Fashion Models [Search results for nice awards] 

I am so pleased to have received the following awards over the past several weeks. I have been slow in showing my appreciation and am finally getting around to saying thanks to those that passed these great awards on to me.

I am not passing any of these awards on to anyone in this post, but will pass these awards on to others in a future post - I just wanted to at least acknowledge receiving these awards - for now.

Melissa, over at Hope For The Hopeless was so nice to pass on this very nice Tiara-wearing Blogger award- I just love it. Thanks Melissa.

***********************

I was also so pleased to recieve this great "You Make My Day" award from Baby~Amore over at My LittleDrummer Boys. Thank you so much Baby~Amore.

I was also excited when my friend Pam over at Random Thoughts also gave me this nice award - thanks so much Pam - you make my day too!

******************************

And then ... Amy, over at Memories and Musings of a Mommy awarded me this great "Fantastic Fridge Award". You need to go over to Amy's site to find out what this great award is all about - it's very cool! Thanks Amy!

***************************

And then ... The very sweet Natalie over at Red Sox Mommy (Living In a State of Confusion) gave me this great "Friendly Site Award". Thanks so much Natalie.

******************************

And then, Tommie at Tuesday Updates, gave this nice award to all of her readers. Thanks Tommie.

**************************

And then, Vasquez 3 was so nice to pass this fun award on to me. Thanks so much Vasquez 3 !

******************************

And then ..... I was so happy to receive this "Excellent" award from Laura over at Lunatic Fringe - thanks so much Laura.

I was also happy to receive this "Excellent" award from my good friend Kat over at Justabeachkat - thanks Kat!

**************************************

And then, JO N over at Shower Your Children With Love The Right Way, was so nice to pass this "Wide Owl Award" on to me. Thanks so much JO N!

**************************

And then ... Irene over at Our Little Piece of the World, was so nice to pass this "A Roar For Powerful Words" award on to me. Thanks Irene.

**********************************

And then, my good friend Lizzy over at Life According To Lizzy passed this "You'll Always Have A Room In My Heart" award on to all of her readers. Thanks so much Lizzy!

******************************

And then my friend Melanie over at Livin With Me was so nice to pass this "Loveable Blog" award on to me! I love this nice award - thanks so much Melanie!

I was also so lucky to receive this same award from my Aussie friend Kim over as Frog Ponds Rock - thanks Kim!

**************************

And then, my good friend Summer, over at Summer's Nook, passed this nice award on to me - thanks Summer - I love this award.

***********************************

And then - Justabeachcat passed this nice award on to all of her readers - I love this award. Thanks so much.

********************************

My good friend Melissa, over at Hope For The Hopeless, was so nice to pass on this True Blue Award to me. Thanks so much Melissa - I am most grateful!

******************************

My new friend Steph over at My Daily Life, created this wonderful award and I am so honored to be one the first people she has passed it on to.

****************************

My good friend Angela over at Angela's Chocolate & Potatoes passed this very nice award on to me. Thanks so much Angela.

I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE GREAT AWARDS - THANKS SO MUCH!!!

I have been slow in showing my appreciation for some great awards I have received and I'm sorry it has taken me so long. I do appreciate all of these great awards and am very thankful to those that have passed them on to me.

Jennifer over at Faking It passed this Sassy Mama Blog Award on to me:

Thank you so much Jennifer for thinking of me for this great award - I like to think it fits me perfectly. If you haven't been over to Jennifer's site you need head on over there and visit with her and her three beautiful children - she is full of lots of great stories, ideas and photos.

I'd like to pass this great award on to Joanna over at Bugs In My Teeth - she is the Sassiest Mama I have come across lately and she is also the mother of twins - so we have gotten along splendidly.

____________________

Also - Badness Jones passed this great award onto all of her readers:

And then, I was so pleased to receive this same award from Brittany over at Mommee And Her Boys.

Thanks so much to Badness Jones and Brittany - two of my favorite blog moms. If you haven't visited either of their sites - you need to go check them out - they are wonderful.

I'd like to pass this Blog Friend award onto Lizzy over at Life According To Lizzy as she has definitely become one my faborite blog friends and I love her site.

________________________

Also ... I was so pleased to get this great award from my friend Jen over at Rants & Raves. Jen has a great site and is a wonderful writer and mother to a precious little boy named Dylan. If you've never visited her site, I encourage you to go visit her - she is one of my best blogging buddies and it is so sweet that she would give me this great award.

After Jen gave me this award, I was also given it by Pam over at Random Thoughts. Pam is also one of my best blogging buddies. She is a teacher and a wonderful mother and I just love her and her great site.

I am going to pass this award on to One Scrappy Gal. She is one of my newer blogging buddies and I have so enjoyed getting to know her and visiting her site.

__________________________

Then ... I got these two great awards from Sharon over at Sit With Me A While.

And Joan, over at Joan's Journeys also passed this great (The Daily Dose) award onto all of her readers - thanks Joan and Sharon.

This little award is called The Daily Dose. And here is all the important info. Because you know you want to know what it is about and where it came from. ;)".. here's to all the blogs that you've discovered that you can't possibly live without. They make you laugh, cry, think and feel connected every time you read a post. They give you a thrill as you see them loading into your browser and you get an equally satisfying thrill when you see that they have commented on your blog".From Xandra: creator, The Daily Dose Award.Now it is my turn to pass it on and then I must link back to Xandra the creator. If I pass this on to you and you have already gotten it--you don't have to pass it on again.Some of you that I blog with have already gotten it-- so I will try and catchthe ones who did not.Because you know---- we have to pass the on the luuuuuv . :)

I'd like to pass the 2007 Inspiring Blog Award on to Kim over at Life After. Kim and I have become very good blogging friends and I truly consider her blog to be inspiring and fun and uplifting. She always has a kind comment wherever she goes and she has been a great friend to me.

_____________________

And then ... Andrea over at Life Song passed this great, A Roar of Powerful Words award. Andrea is one of my good blogging friends and if you have never been over to visit her great site (Life Song - isn't that the greatest name?) - you need to go over and visit and see her and her adorable little girls.

I'd like to pass this A Roar For Powerful Words on to Kathryn at Seeking Sanity! Kathryn wrote two of the best posts I have ever read recently - one as a tribute to her dear mother and the other to her sweet father. I was simply in tears at the end of both of these posts - but not just because of the stories - but the brilliant story-telling as well. She did a great job and I truly enjoyed both of them. You have got to go read these two posts she wrote just recently.

______________________

And then I received this great "Your Blog Is A Treat" award from MamaGeek over at What Works For Us.

I also received this same award from Karen over at The Rocking Pony.

I was thrilled to receive this particular award from both of these ladies, because I feel exactly the same way about their wonderful sites. They are both, two of the funniest bloggers I've met and always have something fun, interesting, humorous or inspiring on their sites.

I'd like to pass this "Your Blog Is A Treasure" award on to Girly Mom over at The Red Door. I love going to her site and reading her daily stories about her 4 beautiful girls. She is such an upbeat mom and and always an inspiration.

_______________________

And then ... I received this great membership award from Melanie over at Livin' With Me. She created this fun award and says I can pass it on to anyone I want - so I am passing this one on to anyone that visits my site.

____________________

And lastly, I was given this great True Blue award by Damama over at Damama's At It Again. I have only just recently met Damama and look forward to getting to know her better and think you should do the same as well.

I am going to pass this award on to PB&J In A Bowl (funny name right - go over there to her site to find out the story behind this name). She is one of my new blogging friends, but has been a True Blue friend and I appreciate all of her visits and comments she leaves on my site. I have truly enjoyed getting to know her and you should go over and visit her - she writes great stories and and quite the story-teller.

________________________

I feel bad for not passing these awards on to all of my blogging friends, as I truly treasure all of you and if I didn't give you an award this time around - I will most certainly be giving you one in the future. It's only because I have a hard time keeping up with who I have passed awards on to - not because I don't also appreciate you!!

Such Simple Pleasures gave this award to all of her readers. I love this award, because I definitely think I can be described as a Crabby Mom sometimes - it is a fun award. Thanks to Such Simple Pleasures and if you have never visited her site you need to go on over there and check out her hysterically witty stories about her 5 kids and family adventures. Thanks again for this award and I, in turn, would like to pass it along to all of you that come and read my stories and help make me a little less "Crabby" mom - ENJOY!

I am also so honored to receive this great Royal Banana Award from Rachel over at From The Land of Monkeys and Princesses. Rachel said this about little ol' me:

"Kellan is a fellow Texan so that right there means she RAWKS! Her blog is inspiring and funny, she tells the most hysterical stories and as her blog name implies, she finds the upside in everything. She is inspirational yumminess."

I am a big fan of Rachel and it is such an honor to receive this fun award from her. If you have never visited Rachel - you need to head on over there and check out her sweet little son and daughter and enjoy the wonderful stories she writes about all of their lives.

I would like to pass this great award on to all of those that come and visit me - as I love all of my blogging friends and think each and every blog is Yummy in their own way.

(Please don't forget to take each of these awards as my tribute to each of you and pass them on as you wish.)

It was kind of feeling like a slow Saturday and then I went over to The Vasquez 3 and I found this! This new blog friend of mine was nice enough to pass this really great award onto me.

And then ... on Tuesday when I was visiting Oh Mommy site - she was also so nice to give me this same award.

I am really touched. I can't tell you how much blogging has come to mean to me in my life (most bloggers know). I have been raising kids for 15 years (longer than some and a lot shorter time than others) - but it seems like forever. I have always loved to write and I have always loved to make new friends. When I found blogging (in September) - it was by fluke. I was like so many people that didn't even really understand what blogging was (like one of my family members that still calls is "globbing"). But ... NOW I KNOW!

It has been a gift for me. It has been a gift for my children that I am able to be creative and at the same time I will be documenting so much of their lives and our lives, for them to always have. I have truly enjoyed everything about it and most of all, the community and new friends I am getting to know, respect and care about. It has been a gift.

Thank you Vasquez3 and Oh Mommy for passing this award onto me. I'm pretty certain I am not worthy of any sort of awards, but I am very very appreciative! I have enjoyed getting to know each and every blog and each and every individual and family behind all the fabulous words and pictures. It has been my pleasure!

I, in turn, would like to pass this award onto Life With Taylor and Callee and Girly Mom @ The Red Door. These are two sites I visit daily and I feel these moms deserve this nice award as well.

I had a meeting at the school.

It was a ceremony where I was going to be on stage to present awards.

I had taken my time to pick out a nice skirt and sweater and even chose the perfect pair of high heels - for the occasion.

I fixed my hair and makeup, put on my jewelry and touch of perfume and went downstairs to leave.

As I was about to walk out of the front door, my little son, sitting at the dining room table doing his homework, looks me up and down and says, "Hey, Mom. You look small."

I looked at my husband - standing next to me by the front door and we laughed. I said, "Small's good," and we laughed again.

I left my house believing and feeling that this was a compliment - while offered by a 10 year old boy that generally has no clue what he is talking about - about anything - I was feeling SMALL and that made me quite happy.

So ... the night progressed, the ceremony commences, I presented the awards - speeches were made - pictures were taken ... and we went home.

As we entered my house, I turned to my mother - who was also at the awards ceremony - and asked, "How did I do? Did I do okay? Did I look okay up there?"

Now ... keep in mind. My mother is always complimenting me on this thing or that and always generous with her compliments. She is, however, often ... just as generous with her ... MEAN OBSERVATIONS! Also ... keep in mind that she has been dieting for the past several months on Jenny Craig and has shrunk quite a bit - thinks she's SOMTHIN' ELSE!! She says, "You did good. But ... you looked sorta fat."

(*Awkward pause*)

(*blink-blink*)

"FAT!" I screamed. How could I look SMALL to the 10 year old boy just hours before and FAT to my shrinking-Jenny-Craig-dieting-mother NOW? I said it again, "FAT?"

"Well, maybe it was that you were wearing a shorter skirt than you usually would wear," she begins to try to SAVE HERSELF!

"I didn't look fat?" it was more a question than a statement.

"You looked fine," she said, and then she opened the door - and went home. Leaving me and my FAT self standing there in the foyer by the front door.

I raced around the house looking for my husband. He had the camera. "Did you take any pictures of me tonight," I was frantic. He indicated that he had and so I took the camera from his grasp and RACED LIKE A MAD WOMEN UP TO MY BEDROOM TO VIEW THE PICTURES. SEE IF ... IT WAS TRUE!!! SEE IF IT WAS TRULY POSSIBLE THAT I HAD JUST STOOD UP ON THE STAGE OF MY GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL IN FRONT OF ALL THOSE PEOPLE - A BIG FAT BLOB!!

I sat at my desk, flipped on the power button to the camera and sat there scrolling through the pictures of the night until ... I came to those of me.

On the upside ... It's true - I looked fat! There's no upside here - nope - none at all.

(*Note to self: NEVER EVER, EVER take the word of a 10 year old boy! The word small to a 10 year old boy, when describing how you look, is most likely not a good thing. Next time ... ask the boy, "Small? Small compared to what -----A HIPPOPOTAMUS?")

(*Additional note to self: Avoid wearing short skirts - not that the skirt had a thing to do with your FATNESS - but avoid them nonetheless!)

I have quite a following on my site - right?

Why?

I have had many people comment or e-mail me - over the past 4 months - asking me this very question. Why? How did I do it? Why me?

On one hand, I am a little insulted by this question, as I have dedicate a huge amount of time and creativity into my writing and I would like to think that a percentage of visitors come to my site to read what I have written - hear what I have to say. I'd like to think that they think I am smart and funny and offer entertaining stories and useful information. I like to think that I have earned their respect and therefore they look forward to reading about my children and family and that they feel invested in not only my life, but in my success as a blogger - as well.

I know some of the reasons why I have the following that I have.

I have worked my butt off for 4 months! I have visited thousands of sites. I have left thousands of comments. I have written hundreds of stories and tried very, very hard to make those stories fun and interesting and creative and well written. I have analyzed ways to improve my traffic and even implemented some of those tools. I have tried my very best to fit into this world of Mommy Bloggers and I have done that. I have done everything possible to make friends and make those friends realize how much I need them and how much they mean to me. I have made many, many good friends.

One of the reasons I have so many visitors to my site is because I went out and brought them to me. Many of the friends I have - are ones that I went out and found and the reasons they keep coming back - I believe - is because I continue to support each and every one of those friends. I would be very surprised if any one of my bloggy friends were able to say that this is not true. And, yes, I have some visitors that came across my blog on their own and are now also my friends, but they too would have to say that I am equally as loyal to them by constantly staying in touch and visiting their sites as well.

Everyone of you that has a blog knows just how difficult it is to keep up with a blog. Keep up with posting and visiting other sites. It is nearly impossible to do it every single day. But ... I have tried to do it. I have committed, every single day, to visiting other sites and reading and leaving comments. I visit every single site that leaves me a comment (some days as many as 80 sites). In addition, I visit other sites along the way. In any given day, I can visit 100's of sites. Why do I do this? I do it - to show my loyalty and to encourage loyalty to me. And ... it has been very rewarding.

I think that I have a good site. I think I have a unique format and I have worked very hard to create a positive forum. It is who I am and it works for me because I have tried very hard to build my site on the foundation of strong beliefs. I do not often complain in the normal "ranting" fashion - while I do have many complaints (just like everyone) in my life - just because that is how I have chosen to write on my site. I do complain - but I try to put a funny spin on the story and I do that for several reasons. One, because it often makes for a better story and two, because if I give myself permission to rant - I am afraid I will run crazy ranting all of the time!

I am not perfect - nor do I have perfect kids or do we live a hysterically funny life at my house. I am generally a serious person and yet I have always considered myself to be creative and through my writing I am able to stretch my creative tendencies by writing stories that are funny or touching or stimulating or whatever! I work constantly on my writing techniques to develop new and interesting ways to tell a story. Having this blog has enabled me to see my life (through my writing of these stories) in a different way and see my children and the raising of them - through an entirely new view. I work daily to find a story to write and sometimes I come up with a good story and sometimes I don't. But, I have dedicated a lot of time and energy into finding and documenting these stories for my pleasure and for the pleasure of those that visit my site.

I sometimes feel as though the success I have experienced on my site - creates bad feelings (I won't go into why I say this - but there have been incidents that have occurred). I have never, not even once, used the success of my site to hurt any other blogger. I have tried to do just the opposite by offering many bloggers advise on how I have accomplished my success and been very open to helping anyone that asks. I have always been loyal to every single one of my bloggy friends and invested many hours into getting to know each one individually as best I can. I have always felt embarrassed to post awards I have been given, but feel obliged to recognize those that give me the awards and happy to introduce those individuals to my readers. Awards given from one blogger to another are indeed nice, but they are also a means for bloggers to create traffic to their own sites and I don't have a problem promoting other people's sites and am happy to do that.

I, like everyone, love to receive comments on my posts. I love the feedback and enjoy seeing the ideas or thoughts that something I have written can provoke. I love feeling like I touch people through my stories and my writing. I love telling a good story and love being able to share my children and our lives with all of you. I do not like feeling, though, that any success I have had is in anyway making someone else feel inadequate or unsuccessful. I know very well that there are many bloggers out there that are telling just as many great stories and writing them as well or better than me - that do not have the following I have. I visit many of those bloggers and read those stories. I support those bloggers. I have always searched out bloggers that were hurting for readers, because I know very well how hard it is to create a following and I have made tremendous efforts to find and help those people. I have done this intentionally, as I feel that everyone should be offered the same respect and opportunities as I have enjoyed and I do not hesitate to offer my site and its success as leverage for new or struggling bloggers.

I seldom write my posts "directly" to my audience. I write my stories as if they are "articles" and format my posts in the form of dialog or narritive - I do this on purpose. I am not the sort of blogger that offers a run-down of my daily events or intricate daily details about my children or myslef. I offer some of this information through my stories - but I do not "talk" right to my audience - like I am right now. I have done that on purpose - it is the format or technique I have chosen for my blog. I seldom ever respond to a comment in my comments. I have, on my site, tried to keep a distance between myself and my stories - I do this on purpose. I have attempted to create a site that stands on its own - the stories stand on their own - without my daily moods or personal traits influencing the stories. While I am obviously the one writing the stories and my picture is right there on the front page - I write my posts as a story that offers just a "glimpse" into our lives and who we are - who I am. I do this intentionally and believe that this is part of the reason that people may feel like they really don't know me.

My goal in blogging is to continue to write my stories. To continue to create even more of a following and I won't apologize for that. I want to continue to make friends and support as many people as I can possibly support. I want to only feel that my contribution is positive.

I know there are those people that - no matter what I say or what any of us do - will look for reasons to use my success against me. I can only say that I enjoy the success because I have worked very hard for it. I will continue to work hard for it - as long as I feel it is positive for me.

I began this post - because I was frustrated. I do not want to feel frustrated at anytime - having this blog - that has been such a gift in my life. I felt it was necessary to answer these questions and to also describe some of the feelings I have been experiencing.

I hope I have your continued support and want to impress that you certainly have mine.

I was so pleased to receive this very nice award from Jo-N over at Shower Your Children With Love - The Right Way. Jo-N is one of my newer friends and if you haven't visited her wonderful site, you need to go over there and check her out. Thanks so much Jo-N.

I'd like to pass this award on to Karen at The Rocking Pony. Thanks Karen for being such a good friend.

I am also so tremendously pleased to recieve this wonderful "You Make Me Smile" award from one of my favorite bloggy friends, Courtney over at Life With Two Beautiful Girls. I have known Courtney for a while and if you have never visited her site, you need to go over and see her beautiful girls (and handsome husband) - she has a great site and is a great friend. Thanks Courtney.

************************

And then my good friend Bren (also a Texan - Woo Hoo) over at 3 Little Monkey's Jumping On The Bed passed this other great "You Make Me Smile" award on to me - and it makes me smile because Bren makes me smile all the time! She has a beautiful site (done by SPLAT - just like mine) and three darling kiddos (her baby girl just turned one). She always has a good story and you really should go check her out. Thank you so much Bren.

I' like to pass this great award on to Em over at Billy The Toddler. Em lives in the UK and she has the most adorable little boy named Billy (like my Little Billy). He is the cutest thing - you should really go over and see how beautiful this boy is!!

******************************

And then ... my good friend Kami at Kami Khlopchyk (don't ask me how you say that - in my head I just call her Kami K. or KK) - and I should learn how to pronounce it, as I have known her a long time. She is a great friend with a great site and I'd love you to go over and meet her! She gave me this "E is for Excellence". Thanks Kami.

And then ... I also received this same award from Girlymom over at The Red Door. She has been my bloggy friend from way back and if you have never visited her site you need to go over there and visit her and her 4 beautiful daughters - she is a wonderful mom!

And then ... I was so pleased to receive this "Excellent" award again from Lizzy over at Life According To Lizzy. Lizzy has a great site where she writes wonderful stories about her life with her two sons and wonderful husband. If you have never visited my friend Lizzy, please go by and check her out.

And then ... Kathryn over at Seeking Sanity was also so nice to pass this award on to me. Kathryn is a great writer and tells wonderful stories about her life with her three precious boys. If you have never visited Kathryn's site - you need to go over and say hello.

I am supposed to pass this award on to 10 people. Since I received this award 5 times - that means I should pass it on to 50 people. I'm going to break this rule and pass it on to 5 people.

Angie at Keep Believing
Bia at La Dolce Vita: The Sweet Life With 3 Sons
Valarie at Please Don't Put Beans Up Your Nose!

Dawn at Renaissance Mama
Steph at Snow Central

All of these ladies have wonderful sites and I think they are simply Excellent - enjoy this great award ladies - I enjoy you so much!

****************************

Also ... I was so pleased to receive this great "Everday Kindness" award from MO over at Un-Mainstream Mom. Now ... I think MO is way smarter than me - because she writes some really great posts and sometimes I think I don't know everything she is talkin' bout! No, not really - she writes smart and witty and she is a great friend with 2 beautiful daughters- you need to go check her out!!!

I'd like to pass this award on to Andrea at Life Song. Andrea has a great site where she tells daily stories about her beautiful daughters and she is a good friend.

**************************

And then Vasquez3 passed this great award on to all of those blogs on her blogroll and On The Upside is one of the sites that she visits daily - I really appreciate that and I really appreciate this award and am so pleased to be one of her daily reads - Thanks and you should go see her and her adorable daughter and husband - she has a really great site.

I'd like to pass this award on to Mighty Morphin Mama. She also has a wonderful site and tells wonderful stories about her sweet family - you need to go over and say hello if you've never visited her site before.

********************************

And then ... my friend Regina - over at Regina's Family Seasons passed this great "Spread The Love Award" on to me and she passed "The Daily Dose" on to all those friends on her blogroll. Now ... if you want to meet one smart lady with very well written and thought provoking posts - she is your lady. I have so enjoyed getting to know Regina - you really need to go visit her. Thanks Regina!

I'd like to pass this second "Daily Dose" award on to Julie at Multiple Blessings. Julie has a houseful of kids - like me - and she tells wonderful stories about her kids and family. She is also a scrapbooker. She's been a really good friend.

*******************************

I'd like to pass this great award on to Joan over at Joan's Journey. It is always a delight to visit Joan and hear her fabulous stories about her family or her travels - she is a joy and become a dear friend.

********************************

And then I received this "Classy Blog" award (award designed by OHMommy over at Classy Chaos - isn't it cool!) from Lunanik over at Secrets of A Black Heart. Lunanik and I have become great friends - if you have never visited her great blog, you need to go over and check her out. She is smart and funny and quite the writer. You will love her as much as I do.

This last award I'd like to pass on to my friends Kari and Kijsa over at Ask Kari and Kijsa. These two sisters have the most fabulous home decorating site. They are creative and smart and witty. They tell the most fabulous stories about their creations, their ideas, their travels and they beautiful families (6 children between these young mothers). They are two of the classiest women I know and truly deserve this Classy Blog award.

************************

THANK YOU to everyone that passed on an award to me - I truly appreciate each and everyone of these great awards! I hope I will have the chance to pass on future awards to anyone that I did not remember this time. I think each and everyone of the great sites that I have gotten to know deserves an award and I am trying to keep up with who I have given an award and who I have not - so I will remember in the future.