Honest Scrap!

To say I was surprised when I received an email from Misha at 'From My Front Porch in the Mountains' telling me she had graciously awarded me with the 'honest scrap' token would be an understatement. As Misha once wrote to me, "we are country girls, heart and soul!', so for her to think my blog was worth mentioning on hers, was very touching and left me a little astonished. (Not to mention a much better continuation of my week and start to my 41st year than Monday had brought me...see July 13th post.) In appreciation of my token and what seems to be a network of beautiful, caring women in blogging land, I am to 'pay it forward' by telling you which blogs I truly enjoy; and from whom I eagerly await their next posting. As well, I am to tell you ten things about myself, things, I expect, that you don't already know. So for those of you out there who do know me, like you Mom, sorry if it's not much of a surprise, hopefully you'll still enjoy.

So here goes, 10 things about me.

1. I am a hispanophile and francophile; I love both cultures immensely. I speak Spanish and French, not as fluently as I would like but as close as I'm ever going to be without actually living in a French or Spanish speaking nation for more than a few weeks. Portuguese is next on my list. Don't worry, it's not as easy as it sounds although I do seem to have a knack for languages.

2. I love basketball, watching that is. I don't really like sports. I like to run and hike but team sports? Forget about it. I'm too uncoordinated for much sport activity and when a whole team is relying on me, well that's just too much pressure for this girl. I'm a bit of a black sheep in this regard, at least on my dad's side of the family. Basketball, however, is a sport I grew up watching my dad play and really developed a passion for the game in my twenties. Living in the country without cable has, I must admit, but a damper on watching late night west coast games, oh all right, any games.

3. I am an addict. I can not get my fill of home decorating shows. I was doing pretty well for awhile; I was sure I had my problem licked, being without cable and all; now dang it, I keep stumbling on all these decorating blogs! I know the first step is admitting you have a problem. If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay at that step, forever.

4. I have always wanted to live in the country. I have no idea why I had this dream. It's not like I spent summer vacations on a farm. All I can do is attribute it to my mom and her desire to live in the country. Really, there are much worse things you can pass along to your kids. Although, I don't recall a neglected 150 year old farm house being part of the dream...Mom?

5. I love animals. Let me be specific. First on the list aren't cats, dogs, chickens, goats, sheep, cows, horses all of which I do love and I would love to have two of each someday, when I have my dream barn. Yep, that's right, I dream about having a barn. Let's just be clear though that my first love is for marine mammals. Can you say dolphins? I know, I know, it doesn't really go with the farm theme, although I have wondered how I could turn our pond into a saltwater pool, anyone? Heck, it would probably be bigger than the killer whale tank at the marine park an hour away from the old farm but I won't digress on that topic, we don't have all day.

6. I have two beautiful ten year old children. "Twins?", everyone always asks me. Well, I call them the Glimmer Twins, and they get along just as well as Mick and Keith, but no they're aren't twins. My stock answer is usually, "No, one is adopted", I like this one because I can see the wheels spin as they try to figure out which one. Our daughter was adopted from China. Sometimes people will actually ask us if she is adopted. Since my husband and I both hail from English ancestry, my husband's zealous reply is usually, "What do you mean?"

7. I love Indian food. My husband introduced me to Indian cuisine a few years ago and although he doesn't know it, I consider myself indebted to him for this alone, for the rest of my life, not to mention everything else he does for me; which I have been told I don't write about nearly enough on my blog. Buttered chicken, naan, kashmiri rice, lamb tikka, pappadums, and a cool mango lassie all laid out in front of me and my mouth begins to seriously water. Just someone mentioning Indian food leaves me with a craving that only a trip to our favourite restaurant will cure. Love isn't really a strong enough word but hopefully you get the point.

8. My husband is an artist. He's the most talented guy, or person for that matter, that I know. He sketches, paints in different mediums, but coolest of all he makes cartoons. He loves working in animation. He also loves watching animated movies with the kids, again and again. They have no idea how good they've got it. He also picks all of our paint colours; a handy trait to have in a husband.

9. I grew up near the shores of Lake Erie, on the Canadian side. Two hours from Toronto and two hours from Detroit. There was lots of snow, but not in July. I kid you not on this one; there were American tourists who would come to our small city in the summer looking for snow. They were usually directed to the local arena where there might yet be some Zamboni remnants still melting.

10. In less than five weeks, I'm getting married. I bet you weren't expecting that one! The four of us are already a family, they're our kids not yours and mine, and there are really no in-laws, just our families, however, one small but significant act will solidify it forever and we can hardly wait.

Blogs I enjoy; well there are many and they keep growing. If I could peruse all the blogs followed by bloggers I follow, I am sure I would find hundreds more but alas I have to work. Here are just a few of my favourites, in no particular order. I will try to cover a broad scope of interests, each is unique in it's own way. They are all inspiring. I'm not sure of all the etiquette rules in blogland yet, so I won't make an announcement on their blog but I do hope you'll pay them a visit and let them know if you enjoy their handiwork.

1. frommyfrontporchinthemountains.blogspot.com/
2. my-french-corner.blogspot.com/
3. www.petiteanglaise.com/
4. flowerpatchfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
5. katespictureaday.blogspot.com/
6. theinspiredroom.net
7. suzysvintageattic.blogspot.com/
8. crystaljigsaw.blogspot.com/
9. oneloosenut.blogspot.com/
10. www.coalcreekfarm.com/clayslife/