Time For Somebody(s) To Collect

Remember a little while back when I ran that Pay It Forward post? Well I have completed the goodies. Three very lovely ladies Shelly, Marlee and Frigga will become the proud force owners of these lovely scarves I made just for them (modeled by the very lovely Bear):

However, before we commence with the mailing of the goodies I need them to email me their addresses AND make sure they posted their own Pay It Foward Post. I searched and searched, but was unable to find Shelly’s or Frigga’s so they will have to show me where they are? Marlee was a very quick study and posted way back on December 12th, but alas no one signed up?!?!?! What is up with that?

 

Inspiration 2007

I was quite surprised to find that Jos bestowed upon me the following award:

for my Wordless Wednesday efforts. So far I have been able to post only my own pictures for WW and share a bit of myself and stretch my creative juices.

In return, I would like to award this accolade to a couple of people who’s blogging efforts inspired me in 2007, my first year of blogging.

Mrs. Eaves at Camera Shy: She posts pictures every single day and they inspire me tremendously. If I could take one picture a week as well as she does every day, I would feel graced.

I would also award AT at AtomicTumor but I know he would never accept it, lol. But without his inspirational efforts I wouldn’t have had the guts to start my own.

Mishelle at SecretAgentMomma. She really inspires me with her self portraits. I keep working at it and someday if I get one half as nice, I will post it.

Sumgirl inspires me with her wit, humor and the loving, insightful and caring way she deals with her son Bubba’s differences. I can only hope I am able to address Ladybug’s newly found difficulties with the same amount of balance and intelligence.

WackyMommy‘s efforts to change her world; her activism, fearless outspokenness, and efforts to make her childrens’ world a better place make me want to stand up and fight in all the right ways. She is also funny and witty.

Mallory‘s struggles to do what is best for her family and still be the best daughter/caretaker in the world are inspiring. She succeeds so well as a mom and a daughter, it makes me proud she deems me worthy of her friendship.

Every single person on my blogroll to the right inspired me. Some of them already have the award, but I want you each to know: To get on the list you had to have inspired me and I appreciate each and every one of you. Without all you, I wouldn’t still be here.

Here’s to an inspirational and rewarding 2008.

 

Some Lovely Picture People

I have created a list of inspirational Wordless Wednesday participants up above under More Links. Check them out!

 

Merry Christmas To Me

The battle extraordinaire between me and Jenn is heating up. She still has the lead and she has more internet friends than I, so I need all your votes. Head on over to Frigga‘s and VOTE FOR ME HERE

Love to All

Thursday Thirteen below.

 

Moved To The Top – You Can Win Something People

Wordless Wednesday Just Below.

(Edited: I am moving this to the top, because I need a third winner AND no one answered my questions!!!)

I have a question for you my adorable internettys with vast and varied knowledge. As mentioned on my last TT, I am not sleeping well. Part of it is stress and a large part of it is the goshawful mattress that I have. But I am not sure that the pain that keeps me awake is just the durned ol’ mattress. I have always had some problems with my back. I have mild scoliosis and every few years my back just goes kaput. Lately I have added some kind of severe hip pain to the mix also.

 

It Is A Roller Coaster Throw Down

Can you believe this…..????

She is killing me and yet, she challenges her bazillions of readers to beat my three…. oh wait. That will work.

I love you Jenn.

Poor Frigga getting all this link love over a roller coaster. If any of you three lovelies (yes, I called you lovely!) hasn’t voted for me, well go now and go quickly. Send friends.

 

Feeling the Season (OH AND GO VOTE FOR ME)

I am sitting here, listening to Christmas music on the surround sound, gazing at my lovely tree (now we have tinsel, thanks Bear and MacD!!!) The snowman on the fireplace has been replaced by a baby doll and its bottle, there is a purple crayon in the middle of my heirloom creche and one of the sheep has made its way to the pantry. It doesn’t get any better than this. Here is a gratuitous artsy fartsy tree pic:

Everyone head on over to my 365 Project for a few more pics from tonight (and previous dates that you all forgot to go visit…I know you don’t always comment, but I have seen the stats you are not visiting!!!).

Now for the really important stuff….Head on over to Frigga’s and VOTE FOR ME because I am all competitive like that and Sandy Carlson from Writing In Faith is tied with me. Now I love Sandy and her writing, but seriously you all can’t tell me that a “buttered ear of gourd with a nice flatulent slice of watermelon and a big bottle of cold pinot noir” is not 100% tastier than a “buttered ear of banana with a nice over-ripe slice of watermelon and a big bottle of cold soda”. Don’t deny your taste buds, go vote. I am number 12, in case you were wondering. Come on…I have Klingons.

 

Making Me Think

I haven’t been feeling right. I have never “felt” this way before, so I am not sure what it is that I am feeling. I started joking that maybe I have PTSD. Then (while I should be working) I found this:

In general, post-traumatic stress disorder can be seen as an overwhelming of the body’s normal psychological defenses against stress. Thus, after the trauma, there is abnormal function (dysfunction) of the normal defense systems, which results in certain symptoms. The symptoms are produced in three different ways:

1. Re-experiencing the trauma
2. Persistent avoidance
3. Increased arousal

First, symptoms can be produced by re-experiencing the trauma, whereby the individual can have distressing recollections of the trauma. For example, the person may relive the experience as terrible dreams or nightmares or as daytime flashbacks of the event. Furthermore, external cues in the environment may remind the patient of the event. As a result, the psychological distress of the exposure to trauma is reactivated (brought back) by internal thoughts, memories, and even fantasies. Persons also can experience physical reactions to stress, such as sweating and rapid heart rate. (These reactions are similar to the “fight or flight” responses to emergencies described by Dr. Walter Cannon.) The patient’s posttraumatic symptoms can be identical to those symptoms experienced when the actual trauma was occurring.

The second way that symptoms are produced is by persistent avoidance. The avoidance refers to the person’s efforts to avoid trauma-related thoughts or feelings and activities or situations that may trigger memories of the trauma. This so-called psychogenic (emotionally caused) amnesia (loss of memory) for the event can lead to a variety of reactions. For example, the patient may develop a diminished interest in activities that used to give pleasure, detachment from other people, restricted range of feelings, and a sad affect that leads to the view that the future will be shortened.

The third way that symptoms are produced is by an increased state of arousal of the affected person. These arousal symptoms include sleep disturbances, irritability, outbursts of anger, difficulty concentrating, increased vigilance, and an exaggerated startle response when shocked.

If there was a test for this I am pretty sure I would get an A+ (I always was good at tests). Now I wonder where I go from here? I have so many funny/annoying stories to tell you still, but whenever I sit down I am compelled to get up, run off, and do something else. This is good for the laundry which has now all been washed, even the clean stuff was washed again. Just in case. I am not a laundry person. I bet last month I did one-maybe two loads the entire month. Mr. Vixen usually does it. Maybe its not PTSD, but obsessive-compulsive laundry disorder?

Don’t leave me, my internetty peeps. I am boring as hell right now, but I got the stories and pictures brewing inside my head. I just have to figure out how to set them free.

 

Random Kindness – The Best Kind

Wow, I was over visiting Hootin-Anni and I found I was the recipient of this lovely gem:

 

Each day up until Halloween [October 31st]
I will be handing out
a treat for 1 – 5[one to five] bloggers who drop by
during the week for visiting.
You’re more than welcomed to pass it along
to ones you think are deserving of a special treat
for the season.
Kinda like “Pay it Forward”
Y’know, one goodwill gesture deserves another?
But DON’T just choose your friends
making this cliquish and ‘just groupies’…
Make NEW friends by choosing random visitors!!!
– – Yes – –
Make it RANDOM!!

 

If you do decide to share it with others
then, USE THIS “TREAT” IMAGE and
link it back to my blog and
explain where the idea originated.
Click on the image to expand and then save for displaying on your blog if you choose.

Now isn’t that a nifty, nifty thing?! I love Halloween and all the surprise treats. Since she hooked me up with this sweet treat, its only fair I pay it forward. I have entered into the tombs of comments (its so dark in there) and yanked out three random ones. I guess this will certainly be a way to repay them the kindness of their comment and possibly make new freinds! So I am sending out this treat to:

Cindi at Whisperings From The Wind

Imma (Alice) over at I Was Born2Cree8

Glennia at The Silent I

Robin at Around The Island

 

 

 

The Thursday Three (on Tuesday)

Shelly, at This Eclectic Life, tagged me with a meme a bit ago and I said I like a challenge. I then simply ran out of time and energy (probably due to all the walking to the barn I have to do.)

She asked us to “pick three things that enrapture, consume, fascinate, or otherwise enliven you more than blogging. Then write a few lines about each to explain what the nonblog activity does for you, why and how.”

The rules:

• 1. After your intro, copy/paste this line and the rules below it: The originator wants to see how far it goes so please keep his link intact: http://rileycentral.net
• 2. Encourage people to post with the incentive of a link by including those who have passed it along here: (Your link here and so on . . .)
• 3. Visit at least 3 on the list who’ve written and passed this meme. Leave them a comment.
  

Here we go:

• My favorite thing is time with my family. Whether its hanging out with my husband or the kids. We love to hang out. Just sitting around talking, challenging each other and sharing life. Sometimes we chase the little ones around, take pictures of them on the trampoline or sliding or playing tag. Sometimes we just sit to visit. Other times there are fun games of horseshoes or badminton. There is always laughter and dinner, because we are a funny bunch who are always hungry. I cherish those times. They do so much to keep me sane.
• I love reading. It feeds my mind. As a kid packing for vacation meant did I have enough brown grocery bags full of books? I still went out and fished, hiked, and swam. But a tremendous amount of time was spent reading books. I don’t have has much time to read anymore. But when I delve into a book, good luck to any who try to get me out until I am done with it.
• Being crafty or creative. I admit I can be very attention deficit about crafts, unless they are short term projects. I can’t tell you how many things I have going that are “about halfway”. But crocheting, taking pictures, sewing and anything involving a glue gun really wraps up my mind and makes it sing like a bird. I rarely keep anything for myself (except the pictures which I love to look through again and again), I love the idea that I invested love and imagination in something and that someone else will have it to remind them that I am thinking about them.

Like Shelly, I’m not tagging a ton of people. I’ll tag three and let it be.

 

Mallory, can you fit it in with moving?

How about you, Marlee?

And, Mimi?