ABC's, A New Award and a Special Guest Post

This wonderful award was bestowed upon me by Vinnie at As Vinnie C's It

I love this award.  Who am I kidding I love all awards.  But this one is especially cool because as Vinnie succinctly puts it, "This award goes to bloggers who hold a mirror up to society and its members who may have somewhat gone astray and often smash them over the head with it provide insight as to how those situations should be properly handled" But I'll get around to bequeathing it in a bit.  

First, I want to recognize that Thanksgiving is here!!!  Watching the Today show this morning from 7am to 9am, every time they would mention the words "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" I would squeeze darling husbands hand and shake it rapidly with excitement.  After about the 20th (or so) time, he says to me "Honestly honey, you are the only person I know who feigns orgasm for the Macy's Parade".  Yes, it's true I get that excited about it.  Cut to me rolling my eyes at my silly self.  

To finish out my ABC's of thankfulness, because it is designed to culminate and coincide with thanksgiving I give you my final 3 letters of thankfulness.  

X- X rated.  That's right.  You read correctly.  I'm thankful for the x-rated part of my relationship with Darling Husband.  Don't judge - X is a hard letter.  

Y - Young at Heart.  I'm thankful for the ability to be young on the inside regardless of my chronological age.  

Z - Zaniness.  What's life without a little crazy?  

Okay, now for those awards given out and my special guest poster....

In the spirit in which this award is intended, 

I award this to The Empress over at The Ranter's Box

Also to, Bouncin' Barb from This n That as I Bounce Through Life

Um....To Micael Chadwick at The Journey

To Kara with visions unto myself

And finally.....To Mrs Hyde (who incidentally is also my guest poster today!!!) over at A Bitch Called Mom  she also has another blog called The Well Fed Spirit . The two couldn't be more different but I'm a huge fan of both.  She's witty, amazing and endlessly entertaining with her insights and observations.  

Without further ado, I present to you her post at my request.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when I first read it!!!    

It's difficult to know what to write when called upon to guest blog for someone. Several things need to be taken into consideration. You have to consider what type of readers their blog has. Are they the sensitive, religious sort or are they heavy drinking party people? Or somewhere in between? What does one write as a guest blog post, anyway? I know what I write on A Bitch Called Mom, but is it appropriate for Can U Relate? Will Semi True Torystellar's readers like me or will they pelt me with stones for not being as wonderful and witty as she? Will they identify with what I have to say or will they shake their heads and wonder why I've wasted three minutes of their lives?

Fuck it. I gotta be me. If you don't like it, don't complain to me. This ain't my blog.

In keeping with the basic format of my own blog, I shall do what I do best: bitch. Not only will I bitch, but I will bitch about one of my favorite subjects. Drum roll, please...dumbasses. 

Have you noticed lately that people appear to be getting dumber? With all this wonderful technology, with more people attending college, with slavery being abolished over 200 years ago, with women having had the right to vote since 1920, you would think that we would be rising. As a nation, as a society, as a whole. Instead we're falling. Then we get back up and fall again. Okay, so slavery and women's rights have little to do with this particular bitchfest, but roll with it.

Take texting for instance. Calm the fuck down, I'm not about to bash texting. I, for one, don't like to have actual contact with people if at all possible. I love texting because that way people don't keep me occupied for hours with their annoying ass problems. If I could text sex in, my husband would get it way more often than he does now. Actually, if I took my cues from teenage girls, I guess I could text in sex. But I have a headache, so maybe tomorrow.

I get that it is easier and faster to type 

idk y ur getn on my fukn nervs stop plz b4 i prk my fut up ur ass

rather than 

I don't know why you're getting on my fucking nerves. Stop please, before I park my foot up your ass.

It's succinct, streamlined, expeditious. I appreciate quick answers because I have too much shit to do and not nearly enough time to do it. Gt 2 the fukn pt alredy. 

This is what I've been seeing a lot on Facebook lately: 

I Aint Gon ' Lieee , Yuh Lorr Butt Beh Loud As Ah Motha - Eff ' Err

And 

Gettinqq Hair Donee Todayy . Permm Is Callinnqq My Name Wooohhh Childdd , Lmboooo ! Noww I Gottaa Waitt For My Movah Too Cum Home ! Listen To Nicki Nd Customizinq Piksss ! Hmu !

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the whole point of the texting/IMing thing was that you could type in less letters and still have people understand what you're trying to say. As you can see from my examples above, and hell no I did not make them up, we're apparently now supposed to use text misspellings with additional letters added at the end. WTBFF? 

I don't understand why, if you have the inclination to type in additional letters, can't you just type in the correct spelling of the original word? Why does it seem like people are using texting as an excuse to be stupid?

If you're a poor, stupid shlub who can't spell, that's fine. We laugh at you behind your back, but we understand. Anyone who's ever had a brain fart and forgotten how to spell a simple word like "been" or "is" or something like that understands. If you're stuck in forever text mode and have a tendency to use text language in your emails to your boss, that's fine. You may not have a job for long, but we get it. But if you're an unpleasant combination of the two who also writessss innnn snakeeeee languageeee, I have a fucking problem. And if I have a problem, other people have to listen to me bitch about it.

Please do the world a favor and save it from my bitching. I think that's something we could all be thankful for.

To review, let's see what we've learned today:

1. stupid people chap my ass

2. I'm a bitch

3. I don't give a fuck who doesn't like it

Amen.

P.S. Please like me. I need friends.

Powder, Props, and Prayers

I see of a lot of bloggers posting about Thanksgiving and their memories of Thanksgiving plans.  I’ve been doing so for pretty much the whole month so far.  I’ve mentioned what Thanksgiving present will be and reminisced about cooking my first turkey.  My childhood thanksgivings were different, I think, from most people’s.  

Leave it to my mom to turn Thanksgiving Day into a cocktail party.  Seriously.  She would invite 20 or so of their closest friends who they didn’t really know very well over and everyone would get wrecked.  My dad (husband #3 who adopted me) would bake pecan pies and mom would have turkey and other stuff catered.  One year she even paid to have a bartender work her Thanksgiving Day shindig.  

Anyway, so Thanksgiving for me was never the whole gathered around the family sort of thing that you see on tv and what most people do.  It was plenty entertaining though.  Funny, I was always much more entertained by other people’s behavior when drunk than my mother’s.  I always just stayed hidden and watched the goings on.  

Have I mentioned that I grew up in the 70s?  Surely I did.  Looking back I’m prone to thinking that the 70s were just practice for all the excesses of the 80s.  And it was at one of these Thanksgiving blow outs where I had my first encounter with an illegal substance.  One of mother’s guests had wandered into ‘my’ bathroom (it was the one nearest my bedroom) because they were in need of some privacy.  The rest of this will be told from my perspective as a 7 year old.  So I see them stumble in there (I was hiding and spying, remember) and then someone called their name.  So they stumbled back to the party leaving a sizable pile of white powder on the vanity.  It was nearly the size of one of the decorative soaps shaped like a rose.  I thought it was incredibly rude for them to make such a mess and knowing how mother was about messes I brushed it off into my hand and flushed it away.  I washed my hands when it was done and went back to my room.  The person did come back and made a bit of commotion about losing their coke.  I knew what Coke was and I was sure that I hadn’t seen any of that so I paid no more attention.  When I think about it now, I’m extremely thankful no one thought to come looking for me because I might not have made it out of that one alive.  I figure that was a LOT of cocaine to have flushed away.  Ooops!!!  In all honesty, at 7, I had no idea.

Okay, moving onto the Props!!!  I have the most awesome book tote.  Sent to me by Steph at it's never too late to save a hopeless case.  It is beautiful n’est pas?  She makes these and so many other things by hand.  You’ve got to check out her website - http://www.rule42custom.com

One last thing and I will get caught up with my ABC’s.  If you pray or offer up entreaties to the Universe or any other higher power, I would ask that you hold Steph from its never too late to save a hopeless case and her family close in your hearts and send up prayers for peace and healing.  I’m not going to get into what is going on because that is her business to share or not.  But prayers are always welcome.  The higher power, however you acknowledge it, is all knowing and all powerful and is well aware of the details that we don’t have.  

ABC’s where did I leave off?  

T - Trust.  I’m thankful that I have the trust of those around me and that I can trust not only those closest to me but God as well.  

U - Uniqueness.  I am thankful that we are all not the same.  It is not only how we are similar but our differences that help us complete the lives of others.  

V- Vodka. I have been waiting all month for this one.  I knew that I was thankful for this before I even started listing them.  

W - Widsom and Wishful thinking.  I know, I’m cheating but its a toss up for me because they sort of go hand in hand.  Having wisdom is important but it is also important to be able to suspend disbelief and engage in some wishful thinking.  

Really? It Can't Wait One More Week?

I may have mentioned in my earlier Thanksgiving post that I would likely have a rant about how my favorite holiday is getting squeezed out by high retail driving holidays Halloween and Christmas.  I actually thought I was going to make it all the way through the Thanksgiving holiday this year without a rant.  I was sooooo close.  But then it happened.  

I was in bed this morning all a’snooze when my alarm clock went off.  I hate to wake to a buzz or beeping so I set my alarm go turn the radio on.  What is the first thing that I hear this morning?  The Little Drummer Boy.  I went from zero to craptastic in 2.3 seconds.  It started of low and then started to grow...(shamelessly stolen from Dr. Suess) “no, No, NO, NO, NO!” I wailed,  as I swung my palm around, batting at my alarm clock wildly, trying to make the Christmas music stop.  

Please do understand that I have nothing against Christmas music, in its proper time and place.  I don’t want to hear it in March, I don’t want to hear it in July and I certainly don’t want to hear it warbling out of my alarm clock the week before Thanksgiving.  Seriously, people, you only have to wait one more week.  Would it have been that hard?  Yes, I know that Christmas is a retail driver....BUT and that’s a big but, could the program directors at the radio stations not at least have the decency to wait and allow us the opportunity, as a culture, to give thanks for our many blessings that will allow us to go forth into our favorite retailers starting next Friday spending money and running up our personal debt with the abandon of a junkie in a DEA evidence locker. 

*Deep breath* Rant over.  My solution to being bombarded with Christmas music before I am ready?  Pandora and iTunes radio.  As well as my iTunes library.  All the music I like, all the time.  I’ll start listening to some Christmas music about mid-December because that is all the tolerance I have for it.  

Okay, so I’m also late on my ABC’s of thankfulness.  So let’s get caught up.  Last time was Nov. 15 and we got through O.

P - Play time.  I am thankful that in my life I can make time for playing.  I play with my kids, I play on my computer, I play with Darling Husband.  I was going to tell you to get your minds out of the gutters, but we do that too.  *blush*

Q - Quiche.  I love quiche.  It’s eggs and cheese and other really yummy stuff in a pie shell?  Does it get any better?  I think not.  I may have to make one this weekend. 

R - Roof.  I am so thankful to have a roof over my head, epecially when I know that so many don’t.  This goes sort of hand in hand with my next one. 

S - Safety.  I and extremely thankful that because we have a roof over our heads I don’t have to worry about my children’s safety at night because I know they are all snuggled safely in their beds. 

How do you feel about Christmas music pre-Thanksgiving?

Shiny Turkey

You know those oven roasting bags?  Reynolds makes them, I think.  They come in different sizes including a turkey size.  And for whatever reason they come two to a bag.  Guess what I have left over?  That’s right, I’ve found an unused turkey bag from the first year that I tried to make Thanksgiving dinner.  

The year was 1991 and I was living in an apartment with a roommate.  We had a group of friends  and we all hung out together.  Some of us worked together but we all lived in the same apartment complex and we were all the same age, roughly.  We very rarely knocked on each other’s doors and you could always find a group of us in one apartment or another.  We were like Friends before the series really took off.  For some reason our apartment was a favorite.  It was like everyone’s buzz den.  Which was fine with us.  Mostly no one left the place in a mess.  We just gathered there and ate and smoked pot and drank.  Sometimes people crashed on our couch and that was okay too.  I’m not sure if I was just young enough to not care or if we had a really great group.  

This particular year the week before Thanksgiving one of the guys who lived upstairs won a frozen turkey from work.  This happened to work out perfectly because  we were sitting around bemoaning having to attend our various families’ upcoming functions.  He was wondering what the hell he was going to do with a turkey he couldn’t cook and we decided to do our own Thanksgiving.  I was nominated to cook and my roommate was going to make homemade bread.    We would all put in money toward the groceries and hang our on Thanksgiving together and have our own celebration.  The best laid plans of mice and men....

So around 10am we start gathering.  We watch the Macy’s parade and eat powered sugar donuts while consuming irish coffee.  We were also hitting the Papa Bear bong (no seriously, it was the cutest damn thing...you put the bowl in it’s belly button, it had a carb in the back and you smoked out of its head).  By the time the parade was over we were feeling righteous.  

Armed with the recipe that my mother gave me and an oven roasting bag I prepped the turkey and stuffed it in the bag.  Into the oven it went.  My roommate made a beautiful loaf of hommade bread and when she went to bake it she opened the oven door and said (I will not forget it to this day.....) “Wow, that turkey sure is SHINY”.  My response was a shrug and something along the lines of how its supposed to be shiny because it’s juicy.  Then the following conversation ensued: 

Her “I thought you put the turkey in a bag.” 

Me  “I did put the turkey in a bag.”  

Her“Okay, but there’s no bag”

Me “Of course there is.  It didn’t just disappear.  You helped me put the turkey in the bag.”

Her “No, really....come look.”

Friends and neighbors, have you ever wondered why the instruction to add two tablespoons of flour and use it to coat the inside of the baking bag is there?  If so, let me clear that up for you.  It is to prevent the plastic bag from melting to your bird.  I completely missed it and failed to do so.  Inside my oven was the most beautiful, shiny turkey you’ve ever seen.  Think laminated.  

Obviously we couldn’t eat it that way.  We did have some yummy sides and homemade bread but the turkey was a bust.  We all had a good laugh about it and strangely enough no one asked me to cook again. 

So with that story told, it has prompted me to create my own blog award.  I’m creating the Shiny Turkey Blog Award.

 Initially I thought that this award would have to go with a story of CWI (cooking while intoxicated) but then I realized that not everyone drank....or cooked, much less at the same time.  So, instead, when accepting this award you share with us a funny story that involves any of these elements “food, intoxication, kitchen, cooking/baking, or holidays”.  And pass it on to 3-5 other deserving bloggers that you want to hear more from.  

Not trying to overthink my importance to the blogging community but I did think it would be fun.  So without further ado,  my award recipients are.....

StephGas at it's never too late to save a hopeless case because I know she cooks and drinks, although I think she may not do them at the same time.  

SSW at The Anonymous Perils of a Single Southern Woman because I bet she has a good story

Mynx at Dribble because I love the awards she's thinking of creating and wouldn't dream of stealing her thunder.  

and finally.....

Sam at Rot du Jour just because I want to hear her story too.  I bet she's got one. 

And so as not to be remiss my ABC's of thankfulness - 

K - Kisses.  I am thankful for slow, passionate kissed from Darling Husband and sweet kisses from my kids and kisses from friends that I haven't seen in a while and those that I see all the time.  I love kisses.  

L - Love.  I'm thankful for love.  The love that I receive from others and the love that flows through me to send out.  I'm thankful that I'm learning, finally, that I am both worthy to receive and capable of giving love.  

M - Money.  I am thankful that we have the money we need to take care of our family.  We don't have any extra most of the time but we do have what we need.  

N - Nature.  I'm thankful for the colored trees and the beauty that surrounds us.  It reminds me that God cares for us that much.  If he didn't he wouldn't bother with the technicolors of life.  

O - Open heart.  I am thankful that I have an open heart to feel and express emotions readily and to give and receive Love.  

On Living an Authentic Life

“We all have a face that we hide away forever and we take them out and show ourselves when everyone has gone.  Some are satin, some are steel, some are silk and some are leather.....” Billy Joel, The Stranger

I think I’ve mentioned a couple of times now that I was a theater geek in high school and  I used to have masks like this on the wall in my bedroom only mine were prettier.  I loved them.  They were one of my first purchases for myself, with my own money.  It is suitable that I found them today because of a bee that has been in my bonnet since Sunday morning and especially noisy in there in light of the honesty award from yesterday.  

What I’m getting at is that I am more ‘real’ here on my anonymous blog than I am in my 3D life.  Sunday morning I told Darling Husband that I am a fraud.  He wrinkled his forehead in that thoughtful way that I love and asked where I got that idea.  So I explained thus - 

Me: You know my blog?

Him: Of course. 

Me:  I’m more honest about who I really am there than I am in real life with the people we know.  
Him: That’s because you are afraid of their judgement. 

Me: Yep.  

Epiphanies often start subtly.  A single idea.  A small grain of truth that like the irritant grain of sand inside an oyster becomes a pearl.  I am a not authentic with the people I deal with in my 3D life because I don’t believe that they will love me and accept who I really am.  The once theater geek, who likes to drink vodka, swears occasionally (or more than occasionally), yells at my kids, makes fun of people behind their back (but only when they are seriously deserving jackasses), likes to fuck her husband regularly, loves to read erotica, and is a democrat.  Yes, that’s right, I said a democrat damn it.  

I have had conversation about this with a friend, and she knows who she is, just today.  I do get that there is a difference between being a fraud and being polite and non-confrontational in public.  But I’m not just talking about being ‘in public’.  Most of the people who I count as ‘friends’ are church friends who, if they knew what is behind the mask I wear, would want to perform some sort of spiritual intervention, laying on of hands and praying the demons out. Problem is, I’m pretty sure I’m not full of demons.  

Do I have flaws?  Of course.  Do I have bad habits?  You bet I do.   Do they make me a bad person?  I don’t think so.  I‘m a devoted mother (no, really, I am - don’t laugh), I’m a passionate and loyal wife, I’m a great employee (oh, right, I work for myself), a loving and caring friend who will go to the ends of the earth to help if I can, and a dutiful daughter.  I fulfill all of my roles properly even if they aren’t always with complete authenticity.  The only person in my 3D life who gets to see the real me without any masks is Darling Husband.  He has proved to me through the good, the bad and the ugly that he loves me just for who I am.  The strange sense of humor, the odd references, he gets it.  He gets me.     

So this post may lose me some followers and if it does, I get that.  But in light of yesterday’s award I want you who are still with me to know that you guys get the very best and most real part of me.  I’m so honored that there are 32 of you who are interested in what I have to say.  I never imagined that it would be so.  All I have to offer is my most authentic and sincere thanks to all of you.  

So, now it’s your turn.  How do you feel about living life authentically?  Do you always be true and honest about who you are and damn the consequences or do you prefer to keep parts of yourself private?

Honesty is the best policy....er..Award!

Thank you to Lettuce Head !

Thanks so much to Lettuce Head for giving me this award.  If you haven't please stop by her blog.  She's cool and honest, and thoughful and fun.

I love this award because I put off blogging for so long because I didn't believe that anyone was interested in what I had to say or the straightforwardness with which I dig through the remnants of who I used to be.  

I believe there are some rules attached to this award.  I am supposed to list 10 honest things about me.  So, in no particular order are some random facts: 

1) I love Jimmy Buffett music.  It makes me happy. 

2) While I do appreciate a clean house, I don't care for cleaning.  At all. Still searching for a house cleaning fairy - if you know one point him or her in my direction.  

3) I am 39 years old and still get carded at the liquor store. 

4) I like to think that I am funny but most of the time when I think I'm being witty people just don't get it.   So maybe I'm really not funny, just deluded.  I can live with that.  

5) I really like fantasy and science fiction.  Doesn't matter to me what medium it comes in either.  I don't discriminate, I am happy to read it or watch it.  

6) I love the theater.  I haven't been in a show since High School but I still miss being on stage. 

7) I rarely wear make up or nice clothes now that I work from home because, well, why?  

8) At my age I am surprised to find that I still have a healthy sex (over)drive and my husband keeps up quite nicely.  

9) I adore my children but I don't love or even like all children.  At least with mine I know that I correct behaviors that I find irritating and offensive.  With other people's kids, not so much.  

10) And finally, I drive too fast.  I don't mean to, it's just that the car likes to go, go, go.  

Now, I'm presenting this award to some other worthy bloggers that I am hoping to learn more about.  The recipients are, in no particular order.....

Mrs. Hyde from A Bitch Called Mom

Mynx over at Dribble
StephGas and her blog It's never too late to save a hopeless case
Simple Dude from Simple Dude in a Complex World just because I know what an award hog he is and maybe if I keep giving him awards he'll follow my blog too.
And finally to SSW at The Anonymous Perils of a Single Southern Woman

Enjoy!  I can't wait to see what you all have to say for yourselves as you pass it along.

Oh, and I nearly forgot my ABC's of thankfulness.

G- God (I could have saved this for U too - Universe).  I am thankful because I believe that there is a sentient omnipotent life force who cares about me.

H - Husband & Humor.  I'm immensely thankful for a wonderful husband who not only tolerates the crazy when it shows up but empowers it.  Which leads to my being thankful that we have humor in our lives.  There are few things I like better than laughter.

I - That's a tough one.  Am I more thankful for insight or ice cream?  I think I'm more thankful for ice cream (current fav is Bryers waffle cone overload) because ice cream is sweet and satisfying.  Insight, while useful often shows you things you'd rather not see.

J - Joy. This is not to be confused with happiness because happiness is based often upon our circumstances.  I'm talking about the joy that is a wellspring of life deep inside that keeps your head above water even on the worst days.

Okay, I think I'm caught up through today again.

Thankfulness

I know that it’s early, and as much as I hate to rush the season  I am *that* girl.  I love Thanksgiving.  It is my favorite holiday.  Food, football, and family without the stress and drama that in my experience happens on Christmas over presents or whatever.   So, for me it doesn’t really get much better.  And poor Thanksgiving finds itself becoming a nominal blip on the radar screen of life.  Just something to do between Halloween and Christmas.  Of course it isn’t the retail sales driver that Halloween and Christmas are either.  But I’ll save that rant for later.  

There are certain things that take place on Thanksgivng morning that are precious to me.  I alway watch the Macy’s parade, in my pajamas, with my slippers on while eating powdered sugar donuts and drinking irish coffee.  I don’t move except to pee and refill my coffee.  It’s a guilty pleasure.  By the time Santa comes out at the end of the parade I’m warm and fuzzy and in a mood to do some creative cooking.  

Usually our meal consists of the traditional stuff.  However I think this year will be a departure from that.  Since it is just going to be me, Darling Husband and the kiddos, I’m thinking of preparing everyones favorite something to eat and ditching the whole traditional meal thing.  Of course, that will probably mean that our Thanksgiving meal looks like this : cheese pizza, Kraft Shells and Cheese, steak and orange potatoes (that’s what the 10 year old calls sweet potatoes), and maybe a fondue type boil of seafood, chicken and steak for myself and darling husband. Yes, I know the menu sounds schitzophrenic, but I figure if it is just us, then everyone might as well have what they want and to hell with the ‘traditional’ meal.  

Also, I have been resisting blogging about this because it seems a bit trite even to me.  Some of you have no doubt seen your friends doing the ABC’s of thankfulness this month on Facebook.  I try to practice thankfulness in life daily, however, in spite of myself I find that I want to list the things that I am thankful for on my blog this month.  No guarantees that it will be daily but I’ll try to keep up.  As it is, I’m already 6 days behind.  

ABC’s of Thankfulness - 

A - Abundance.  I am thankful for abundance.  Because even though we may not always have everything that we ‘prefer’ we live in an abundant society.  If you have $15 in your pocket or bank account you are better off than 92% of the world.  

B - Blogs.  That’s right, I’m thankful for blogs.  Mine and all of yours.  I love reading the blogs that I’ve already found and can’t wait to find more.  They are thought provoking, hilarious and unfailingly ‘real’.  

C - Children.  Please understand that I am not necessarily thankful for everyone’s children but I am crazy about my own.  I am thankful for their smiles, warm hugs, and ability to make me laugh.  

D - Dryer.  That’s right.  As silly as that may sound, I am immensely thankful for my clothes dryer.  As many loads of laundry as gets done by a family of 5 every week.  If I didn’t have a good dryer, I don’t know what we’d do.  

E - Electricity.  I not only live in my house but work from home also.  So my electricity enables my lifestyle.  It heats my home, cooks my food, and runs the aforementioned dryer that I am thankful for.  

F - Friends.  I am thankful for the friends that I see every day, the friends that I don’t get to see very often and the friends that I may never see face to face that I’ve made online.  

I think that catches me up through today.  

What are you thankful for?

Cupcake Award!!!

Happy 101 Award!!!  

Thanks so much to Lettucehead for this wonderful award!  I love Lettucehead because she blogs about things that matter.  She is thoughtful and insightful and I can never wait to see what is next.  And there really are very few things better than cupcakes!

Now I get the pleasure of passing it on to 4 others as I understand the rules.

First I bestow the wonderful cupcake on Steph at It's never too late to save a hopeless case because her blogs are sometimes funny, sometimes serious, but all the time real.

Also, the Enigmatic Masked Blogger just because I thoroughly enjoy her posts. She has a kind spirit and that should always be rewarded by something just as sweet.

This brings me to Simple Dude over at Simple Dude, Complex World.  He deserves the cupcakes just because, its so sweet and frilly and he is anything but.  I think he'll appreciate the irony.

Finally, Amber, over at Amber LaShell Rants needs some sweet bloggy love to get her through those long nights working on her novel.