Hi there, friends and visitors! I am in an exceptionally good mood right now because I have had two very good things happen (no Mom, not published yet, but still good things!) Good Thing #1: I was nominated for the Most Versatile Blogger Award the same week I was having that meltdown you may remember from the post entitled This Blogger’s Prayer. Katie Leigh, young educator and writer with a theological bent, nominated me and I want to thank her (see the link to her blog, below!) The rules to fulfill the nomination are as follows:

1. You must give credit to the person that has nominated you and create a link to their blog in your post, (as I have done below).
2. You must create a list of 15 blogs that you enjoy most and link to those as well. Then you must go and tell them you have nominated them. That means if you do not have 15, you cannot do this step. If you do not complete this step, then you cannot claim this award.
3. Finally, you must create a list of seven things about yourself.

Hot off the Wire at http://thompsonkelly.wordpress.com/ is written by mi compadre of 26 years (wait a minute…good lord–26 YEARS?). Writer, journalist and radio host (among many other things) she blogs poignant essays and fiction with intelligence and wit.

The Greenery at http://aviatrixkim.wordpress.com/Nature, cooking and food, Otis the Cat, travel: intriguing writing and vibrant photography. Aviatrix Kim is truly versatile and has pointed the way to other great blogs.

Lucy’s Football, http://lucysfootball.com This girl makes me laugh so hard! Hyper, irreverent, out of left field and great with words (she does sprinkle in the profanity but it works in the context.)

Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman at http://thepioneerwoman.com I especially love the cooking portion of her blog. She does amazing things educating with food and photography, and is so approachable and entertaining!

Rosie Says at http://rosiesays.com/ Smart, amusing and political, Rosie helps readers think about issues, and then nudges them to funny, random things.

Kathryn Leigh, Still Growing at http://kathrynleighaz.wordpress.com Katie, who I mentioned above, is unabashedly Christian and exploring the righteous life while working toward publication and killing digital  targets on Assassin’s Creed. (Way to go on beating the first installment!)

the wuc at http://thewuc.com/ Dark, funny, and QUITE naughty, the wuc offers a surreal take on work, romance and pop culture.

Kana’s Notebook at http://kanatyler.wordpress.com/ Kana blogs authentic and gritty. She is evidence that smart and amazing women don’t mark success with dollar amounts, but with gratitude for second chances and the love of family and friends.

Kate Hopper, Mother Words at http://www.motherswhowrite.blogspot.com/ Kate is a great writer and an inspiring writing teacher as well as a woman who makes her motherness an intrinsic part of her writing. I took one of her classes last spring and the essay I wrote there was one of the first things I posted on wordtabulous.

Julie Nordine at http://creditriverartglass.blogspot.com/ Julie combines wearable art and craft in the form of lampwork beads and I am a huge fan! Visit her blog to admire her beads, her photography, and her passion! Afterward, you can shop her site on etsy.com.

AG at http://regectedriter.wordpress.com My token male blogger? I didn’t think I was biased, but only one guy out of fifteen choices is telling. This guy is a playwright (it says so on his MFA :p -see the blog) and has witty observations on writing and culture.

So then SHE said at http://dobberpuhlthompson.wordpress.com Okay, this is a cheat. This is a second blog I do with Kelly, a back-and-forth format experiment we are trying. I have long said that my best writing is in the emails I exchange with her and we are trying to work up to that level. Stop in, let us know what you think!

Jane Hall at http://mustardmoon.blogspot.com Jane is one of several occasional shop owners in the Carver, MN area and she finds amazing stuff to use creatively in the home. She is generous about directing visitors to the sites of other dealers and the photography is inspiring and fun!

Lisa Sheppard at http://sheppardgirls.typepad.com/ Lisa “upcycles” new and used decor items and inspires others to create a fun, original and beautiful home. I enjoy looking at what she is up to while ignoring my own neglected domicile. I interviewed Lisa for an article about her home and garden, and while we were talking outside, a bug flew into my ear and settled in. I still have the tape–a full twenty seconds of barely controlled panic and hysteria. I swear I was on the verge of begging her to dig into my ear with tweezers when it flew out. Tiny wingbeats sound like a helicopter when they flutter against your eardrum. Good times.

Amy at http://amysmuddledmusings.blogspot.com/ Amy writes with clarity about the sometimes difficult path of living an authentically Christian life, while keeping a cheerful and encouraging tone. She is a new find for me and I look forward to getting to know her better!

Seven Things About Me

1. I am a recovering overachiever.
2. My teenage sons are my most important work and I still don’t know what the hell I am doing as a parent. I pray daily they won’t need too much therapy once I am done with them, and that they will still call and visit when they no longer need financial support.
3. I wrote a 92,000 word memoir with and about a friend of mine from Rwanda, and would love it if you happened to know an agent and/or publisher who would be interested in looking at it!
4. Fiction (writing and reading) is my escape and anti-psychotic.
5. Exercise endorphins are my anti-depressant.
6. I have had the most interesting string of jobs over the years, starting with my first “real” job, as a tour guide for the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society in De Smet, SD, aka Little Town on the Prairie.
7. I love the movie, “Whip It.”