One Lovely Blog and a Very Untidy Cranium

Wow. Really, really sorry about that.

The break in transmission was not planned, nor scheduled...it would just seem that one day's break from blogging turned into...what? Nine? Yep, nine. Oops.

All I can tell you is that whilst vacuuming the inside of my head, the hoover became clogged with all sorts of junk. So I had to stop and clean out the filter, and you know how tedious that job is (except you, Fancy  -I expect your Fancy housekeeper does that??). And after the vacuuming I had to wipe down the inside of my cranium with oven cleaner, but it still wasn't clean...

Suffice to say, it took longer to sort my head out than I expected. So, apologies, lovely people!!!

But never mind me and and my cluttered brain. Do you know Jess from Diary of a SAHM? You don't? You should! You see, Jess is a bit of a wonder-mum who writes a funny, truthful, gorgeous-to-look-at blog in between raising four lovely kidlets and being a super wife. I recently found her and immediately became a fan. And do you know what she did?? (I so, so love her for this.)

Jess gave me the One Lovely Blog Award!! I cannot tell you how much it meant to me, to receive a bit of bloggy love like this. Especially during a week when my head stuffed up the vacuum several times. So thank you, Jess, for giving me a serious case of the warm and fuzzies without even looking at a bottle of wine. (And if you love me, you'll visit Jess's blog...it's worth it. Seriously.)

One of the conditions for receiving this award is that I must spill...I mean, I must share seven things about myself with you. And I will admit, this has been playing on my mind for a few days. Seven? I suppose she didn't stipulate that it had to be seven interesting things, or seven things you'd never heard before....because let's be truthful, we would have to think for some time to find seven interesting things about me. I could give you seven ways to cook with mince...but that wouldn't be very interesting, now would it?

Ok. Seven Things About Me:

1. My favourite colour is pink. If something comes in pink, I want it. It began as a shameful admission when I was at uni (after repressing it all the way through high school) and evolved into a fully-fledged obsession. Shamefully, I have passed this fetish onto Phoebe, and I fully intend on infecting the Mouse. Just the other day, Christian bought me pink Converse (which I have coveted for many, many years.) I was blissfully, deliriously happy to wear my pink shoes. They're pink!! Awesome.

2. When it comes to music, I'm afraid it has to be 80's if you want me to be happy. I like some 70's disco, and there's a smattering of 90's (which shall be explained in #3), but on the whole, I'm an 80's chick. I know the lyrics, I sing them badly. I may even have been known to learn the entire choreography to a Spice Girls song....and then perform it on stage at summer camp wearing a Union Jack teatowel. Ginger Spice, eat your heart out.

3. In the early 90's, when I was at high school, I was into grunge in a big way. Flannie shirts, Trigger Bro trackies, ripped jeans. Kurt Cobain? Oh yeah, baby. I used to walk to my after-school job with the earphones of my walkman jammed in, playing cassettes of Nirvana, the Chilli Peppers, Mudhoney, Soundgarden. I actually wore out my 'Nevermind' tape, I played it so much. I still love that music....but now I just like to wash my hair every day.

4. I really loved doing my Master of Education. Even though it took me a few years, and was completed with first Jack, and then Phoebe draped over my shoulder while I typed with one finger, it was worth it. One day, one day, I'll take the work that I did and turn it into a PhD. Not only am I excited about my research and want to extend it, but I want my husband to be married to a doctor. He just loves being married to someone more educated than himself (and yes, honey, I know...without your editing there would never have been a Masters...love you!)

5. When my kids are a bit older, I'd love to learn how to tap-dance. And speak French. I also want to learn how to belly dance, cook a to-die-for sponge cake, and look like Nigella in the kitchen (with pink accessories, of course!)

6. Thanks to a cracking dose of stress and a sweet tooth, I managed to put on a fair few kilos last year. In fact, there would be people I have met IRL in the last twelve months who probably think I have always been on the plump side. This is not true. I used to be normal. Well, normal-ish. But anyway, in the last six months I have lost 12 kilos. Given that I am still (STILL!!) breastfeeding, this is no mean feat for me (you may recall that I am, in fact, a stubborn member of "Women Who Cannot Lose Weight While Breastfeeding No Matter What") And even though the last six kilos appear to be so excruciatingly affectionate that they are determined not to leave me, I am going to peel them off. Even if it kills me. And when I do, quite possibly I may tell you. Or not. It depends.

7. I am married to my best friend. When the proverbial hits the fan, and the kids are eating toast for dinner, and the house resembles a Chinese laundry, and the pets make unholy messes, and there's too many things to cry about, and my head clogs up the Hoover....my hubby still makes me laugh. He is the best thing that ever happened to me. He does the washing on the weekends, makes me a cup of tea every morning, cuddles me to make the ugly crier go away AND he bought me pink Converse. Surely, the perfect man. Love you, babe. You're my whole brain.

So there you go. Seven things about me. I didn't promise they'd be good ones...

The third condition of the One Lovely Blog award (after thanking the beautiful Jess, and blathering on about myself seven times) is to pass on the bloggy love to five other blogs. So here goes:

To Casey, at Milk n Cookies, because she is amazing and you should read her. Promise.

To Prue, at Totally Inept Balcony Gardener, because no one gardens like my PJ. A truly incredible lady. Check her out.

To Lucy, at Diminishing Lucy. Lucy has cheered me up more times than I can remember over the last year. I loves you, Luce.

To Kate, at Getting Off The Interstate. Because everyone needs an escape, and Kate's talk of her new life in America makes me want to escape right now....

And to Fancy, at I'm So Fancy. Fancy's blog makes me laugh out loud. She is my comedic relief at the end of a hard day. And for the life of me, I cannot comment on Fancy's blog. So here is my way of spreading the love!!! Love your work, Fancy-pants!

And now that I've spilled my guts to you all, spread the bloggy love-fest, and enjoyed my warm and fuzzies, I'm off to find a broom. There's still some cobwebs right at the back of my skull, and they tickle....