We are like the worst debutantes ever: ready to party, but sorely lacking in the finer skills of RSVP’ing and thank you note writing. We must have been sleeping off hangovers on the mornings they were covered. (Farrah at The Three Under can explain all about it: the manners and procrastination, not the hangovers.)

Anyway, three of our favorite bloggers thought enough of us to nominate us for the bloggy awards floating around in our cotillion circuit of the blogosphere. And we are just pleased as punch that they did. (We apparently did not miss the class on charming southern colloquial phrases.)

Now, the dazzle of our tiaras does not blind us to the fact that these awards might have a touch o’ the chain letter shine about them. But that is okay because we thought it would be fun to play along. What we did NOT do is worry about whether or not the people we are nominating had been nominated before or if they are too big time for this sort of thing. We just picked whom we liked. Life’s too short and there are too many mint  juleps to be sipped.

So with that in mind, nominees, play along if you wish, or not, but know that we think you are the bee’s knees. (We may have just muddled our debutante analogy with a line from The Andy Griffith Show, but don’t worry your pretty little heads about it.)

The First Award

This one was presented to us by Zannah at Write, Rinse, Repeat. This is why we love this gal: the “K” and lack of “e” in “Kreativ” makes her twitchy, too. But besides admiring her exuberance for proper grammar and spelling, we admire her writing because she has depth and range. She can take you to the mountaintop and back down to the Port-a-Pot. In a phrase, her writing is worth your time. Go check this funny lady out.

So here is the drill:

THE RULES:
1.  Thank and link back to the awarding blog.
2.  Answer seven questions.
3.  Provide 10 random factoids about yourself.
4.  Hand the award on to 7 deserving others.

We are going to take the team approach to this one. Answers represent an Ellen and Erin consensus. (And yes, that might have taken some haggling on a few of these. Shut up.)

#1. What is your favorite song?

Troublemaker by Weezer is the anthem for our combined family camping trips known as Big Love. Curious? Just click the link. It’ll make you feel good.

#2. What’s your favorite dessert?

Anything that Ellen makes or Erin’s Chocolate Chip Cookies.

#3. What do you do when you are upset?

Call each other and then blog about it. Duh.

#4. Which is your favorite pet?

Ellen’s cat, Sparkle. Erin doesn’t even realize when her cat has been replaced by an imposter.

#5. Which do you prefer, White or Whole Wheat?

Whole Wheat because Ellen is giving up Cheez-its.  Wait, this was supposed to be a consensus. Ellen wants it known that there are Whole Grain Cheez-its. So back off.

#6. What is your biggest fear?

Erin: Breaking the blog.

Ellen: You should be afraid because it would make it a little awkward for our friends.

#7. What is your attitude mostly?

Erin is a Pollyana and Ellen is a Realist. Trust us, it works.

10 Random Factoids

We are going to split these. You’re welcome.

 Erin

1.  About 90% of the time, when I meet someone new, they say that they already know me or that I remind them of someone they know. I have no idea what this says about me, but it really does happen a ridiculous amount of the time.

2.  I am extremely competitive in games (I broke my leg in seventh grade playing TV tag. I jumped over a bush to get away from the boy who almost tagged me),but not in life. Keeping up with the Joneses does not matter to me a lick.

3.  I once signed a note to my husband, Steve, “Love, E” and he has called me Elvis as a term of endearment ever since.

4. My two childhood best friends Katie and Mary and I used to climb out of my bedroom window, run across the roof, and jump on to the top of our Winnebago—on a regular basis. It makes me happy to think that Mary’s brother Larry now lives in that house and that we might someday be able to do it once again for old times’ sake.

5. I convinced my dad to write “Happy Birthday, Ernestine Green Bean” on my 13th birthday cake. As a parent now, I can only admire his resolve to not utter one word about it.

Ellen

6. I never flew on a plane until I was an adult, albeit barely. My first flight was 9 hours long to Rome when I was 18 years old.

7. I have ziplined in three different countries. And before you ask, they are Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Mexico.

8. Two years ago, I lost my passport and my husband’s. In our house. I put them “away” while I had 102°F fever. I was supposed to be putting them away in the safe. I found them a year later in the birthday candle box. (What is the most disturbing part here? That I was cleaning while deathly ill or that we have a birthday candle box?)

9. I have never mountain climbed, but I love to climb to the top of things: lighthouses, monuments, cathedrals. Six months after I healed from ankle surgery, we specifically traveled to Mexico so I could climb the Coba pyramid.

10.  My husband and I took our girls on a cruise soon after the Italian Costa Concordia cruise ship sank and one week before the 100th year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Apparently, we are not superstitious.

Ellen: I just realized these were all travel related. Weird.

Erin: You do like things tidied up by a theme.

We’re passing the scepter!

Here are 7 well-heeled bloggers we would invite to our ball anytime! (Yes, Ellen is bringing it back to the debutante theme. See above.)

1. Honest Mom

2. Scribblesaurus Me

3. Shiftless Mommie

4. The Journey

5. Actual Times May Vary

6. The Reedster Speaks

7. Werdyab

Hollow Tree Ventures gets honorable mention because ERMAHGERD, we procrastinated so long that others filled her dance card and she already wrote her acceptance post.

 

The Second (and Final) Award

This bit of internet wunderbar was bestowed upon us by not one, but TWO of our favorite bloggers: Angela Shelton and Mama Mzungu.

• Angela Shelton is a phenomenal person and writer. She is such a great writer that she really describes herself best:

“I am a screenwriter, actor, author, public speaker, superhero for little kids aka Safe Side Superchick – and children’s book author. My mission is to inspire you to live a joyful life no matter what you’ve been through (and we all have a story).”

See what we mean? This funny lady will make your heart and soul feel good.

• Kim at Mama Mazungu is a fascinating woman and writer. She is an expat living  in Western Kenya with her husband and children. They work for an organization that does research on development interventions – those programs that intend to make peoples lives better – to see how well they are doing that.  She is insightful, entertaining, and a pleasure to read.

 

Rules for Accepting the Very Inspirational Blogger Award

I. Share seven things about myself.

II. Pass the award on to 15 other bloggers

Since there are two of us, We (read Ellen) decided to have a theme to each thing revealed.

1. Home Improvement

Erin: I have a raised three inch scar on my left hand from installing a toilet in Mexico—something a little outside of my skill set.

Ellen: My husband once gave me a sapphire bracelet and a miter saw for Christmas. I brim with delight when repair technicians and contractors walk past me to go talk to my husband, only to be sent back to me.

2. B.S. (Before SAHM-hood)

Erin: I became a special ed teacher, because a boy I loved used to write me the sweetest love letters with terrible spelling and grammar. Until then, I had never realized what a gift it was that reading and writing came easily to me.

Ellen: I became a doctor because I was good at science, hated working in a lab, and wanted a secure future.

3. Freaky Date Coincidences

Erin: My husband’s dad and my dad went to the same college, graduated the same year, were both in ROTC, and their pictures are beside each other in their college yearbook—spooky!

Ellen: My husband and I were born two days apart (I’m the older woman) and both of our mothers are named Nancy and they are both born in May.

4. Swimming

Erin: I was a synchronized swimmer with my sister.

Ellen: We’re ALL waiting to see actual photos of the synchronized swimming. In contrast, I was not put into swim lessons until I was 10 years old. Mildly humiliating being in there with the 5 year olds. Remember the Cartman swim lesson episode from South Park? Yeah, like that.

5. Brushes with Fame

Erin:I have a girl-crush on Tina Fey, and a boy-crush on Paul Rudd. When I went to the New Yorker Festival a couple of years ago, I sat beside Paul Rudd’s wife during his event. She was so nice and normal and so much like me that I am even further convinced that if he had met me first, he would have picked me.

Ellen: 1) Ben Stein was seated at the table next to us at the Roof Terrace Restaurant in the Kennedy Center. 2) Last year, my daughters and I were inadvertently swept into the middle of the Transformers premiere in Times Square. We were spitting distance from Shia LaBeouf. We did not spit. 3) I met the Cake Boss.

6. Reading Lists

Erin: I once convinced five people to read Tolstoy’s War and Peace, and then didn’t read it. Sorry, guys!! It’s on my list to do this year.

Ellen: I was not one of those people. Don’t get me wrong, Erin has snookered me, but this would be far too horizon expanding and beneficial for me to fall for it.

7. A Side of Cheese With That Concert?

Erin: My most embarrassing concert was Michael Bolton. It was a surprisingly good concert for such a cheeseball,

Ellen: Milli Vanilli. Wikipedia describes them as a pop and dance project. Nuff said. (This might be the first time I have ever referenced Wikipedia.)

15 Bloggers Receiving Our Custom Engraved and Monogrammed Invitations

This Weblog is Unique. Just Like They All Are

The Dose of Reality

Dude of the House

Kvetch Mom

Sperk*

Mannahatta Mamma

Joe of Kellie’s World

Fancy Feet

The Journey

Writing, Wishing

The Momalog

The Good Life

Chicken Noodle Gravy

Not Wifezilla

Writing in the Margins, Bursting at the Seams

So, we ran out of engraved invitations and there are so many more blogs we love. But we feel like we need to mention five more, because whether they know it or not, they have been our dance instructors for this Ball of Blogging: Ninja Mom, Let Me Start By Saying, Divine Secrets of a Domestic Diva, The Bearded Iris, and Yeah Write Me.

 If you stuck this post out to the end, well bless your heart, you deserve a tiara. Better yet, here’s a drink on us. And it’s not one of those nasty mint juleps either. That’s how much we like you; we’re dropping the theme like a hound dog fetching a rattle snake. (We know, Ellen couldn’t let it go.)