...And My Mind Went Completely Blank

    After quite a Wednesday, I woke up yesterday to a message from Glowin' Girl @ Sugar Tails telling me that she was giving me an award...  What an honor from someone who encourages everywhere she goes and blesses through her writing and keeps her focus where it belongs...on Christ.  And to be included in the AWESOME company of the other blogs she included.  I'm not worthy. After six months of 1000 word posts and 200 word comments on others' blogs, I am completely at a loss for words. I guess it is good for all the family and friends who said,"You should write so I don't have to listen to you go on endlessly," because now they know, to really shut me up takes an award.
 

     I am humbled because blogging has become its own reward:  A hobby- I have something besides reading, to write on forms that ask about hobbies.  A challenge-Every time I feel I have upped my game, I get tossed in at the next level. A source of friendship -You just can't walk up to someone and offer them your hand and say, "Hi, I am Maggie and Jesus loves me even though I am smarter than I act, and I like to deceive myself that I am hiding my filthy mouth and chronic disorganization{laziness} from the REALLY perfect people in my life).  An altar...Sometimes I write something about my relationship with God that I worry will offend, is too personal, or I'm not sure doesn't need correcting.  I leave it there.  For Him to sort out.  None of these things were the point of the exercise.  I started blogging because people kept asking if I had a blog so why don't you use it and stop bothering us about our adoption of Isaiah from China. That being a sort of long process, I was bound to start chattering in the meantime.  At any rate, I had been rattling on over here and totally forgot people did these friendly awards.

 I digress.  Again.

Nothing to say.  Indeed...

The ceremony that comes with this award is not that I shop for a dress that is going to be judged unmercifully, but that I share 7 random things about myself:

1) I really like hot cereal.  Cream of Wheat, Malt-O-Meal, Oatmeal, Rice.  I am not embarrassed, and I think it is silly that grown people make such a huge deal about disliking it.

2) My likeness was the basis for a cover illustration of a children's book Speaking of Snapdragons by Sheila Hayes.  Jon Goodell said he changed my nose.  No, my nostrils are that big.  He made me red headed and freckle faced.  If you can find a copy of the cover art, please let me know. Mine is lost and the INTERNET, can't seem to come up with one.  The Internet, people.  I just don't think it will catch on.

3) I, too, have a lead foot.  I used to have a raspberry red car that went 106 miles per hour everywhere I drove.  My dad was pretty disgusted with me for trading it in for a car that Fred Flintstone could have beaten in a drag race.  Sorry, Dad.  I just knew I was gonna kill myself.

4) I have a freakishly complete memory for the lyrics of 70s pop songs...I might know title and artist, but can sing the words, hit the notes and come in on the right beat.  Mickey is sort of frightened by it.  One of my earliest memories is sitting on the breakfast table and listening to Proud Mary on the radio before Russell Pearson came on with the farm report.

5) I have always wanted a camper or motor home.  My Grandparents had a fifth wheel and my Aunt and Uncle had a motor home when I was little.  It just seems so smart.  And freaking cute.  Life, only little.  I vigorously campaigned for my husband to abandon architecture for golf, and he wouldn't listen.  In my heart I wonder if I didn't really just want a motor coach.  It isn't too late for both of us to live the dream.

6) (Whew...this is getting really tiring, because there is so little about me that isn't totally systematic) I wish I could afford to buy A LOT of really cool jeans.  The good ones.  Not at Kohl's.  At a boutique store. And shoes.  A LOT.  If I had the money, I would probably go to the consignment shop and buy more jeans on which the zipper will not stay up.  That is just how I am.

7) Sometimes I have the 'twin thing' with the girls.  I will think something like, " I'm hungry for tacos." And one of the girls, usually Diva E but sometimes her sister, will come in the room and say something like, "hey look, we have taco seasoning and shells...can I get out some hamburger."  I am not kidding.  That's not even the best example.  I am not certain if this is a good thing or a really "made-for-TV-movie-bad" thing...

The second part of the ceremony is not a colonic* to try to crash the weight off..., but I get to pass the award on to others whose blogs I admire...

Cornbread and Chopsticks
Frugal Tractor Mom
Momma Made It Look Easy
More Kids 4 Me

(This was the hard part.  Who would want an award from little ol' me.  These people are all out of my league.)

Whew.  Thanks again, G.G.

Maggie

*Thank you to Wikipedia for easing the pain of explaining myself.