Month: March 2012

Age Appropriate Attire


Today begins the A-Z challenge!  Click here to visit all the participants’ blogs, and most of all, have fun.

My post for today:  Age Appropriate Attire

Adults dressing like kids.  We’ve all seen them:  the middle-age man with his hat on backwards and his shorts way too short.  The middle-aged woman with ‘hot buns’ tacked across her bootie. Even Kris Jenner of Kardashian fame was recently called out for wearing an outfit better suited for a 20-year old.

Call me old-fashioned, but what gives?  What happened to age-appropriate clothing…to self respect…to class?  When did comfy casual turn into sloppy and aloof? My kids would be mortified if I wore a pair of ‘hot bun’ shorts around the house, much less in public. Now I know some women can pull off the ‘teen’ look, but why when they could look so much better in classy attire better suited for an adult?

Not too long ago I commented to one of my mini-me’s about an older woman wearing a pair of ‘skinny’ capris (she wasn’t skinny), and a t-shirt that said “Diva Darling”.  My mini-me said I was being overly judgmental; however, when I suggested I purchase the same outfit for myself, mini-me shouted emphatically, “No!”

“But why not?” I asked. “It’s okay for her.”

“Yeah, well she’s not my mom.”

Ah ha!   So it’s ok for her because she’s not his mom? Do I hear double standard? Could it be my kids respect me more for acting and dressing like an adult?  To test my theory, I threw the following question out to some teens at our local library.

Would you mind your parents dressing like you do?

The answers were surprising:

Nikki (age 14):  Eww, gross.  Not.”

Brent (age 15):  Seriously?  My dad would look so dumb wearing cargo shorts and a ‘I hear mimes’ t-shirt.

John (age 16):  “My mom already dresses like my sister. It’s sad ‘cause she really thinks she looks great.  I’d never tell her because I love her, but I think she looks ridiculous.”

Kimberly (age 15):  “Yes I’d mind.  My mom is so classy and pretty.  I think she looks perfect in her own clothes.  In fact, I want her clothes when I get older.”

Larry (age 16):  I think it would be hysterical if my dad dressed like my sister and my mom dressed like me.  That would give everyone something to talk about.”

Becky (age 17):  My mom actually has a better body than I do and would look great in some of the clothes my friends wear.  I don’t like it when she wears skinny jeans and tight shirts that show off her boobs, tho.  It makes me uncomfortable to see guys stare at my mom like that.  I don’t even want guys staring at me like that.”

Judging from these responses, I’d say it is pretty clear kids don’t like it when their parents dress like them, so parents – do them a favor.  Pack up the ‘hot buns’ shorts and the tight t-shirts and find some nice, cute, classy age-appropriate clothes.  Your kids will thank you and they may actually respect you a little more.  After all, if they don’t have you, their parents, to look up to, who do they have?

Question for readers and writers:  What person in a novel wears inappropriate dress for his/her character?

For me, it would be Curley’s wife in John Steinbeck’s, “Of Mice and Men”.  She dresses completely inappropriately for a woman married to the boss’s son.  We all know what happens to her, too.

Related articles

Blog Announcement!


I had the extreme pleasure of meeting with a marketing/blog expert today.  We went over my blog, what I wanted to do with it. Who I wanted to market to, and we came to the conclusion that I need to make some changes, not so much the layout, but the content.  My job is to seek out three people in my target audience, ask them some crucial questions, and design accordingly.

For the next several days I will not post anything else on my blog while I “re-invent’ myself.  Hopefully, the new ‘me’ won’t throw off my current followers while it strives to gain new ones.

Thank you for your patience and your support.  Of course, this mean my A, B and C posts I wrote for the A-Z blog challenge will need to be rewritten to kick off the new direction and focus I’m taking with my blog.  Ah, what the heck.  No prob, right?  I’ll let you be the judge starting Monday, April 2.

TTFN!!  I’m going to miss you guys until next week!

Until then, enjoy the relaxing sounds of Euge Groove.  This one is called Chillaxin

Related articles

Review of The Iron King by Julie Kagawa


Listen up all you readers of YA fiction.  Last night I finished The Iron King by Julie Kagawa, and let me tell you…IT ROCKS!

See my complete review here.

My loving message to teens


As a lot of you know, I’m a Wizard101 fanatic.  I like this game for several reasons: (1) the game centers around a school of wizardry.  Harry Potterish – yes, but the game is quite different.  (2) I have met some really interesting people, both young and old, on this game, two of which turned out to be aspiring authors, and (3) I get to participate in a lot of online discussions with young people and teens (yes, they know I’m a parent).

Late last night I was playing the game when another player joined in a battle I was in.  After we chatted for a while, moving from one level to the next in a dungeon, she said she was a teen, and then decided to tell me she was very, very angry with her mom because her mom snooped in her room and found some pot.   Her mom also went through some other things in her room and took some things away.  She couldn’t get over the fact that her mom was so disrespectful of her privacy and it wasn’t like she was “doing crack or something.”

I offered my ‘ear’ and listened, but gave no advice.  You have to be careful in these online games.  However, it got me thinking after I logged off.  Part of me sympathized with her.  I remember times as a teen feeling angry at my mom for reading my diary and going through my things, especially since I was a ‘good girl’.  I didn’t smoke, drink, sneak out of the house.  I was an honor roll kid, polite, a member of Who’s Who Among American High School Students.  I was a goody two shoes.  In that sense, I could relate to this poor girl’s feelings of betrayal.  There should be a room in a home where kids can go and feel safe, that their things are their things.

But then the mom in me kicked in.  Her mom was probably worried, scared.  She probably noticed a change in her daughter that she couldn’t pin point.  Maybe her mom tried to talk to her and the daughter withdrew.  Maybe there was a horrible relationship there to begin with.  Maybe, mom is just a snoop and wanted to know everything and anything going on in her daughter’s life.

My mom told me once:

“You live in my house. You have no privacy.”

That always stuck with me.  “You live in my house.”  To a teen, that one word ‘my’ can make one feel so isolated, like a visitor in your own home.  I remember thinking then, “I thought this was our home.”  Sad thing is, I’ve said the same thing to my kids, but I digress.

To the young girl online and to all other teens, please listen up.  Parents aren’t perfect.  We make mistakes.  We say things perhaps we shouldn’t say, but there is one thing that holds steady for 99% of us – we love you.  We care about you and what happens to you.  Sometimes we have to rely on our gut instincts, especially if our kids aren’t honest and opening up to us.  Don’t get me wrong.  I totally get it.  I was a teen once, too.  That’s why you as a teen are at such a disadvantage.  You can’t see both sides of the coin.  While it may make you angry that your parents snoop and interfere, try to imagine your life with parents who didn’t care what you did or where you went or who you went with.  Love makes us do some extreme things.  Our only thoughts are to keep you safe.  And while we know we can’t protect you from everything, that doesn’t stop us from trying.

As for the pot:  I’m not going to preach.  I’d be a liar to say I didn’t try it when I got older.  I can’t tell you I didn’t get involved with the wrong crowd in my early 20s.  I can’t say I didn’t do other drugs I wish I hadn’t done.  There was a time in my life I felt so alone, like there was no way out.  A time when I felt no one loved me or needed me.  A time when I wanted to forget…to not feel the pain.

But I was wrong.  Oh, God, how I was wrong.  To all you precious, unique and beautiful teens…you may think pot is okay, but it’s not.  It’s a band aid, sweetheart.  Getting high, whether with drugs or alcohol, is not the answer.  I know.  I’ve been there.  If you can’t talk to your parents about what’s bugging you, find someone you can talk to.  Drugs aren’t the answer.  Believe me.  Someday you’ll meet someone who cares about you and loves you, and someday you will have children of your own.  Someday, you’ll understand what it means to love someone so much that you would lay down your life to protect him or her.  That’s the life of a parent. That’s the pain we live with every day.  We worry. We love.  We care.

Please, don’t be angry for our interfering.  Instead, be thankful you have someone who loves you enough to interfere.  You are blessed more than you know.  I wish you all the best.  (((hugs))).

Related articles

Alter/Altar – what’s the difference?


I had the pleasure to review 7 draft WIP chapters over the last 2 weeks and three of them have altars in their novels.  All three of the authors, however, spelled the word ‘alter’, not ‘altar’, which led me to this post.

I guess I could have written this for my first A-Z post beginning April 1, but I already have one written for the letter ‘A’ so I guess I’ll try to help out here.  Whoo hoo!  🙂  Let’s go.  Just what you wanted, right?

First of all, let me say I’ve made this mistake myself.  Part of it comes from just typing fast and then skipping over it when editing.  (Hey, it’s my story, I’ll tell it like I want.)  Then there are times that I actually spelled it wrong.  (*hangs head in shame*)

Just so you don’t have to hang your head in shame like I did, here are the differences:

Altar is a noun.

I was fascinated by the crystal ball perched on the wizard’s altar.

Alter is a verb that means to change something.  You use this when you do something to a noun.

I have to alter the wizard’s gown.

Or, if you’re a silly construction worker, you could say:  I have to alter the altar.

Simple, right?  Take the test and find out.  The answers are at the end.

1.  She knelt at the _____ to pray.

a.  alter
b. altar

2.  _____ the lighting in the room to highlight the brightness of the diamond.

a.  alter
b.  altar

3.  You cannot stand at the ______ until you are ready.

a.  alter
b.  altar

4.  Have the seamstress _____ the hem.

a.  alter
b.  altar

Good luck and have fun!

Answers:

1.  b
2.  a
3.  b
4.  a

Blog award follow-up


A couple of days ago, I thanked the wonderful people who passed on blog awards to me.  You can read it here.  I love blog awards.  I think they’re pretty and I enjoy handing them out even more than I love receiving them.

The other night I was so dogged tired, though, to pass on the instructions to the winners about what they needed to do.  If you’ve forgotten who won, they’re listed below.  🙂

For the Versatile Blogger Award Winners:

  • Thank and link to the person who nominates you. – check 🙂
  • Share seven random facts about yourself. – check 🙂 (see below)
  • Pass the award to five more blogger friends. – check 🙂
  • Contact and congratulate the blogs nominated.  – check 🙂
And the winners were:
For the Sunshine Award:
  • Include the award’s logo in a post or on your blog – check 🙂
  • Answer 10 questions about yourself – check (see below) 🙂
  • Nominate 10-12 other fabulous bloggers – I nominated some and reserve the right to nominate more at any given time.  You never know when you might get some Florida Sunshine on you.  🙂
  • Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs, letting them know they have been nominated – check 🙂
  • Share the love and link the person who nominated you – and done!
And the winners were:

Before I get to the next award (because it is rather lengthy), let me answer the little known trivia about moi since that’s part of the game.
1.  I love Arizona Green Tea.  I could drink it all day long.
2.  My very first rejection for my writing came when I was 11 years old.  I sent an article about baton twirling and a local competition to my local newspaper and they turned me down.
3.  I was a majorette for 12 years.  Placed 2nd and 3rd in a few competitions, and was solo majorette in high school.
4.  I used to perform in a lot of plays.  My first one was when I was 12.  I was a green monster who broke into a candy store and destroyed all the elves’ candy.  I forgot my lines.  The audience cracked up.  I recovered.  It was tons of fun.  🙂
5.  Dial is my soap of preference and it has to be bar soap, not liquid.  (don’t know why that’s important but, hey, this picking things about myself is hard to do)
6.  I love Scrabble, Yahtzee, Taboo, Pictionary, and Backgammon
7.  I despise house cleaning.  I really need a maid since I’m a princess in my other life.
8.  While You Were Sleeping and Kate and Leopold are two of my favorite romantic comedy films.
9.  My first concert was Elvis Presley.  It was July 3, 1973 at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia at 8:30 pm.  I’ll never forget it.  His music still soothes this savage beast.
10.  I had natural childbirth with all 4 of my kids. Two were born at home (on purpose), and two were born in a free-standing birth center.  Wouldn’t have done it any other way.
Now, onto the HUG award.
There is much content affiliated with The Hug Award, and while it is lengthy and seems a bit extensive to me, I do not want to maim or corrupt its potent message by leaving anything out.

Please do not change or use another image for the HUG Award Image©.  Please do not alter–by changing, shortening, or adding to–the text about the award and how to share it with others.  Either copy the entire article as it is on this page, or please include a link back to this article, when you post on your blog or share award with others.

I ask you to please honor this request and help me keep the integrity of the award as originally designed, so that future award recipients will know what an honor it is to receive this award.  Thank you, Connie Wayne

  ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES for HUG AWARD©

“Hope is an expectant desire; a confidence in a future event; a ground for trust and confidence; to think; to look forward to with trust and expectant desire.”

 The HUG Award© was initiated by Connie Wayne at A Hope for Today athttp://ahopefortoday.com, which promotes hope, love, peace, equality, and unity for all people.

 The HUG Award© is for people with an expectant desire for the world, for which they:  Hope for Love; Hope for Freedom; Hope for Peace; Hope for Equality; Hope for Unity; Hope for Joy and Happiness; Hope forCompassion and Mercy; Hope for Faith; Hope for Wholeness and Wellness; Hope for Prosperity; Hope for Ecological Preservation; Hope for Oneness

 The HUG Award© recognizes and honors those who help keep hope alive in our current world, which is plagued by war, natural disasters, and economic recession.  They nurture hope, in any of the above areas (in italics),  by the work they do, or in their personal lives with things such as blogging, public speaking,charity work, etc.

The HUG Award© is for anyone, anywhere in the world, who meets theguidelines and wants to be nominated for the award. Please leave a comment on this page if you are interested in receiving this award, or if you would like to nominate someone else for the award.

The HUG Award© is for people who, without giving up or compromising their own religious, spiritual, or political beliefs, are able to nurture hope and respect the dignity of all people.

 The HUG Award© is for those who, without bias or prejudice, use their resources and gifts to make the world a better place for everyone.

 The HUG Award©is for people who have a hope or an expectant desire that the work or talents they use in things such as blogging, public speaking, charity work, etc., will make a positive impact on the world.

These people do not have to actively use the word “hope” in their work or creative talents.  They only need be conscious of their desire to make the world a better place for everyone.

These people use their available resources–a smile, a hug, a helping hand, a listening ear, a voice, time, money, possessions, education, personality, talent, websites and blogs—to make a positive impact on the world and make the world a better place to live.

The HUG Award© is not specifically a website or blog award.  It can be given to people in your community, at your employment, at your place of worship, etc.  Please make sure they have a copy of these Guidelines, and please don’t forget to submit their names back to this site.

 HUG AWARD© IMAGE for RECIPIENTS of HUG AWARD

HUG Award© Image:   Those who receive the HUG Award© may paste a copy of the original HUG Award© image into an Image widget on their website or blog by simply copying and pasting the following image URL into an Image widget:   http://hopesfortoday.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/hug-award1.png.  As the link URL for the image, please inserthttp://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines/.

GUIDELINES for NOMINATING OTHERS FOR THE HUG AWARD©

1.  If you receive a HUG Award©, you may nominate others who also meet the above guidelines for the award.  You may nominate as many people, websites, or blogs as you want to nominate to receive the award.  I do ask that, upon receipt of the award, you nominate at least one other person.  The award is also not time limited, so you can nominate new people or sites you encounter in the future.  Please try not to nominate those who have already received the award.

2.  YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTACTING YOUR NOMINEESand telling them you nominated them for the  HUG Award©.  AND when you contact them…

3.  Please link this page:  When you contact your nominees for the award, please include a link to this page,http://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines/, so they will have the same information you received about the award.  Then, they also can perpetuate the award by nominating others.  AND…

4.  Please post a comment on this page athttp://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines/ with the name and the complete website or blog address of the site(s) or person(s) you nominate.

5.  If you know, I would appreciate you informing me of the geographical location of your nominee(s) and /or their site(s).

6.  Social Media Sites:  You may also copy and paste unchanged copies of the original HUG Award© and HUG Award© Guidelines’ wording to other social media sites such as Facebook and Linkedin.  You may also print original copies for your personal use for display, etc.

7.  You may print a copy of the HUG Award© Guidelines for people you nominate, who do not have a website, blog, or social media account to which they can paste award and Guidelines.  If they have email, you may email them a copy of the original HUG Award© and original Hug Award© Guidelines.

The people I have nominated for this award seek to do Good with their blogs by sharing inspiration, kindness, and courage. If you have already received this, please just accept that I appreciate you. Thank you.

The winners of the Hug Award were:

Gloria Richard
Cara Olden
Jennifer M. Eaton
Lori Ann Freeland

Last Night, I was awarded with another blog award from the lovely Jennifer M. Eaton.  It’s the Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

I’m supposed to list 7 unknown things about myself and then forward this on to whomever inspires me.  I would have to give this award to the following people for giving me hope and showing that no matter what the odds, we can always overcome with hope, faith, and family and friends.

Pat Bertram – for sharing her grief of losing her soul mate and her journey to move through life without him.

Sharon Howard – woman of incredible strength and forward movement

AmyMarie – for showing us all that if you have a great MS and you send it out to tons of agents/publishers, a lot of fish are going to bite.  Keep it up, Literary Mom!

Rachel Coker– an amazing teen, author of the new YA novel Interrupted – life beyond words.  To be so young and talented…such an inspiration.

The Hunger Games – a movie review


WARNING!  SPOILER ALERT!

By now, many of you have read at least one review of The Hunger Games movie, either through a blog or newspaper or some other media outlet.  I’m about to add one more to the pot.  Be warned.  There are some book and plot spoilers so if you don’t want to know what happens…don’t read.

First, kudos to Gary Ross for pulling off what I didn’t think could be done, at least as well as he did it.  Suzanne Collins had so many plots and subplots in this novel that I didn’t think there was any way anyone could do this novel justice in 2 – 2 ½ hours.  I was pleasantly surprised at how close this movie followed the storyline.  You can tell the film was handled with love and with the respect the story deserved.  It definitely gets your pulse racing.

Let’s get to the technicalities first.

The film is excellently cast.  Jennifer Lawrence is superb and Katniss and I couldn’t think of a better Cinna than Lenny Kravitz.  Donald Sutherland pulls off the role of President Snow as only Donald Sutherland can.  Gale, (Liam Hemsworth) looks exactly as I pictured him in the book, and Josh Hutcherson pulls off an amazing Peeta Mellark.  I was a little apprehensive over Woody Harrelson as Kaymitch, but he pulls off the roll very well.

Ve Neill (Pirates of the Carribbean, Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd and SyFy co-host of Face Off), and her team of 41 make-up artists outdo themselves with the make-up.  Seneca Crane, played by Wes Bentley and Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket probably wear the most artistically construed makeup designs in the entire film.  The blood, the gore, Katniss’ and Peeta’s wounds are well done without being overdone.  I was prepared for a lot of blood since the books are riddled with it, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well the brutality was handled.  It wasn’t too hard on the younger crowd and left the older viewers feeling they hadn’t been completely cheated.

Let’s also give a round of applause to costume designer Judianna Makovsky.  To quote Booth Moore, from the Los Angeles Times:  “The Hunger Games” is a visual smorgasbord of a movie, a cast of hundreds dressed in everything from utilitarian garb with Depression-era grit to glam-gone-grotesque Gaga get-ups inspired by the latest haute couture. Then there’s that dress worn by the young heroine Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) that goes up in flames.”  Ms. Makovsky excels in portraying the poverty of the districts and the clownish, pomposity of Panem.

This review would not be complete without a massive shout-out to set designer Larry Dias and the hundreds who worked in the areas of art design, special and visual effects, and all the other departments who made this film work as a whole.  People tend to forget about those folks in the wardrobe department, casting, animation, that contribute so much and go unrecognized for their amazing contributions to films.  I applaud each and everyone one of them for their hard work to bring this story to life.

Okay, onto the storyline.

Overall, I was impressed with how well the movie script stuck to the storyline, and never once did it become cheesy or flippant.  There were no added scenes (like they did with Harry Potter) and it definitely left you feeling as if you were spinning off your axis.

There were several things I didn’t like that I thought should have been made better.  The love triangle between Gale, Peeta and Katniss should have been fleshed out more.  It is vitally important to the storyline.  I remember at the end of Mockingjay wishing and praying and hoping beyond all hope that Katniss would end up with Gale, but when she returns to District 12 and finds out Gale has moved on to District 4, my heart broke into a million pieces.  Up until then, I had a sneaking suspicion she was going to end up with Peeta but that’s not the way I wanted it to end.  Neither did millions of others.  We wanted the perfect ending.  Suzanne Collins doesn’t deliver.  This film doesn’t explore the depth of either of Katniss’ relationships with Peeta or Gale. There are hints , but the emotion is lacking.  When Gale sees Katniss and Peeta kiss, we don’t get the hurt, the anger, the betrayal he feels.  We don’t see that Katniss is only participating in the kiss for the sponsors.  I understand that there are many subplots and not every one could be explored in the course of time that was given, but this was a vital piece of information that is now missing. There is no ‘Team Peeta’ or ‘Team Gale’ and there should be. There HAS to be, for Mockingjay to work.  Thumbs down to the writers, including Ms. Collins, for not giving more weight to this.

I thought Haymitch’s drunkenness was resolved way too soon.  Then again, we only have 2 ½ hours to plug in so much information.  I will forgive the writers for this one.

The chariot scene (the famous girl on fire) seemed to be missing something. Either the shots were too close or too far away.  They didn’t seem to hit the perfect spot.

Many of the other characters were not fleshed out enough, either, especially Cato’s.  His character is so pivotal.  In the end, when Katniss and Peeta and Cato are fighting on the cornucopia and the dogs forged from the souls of the dead tributes were ready to tear them apart, I wanted to see more of Cato’s desperation.  I wanted to cry with him.  I had the same feeling when I watched the last Harry Potter film and I was looking at Draco thinking, I want to feel sorry for him.  This wasn’t his choice.  He didn’t want to be this way.  Same thing with Cato.  He’d been trained to be a killer, and in his final moments of life, I wanted to feel sorrow for him.  I didn’t get it.  There was the brief second, though, when I said to myself, Katniss, please, please end his pain.  Now.  And she did.  Well done, but I wanted the tear.  It didn’t come.

There was one other character issue I had and that was with Rue.  She, too, wasn’t developed enough.  That doesn’t mean I didn’t sob.  I did.  I cried my eyes out when she died. Could the scene have been better done?  Yes.  Could her character have been fleshed out more?  Yes.  Again, there was only so much time to work with and I thought the writers did well considering the time they had.  I forgive the writers for these small issues.

There were some small changes that I thought were kind of silly to make.  The main one goes back to fleshing out the relationship between Peeta and Katniss.  Peeta’s love for her started when they were kids and Peeta burns the bread, is hit for it and then instructed to throw the bread to the pigs.  The flashback to this scene unfolds differently than the novel, thus taking away the emotionality that existed then and now between Katniss and Peeta.  Katniss doesn’t come off  as the starving kid from District 12. She’s older and Peeta tosses the bread to her like she’s a pig.  How hard would it have been to show the scene the way it really happened?  It would have added so much more depth and held true to the book.

The other thing was that I didn’t leave the film feeling devastated.  The book left me devastated.  These are kids that are dying for the amusement of the government and citizens of Panem.  For me, I didn’t think the film gave that horror, that sadness to me, that 22 other children died.  I think it was because I read the books first. I knew what was coming and I was trying to get a film to make me feel what I read.  I should know better.  After talking to some folks afterward who hadn’t read the books, their take was much different than mine.  They said they felt completely devastated, angry and disturbed by the message of the film.  YES!  That’s exactly what Suzanne Collins wanted us to feel when we read the novel.  If that message came across to movie-goers, then Gary Ross and this cinema team did an excellent job!

As a viewer, taking in the comment from those who hadn’t read the books, this movie gets an A – A+.  For someone who has read the books (I’m sorry, I can’t help but compare), I give the film a B+ to an A-, primarily for the lack of development of the relationship between Peeta, Katniss and Gale.  It was just too important to hop over it like they did.  Will I see it again? Probably not in theaters (because tickets are so expensive), but it is on my DVD list of ‘must buy’ when it’s released.

Conclusion:  Amazing film. Well worth every cent of the cost of admission.  Fans of the books will not be disappointed.  Check it out.  You’ll be glad you did.

Related articles

Three awards and a Lucky 7 Meme


It’s late and I’m getting ready to go to bed, but I wanted to post this last bit before I let my head hit the pillow.

In the past 3 days, 3 bloggers and an e-mail buddy honored me with several blog awards.

From C. B. Wentworth, the Versatile Blogger Award (thank you, my dear, for thinking of me.  There are no words to express my gratitude)

From Cara Olden at This Little Light:  The Sunshine Award (Thank you so much for all your kind words and support.  You are a ray of sunshine to me.)

From Claire:  I was tagged with the Lucky 7 Meme – (thank you, my dear, and I answered this on scrib!)  🙂

and

From a lovely friend, Maggie, who follows my blogs but doesn’t have a blog herself, The HUG award.

I don’t know what all is involved with passing on these awards or what I’m supposed to do with them, and I reserve the right to come back to this post and revise accordingly, but I want to thank all of you for your kindheartedness, your belief in me, your praise and just for being you.  I’m sure there are so many others who deserve these awards more than I and I am humbled that you would think of me.

I do want to pass on these awards to the following people/blogs because they deserve it:

The Versatile Blogger Award: (for their versatility in what they post)

Commutinggirl
emmaguinnesswriting
Sonia Medeiros
Writing Wings
Lightning Droplets

The Sunshine Award:  (for filling my life with sunshine – will add more tomorrow)

Alphaeus: The Underground Stream
mywithershins
Girl in the Butterfly dress

HUG Award:  (for their love, compassion, understanding and amazingly wonderful hearts.  I will add to this award after I get some sleep)

Gloria Richard
Cara Olden
Jennifer M. Eaton
Lori Ann Freeland

Heading out to the Hunger Games


Will be taking off in a few for dinner and a movie.  Will check back in tomorrow with my full review.

Who else is indulging in “the games’ tonight?

Related articles