Friday Freestyle

Who doesn't love some bloggity Bling? I was the lucky recipiant of three blog awards in the last two weeks. I am thinking I might have gotten another...but sadly, I can't remember. Yes...I truly have swiss cheese brain. So...if you gave me a lovely award, and I haven't acknowledged it yet....ummmmm remind me. I know I was totally thrilled at the time...but time is not my friend. If I didn't write it down...I have no clue who gave me what. Sorry.

Now on with the awards. :)


Jenty was such a dear and bestowed upon me Be The Blog award. I have just found Jenty recently, and I am thrilled to be getting to know her. Thank you Jenty.



I'd like to pass this on to:

-David at AuthorBlog....he is one of the best bloggers out there at connecting with his readers. If you haven't checked him out...you must run.....run there now.
-Huckdoll over at Hey, I'm Going Crazy, Are You Coming. Huckdoll is really good at being just who she is...and sticking with it. Keep it up, girl. oh and her Twins...are TO.DIE.FOR!


Jenny blessed my heart with the Bodacious Blog Award. I am loving her blog, and I am honored that she enjoys mine as well. Thank you Jenny!



I'd like to pass this award on to:

-Beth Ellen at Eclectic Studio Cafe. This woman is my Macro inspiration. I strive to macro like her. Run...run....to see her pics.
-Michelle at The Rocky Mountain Retreat. OMG....if you love beautiful Landscapes...you have to boogie on over to Michelles sight. She rocks it.....totally rocks it.


My dear Donetta passed on the "spreader of love" award. Donetta is a gem, and she opens my heart often. Thank you Donetta.



I'd like to pass this award on to:

-Holly at Oh How My Winter Nights Fly. Holly has been a true blogging friend to me. Her comments so funny, and yet thoughtful. Mostly though....she was the queen of linky love this month. The month of the Choconots. Yes...I did it. I survived 31 days of NO CHOCOLATE. Thanks for the inspiration my friend Holly!

-Megan at SortCrunchy. She is always sure to attend to her readers. She spreads the love thick. love you mama!


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I just wanted to share with you an opportunity to support a fellow blogger in raising money for a good cause. Losing a child is every parent's worst nightmare. Wouldn't it be nice to try and make a difference in a grieving parent's life. The following is copied and pasted from Dan's Blog:

As many of you already know, this July I will be walking the the 78 mile long Dales Way footpath. Yes, 78 miles. In six days. And what’s more it was my own idea. Many are predicting it will be the end of me.

I am doing the walk in aid of The Joseph Salmon Trust, a charity set up by our close friends Neil and Rachel in memorial of their son Joseph. In April of 2005 three year old Joseph died suddenly in his sleep. Here is Rachel talking about it in the comments section of this blog:

"Hi, this is Joseph’s mummy here. First Dan, I’d like to say a big thank you for what you’re planning on doing. When Neil sent me the link yesterday I was in tears. The bit about coming home to Joseph’s toys as we left them…well, I can’t describe the pain. And it’s still with us. We miss Joseph every day. He was our first child, he was a little smasher, and he turned Neil and I into - hopefully - better people because of who he was. We will always be proud to be his parents.

In answer to your question Whit, Joseph died from streptococcal pneumonia. It’s very rare and it took him, although suddenly, very peacefully. When I went in to him in the morning it was obvious from his posture that he’d just gone into a deeper and deeper sleep and never knew anything about it. This too is what all the medical personnel associated with him told us. There are not many (if any) consolations when you lose a child, but at least he didn’t suffer. And as a parent, it’s one of the things you want most for your child isn’t it?


So Dan, and everyone who’s going to join you - good luck and thank you.
From the comments section of A Prelude to an Announcement. October 22, 2007"

The Joseph Salmon Trust supports parents who have lost a child by providing financial assistance to those who need it most. This may be to help with funeral costs or to allow the self employed a break from work while they come to terms with their loss. Grieving families have enough to deal with without worries about where they will find the money to say goodbye to their child or pay the next electricity bill. Nothing we can do can make their situation better, but we can do something to stop it getting worse.

And this is where you come in. Today marks the official start of the fundraising of the walk and I’m looking for donations. Any amount, no matter how small will go towards making a big difference to somebody in the darkest hours of their torment. When you donate you will receive (if you want one) a link on the roll of honor both here and on the Dales Walk blog. You also get the right to place one of these magnificent badges (designed by the delightful Mr Oli Walker) on your website or blog. You can either right click and save the picture from here, or I can email you the html code to insert into your blog.

In addition, if you could find the time to write own short post about the walk, or just copy and paste this one and put it on your blog, I would be eternally grateful. The more promotion the event gets the more money we are likely to raise.

All the participants are paying for their own food, accommodation, and equipment, and so any donation goes directly to the charity itself. In addition Neil has sworn that the administrative costs of the Joseph Salmon Trust will come purely from corporate sponsorship, so everything goes directly to the people who need it most.

We have a real chance to make a difference here. Thank you.
Please take the time to go on over to Dan's blog and check it out.

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Have a great weekend everyone. Thank you for coming by my blog this week. It's been fun. :)

*** oh and don't forget I'm on Top Momma!


CLICK HERE!!!!! You know you want to. Click it a few times in fact. I get a referral each time you click the link, and a click each time you click on Sugar's sweet photo. Isn't that fun? I can't think of a single thing I should be doing today other than clicking. Can you? ***