Stylish Blog Award!!!

Thank you SO much to Julia for awarding me with the Stylish Blogger Award!  Julia is one of my best friends from High School and we have stayed friends.  So that right there should tell you how awesome she is!  She is the mom of twin girls (yes, that makes some of us around here jealous).  I love reading her blog and I feel honored that she considers mine one of her favorite blogs! 

A little secret for your reading pleasure - I've always wanted to name a daughter Julia.  Good thing I only had one daughter because that elimanted the possiblity of other best friends getting their feelings hurt.

The rules for the award are  -

1. Link back the person who awarded you.  And a side note, I really do encourage you to read her!  She writes a very uplifting blog!

2. Tell us 7 things about yourself.

1. My husband Jason and I are coming up on our 13th wedding anniversary.  We met at my father in law's funeral.  Romantic, don't you think?  The first time we ever spoke to each other was in a cemetary.

2. I shed a few tears on Friday as I drove away after dropping my 11 year old off for his first over night Boy Scout campout.  I was very nervous about how he would do socially.  I also cried earlier that day when I was bent over my sewing machine trying to sew on all his badges so he would be ready for said campout.  I sewed one on very crooked and hurriedly ripped it off with my seam ripper and tore a huge hole in his new Scout shirt!  Down came the tears.

3. I love to cook and bake and prepare food.  I collect recipes/cookbooks.  I'm planning on starting a food blog soon.  My husband and kids make fun of me because I take pictures at the dinner table of what we are eating.

4. I studied music in college.  I have taught private voice lessons.  I secretly wonder what would've happened if I had pursued that instead of motherhood.  But for the time being I sing with my husband in the Portland Mormon Choir and Orchestra.  Stay tuned as we are about to announce a new name for the group!  I also serve in my church as the Stake Music Chairperson.  A stake is like a diocese.  It is a group of about 7 congregations.  I am in charge of training all music personnel in the different congregations, and arranging music for all stake meetings.  We recently performed the Easter portion of The Messiah in April. 

5.  I am the oldest of 7 kids and communicate with all 6 of my siblings at least once a week each.  I have a super good relationship with each of them.

6. I am a Mormon, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

7. I am a goal setter.  My ultimate goal is to raise my 5 kids to be like Superman/Superwoman.

3.  Award Bloggers that you feel deserve the award. (I'm supposed to do 15, but I don't read that many)

And a little bit of a disclaimer - Some of my favorite blogs are private so it would not do much good to link them for you.  I just want those private bloggers to know how much I LOVE reading their blogs.

1. An American Girl in Oz is my sisters blog.  Her name is Brooke and she recently remarried after a very rough divorce.  To make this even more exciting, he married a really cool Australian guy named Mick.  This is their blog about their adventures in Australia.  All about adjusting to married life (both have been married before), raising a blended family of 5 daughters, and adjust to life in a foreign country.

2. Hesses Mad House written by Julie.  Julie is raising 7 kids and her husband is a principal.  She was recently an Oregon Mother of the Year nominee.  I love her posts!  They are full of humor and good advice on how to raise a large family.  I have known her since I was in High School, so I was very excited to find her blog all these years later.

3.  The Mott Family written by Joanne.  Joanne is married to my cousin Daniel.  They have 3 sons and 3 daughters.  Lately she has been busy and not posting as much, but I promise it is worth checking to see what they're crazy kids are saying and doing!  I laugh out loud every time I read their blog!  Oh, and Joanne is Super Mom!  I've gotten some great ideas from her!

4. Two of a Kind written by 2 sisters, Emily and Julia.  Reading their blog reminds me what it was like to be young and single.  Julia is a Junior in College and Emily is a Senior in High School counting down the days till she leaves for college.  They have been babysitting for me for five years now, and I think they are adorable. 

5. Hogans Heroes written by Garrett and Bailey Hogan.  These two are newlyweds.  They are so cute to read about.  They remind me of a time, long ago, in my own life.  They write about getting to know each other and living together and all the newness that marriage brings.  Oh, and Bailey is my baby sister.

4.  Contact the recipients to let them know they've been awarded.