Taking a break from the last round of edits to say...Yay for blog awards!

My regular readers know that life has been a bit crazy here recently.  I have been working on my EdD and this semester was (is) my last, which means that I had to finish my dissertation.  Easier said than done!  Let me just tell you that words cannot express how much I wanted to avoid this task.  I hear that is common at this stage in the process.  Common, but not useful.

Thankfully, one of the primary motivators was the fact that I actually edit dissertations and theses as a side gig to bring in a little extra money.  I enjoy editing, so that works.  Reading through the various dissertations also helped make me see that I could do this and I just needed to buckle down and get things done.  It was a good thing that I found my motivation because I learned at rather the last minute that I had ten fewer days to finish my dissertation than I thought.  Yikes!  I scrambled and got fewer than three hours' sleep each night for nearly a week and finished the draft for my committee.  Then I defended my dissertation to my committee.  Then I had more editing to do.  Plenty more editing to do.  By Friday morning.  Ugh.

But at least it's almost over!  And I decided to take a break on my last day of editing so that I could post a bit.  I miss being in BlogLand!  It's such a happier place than the Dissertation Dungeon of Despair.

Two lovely women who have made this week bearable are my lovely BlogFriends, Kelly at Blue Bird Sews and Jenna at Sew Happy Geek.  Kelly is someone that I imagine I'll probably run into in the real world because she, too, lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.  She has a talent for sewing and gardening -- she's shared some gardening tips with me (Thank you, Kelly!) and puts some quilting tutorials on her blog (yes!).  Jenna is an expat living in the UK and I love reading her posts.  She shares a lot of tips about sewing and she is always so excited about it that it's giving me the desire to get back into that craft.  I'm not skilled right now, so I'm starting small with a mug rug for the mug rug swap that Jenna is hosting.  These lovely ladies received blog awards and decided to share the love.  Thank you, ladies!!  You made my week much better. :-)

Kelly shared the Stylish Blogger award with me.

The way that this works is that when a person receives it she agrees to link back to the person who bestowed the award on her blog, then tells seven things about herself, and then bestows the award on other blogs.

I shared seven random things about me back in February, so now I need to think of a few more...(so difficult...brain on overload...must...have...coffee...!).

1. This year I will celebrate my ten year anniversary.  I was married at a young age, which I really don't condone now because I experienced how difficult it is to grow up when you have to be responsible for yourself and someone else.  Thankfully, we grew up together, rather than growing up and apart, and we've made it a decade.  I love my Honey! (But seriously, kids, do yourself a favor and wait until you're in your 30s to get married!)

2. Even when I was a an extremely conservative and sheltered fundamentalist when I was growing up, I still had a bit of the rebel about me.  I wanted green streaks in my hair (which never happened), multiple piercings (does a nose ring count?), tattoos (four and counting!).  I also refused to wear a white dress for my wedding.  Why should I do that just because it's tradition?  I had a midnight blue evening gown that was my grandmother's modified instead and I wore that...and loved it.

3. I was home schooled for most of my life back when it was really not cool and home schooled kids were ostracized as the weirdos.  Then I grew up and decided to become a public school teacher.

4. I feel guilty because I have a tattoo of a lotus flower that represents my love for my dog (among other things -- it also represents my life trying to make something beautiful grow out of a muddy and cruddy past, but my furry baby's name is Lotus so of course it represents her, too), but I have nothing to symbolize my love for my cats (Hero, who passed away, Canvas, Bunny, Nicky, and Nora).  I'm not sure what to do to fix that.

5. I used to think that I would want kids, or maybe just one kid, and that I would adopt.  The older I got the more and more I realized that I have no desire for children of my own.  Or rather I should say that all of my students became my de facto children.  And of course I have my Baby and my Little Baby, two much-younger brothers I cared for when they were infants.  Now the littlest one lives here as he works on finishing high school by taking college courses, and so I have a teenager in my house every day.  That's good.  I really don't want children of my own, even though people look at me as though I am some freak of nature with three heads and five arms when I say that.

6. I don't like surprises at all.  If someone threw me a surprise party I would probably get furious and walk out the door because surprises make me so uncomfortable.  My mother thought that she threw a surprise party for me when I turned 16, but since she had me make all the food to feed 40 people it wasn't really a surprise.

7. I love having large gatherings of people over to my house to eat.  We have a First Friday Family Dinner each month because I love fixing food for people.  But I do not like to entertain anyone or feel like I have to be responsible for people socializing.  Please, eat.  Talk amongst yourselves.  I'll flit in and out and see to food needs and laugh and drink, but I can't promise undivided attention.

So...was that random enough?

Jenna gave me the Liebster Blog award.

This award is meant to be given to blogs that have fewer than 300 followers.  My job is to choose three blogs, but how do I choose just three?  Oy vey, the dilemma!

First of all, I'd like to return the favor to my lovely BlogFriends, so Jenna, I'm bestowing Stylish Blogger on you, and Kelly, you get a Liebster Blog!

Now to find a few more blogs...you ladies shall receive both awards:

Jenny at An Apple for the Crafter has a lovely blog with great crafting ideas.  She used to be a public school teacher, too!

Katie at Eye Spy DIY has lovely ideas and great tutorials.  Check her out.  You won't be sorry...unless you're like me and have no time but seeing her tutorials make you want to drop everything and craft, in which case...at least you've been warned.

Congratulations, Ladies!  And thank you once again to Kelly and Jenna!

It *is* a happy Friday! An award-filled day!

It really is the simple things in life that make life beautiful. Simple things, like an adorable kitty, a colorful stir fry, a nice bottle of wine. And like a wise person once said, the best things in life are free.  So, what do you get when you combine something simple with something free?  A blogger award! And it really does seem like one of the best things in life that makes life just that much more beautiful.

My BlogFriend, Christina @ The Tattered Tag (who just reached the 100-follower mark -- congratulations!), bestowed upon me two blogging awards.  

Yay for awards

What, me?  Really??  This is such an honor!! I feel this way especially because I've only really been blogging since January and I have a small following. This blog is about my journey through creative recovery and I feel thankful for the people who are along for the ride.

So how does this award work?  I'm so glad you asked!

• Thank and link back to the person who bestowed the award on you.
• Share seven random things about yourself.
• Nominate 15 other bloggers (share the love!!)
• Contact the bloggers and inform them of the award.

  
So here are seven random things about me:

1. While I love to craft, create, and give gifts to people, I absolutely hate wrapping gifts. (Seriously, people are lucky if it comes in a gift bag. Count yourself double-lucky if that gift bag also included tissue paper.)
2. I love coffee and tea, and my favorite tea in the whole world is the Earl Grey from Allann Bros., a local coffee roasting company. 
3. Few things make me happier than listening to Sam Cooke and Roy Orbison while cooking in the kitchen.
4. My favorite colors are shades of orange and blue, which is why just about every room in my house is painted with some variation of those colors.
5. Teaching is my passion, and while I love teaching and working with adults, which is what I do now, I miss "my kids," because few things are quite as fun as teaching high school.
6. I am completely addicted to NPR and OPB and go into serious withdrawals when I can't get my daily fix.
7. My breakfast consists of a cup of coffee and a toasted english muffin and it has been that way for years. I love english muffins and would eat them for every meal if I could. Seriously, they are that good.

Were those facts random enough?  

And now the moment that you've all been waiting for -- the passing of the awards!  I am awarding

1. Shiree @ pistolsnprincesses
2. Melanie @ You Made That
3. Nicole @ Thrifty Decorating
4. Allyson @ No Place Like Our Home
5. Kristen @ Just Live Simply
6. Jonie Marie @ Just Between Friends
7. Cassie @ Hi, Sugarplum!
8. Brandi @ Don't Disturb This Groove
9. Judy @ DIY by Design
10. Ellen @ Creative Passage
11. Tracie @ Cleverly Inspired
12. Lisa @ A Vintage Vine
13. Nicole @ A Home for A Bunny
14. CAS @ An Oasis in the Desert
15. Courtney @ A Thoughtful Place

There.  Whew, that was a lot of work!  There are so many wonderful people with blogs out there that I want to recognize everyone!  But we'll stick with 15 for now, since those are the rules. :-)  Check out these amazing women and their blogs -- you'll be glad that you did!

And thanks again, Christina @ The Tattered Tag.  You are amazing!

A little bit of awesome makes the day swell

One of the advantages to starting a blog and getting involved in BlogLand is that I "meet" plenty of other crafty, creative bloggers that love to share their ingenuity with the world at large. Sometimes these bloggers reach milestones (like getting 100 or 300 or 1000 followers) and decide to host a giveaway. My BlogFriend Ellen over at Creative Passage decided to do just that and gave away some amazing felt creations.  She has an etsy store, Woolen Wonders by Ellen, and sells some beautiful work.  Of course I had to enter her giveaway, and I actually won!  The two cupcake pincushions that she made arrived and have totally brightened my day.

Aren't they so cute? The picture doesn't even begin to do them justice.  And now I have to decide -- keep them both for myself, give one as a gift, or actually share the love and give both away.  I know plenty who would adore such pincushions!

Thank you, Ellen, for making the day a bit brighter!!

And the best part?  Ellen is having another giveaway, so that you, too, have a chance to win cupcake pincushions. Now who doesn't like that idea?

Yay for followers and blog-friends!

I was just telling Honey this evening that I want to welcome new followers publicly, in a blog post, but in order to keep it manageable, I'll post something every time my following doubles, so from one to two, two to four, four to eight, and so on. Well, I am please to announce that Educator's Soliloquy has reached eight public followers!  YAY!!!!  So welcome Shiree, Christina, Katie, Jennifer, Jeana, Melanie, Debbie, and Nicole.  I am so glad you're here! And welcome to those of you (my siblings, *ahem!*) who follow but not officially.  You are all appreciated.

I think that I may take the suggestion of other bloggers and have some sort of giveaway when I reach a certain number of followers...but that's still in thought-process.  Anyone have any suggestions about this?

And while I'm asking for opinions/suggestions/advice, I have another question. I've been pondering whether I should add a page to this blog and make it a place to post at least the first chapter of my novel.  I have somewhere around 16 short chapters right now, but it's not even half-way done. I've put it aside for months in order to concentrate on work and school, but I am hoping to pick it up again soon.  I do love my characters. And of course I love to write.

I have a button!

Someone asked if I had a button for my blog.  I went into panic mode.  A button?  For my blog?? How could I possibly do that?  I had seen plenty of blogs with their own unique buttons, but the ability to create such a thing myself seemed too far out of reach.

Enter Google and some crafty html-loving bloggers.  I did a search and found a couple people with tutorials on creating a blog button.  The guide that worked best for me was at Oikology 101.  I just have to say thank you.  I've now created my own unique button:



Isn't that fun?

Synchronicity

Last night I wrote about synchronicity and today I experienced another example.  One of the blogs that I follow, A Thoughtful Place, posted a beautiful quote. The author of this blog explained how 2010 was a pretty difficult year, but that she is thinking about following some of her dreams this year. (Perhaps that's another word for living with intention, my theme for this year and my artistic journey.)  The quote was actually something this author found on another blog, The Shabby Nest.  That author, too, expressed her sense of exhaustion from the difficult year in 2010 and her hopes and dreams for a better 2011.  Yesterday I wrote that a number of my friends decided that they were going to be intentional this year.  Most of these women feel a need to get back to their own artistic self and discover whomever that person may be and live that life intentionally, with purpose and vivacity. Ladies, this quote is for you:

"She went out a on a limb, had it break off behind her, and realized she could fly."

Kobi Yamada

I am in love...with a Silhouette machine.

I think that I will very quickly become addicted to crafts like my grandmother and great-grandmother. How can one not be when there are incredibly awesome tools like a Silhouette machine out there to make crafting even more fun?

Of course the machine and its supplies are way out of my "I'll craft it if it's under $5" budget, which is why I was thrilled to see a giveaway on Keeping It Simple, one of the crafty blogs I now follow. Fingers crossed!

A "linky party."

This was a cool idea and I thought I would share. One of the blogs I follow, Not Just a Housewife, apparently has hosted several "linky parties." The idea is that followers of the blog share some of their current artsy projects so that the creativity is spread around a bit. Isn't that a great idea? The current "linky party" can be found here:

http://happyhappyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/01/show-me-what-ya-got-7.html

I personally love the skirts/sewing ideas. While I have a sewing machine and have been known to use it, my skill level is almost nill.  Yet these skirt ideas look simple enough that I may, in fact, attempt them!  The only problem? Now I have so many ideas for Artist's Dates that I am running out of actual days on which to do these projects!

A few more blogs that I like

This weekend I added a few more blogs to my list of "places I will check out on a regular basis." Some are family and friend blogs, filled with stories and pictures of people I hold near and dear to my heart. While they make me happy, the blogs may not be those that one shares with strangers. Instead, I finally rediscovered a few of my "crafty" and comedy blogs and thought that I would share.

http://craftily-ever-after.blogspot.com/ -- This adorable young woman always has such cute ideas. She is, in fact, the one that inspired me to try to Mod Podge something last week.  Her current post is about an idea for Valentine's Day.  I don't believe in Valentine's Day, I don't use red and white color combinations, I try to avoid useless decor and knicknacks, and this project would not match any place in my house but it is so cute that it makes me want to try. Now I'll have to think about what I can do to modify this and make it work for my life.


http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/ -- I believe that the author of this blog may in fact be a long-lost sibling. Not only does she create drawings and tell stories like my brother Tin Man, her experiences must be similar because all my siblings end up laughing so hard that we forget to breathe. My brothers believe that they invented "Seven Games to Play with a Brick" and that the author was just spying on them during their childhood.


http://alittlelovelyblog.blogspot.com/ -- I'm really into crafting, as you might be able to guess from the blogs that I follow. This does not mean that I am a crafty person by any stretch of the imagination, but I have a few places I turn to for inspiration. This is one of those places.

Another crafty blog can be found here: http://thoughtfuldesigns.blogspot.com/ or here: http://hisugarplum.blogspot.com/ or here: http://happyhappyhousewife.blogspot.com/

One thing that I noticed about most of these blogs: they are written by stay-at-home moms. I am impressed by their craftiness.  So if you are bored or if you want to try a craft project or maybe you just want to give your brain a rest and look at pretty pictures online for a few minutes, check them out. I'm sure that you, like me, will find inspiration for a future project among the many ideas from the minds of these clever authors.

Blogs and wistful (wishful?) thinking

Today is an exercise in mind over matter, as in I mind that this dissertation I am working on is not yet complete and it matters that I get it done.  Being someone who always lives up to her responsibilities, I awoke, grabbed my computer, and promptly sat down to search for all those cute and creative blogs I stumbled across in December when looking for things-to-make-as-gifts.  That's okay. Sometimes the path toward one's destination is not along the straight and narrow.  And so I am going to indulge my need for detours with just a brief post on a few blogs that I've recently discovered.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/ -- I started reading this blog last week when a friend recommended the author's black-eyed peas recipe. I didn't end up using this recipe (my New Year's plans usurped by other recipes), but it inspired me to make something even easier, healthier, although still not vegan-friendly (with no apologies to those with cibophobia).


http://pistolsnprincesses.blogspot.com/ -- A friend's blog. She has the funniest stories!


http://orangette.blogspot.com/ -- My SIL shared this blog with me when she found her favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe here.  I just appreciate the author's love of food.


http://moneysavingmom.com/ -- My Nay shared this with me because of all of the updates on how to save money and get good deals. And who doesn't like that?

And finally, I stumbled upon this today in an effort to find some blogs I originally found in December. I think I'll like this one, too: http://www.simplymodernmom.com/  I still did not find the blogs I was looking for, so maybe that's an adventure for another day.

These blogs inspire me.  I like different aspects of each and find myself thinking I wish I had her humorous writing style or  I wish I was that detailed or I wish I were that organized or sometimes, as in the case of a few of the better-known blogs, How in the world does that woman have the time to do everything? (It is the latter of which I am most jealous, obviously, since I am pretty sure that these women have discovered the secret to obtaining 36-hour days.)  It was only today, in fact, that I realized it's okay to be myself, to not have all of these things that I admire in the blogs of other women.  It sounds silly and strange, I know, to finally, at this point in my adult life, realize it's okay to be yourself! We teach children, or at least I tried to teach children, that the things that made them unique were valuable, and that when a bunch of admirable, unique people were combined and given a task they could produce something great, something imaginative, something beautiful.  I am not sure why it takes so many years for me to learn the lessons I teach to children; I would say that I'm not very bright, but in reality I think that it has something to do with being stubborn.

My Stubborn Self seems to work in league with my Guilt Monster on days like these, telling me things that I don't want or need to know, things that are untrue.  And so today I sat Stubborn Self and Guilt Monster down and gave them a good talking-to:

"Now listen, you two, I am fine the way I am. The reason I like all of these blogs is because they offer something unique. The authors were born with gifts that make them special. I have things that make me special. And however much I've thought otherwise in the past, I don't want my blog to look like those of others! Who wants to read the same thing all the time? So let me be, let me do my own thing, and let me enjoy the blogs I read without you getting in the way!!"

I was a bit forceful at the end. But that's okay. They needed to hear it and I needed to say it.  Life is better when its filled with a kaleidoscope of individuals.