I never win anything...

...but I did find out that I was awarded with "The Honest Scrap Award" from my friend Shep.



The award is described as follows:

“The Honest Scrap award is given by other bloggers who consider a blog’s content or design to be brilliant. The awardee must then post ten honest things about him/herself and pass the award on to other bloggers who fit the bill – in other words, whose blog is brilliant.”

Well, it is both an honor and a privilege for me to accept this award. Hmmm.. here goes!

1. I am an only child and an only grandchild on my dad's side. I hated that everyone always expected me to be spoiled because of this, but I think I turned out pretty OK.

2. This is totally syrupy, but I am completely and totally in love with my husband. I am excited about getting to spend the rest of my life with him.

3. I am extremely shy. It takes me a while to warm up to people and let the "real" me out.

4. I am awful at housecleaning. I hate it and don't do it nearly as much as I should

5. I snore. Loudly. John wears earplugs to bed every night.

6. I don't drink a lot of alcohol. I drank enough in my first two years of college for an entire lifetime, so I'm pretty much all set.

7. I was "Cashier of the Year" at the grocery store I worked at in high school and was teased forever about it.

8. I think my dog is the cutest thing and I've given him a bazillion nicknames.

9. I'm not a fan of football. At all.

10. I love shopping. Too much.

As for other award winners...Shep took all of the ones I read!! :)

Things I Like

- The sun FINALLY coming out after being in hiding for what seems like weeks.

- My stepdaughter coming out of surgery sucessfully.

- Running a hotel for dogs. (Does one canine guest count as a hotel?)

- Roast beef & cheddar melt from D'Angelo's.

- Reading new books by my favorite mystery authors.

- Finding spelling/grammar mistakes on printed items.

- The fact that blogging encourages my stream of consciousness thinking.

Turning Over a New Leaf

I have a brown thumb. Some might even say it's a black thumb. If John and I get a plant from someone, we take bets as to how long it will last. By the time we remember to water it, it's on the brink of disaster.

Now that we own a house, we have to plant some flowers outside. So, I've vowed to read up on gardening (mostly likely "Gardening for Dummies") and I've started taking note of flowers that I might like to plant around the house.

Here are some:

Sweet Pea



Dahlias



Antique Pastel Pansies (these are my faves -- I saw some butter yellow ones that I know would look perfect with the blue we plan to paint the house.)



All images are from Burpee Oh...did I mention I have no idea if we have the right sunlight for these? :)

Hallway decor opinions needed

This is the end of our hallway. We have a mirror and table.



This is the table with a really cute fish candle holder, but...something's not right. Either it just doesn't go or the candles aren't tall enough or something. What should I put on the table and how big should it be?

Favorite New Product

Clinique's Liquid Facial Soap.

Pump and wash. No messy bar of soap that gets cruddy and requires the dish to be cleaned. Why didn't I know about this sooner?

Eva

My former co-worker Eva passed away Tuesday. She fought a hard battle against cancer and was fighting until the very end.

She was originally from Poland, emigrated to Canada, and then finally to the U.S. I remember when she first came to my department, I told her I wanted to learn Polish and hoped she might teach me some words. She very happily told me she would. I wish I had taken her up on that offer. I also told her how I loved Polish food and encouraged her to bring Polish food to our department parties/potlucks. She made some great cucumber salads.

The main memory I have of Eva was from one Friday afternoon when the power went out in the building. I was sitting in my friend Angela's office talking and Eva walked by. We encouraged her to come in, sit down, and chat. I figured she wouldn't, as Eva was the most dedicated, hard working person I know. However, she agreed to sit and chat. She told us of the lives of her three children, all of whom are successful and living in Canada. She was beaming with pride. She also told us of a "cruise" she went on with her husband. Not your commercial huge cruise, but more of a "sail" with less than 50 people. The enthusiasm she exhibited while telling us all about it was amazing.

I remember seeing her some days with her wig on and thinking she was in a treatment cycle. She never once acted "sick" at work. When my mom and my sister-in-law were diagnosed with breast cancer, she came over to talk to me and be supportive.

Thank you for touching my life, Eva.

Mother's Day

I am thankful for ALL of the mothers/motherly figures I've had in my life.

First, and foremost, I am thankful for my mom. There are really no words in the English language that can express how much I value her. She has loved me unconditionally, been there to help me up after I've made mistakes, and been a friend. (Oh, and she's my go-to-gal for decorating, too!) I am truly lucky I was "matched" up with her. Thanks for everything, Mom.

I was lucky to know both of my grandmothers and have great memories from those relationships. I knew my Grandma (Mom's mom) for the least amount of time and wish I'd had her in my life for longer. For the ten or so years that I did know her, we shared many a Scrabble game and watched many episodes of "As Schools Match Wits." Her golobkis were quite supreme. I love you and miss you Grandma.

I had my Nana (Dad's mom) in my life longer and enjoyed many things with her, although on my wedding day, I remember thinking I wished she was there. I wished she had been there pre-late stages of Parkinson's. She would've been so happy and proud. I know she was watching and keeping her eye on Granddad. ;)

When my Mom lived far away and I came back to Boston, my aunt Ange was my surrogate mom. She housed me and then took me out to look for apartments when I was ready. She always checked in on me and made sure I was OK. Oh, and took me to the hospital for stitches when I sliced my finger trying to open a hot dog package.

Thanks to you all -- for everything.