My First Award of 2011?

So, ages ago...

(seriously, like about two whole months ago, though I can't figure out where these two months have gone)

...Kay, whose fabulous blog is Sweet Preppy in Pink, was sweet enough to award me with the Stylish Blogger Award. Now I don't know if I've done her justice, it not being all that stylish to be so late in acknowledging her kindness ;), but I am so grateful that she thought of me! I've had this post on my "to blog" Stickie on my MacBook all this time, but I swear the number of to-do lists I've been neglecting lately is at an all-time high.

(My pregnant brain is mush, & my pregnant body just gives out on me by 9pm every night. Not great for productivity, since the late-night hours used to be exactly when I found the time to tackle all the things I didn't get done during my day of full-time attention to Pretty Little Bare Feet. & should I even mention that I started this post on Tuesday?!)

Anyway, a big thank you for the award, & y'all please be sure & go check out Sweet Preppy in Pink. =)

Rules:

• Thank, & link back to, the person who gave you this award.
• Share seven things about yourself.
• Award fifteen recently discovered great bloggers.
• Contact these bloggers & tell them about the award.

1. I am addicted to those online flash/sample sale sites.

I think I have a membership (& get the daily emails) for nearly every single one of them, but the ones I frequently buy from (& recommend!) are:

Billion Dollar Babes,

Ideeli,

Rue La La,

& Zulily.

I have had a couple bad experiences (think sites that rhyme with "BoatCook" & "Dotsee")...but overall I enjoy the whole combination of

anticipating a featured designer you love,

logging in to see what's being offered,

& cheering when you find it in your size & get it into your "cart" fast enough...

...or chalking it up to fate that you didn't find it or get it fast enough, since you didn't need to spend that much money anyway!

& of course the savings can be really great - I do usually try to buy enough items at one time to offset the higher shipping costs that most of these sites charge.

(via: Hostess with the Mostess)

2. I love parties.

All kinds of parties.

Baby showers,

birthday parties,

holiday parties...

...I even like lame office Christmas parties.

I love cake (especially wedding cake!). I love decorations&invitations.

It's rare that I won't make an effort to attend pretty much any party I am invited to...& sometimes I attempt to make an average Monday morning playgroup more festive by coming up with a silly themed menu. =p

I also love party blogs. Some of my favorites are:

Birthday Girl,

Hostess with the Mostess,

Kara's Party Ideas,

Sweet Designs by Amy Atlas,

& the TomKat Studio.

3. I get up at 6:15am most mornings.

My Prince usually gets up at about 7am. Pretty Little Bare Feet usually gets up at about 7:35am.

I need my sleep, but those 45 minutes of quiet time first-thing in the morning can be vital to my having a good routine going for the rest of my day. Before I became pregnant again, I would go ahead & get in my first daily Coke Zero (of many) during that period of time.

(Now, unfortunately, just a sip or two of any dark, carbonated beverage makes me nauseated.)

But I like to take a hot bubble bath, rather than a shower, especially if it's a morning that I am not washing my hair. I like to do a quick email check & read an article or two from a magazine.

&...I am also blessed that My sweet Prince often lets me "sleep in" until after 8am on Saturday mornings, while he dozes on the couch & Pretty Little Bare Feet eat cereal & watch Saturday morning cartoons.

(via: Mom's Crafty Space)

4. I love my daughter's Montessori nursery school.

I am a room mom for Pretty Little Bare Feet's classroom, & it actually hasn't entailed as much work as I initially thought I was getting myself into. It's been nice getting to know the other parents, several of whom have become friends of both mine & My Prince's.

I love seeing all the cute little sleepy-morning faces & their cute little nursery school wardrobes.

I also love when I arrive early enough to catch some of the sweet playground action before I go inside to sign Pretty Little Bare Feet out & wait for her to come greet me in the hallway (always with a grin, a run, & a big hug!).

I love the artwork that Pretty Little Bare Feet brings home for us to decorate the kitchen (& My Prince's office) with. I love doing

book orders

& classroom holiday parties

& field trips.

I am so fortunate to be able to be a stay-at-home mama that can really participate fully in my daughter's private nursery school, which encourages so much parental involvement.

(via: Sheek Shindigs)

5. At some point very soon, I am going to have to come up with a suitable "blog alias" for the baby boy that will be joining our family this summer.

I am also going to have to be sure that a new header for this blog includes him!

6. I frequently put myself into "food ruts."

I've done this for as long as I can remember. I can go for months at a time eating the exact same breakfast&lunch, only changing it up at suppertime. I can't explain it, & I don't know what the underlying psychological cause for it is (oh, I'm sure somebody would tell me that there is one).

Examples?

In college, I went pretty much an entire year eating the exact same lunch from our campus dining: half of an omelet with cheddar, ham, & mushrooms.

My senior year, when I lived in an apartment & didn't have a meal plan with campus dining, my lunch was almost always half of a grilled tuna sandwich with a side of broccoli salad. I would eat it at my desk in the office where I interned.

In my second year of law school, during which I had an hour commute (one way), I subsisted almost entirely off of Coke Zero & cookies&creme Pop-Tarts...at least during the daylight hours.

I am also one of those people that always orders my "usual" at restaurants.

But I am actually a pretty adventurous eater. I love to cook & try new recipes. We usually eat supper as a family. & I am often much more clever&creative in fixing different breakfast, lunch, & snack options for Pretty Little Bare Feet.

Still, I personally tend to get "in the mood" for something, & then I'll just sort of keep going back to it by default until I move on to my next meal phase.

7. My "signature" drink is a Sapphire&tonic.

• 1 part Bombay Sapphire gin
• 4 parts tonic

*Pour ingredients over ice in a tall glass.

*Garnish with a lime wedge.

Fifteen stylish bloggers I'm awarding:

• All Things Southern&Preppy
• Biz & the Bungalow
• the Classic Preppy
• Classy from North to South
• the Entertaining House
• Living Well
• Miss Janice
• Natty Michelle
• Painted Preppy
• Pink Cashmere Cardigan
• Pink Champagne
• Pink Preppy Lilly Lover
• Preppy Girl Meets World
• Preppy in Pittsburgh
• Preppy Little Dress