Cleaning "house" and other cool stuff

I've been meaning to get around to doing this: accepting my very first blog award from one of my "readers"! (Readers ... wow. ... makes me feel so important, saying that.) When I first started this blog, I wondered if I would have even a reader.

I have officially received the ...wait for it ... Honest Scrap Award! Woot! (Better than Honest 'Crap' Award.) And if Heather hadn't told me in her post what I was supposed to do when I received it, I would have no freaking clue! I'm so new to this stuff.

Heather, a "reader" at http://qtberryhead.blogspot.com/ has her own cool blog, "Tact is For People Who Aren't Witty Enough to be Sarcastic." I can see why Heather follows my blog, I think, not just because she's a fellow "Birth Nerd," but because she sounds as sarcastic as I am. I also think she's the bees knees because she was probably one of the first to regularly visit and leave comments, which made me feel so loved! So read! So ... on the map! Thank you, Heather, for making me feel like I knew what I was doing!

As a result, I'm supposed to reveal seven things about myself that I haven't already blabbed about on my blog. That sounds pretty difficult, since I tend to be long-winded and talk incessantly. Some of which I wondered, if I really revealed to you, would make my readers instantly unsubscribe and run. I've decided to take my chances.

*sigh* Let's see. Seven things? That's a lot.

1. I am a registered Republican. (figured if I was going to piss off readers, might as well get it out of the way right off the bat)
2. I have never smoked anything, or been drunk, ever. (told ya I was boring - which might explain the Republican thing)
3. I have an unnatural fear of horseshoe crabs.
4. If I had the money to blow, I would buy a trumpet. (har har - no pun intended!)
5. I do not recycle and probably never will (at least not in the conventional sense, anyway).
6. I taught myself how to type when I was ten. (See? Aren't I exciting?)
7. I have four blogs total (although one is for close friends and family only).

And now for the last part of Heather's challenge: I must nominate other bloggers.

1. First and foremost - like she needs it - is At Your Cervix , probably one of the best blogs I've read that talks about birth (and other things) from a nurse's perspective. And if I were delivering a baby, I'd want her to be my nurse. Not only that, but there has been more traffic directed from her site than I can possibly imagine, and I can't thank her enough. Since you're all coming from there anyway ... you can probably find your way back. LOL

2. Next up: The Unnecesarean . Jill and company have basically coined the phrase, and unfortunately, so many of us can relate. Here are our stories, our heartaches, our triumphs. Through this site, millions of women are reached and can now probably put a finger on the 'missing link' that was their cesarean birth experience, as well as connect with other women who have, too.

3. A new blog (to me) that I found not that long ago: Whoz Your Doula . Just looking at her picture makes me think, 'If I were pregnant, I would love to have this lady attending my birth!' In my experience, having a doula was awesome, and I recommend it to everyone who is pregnant. Plus, you can follow Whoz Your Doula Birth Services on FaceBook.

As far as cleaning "house" goes, I have been meaning to change that stupid header for the longest time. Enter my pseudo graphic design skills. I do volunteer my self-taught (I use that word lightly) talents for my son's school, and my current project is a fun poster for the upcoming seventh grade production of Charlotte's Web. Ooohh. But at least it's one of my favorite stories.

In addition to the new and improved header (that's only half-done), I am considering changing the background to black and going to a three-column format. I have this idea in my head that I could design banners and such for the entire third column, free to pass on and easy to see right when you log on. Sort of like a public service announcement. LOL I'm such a nerd. I did "design" the "Once a cesarean is not always a cesarean" button on the left, in case anyone's wondering, and still need to add attribution for the poor chap whose photo I used. I have some other fun ideas I'd like to pass along, as soon as I get time...