The Versatile Blogger Award

I've reached 200 posts here at the blog. I just received 200 followers to my Facebook page this week. Facebook follower SomedayBabyT is the lucky recipient of these snazzy pomegranate earrings* I made for her as a way to say thank you. And now I'm just a dozen short of 200 followers to this blog. How awesome would it be if I could hit all three within the same week-long span? If you've been a long time reader but haven't hit the Follow button on the right sidebar, please do. You can also click right here to follow my blog directly. Once I hit 200 followers to my blog, I'll host my first official giveaway!

*PS... these are a preview of more crafty things to come...

In other news... I've been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award! It's the latest award making the rounds through the blogosphere right now and I received it from both Sonja and the Infertility Doula! Thanks ladies: I'm touched and honored that you both thought of me!

Sonja rocks. Sonja's blog rocks; it's where Buddhism, endo, and hysterectomy meet in the middle. And her adorable cat and her deep and abiding love for Tom Petty. It's always a good read. Right now she's helping out with an online auction to help benefit a fellow endo sister who doesn't have insurance but needs a hysterectomy. Check out her blog for more info on how you can help.

The Infertility Doula is a new blogger to the ALI scene, but she's got a lot of great material to share. She says it best herself: " I’m finally on the other side of this journey but this experience changed me for life. Now I’m here to help." She has a wealth of great posts, so head on over and check our her stuff!

Here's how the Versatile Blogger Award works:

1. Thank and talk about whoever gave you the award.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself.
3. Give this award to 7 other bloggers who you think rock!

Find out my 7 facts and the 7 bloggers I awarded.

7 Facts About Me
1. I have a love/hate relationship with my long hair. I like how it looks when it's done, but I hate doing my hair.

2. I have a new appreciation for spiders and Louise Bourgeois' work. After several days of run-ins with spiders wherever I went the last few weeks, I took it as a sign. Spiders are symbols of creativity, resourcefulness, and of all things, keepers of the homes they weave. I thought them a fitting symbol and good omen for our pending home purchase.

3. I hate cilantro with a violent passion. Needless to say, I am not a fan of most Mexican food.

4. I went as a Guitar Hero- complete with Wii guitar- to a "Heros & Villains" Purim party. Did I mention that it was in downtown Boston and I carried the guitar strapped to my back the whole T ride?

5. I have a picture blog called Garden Snoop. I take pictures of flowers everywhere I go. I collect them.

6. I love horror movies. Love them! My favorites are spooky thrillers without much SFX, like Paranormal Activity, the Blair Witch Project, and Them. I also love all things ghost stories and hauntings.

7. When I was a very little kid, I used to play school. I would set up my stuffed animals like a classroom, and used my large format children's books as desks for each of them. I even set pencils in the spines and wrote on a chalkboard for them. I was a dork from a very young age.

The Versatile Blogger Award Goes to the Following 7 Bloggers that I've pulled from my Twitter feed (in no particular order):

1. Mrs. Tiye from The Broken Brown Egg: The more I get to read her blog and get to know her online, the more she rocks. She's working with two forms of silence: being black and being infertile. Her writing and work for BBE is good stuff, working to end racial disparity in infertility treatment and care.

2. PCOS Chick from His and Hers Infertility: Struggling with both male and female-factor IF, PCOS Chick keeps busy at her blog and will be adopting from Columbia. Lots of other exciting things at her blog so go swing by!

3. Lisa from Waiting Lisa: Lisa has been through a lot in the last couple of months. Their adoption journey has hit some serious bumps in the road recently, and honestly, the Universe could just show her some love right now. Won't you do the same?

4. Lisa from Your Great Life: Lisa is a fertility coach based in the UK. Her blog is a great resource to everyone dealing with IF, and her posts are always inspiring. Check her out!

5. Suzy from Not A Fertile Myrtle: Suzy is an absolute sweetheart. From her crafts to her Perfect Moment Mondays, her blog is always a refreshing read. A fellow 200th-post blogger, she's got a lot to say and share, so go read what's she's said and shared lately!

6. Andrea from Waiting for Baby: Andrea always lights up my Twitter feed. She has recently posted a great question and answer post where you can find out all sorts of things about her, so go swing by and learn something new about her.

7. Jen from This is More Personal: Jen and I tweet back and forth a lot. She's a wonderful blogger, and her IF journey has been a rough one. She recently got a BFN and could use some love. She just took a big step and came out of the IF closet- go cheer her along!

Ok... I couldn't pick just 7, so here are 3 more!

8. Shorty from Shorty's Adventure: A fellow Jewish blogger, Shorty has recently been wrestling the feasibility of adoption given halakha (Jewish law). Her blog is a fascinating read. Go do yourself a mitzvah and stop by.

9. Holly from Ready to Be Mom: Holly is one awesome, strong woman. She's been through a lot; their first IVF in March resulted in a loss at 8 weeks. She's now in the 2ww during their first FET since the loss. Help take her mind off the wait, won't you?

10. Jenny from What the Blog: Jenn has received a crazy trifold blessing: after some intense fertility treatments, Jenny is pregnant with triplets! She's participating in Project 365, so you can find a new photo she's taken every single day. Her blog is a great read with lots of wonderful photos - go check them out!

Now, what are you doin' still hangin' around here? Go check out these lovely ladies' blogs!