(Very) belated thanks are in order...

I'm still dealing with the fallout of getting behind on all things blog-related (reading, writing and commenting) during the Olympics. (insert red-faced icon here) During that time, back in mid-February (two months ago now!!), I was honoured with not just one but two awards from two lovely bloggers! And now, I can finally get rid of the yellow Post-It note that's been stuck to my computer by thanking them!

I'm not going to pass these along right now, but I did want to acknowledge receiving them. : ) Feel free to do the memes yourself if the fancy strikes you (& let me know if you do!).

First, many thanks to Emily at Apron Strings for Emily, who gave me this "Beautiful Blogger Award." Emily & her dh recently made the difficult decision to continue living childfree. Within the past year, they also pulled up stakes & moved to a new city. Most recently, Emily completed an awesome triple-header blogging feat: (1) she posted every single day for 64 days, beginning in February and ending at Easter, (2) she performed one random act of kindness every day during Lent, and documented it in her blog, and (3) also during Lent, she wrote about one thing every day that she was thankful for. (She also recently moved to self-hosting her newly redesigned blog!) I am in awe of her accomplishments!!

Here are the rules that go with this award:

• Thank the per­son who nom­i­nated you for this award. (Done.)
• Copy the award and place it in your blog. (Done.)
• Link the per­son who nom­i­nated you for this award. (Done.)
• Tell us 7 inter­est­ing things about you. (See below.)
• Nom­i­nate 7 bloggers. (See above.)
• Post the links to the 7 blog­gers you nominate. (Ditto.)

I've done a few of these types of memes before so I hope I'm not repeating myself too much!! OK, 7 (more) things about me:

1) I am known around the office as the Grammar & Spelling Lady. I even get calls from other departments asking for advice. I don't claim to know it all, but I usually know where to look things up quickly to provide a ruling. (I credit my journalism school profs, who drilled the Canadian Press Stylebook and Caps & Spelling into our heads, & docked us marks for errors)(misspelling a proper name got you an automatic zero on the assignment). My pet peeves are corporate jargon of all kinds (it's an uphill battle...!), the overuse of sports metaphors in business communication, & the trend to using nouns as verbs (e.g., impact, medal, podium).

2) I have a mirror in my desk drawer at work that my mom gave me for Christmas when I was in Grade 8. (I won't tell you how long ago THAT was...!) It has "You're Gorgeous" (!) lettered on it at the bottom in a 70s-style font, lol. I used to keep it in my locker at school for touch-ups. It is falling out of its plastic frame, the little tab that made it stand up has long since broken off, & it's chipped around the edges, but I love having it around. It's a link to my mom, to the young girl I once was and to the life I led back then.

3) I recently got bitten by the spring cleaning bug. We took four garbage bags full of clothing, shoes & purses to the Goodwill dropoff box two weekends ago (some of it was dh's stuff), & last weekend, we just about burned out the paper shredder. We had a huge bag full of shredded paper (old bills, statements, etc.) to set out on recycling day!

4) I love getting dressed up now & then, & wearing pretty dresses -- but there are so few places to wear them these days, with the possible exception of weddings (which are also getting more & more casual, it seems). Well, we do have a couple of weddings coming up, and I found a dress at Winners to wear (see photo). Best of all: the price tag: $39.99!!!

5) We are thinking about a trip to Prince Edward Island &/or Nova Scotia to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this summer. I was in Halifax on business 13 years ago in November & loved it. I figured I would love it even more in June or September, lol.

6) Sometimes I think about everything that I need &/or want to get accomplished this summer, & it makes my head spin.

7) I've gotten into the habit lately of eating yogurt just about every night as a snack -- Activia fat-free. My favourite flavour is strawberry.

*** *** ***

The second honour I received, right around the same time, came from Dot/Sweet Pea at Hopes and Dreams for Us. Dot has also been trying on childfree living for size (although, excitingly, the "A" word came up in a recent post!) while, at the same time, downsizing herself through a successful weight loss program. She has a positive attitude & resilient spirit that is truly inspirational. Thank you, Dot!

The rules for this award:

List 10 things that make you happy and then pass it along to 10 other blogs!

1) My dh. : )

2) Curling up under a cozy blanket while the rain pounds outside.

3) Seeing the tulips and daffodils coming up outside -- it's (finally!) spring!

4) Likewise -- being able to go outside with just a spring jacket over my clothes. No heavy winter coat, no boots, no hat & scarf weighing me down.

5) The Beatles. A Beatles song never fails to put a smile on my face!

6) Spending time with my family.

7) Our two tall, handsome nephews (& looking at pictures of them when they were adorable little boys -- not that long ago...!!).

8) Going to the movies (& getting a big tub of popcorn to eat -- preferably hot & freshly popped!).

9) Getting together with old friends & feeling like nothing has changed since the last time you saw them, even if it was actually years ago.

10) Piles of brightly coloured T-shirts at the Gap (I always want to buy them all!).