I'm blushing

I've received some lovely blog awards over the past month or two, and I'm so sorry that I haven't managed to get to posting about them. I love being acknowledged by my fellow bloggers, and was excited to get all of these...

First up is the Happy 101 from the beautiful and talented Kimbirdy at Fill Your Well. Kim is one of my favourite bloggers. I love to read about her life in San Francisco (soon to be L.A.!) and to discuss all things LOST-related with her. This award asks you to list 10 things that make you happy. I've done it before but I'm sure I can come up with some more. There's no such thing as too much happiness, now is there? So, how about: blogging, tumbling (soooo many pretty pictures to look at!), going for picnics, drinking from china teacups, being in the arrivals area at the airport, singing loudly with the windows all rolled down, talking about LOST (did you see it this week?!?), reading through my old journals, having a cheese fondue with friends and playing trivial pursuit? There you have it. 10 things that make me happy!

A blogger I've met fairly recently is Cat at the Nebraskan blog No Wooden Spoons. Here is a girl who likes cupcakes as much as I do! All I have to do for this one is nominate a few of my favourite blogging friends (it's supposed to be 15 of you, but if it's taken me long enough to get this post written, so I'm keeping it to five!) I'd like to pass it along to Cassie at Hydrangeas and White Daisies, Kimbirdy at Fill Your Well, Carissa of The Lovely Dove, Megan at Time after Tea and Brandi at Not Your Average Ordinary. You're beautiful, girls. Keep writing and I promise I'll keep reading!

Rebecca (aka Sonshine Music) is a friend from the Nik at Nite blog. She's a regular commenter each week as Nikki posts about the latest episode of LOST. To accept this award I have to share some embarrassing things about myself. Oh dear. There are an awful lot of them, so I'll just keep it to five, shall I?

1. I let my kids listen to Christmas music all year long. What? It helps them fall asleep.

2. I am a big wimp and during any movie or tv scene that is even remotely scary, I cover my eyes with both hands and just peek out the teeniest bit between my fingers. During The Fellowship of the Ring I screamed so loud, several people in the theatre turned around and stared. Those orcs are super scary!

3. When I get upset or mad, I have a tendency to swear like a trucker (I try to do it under my breath if the boys are around!) I blame my dad and his Newfie roots.

4. When I was little, I grabbed another kid by the sides of the head and bit his ear. Hard. He was being mean to my sister and I felt the need to come to her defence. (Nice, huh? I have a terrible temper and a foul mouth! Please don't stop reading my blog... I'm really nice, otherwise, I promise!)

5. I'm sort of in love with a fictional character on a tv show ;~) Have I mentioned that before?!

This one I'd like to pass on to Micaela of Dolce Vita. This girl is always honest and completely true to herself, so I know she'll be happy to share!

Blair of the lovely New England-based blog b-mused gave me this one. To accept the Kreativ Blogger award you need to share 7 facts about yourself, hopefully ones that people may not know. Hmmm, I'm a bit of an open book, but let's see... How about:

1. Correct spelling and grammar are very important to me. I can't stand it when I see spelling mistakes on signs or in newspapers, and when an apostrophe is used incorrectly... look out!

2. I once met Brendan Fraser at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (he was in town filming The Mummy and it was his day off). He was lovely and we had quite a long chat.

3. When I graduated from university, I lived in Quebec for a summer and learned to speak French fairly well (it was an immersion program and we weren't allowed to speak any English!) Unfortunately the only French I speak these days is to my grade 6 class, so it's pretty basic stuff. C'est dommage, really.

4. I met my husband in Plymouth, on the southwest coast of England. We were there at a festival to watch a total eclipse of the sun. It was amazing! The sky went completely dark at 11 o'clock in the morning. It was very dramatic and apparently quite romantic too...

5. Before I met Alan, I'd never had a curry. Ever. Now I'm quite partial to Indian food. So long as it's not too spicy.

6. I have worked as a tutor, a cashier, a KFC girl (I will never eat fried chicken again!), a balloon-blower-upper and a teacher. Guess which one's my favourite?

7. I kick ass at Scrabble.

I think I'll pass this one on to my sister. I'm trying to get her to blog more, so this might be the kickstart she needs...

Whew! Done. That was long. And way too long coming. Thanks to all the lovely ladies who gave me these awards (go visit them, won't you? all their blogs are fabulous reads) Please don't think I'm not grateful. I'm just kind of busy! Speaking of which, I'd better get going. I've got lunches to make. And letters to write. And a bubble bath might be nice, too...

Good-night!

E xo

The fairy, the witch and the ladybug

Kim, from the fabulous Fill Your Well, gave me this blog award this morning. I think it's lovely and hilarious all at the same time. It's nice to be known as a "gorgeous lady of blogging" and amusing that there's a blog award out there called GLOB.

Kim presented a fun photo challenge. The idea is to open your first photo folder, scroll down to the tenth photo, and then post it (and the story behind it). Of all the photos it could have been, this just had to be the one I found, didn't it? It's so flattering...

That's my sister Amanda (the witch), our friend Allison (the ladybug), and me (queen of the fairies!) at a Halloween party in October 2000. What are we doing, you ask? Isn't it obvious? We are being hard core rocker chicks and making our heavy metal faces. Do you like my bridesmaid's dress cum fairy costume? Nice, huh? I sort of look like I'm naked, seeing as the dress is almost the exact same shade as my skin.

Thank you, Kimbirdy, for that exciting blast from the past! I was in need of a laugh and that one came at just the right moment. It also brought back some happy memories of a really fun night. Remember the witch fingers, girls? Mmm...

I have a few other awards I need to get to as well, the Honest Scrap award from Sonshine Music (who loves LOST almost as much as me) and the Kreative Blogger award from Blair at B-Mused. Soon, ladies, I promise! Maybe even tonight...

In the meantime, how about I pass some of this love along to a few of the most gorgeous ladies of blogging I know?

Cassie at Hydrangeas and White Daisies

Amanda at Love, Laughter and Lattes

Micaela at Dolce Vita

Katrina at Kat's Cradle

Please play along, girls. I can't wait to see your photos!

10 more things that make me happy

Fellow Canadian blogger, the beautiful Katrina of Kat's Cradle, gave me the Happy 101 award, just a few days after Cassie did. I'm so glad, because I had a hard time sticking to just ten the first time around. So here, without further ado, are ten more things that make me happy.

1. Staying at B&Bs in charming old houses.

2. The arrivals area at the airport.

3. Going out for breakfast and having omelettes or eggs benny or fancy waffles. The Blue Fox is my favourite.

4. Long-distance phone calls.

5. Funny old movies. The Long, Long Trailer is absolutely hilarious. Tears-rolling-down-your-cheeks, your-sides-ache-from-laughing-so-hard-hilarious. Trust me.

6. Sitting on the beach in the summer with a cold drink. Warm sand on your toes, the smell of the salty sea air in your hair.

7. Film adaptations of Jane Austen novels. Oh, Mr Darcy... (Colin Firth's portrayal of Darcy is just perfect, don't you think?)

8. Re-reading all my old journals. Oh, the drama!

9. My kids' artwork on the kitchen walls.

10. This photo, of Alan proposing to me! I love how he managed to capture that moment on film (hurrah for the timer function on our camera!)

{Plymouth, England, August 2001}

Thanks, Katrina, for reminding me to think of all these happy things. It's been a lovely way to start my Sunday.

{7 things about me}

Lovely Britta of the gorgeous French blog, My Black Book, tagged me with an award last week and somehow, the week got away from me. Sorry it took me so long, Brit! Here goes:

1. I am crazy emotional. I cry at books and movies and tv commercials (those long-distance ones kill me!) When my friend Shannon and I went to see The Notebook, she had to whisper loudly (more than once) at me to "Calm down and breathe!"

2. When I was a kid, I truly believed there was no way Narnia wasn't real. I didn't see how C.S. Lewis could have made all that up. So I wrote him a letter to ask him how I could get to Narnia, too. I never mailed it, but if I had, I'd probably be sitting on the throne at Cair Paravel by now...

3. If I weren't a teacher, and money weren't an object, I'd love to open a children's bookstore, just like The Shop Around the Corner in You've Got Mail. There would be a story corner and twinkle lights and displays of all my favourite books. And I would sell tea and cupcakes, too.

image via here

4. I am quite a girly girl. I love girly movies like You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle, and girly books like Bridget Jones' Diary. I love getting together with girlfriends to drink tea and paint our toenails and watch Jane Austen films. You see what I'm saying...

5. I never get enough sleep, ever. I stay up too late almost every night, even though I know the boys will wake me up at some ungodly hour the next morning. I can't help myself. There's always a good book to read or a quick letter to write to a friend (or one more episode of LOST to watch!) before I turn out the lights.

6. I had a fantastic childhood. We camped all summer, had the most magical Christmases, and rode our bikes around the cul-de-sac every afternoon. I always had stacks of books to read and plenty of dolls to play with, and I got to go for sleepovers at my Auntie Pat's and my Grandma's house all the time. Oh sure, my teenage years were full of the usual angst, but all in all, it was great.

7. I come across as quite confident. It's an act. I am riddled with insecurities.

Now I'm supposed to tag seven people. But it's early in the morning, I was up way too late last night, and my brain is still kind of foggy. I'll have to get back to you...

Paying it forward

image via tiny white daisies

I so loved my parcels last week. Nothing gets me quite so excited as a full mailbox! Or motivates me to send some mail of my own... Oh, Canada Post must really love me! I've started making Valentines, am getting my book ready to send off to Egypt (!!!) in the book swap (I'm going with a Canadian classic), have ordered fun birthday gifts online for my nephews in Ireland, and have sent several letters to several of my lovely faraway friends.

I also wanted to "pay it forward" and send a parcel to someone out there in the blogosphere. After receiving Cassie's package of treats, I was supposed to do the same for someone else. I chose Bethany of Rinse. Repeat. Have you read her blog? She is just darling, and I love that she lives in Wisconsin (like Tib in the Betsy-Tacy books!) She's also been having a difficult time lately, and I thought she could use some cheering up. I had a lot of fun choosing some little treats for her and wrapping them in pretty turquoise tissue. I know I don't actually know her, but I feel like I do, as I've learned a lot about her from her blog and the comments she has left on mine... so I hope I chose some things she'll truly love. I can't wait for her parcel to arrive in Eau Claire. I wonder what she'll think?

Happiness is...

Sweet Cassie, over at Hydrangeas and White Daisies gave me the Happy 101 Award. To accept it, I have to post 10 things that make me happy, and then pass it on to another blogging friend. Well, I am thrilled to accept it and am quite looking forward to making my list. I do love a good list, after all! And so here they are, 10 things that make me happy:

1. My two beautiful boys.

2. An evening out with girlfriends. I love getting dressed up and going out for dinner and to see a fun girly movie.

3. Watching LOST with Alan and coming up with all sorts of interesting theories about what the heck is going on on that island!

4. Fresh flowers on my kitchen table. Especially if the kitchen is shiny and clean.

5. Getting mail. And sending mail. On pretty stationery. With fun stamps!

6. Watching It's A Wonderful Life every Christmas and crying my eyes out.

7. Sleeping until I'm ready to wake up. And waking up to a cup of tea by the bed.

8. A pair of jeans that fits just right, and looks good too.

9. Making plans. I love to have something to look forward to. Little plans, like a coffee date at Starbucks, and big plans, like a long weekend in France (that was crazy, wasn't it?!) or training to run in a 10K (even crazier?!) All plans are good.

10. Blogging. It makes me feel like a real writer. And a writer is what I want to be when I grow up!

It was difficult to choose just 10 things. There are so many things that make me happy. Like reading and re-reading my favourite books, family get-togethers, birthdays, Christmas trees, sunny days, trips to the beach, seeing old friends and extra foamy chai tea lattes. But I digress... I'll save the rest for my 3BTs. And I'll tag Elizabeth at E-Tells-Tales for the next round. You should read her Boston blog. It's awesome.

Seven things

Yesterday I was reading through my favourite blogs and drinking my morning cup of tea. Imagine my delight when I discovered, while reading Fill Your Well, that I'd been tagged with the Kreativ Blogger award by super-cool San Francisco girl Kimbirdy! I love her blog and have been admiring the items in her Etsy shop for a while now (check out the cute felt cup cozies... you'll want one, I promise!) Kim wants to know more about me, and so without further ado here are 7 random things you may or may not have known already:

1. I love to read. At any given time I have a stack of books on the go. My favourites are children's books. I read them over and over again, and never get tired of them. I have read all 7 Harry Potter books three or four times (who wouldn't want to spend that much time at Hogwarts?!) and the Betsy-Tacy series more times than I can count. And Anne of Green Gables? I still get upset when Anne turns Gilbert down, cheer when she finally realizes how much she loves him, and I always cry when Matthew dies (even though I know it's coming). Oh, and Sawyer's middle name is Digory, after the hero in The Magician's Nephew. Like I said, I seriously adore children's books. So working in a school library is pretty much the perfect job for me.

{Sawyer at 3 weeks, after making the midnight purchase of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!}

2. I love the spring. With each new bud and blossom, I can feel myself come alive a little bit more. I get so excited when the crocuses peek out from the soil, when the daffodils start to reach for the sky. And when they open? Look out! I am in my garden taking pictures every 20 minutes! And I am all about daylight savings time! The long, light evenings make me so happy. I can't wait to go for evening walks (and runs) before sunset. And did I mention my birthday is in the spring? I get pretty excited about that too.

{Tulips in our garden last spring}

3. Housekeeping is not my forte. Which is unfortunate, because a messy house makes me crazy. I strive to keep things neat and tidy and clean, but some days it is such hard work. One of my projects this year will be to downsize on the clutter and get a cleaning schedule in place. Because clear kitchen counters and a freshly mopped floor make me happy. When the house is clean, I can relax and enjoy myself. When it's a mess, I simply cannot ignore it. If I ever win the lottery, I would love to get a maid. A maid would be fantastic.

{Love it, wish my papers were neatly organized in pretty folders like this}

4. I am a tea drinker. Whenever a friend comes over, the first thing I do is put the kettle on and get a pot of tea brewing. Cookies to go with it are nice, too. (or just plain old cookie dough, right,Kelly?)

{pretty tea cup via tea for joy}

5. I am a city girl. My favourite city (so far) is London. I really hope that when the boys are both in school, we'll be able to live there for a year. I want to do a teaching exchange. We can live in one of the lovely neighbourhoods and the boys can see where their dad came from (and spend time with their English grandparents). On the weekends we can take them to all our favourite places in the city (Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, the V & A, St James' Park, Cafe-in-the-Crypt...) and discover some new ones. What an adventure it will be.

{Lovely, curvy London street complete with red double deckers, via here}

6. I am a fabulous correspondent. If I say I'll keep in touch, I really will. I love to send letters and postcards and packages, and always get a thrill when I discover something fun in the mail box.

{wee parcel from Cassie, on its way to me right now!}

7. I always wear lipstick. I feel naked without it. I don't need a mirror to put it on neatly. Ask Em, she'll tell you. Even when I'm wearing sweats and a t-shirt, a bit of lipstick is in order.

And there you have it. Seven random things about me. Were you surprised? Did you learn anything new? Were you bored to tears?

And now... I'm going to tag Em, Sarah, Katrina, Kelly, Cassie and Carissa. You're it, girls! Looking forward to learning more about all of you (the 8th thing about me is that I am incredibly indecisive, which is why I really couldn't choose just one person!)

Thanks again for the award, Kimbirdy! You made my morning. Oh, and just in case you were wondering... I typed this sitting on the bathroom floor while the boys soaked in a tub full of bubbles. They are beyond pruney at this point!

Erin xo

PS: Blogger is messing with my font sizes today. It is driving me mad!