I'd Like to Thank the Academy...

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Amy and her marvelous ADDled blog, proffered my Silent Isle the award of Versatile Blogger. While I’m not fully sure what the award entails—i.e. what about me is versatile? My writing? My subject matter? My inability to resist perusing various products from nefarious peddlers?—I am absolutely delirious about winning this award. Because awards are everything. And I MUST win them all. (Wait. Not true.) If you follow me on Twitter you would have seen my celebration plan consisted of consuming a donut, except my husband ate them all because I think he’s still bitter that I blogged about our unfinished bathroom. But fret not, because I was running so late for work today that instead of eating a nutritious breakfast I stopped at Sheetz and bought the icing-est donut I could find. We’re all good now. Celebration is back on. (Okay, if I’m not careful, in my happy delirium, this may turn into an If-You-Give-A-Pig-A-Pancake kind of blog post. This is why I’ve never been allowed to give speeches at the Academy Awards…well, not the only reason. Focus, Anna!) I do, sincerely, say thank you, Amy, for your support of my newbie-blogger floundering, for your encouragement, your hilarity, and your perpetual transparency in all you write.

Now, what I do know about this award (apart from the cool logo I am to display—though I’m displaying it on my blog, not just this post because it’s an award, and I’ve never won a blogging award. Is this breaking the rules? I know, I suck at this awards thing.) is that there are some rules:

The Rules for the Versatile Blogger

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and include a link to their site.

2. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your blog post.

3. Nominate 7 fellow bloggers that you've recently discovered or follow regularly and include a link to their site.

4. Let them know you have nominated them

5. Share 7 random facts about you

My Nominations for Versatile Blogger

1. Jeane at The Coffee Cottage—she is hilarious and honest and tells the best stories about mothering her squad of littluns, her massive Aqua Net bangs in her middle school years, and the chickens out back.

2. Karen at The Wordshop—she writes as she speaks: genuine, reflective, snarky, hilarious. A lover of writing, music, travel and food. One of the most beautiful people I know.

3. Danni at From the Ranch Pen—A new discovery (actually Danni found me first—thank you!) that has already brought so much joy and laughter and useful information about what it means to “cull” a cow.  I particularly enjoyed her poem in her recent post (go to her blog and read it!)

4. Alison at I Married a Contractor—she shares about family life and writing life in a way that makes you feel as though she’s chatting with you over a cup of coffee. I love chatting and I love coffee.

5. Drema at The Grammar of Painting—she is quirky and artsy and has fantastic energy. I have admired Drema’s writing for several years, and when I think of her the word that comes to mind is: whimsy.

6. Kate at The Nested Blog—Okay, Amy also nominated Kate, but I love Nested so much that I don’t care, I’m nominating her too. She’s hilarious, she has a strange affinity for grumpy animals, and she actively abhors Twilight even while in the midst of watching it. And she taught me Twitter—I’m eternally grateful.

7. Bev at Black Ink Paperie—I have only recently started following her blog and it is some of the most beautiful writing I have clapped eyes on in ages. Touching, funny, exquisite. I cannot get enough.

Seven Random Facts About Me

1. I always wanted to be a lawyer until I worked in a law firm—lasted only 6 months. My husband and I refer to this occupational blip as “The Unfortunate Incident.”

2. I named my daughter after a Robert Burns poem. (No, not the one about the haggis.)

3. I am a Christian who doesn’t always vote Republican—gasp!—and I watch MSNBC—double gasp! Can such a contradiction exist? Yes, dear readers, I’m here to tell you it can. (Not all stereo-types are to be trusted. And I defy any that are ignorantly shoved on me.)

4. I am a grad student and am perpetually waiting for them to figure out I’m an untalented fraud and boot me from the program.

5. I quilt. With a machine. (No, that’s not cheating, Mom!) And I crochet, but only in a straight line—so scarves and blankets are all I can produce, but they are always a big hit at Christmas and baby showers.

6. I love Nathaniel Hawthorne—in particular The Scarlet Letter and his short story “The Minister’s Black Veil.” (Although my students may feel otherwise. Whatever.)

7. I have degrees in English and Psychology—so if we ever chat face-to-face I am analyzing both you and your grammar.