First, I want to thank you all who left kind & supportive comments on my Pour Your Heart Out post. It was hard to write and even harder to hit "publish", so your support meant a lot to me.
Second, I want to direct your attention to two amazing posts that I read this week.
The first one was at If Mom Says OK. If you're not already reading her blog, you are truly missing out on a gem. She blogged about the gulf oil spill in the most eloquent and touching way.
The second one was from the Queen of Fragging herself, Mrs 4444s. It's a post to herself as a child, and it is heartbreaking and uplifting all at the same time. It was inspired by none other than If Mom Says OK. {I told you she was amazing.}


Alright, enough of that serious stuff.
We have a new guy at work, and on his first night, he asked me if I'd ever seen the show "Las Vegas". I told him no, and he said that I remind him of one of the girls on that show. I was a little nervous, being that it's called Las Vegas; was it all about strippers & hookers? But they said it's about casinos. So I googled the show.

Here's the cast:



And here's me, eating dinner on vacation, clearly looking all kinds of crazy hot:



I think the new guy needs glasses......or to lay off of the crack-smoking!





I'm pretty sure I've mentioned here before my feelings about Change. Basically, it makes me want to curl up in the fetal position and suck my thumb. I'm just not a fan of it. To the extreme.
So it drives me batty when changes happen that are beyond my control, and that's what's happening at work right now. Several of my co-workers are leaving. Moving away, graduating & starting their careers, having babies, etc. It's all happening in a short time period. So I'm going to be all out of sorts. And yes, I know I should learn to better adapt to change.
And to that I say....bite me.

Have I told you lately that I love this crazy man?

I wish you a wonderful weekend!
Visit Mrs4444's for more Friday Fragments.

Whooooo Am I?

While I'm away on our Softball Vacation this week, I'm going to have some guest bloggers.

Now, you've all read posts from guest bloggers before. It's a fun way to meet new bloggers.
But there's something different about the guest posts that you'll see here this week.
You won't know "whoooo" the guest posters are.
You have to figure that out on your own!
They will leave clues as to their identity/blog in the post, and you will have to use your noggin and figure out who they really are.
You may find them in my followers list; they may be a frequent commenter on my blog. They're all winners, of course! They love words & books, like many of us bloggers. They love their miraculous children, both boys and girls...like most of us parent bloggers.
You can always just google them too!
Of course, there's a prize for your efforts. I have put together a prize package. I don't have a picture yet, but it includes a reusable shopping bag, note cards, stationary, and other fun stuff. It's a VERY cute design that will remind you of me, and if you like my new blog design...you'll love it!
In order to win the prize package, you must correctly identify all of the mystery guest bloggers. If more than one person guesses all of them correctly, I'll draw a winner at random.

The contest will end next Wednesday, July 14th. Good luck and have fun!

*ETA* Blogger seems to be eating comments today. I'm still getting them in email though, and hopefully it will be fixed by the time the first "Whooooo Am I"? post appears!

Remembering CJ

I don't want to own this shirt.

I don't want to look at it.

I don't want it to exist.

Because the reason that it exists, causes so much pain for my dear friend.

Hallie from Wonderful World of Wieners lost her son CJ in April. Her family courageously participated in an Out of the Darkness walk this past weekend, and those of us who could not attend were offered the opportunity - no, the honor - of buying and wearing a Team CJ shirt.

My heart aches for her every day. I admire her strength so very much. I wish there were something, anything, I could do to ease her pain even a small amount.

But all I can do is wear my shirt, and remember CJ.

{Visit Angie @ Seven Clown Circus for more Wordful Wednesdays.}

Blogging Don'ts: What NOT to do if you want people to actually read your blog!

Recently, I was purging my reader, removing some of the blogs that are never updated any more, and also some of the ones that, for whatever reason, I don't want to read any more. I started thinking of the main things that make me decide to stop reading other blogs, and wondered if my readers felt the same way I did about these things. So I posed a question on this post:

I've ready many posts of "what to do" advice on blogging. But recently I thought of a few things that are good examples of what NOT to do in the blog world. So my question for you is,
What is something (or a few things) that another blogger can do to make it unlikely that you will continue to follow or read their blog?

And my readers definitely weighed in!
So I'm going to share these with you, so that maybe if you're inadvertently committing some of these bloggy faux pas, you will see the error of your ways. {Or, totally continue on as you were because you don't care what anyone thinks, so neener neener! Whatever floats your boat.}

Several of my bloggy friends are not fans of frequent reviews and giveaways. To quote Rebecca Jo from Knit By God's Hand: " when a blog is just about promoting stuff & not about someone & their life - & what they REALLY use in life - not to JUST get free stuff... I mean, I dig people who have a giveaway every now & then - or talk about things they use.. .but for EVERY entry to turn into a marketing tool - no thank you.. that's why I have DVR, to fast forward through commercials! :)" I could NOT agree more! The occasional giveaway or review is fine, but when a blog becomes nothing but giveaways, (or maybe there's just a 'real' post thrown in every now and then to throw you off)...that's when I remove them from my reader. My friend Kat at Seeking Sanity feels the same way, saying "I like to read about peoples' lives." Me too, that's one of my favorite things about blogging.
Shawna at My Girls is not a fan of multiple sidebar ads.
Melani from Serena & Brandon's Playhouse does not like it when bloggers slam other bloggers. Whether it's a blog friend or a real-life friend, and even if they don't mention someone by name, often the person knows they are the one being slammed and in my opinion, that's just cowardly and dirty, so I totally agree with Melani - that's an automatic UNfollow!
And on a similar topic, Elizabeth Sheryl said: "I really dislike it when bloggers will attack another blogger, especially when its petty. A lot of people diss on popular bloggers, especially if they make good money at it, and nit pick at any little thing. It just reeks of jealousy and turns me off." Totally agree - that's all about jealousy!
Shell at Things I Can't Say is not a fan of auto-reply, and neither am I; if you can't reply personally, don't bother!
Mama Wheaton said that some blogs are so personal and seem directed to the blogger's family, just to update them on their lives. In that case, she feels like she is invading the blogger's privacy and tends to stop reading. I have read blogs like that as well, and felt the same.
My friend Tammie of Irregular Tammie has a few peeves: when bloggers focus almost exclusively on one topic (like pregnancy); bad writing; and then....the big one.
The one that came up in so many comments, and the one that was on my mind when I asked this question.
Reciprocation.
BUT....Tammie's take on it is different than most; she doesn't mind if a blogger she likes doesn't comment on her blog. She definitely loves comments, but she doesn't want anyone to feel obligated to comment on her blog, and loves the process of blogging itself most of all.
Kristin from The Goat also doesn't mind not getting reciprocal comments. She understands that the bloggers she enjoys may not enjoy her blog, and that's ok with her. (she does, however, hate white writing on black backgrounds, foul language, and poop talk! So take note!)
I agree with Tammie and Kristin, but with an exception - if I am a regular commenter, and you don't want to read/comment on my blog, that's fine, but at least take a moment to reply to the comments I leave on your blog. I am not one to leave "just saying hi" type comments; I put thought and concern into my words. I am interested in your life. Especially if I ask a direct question, or offer you congratulations, prayers, support.....it is just common courtesy to at least answer my question or say "Thank You". I know how hard it is to keep up; while I am not wildly popular, I am a wildly busy mom, working full time and taking care of a large zoo family. But I try really hard to either comment back or reply to comments as much as I can. I think it's important; for me, blogging is about writing AND relationships; that's what makes it uniquely wonderful!
My friend Cat from Juggling Act of Life cut straight to the point: "I stop reading if someone never comments on mine. I mean, what's the point then?" The Grasshoppa will do the same. She also does not like blogs that automatically play music. I don't like that either, but it's not an automatic deal-breaker for me, just reeeeally annoying!
Tree from Mother of Pearl It Is (and several other great blogs!) said: "Oh, and I will always stay following someone that leaves me comment luv frequently, or at least acts like they read my blog!" I love it!
Debby at Just Breathe has a slightly different take on that. "As I work on getting my reading of blogs down I would have to say that at some point I need to let go of those who seldom/never really visit me because they like what they read. They only come over because I came over. I do find that several people that I follow I may not always comment on their post. I just don't follow some of the meme's for the day. I don't like to watch music videos that are 5 min. long. That doesn't mean I stop following them, I just don't read that day. I don't want to comment if I can't give the post 100% of myself."
I thought about this, and I agree. I don't mind an occasional quicky comment just to let me know you're still around, but if you're just visiting me because you feel obligated to do so, then I think I'd rather you not do that. If nothing about my post speaks to you enough to leave a real thought, it's ok not to comment that day. Maybe my next post will spark your interest more!
Oh, and I rarely watch videos at all. That's just not my thing, sorry!

I really hope that this post will help you all in some way; either giving you new ideas for your own blogging & commenting, giving you some tips on what not to do....or maybe just helping you clear out your reader some without feeling guilty! We all have our "deal-breakers" and that's OK; that's what makes the blogosphere go around!

Versatile Blogger Award

While I had a busy and enjoyable weekend, there isn't much to report here. So instead, I'm going to accept my newest award, and pass it on. Then, I have a couple of questions for YOU.

I received the Versatile Blogger Award from my friend Trac @ Welcome to Our World.

Thanks, Trac!

The rules for " The Versatile Blogger" award are:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

(A note from Betty: Rules are flexible, in case you're not good with rules!)

Seven things about myself:

1. I love classic rock. I listen to it at work and it makes me mellow.
2. I started wanting to work in the medical field when my first child was born. I've been in this field now for over 3½ years, and I love it.
3. My job can be very interesting...there are so many times that I want to blog about things, but can't because of privacy laws. It would be fascinating, I assure you!
4. I love true crime books, and if I weren't in the medical field I think I'd want to be in the criminal law field. I would LOVE to be the next Ann Rule!
5. My hubby and I just celebrated our 6 year dating anniversary. Time has flown!
6. I have bizarre, vivid dreams on a regular basis. Yesterday I dreamed that I was dating Tim Tebow. Guess I forgot that I was married and almost old enough to be his mother?! John and I got a good laugh out of that. (yes, I can tell my hubby about stuff like that!)
7. My favorite color is purple. This weekend I got a new purple handbag and ordered "Purple Passion" checks & address labels. Totally took me to my happy place!

Whew! That was seriously hard and took me forever, I'm just not a very interesting person!
I have recently discovered a bunch of new blogs, and they're all wonderful so go check 'em out! Pretty please on sugar pops (as my son used to say)! And to those of you featured here, if you're not into awards/memes, just skip it, no biggie!


1. Crystal @ Wanna Be Balanced Mom
2. Tylaine @ Just Me
3. Shelley T @ The Trials of Big J & Little J
4. Mrs Mayhem @ Mothering Mayhem
5. Melani @ Serena & Brandon's Playhouse
6. Shawna @ My Girls
7. Alexis @ Running Away? I'll Help You Pack!
8. Frantic Mommy @ Frantic Mommy
9, Tree @ Mother of Pearl It Is
10. Rebecca Jo @ Knit by God's Hand
11. Myya @ Myya Says
12. Cheryl D @ Little Bit Quirky
13. Gina @ Mother of 1 Princess & 2 Princes
14. Daffy @ Batcrap Crazy
15. Shell @ Things I Can't Say

Wow, I thought I'd have trouble coming up with 15 but I could keep going!

So, here is my question for you. I've ready many posts of "what to do" advice on blogging. But recently I thought of a few things that are good examples of what NOT to do in the blog world. So my question for you is,
What is something (or a few things) that another blogger can do to make it unlikely that you will continue to follow or read their blog?

Thanks for your input!

Sometimes

Sometimes I go through rough spots. Everyone does. Some rougher than others. It's only natural to complain. To wonder why. Sometimes I gripe and moan and wonder why me?
And then.....sigh.
And then.

I read about this.




(please take a moment to click and read.)

Or this.



(please take a moment to click and read.)

And this.

(please take a moment to click and read.)

And I know that I am blessed, and need to shut my mouth and give thanks for what I have, and prayers for all of those in need. For there are so very many out there who are suffering, struggling, grieving, barely surviving.

And then I'm back again to wondering, why?

Ultimate Blog Party!

Welcome, party goers! I'm here to offer you your Daily Dose of Dysfunction!

To quote Tim McGraw, "Hi y'all, did ya eat? Well, come on in, I'm sure glad to know ya!"

I am Cyndy, a.k.a. Dysfunctional Mom. I'm excited to meet some new blog friends!

Check out the links under {Little Pieces of Me} to learn more about me. While you're here, be sure and enter my giveaway, below! If you like food blogs, visit mine, Southern Loving.

I hope you'll come back and visit again.

Enjoy the party!

Hershey's Better Basket Blog Hop

My friend Debby over at Just Breathe gave me this virtual Easter Basket!
:::drool:::
There's a really cool concept behind this basket.

Join Hershey’s Better Basket Blog Hop and help to raise $5,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network.

{CMN is one of my soapbox causes! I have volunteered for them in the past & I think they are a wonderful organization!}

Hershey has partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network for over 20 years. CMN is a non-profit alliance of children’s hospitals dedicated to providing state-of-the-art care, life-saving research and preventative education across North America.

This Easter season, Hershey is celebrating it’s new Easter products sold exclusively at Walmart and their legacy of making a difference and Hershey’s will donate up to a total of $5,000 to the Children’s Miracle Network together with bloggers.

How can we do this together? It’s simple:

Participate to Hershey’s Better Basket Blog Hop of giving away virtual Easter Baskets by creating a blog post with specific rules described here.

Hershey Company will donate $10 per each blog post to CMN, up to total of $5,000.

One blog post per URL counts towards the donation, but you can give as many virtual Easter baskets as you want.

The Hershey’s Better Basket Blog Hop will officially begin at 12 AM EST on March 18th and end at 12 PM EST on April 4th, 2010. Blog posts submitted to us before or after that time period will not be counted for.

The blog post link has to be submitted to us for the donation to be counted.

In addition copy and paste the following text in your blog post:

HERSHEY’S BETTER BASKET BLOG HOP RULES

Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.

Create a blog post giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.

Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.

Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.

Leave your link at BetterBasket.info/BlogHop comment section. You can also find the official rules of this #betterbasket blog hop, and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s there.

Hershey’s is donating $10 per each blog participating to the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).

Please note that only one blog post by each blog url will count towards the donation.

My virtual Easter baskets are going out to:

ShortMama
My Little Miracles
Crazy Momma
Seizing My Day
Straight from the Heart
Enjoy!

Beauty in Blogging

I got this lovely award from my lovely blog friend Christine at Raised Queer. I love her blog; she is funny and heartfelt, which is a wonderful combination.
I love this particular award and am honored to receive it; thank you again, Christine!



Of course, there are rules that go along with this award. The rules are that I have to tell you 7 interesting things about myself and pass it along to 7 other bloggers.

So, I'll start with trying to come up with 7 interesting things about ME. Some of you may already know a few of these things, but some of you may not.

1. I'm one of those people who is chronically late. I don't do it on purpose. I try to be punctual, or even early. It just never happens!

2. I hate cigarette smoking. I mean seriously hate, loathe, despise it. I may even post all about that in the near future.

3. I haven't had a real vacation in several years...but I'm taking one this year! And I can't wait.

4. My ex-husband and I were in the same kindergarten class. Then he moved to another school and we didn't see each other again until we both started working at Publix Supermarket. I still remember him in Kindergarten!

5. I had weight loss surgery almost two years ago, and it was one of the best decisions I could've made. I'll be blogging about that later, too!

6. When I was very young, I LOVED Barry Manilow. Seriously loved him. When I got older and heard people make fun of him, I was shocked. I thought he was great!

7. I hate feet. I have a serious aversion to them. They are nasty. Just the thought of touching someone else's feet makes me queasy. *shudder*

OK, whew, done with that!

Now, time for the fun part - passing this on! I'm awarding this Beautiful Blogger award to:

Dina @ 4 Lettre Words

Erin @ My Little Miracles

Debby @ Just Breathe

Mama Wheaton @ The Unperfect Mom

Cat @ Juggling Act of Life

ShortMama @ Family of Shorts

Jenn @ Seizing My Day

These beautiful bloggers are some of my most loyal commenters, so this is my way of saying -

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways......

To my beloved husband....

I love thee because you massageth my back whenever I ask, which is pretty much every day, and I don't have to massageth your back, because you don't liketh massages.

I love thee because you taketh the children to school every day and then picketh them up, and let me sleep.

I love thee because you maketh me laugh, even when I'm grouchy.

I loveth the way we finish each other's sentences.

I love thee because you loveth me, even when I'm grouchy.

I loveth our little inside jokes.

I love thee because you never complaineth. And you sayeth that I am the best wife in the world, even though I knoweth better.

I love thee because you worketh so hard to maketh me happy. And you do it so well.

I love thee because you are YOU, and I wouldn't changeth a single thing.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Random 1. This year I joined in Domestic Dork's Valentine's Day Blog Exchange. Today I received my lovely gift from my swap partner, Christina at Consider the Coffee. All I told her was that my favorite color is purple. She had no idea that I sort of collect things with the word "Love" on them. See, John calls me Love almost exclusively. He buys me things that say "Love", like earrings, home decor, etc., and when we see something that says "love", we joke that it has my name on it. So this necklace is totally perfect! I wish I had a better picture than this cell phone shot, but it will have to do for now.

Isn't it beautiful?? I LOVE it!
You should check out Christina's Etsy shop, Coffee and Cream, and see all of her beautiful creations.

Random 2. My best friend had weight loss surgery yesterday, and is doing well. I'm so happy, proud of her, and excited for her!

Random 3. John butt-dialed me this morning. He was getting in the car to take the kids to school and sort of sat on his phone. I couldn't understand much of what was said, but I did hear him singing "Your Body is Underpants" to the tune of John Mayer's "Your Body is a Wonderland". Awesome - I have my own personal Weird Al!

Random 4. I have discovered the most delicious snack - if you like dill pickles. Dill Pickle Sunflower Seeds! They are yummmmy!

Random 5. Also? Butter.Pecan.CAKE. I made this for our church's Superbowl Party and Oh Em Gee. Deliciousness!

Random 6. The Bachelor? What's your take? I was surprised that Ali chose to leave. Does anyone know what her job was? I never heard, and I figured it must be something good, to choose that over staying on the show. I'm sure she wouldn't have left to go back and waitress at the IHOP...right? Anyhoo, now I'm Team Tenley. BUT - my bets are on him actually choosing Vienna.

Random 7. Did you notice that a real life person linked up with my Weekend WrapUp post yesterday? I was so excited!!

Random 8. I'm leaving you with a random Facebook conversation involving me, my niece, and a couple of friends:

Me: My phone hasnt let me get on fb since last night - can you say withdrawal?? glad to be back!
Friend 1: welcome back to the mobile web!
Friend 2: we need an INTERVENTION....that is definitely NOT good
Me: What? im not addicted, i can quit anytime i want! *twitch*
My niece Heather: Cyndy, I am here because I love you and I miss my aunt... I remember when you used to call me a stupid brat... now all you do is tweet and play on FB and blog. If you do not accept this help we are offering I will no longer respond to your texts! :-D Whadda say?
Me: My name is Cyndy. C.Y.N.D.Y. wait, this is a documentary, right??
Niece: your addiction has affected me negatively in the following ways...

We crack ourselves up! Have a Happy Tuesday, folks.........and visit The Unmom for more Random Tuesday Thoughts!

Fragments de Friday

It's time for Fragments de Friday from the Casa de Dysfunction!
For some reason, many of my Fragments for this week are about Elayna. But since her birthday is tomorrow, I guess it's fitting!

~Yep, my baby girl will be NINE years old tomorrow. I can hardly believe it. The years have flown!



~ I mentioned before that one of the things she wanted the most for Christmas was a Chia Pet. She loves it, and it has sprouted twice now. He looks pretty good!




~ Her betta fish, Savanna, tragically died over the Christmas holiday. So we got her a new one. This one is male and he is red. She originally named him Riley Cooper, after one of the Gator football players. However, she recently changed his name to Riley POOPER. "Because he poops a lot, and because it's funny."



~ Last night at dinner, she said grace to herself, and when she was done she told me that one of the things she prayed for was no more earthquakes in Haiti. =) Love that kid.

~ Tomorrow is Elayna's 50's Rock and Roll Sock Hop party! We have had so much fun preparing and I think it's going to be a BLAST and very memorable. We've already chosen a theme for next year's party too! I will be taking & posting lots of pics.

Now for other subjects.....

~ I have a RAVE about Dansko Shoes' customer service. Many of our nurses wear their clogs and rave about them. About a year ago I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis and told that I have to start wearing better shoes. So I went ahead and bit the bullet and bought a pair of Danskos (they're not cheap). I haven't had any problems with my feet since! I liked them so much I bought another pair in brown (the first pair was black). So, everything was great until the first pair started squeaking. First one shoe, then both. It was really annoying! So this week the Dansko people were here at the hospital again for a scrub/shoe sale, and I went to talk to them, and asked if there was anything they or I could do to fix the squeak. They asked me what size my shoes were...and handed me a brand new pair! The squeaking was a known problem they had and their policy was to simply exchange them for new shoes. I walked out wearing a brand new pair of $120 shoes! That is excellent customer service!

~ On Wednesday, I posted about our fundraising efforts for March for Babies and why we do it. Within MINUTES after posting, we received our first donation, and just a few hours later we received a second donation! And that made me cry. At work. Like a baby.
I'm not sure who the first donator was (feel free to comment, kind person!) but the second one was from my new friend Dina of 4 Lettre Words. Another reader, Katrina from the Sevin Family, started a team after reading my post, and is going to participate in her town's walk, and yet another reader, Inappropriate Sue, put my button on her blog & asked her readers to come over & give their support (which you are also welcome to do if you feel inclined). I am SO very moved by all of your support! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

~ See this weather? THAT'S what I'm talking about! I love storms and I LOVE those temps! That's the Florida I know & love.

As always, wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Don't forget to check out my Southern Loving food blog.
Visit Half Past Kissin' Time for more Friday Fragments.