Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Catching Up

I'm going to catch up today! You folks really are awesome out there - it always amazes me when you think of me when you're passing along your awards :)

Lola Sharp passed the Quillfeather award my way. If you need your spirits lifted, drop on by Lola's blog - it always works!

Lorel Clayton passed the Beautiful Blogger to me. Lorel has great advice on all aspects of the writing process. Make sure you click on over!

The lovely Mary Brebner awarded me the Sunshine Award. It's always nice to have more Sunshine! Mary's got a new address for her blog, if you don't have yours updated yet, this link will take you there!


Nicole Ducleroir and Medeia Sharif both awarded me the Super Comments award. Thanks so much! Both of these ladies are wonderful, bright people. You'll definitely enjoy stopping by their blogs too.

I've been avoiding (yes, like the plague) posting more "interesting" things about myself. But I feel guilty every time I see someone else has actually done it. So, here we go ...

1. I have a love/hate relationship with my house plants. They look great, I enjoy them, but they just keep growing! I don't have unlimited space in my house where plants can thrive, and I can't have big pots. So instead of repotting them, or slicing off some roots and putting them back in the same pot (which never works), I keep them until they're too big, toss them and start again.

2. We couldn't have pets when the kids were little - we were never home with all of their sports/activities and our jobs. We finally bought fish. The only thing the kids learned about was death. *sigh*

3. In spite of that we're all huge animal lovers. One of these days I plan to go on a photography safari in Africa & then a whale watching expedition.

4. I have nightmares every night. Vivid ones. I still remember some of them from when I was a kid.

5. The Shining was the first/last horror book I read. I read it in highschool and didn't sleep well for a very, very long time. (see #4)

6. At just over 5 feet tall, many of my students are taller than me - and I currently teach 10 & 11 year olds. I don't mind it at all. I've always liked being short. At home, I just call "Tall Person needed" and someone comes to help. :)

7. Despite #6, I won the VIP award for volleyball in highschool. :)

Today, I'll pass these awards along to the following great people. As always, these are 'no pressure' awards. Choose your favourite and do with it as you will. I hope everyone will check out these links - if not, you're missing out on some very fine bloggers & friends!

Jackee at Winded Words
Julie Dao at Silver Lining
Michele Emrath at Southern City Mysteries
CJ Redwine at The Last Word
Dawn Simone at Plotting & Scheming
Karen Denise at I'm Always Write
Mary McDonald at The Write Stuff

Okay, I'm caught up!! Now if only my To Be Read pile could be handled so easily. Or the house cleaning. Or the laundry. Or...

So what are you trying to catch up on?

110 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Wow, congratulations on all those awards!

I think plastic plants are the way to go.

And I am getting caught up on... a new idea for my next book!

cleemckenzie said...

You are so lucky to have caught up. I've been putting that off until now, but you've made me feel guilty.

Off to find something to catch up to.

Oh, and congratulations of your awards. They are splendid.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your awards :o) Nice to see Quillfeather over here :o))

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Alex!

The biggest problem with plastic plants is you have to dust them - and I hate dusting!

I bet your new idea will be awesome! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Lee - that was SOOOOOO not my intention! But it does feel good to be caught up in at least one area :)

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Look at all those lovelies! That Panda id just precious! :-)

Congrats, Jemi!

Lola Sharp said...

Congrats! Well deserved.

VR Barkowski said...

Congrats on the awards, Jemi. Well done!

And I love "tall person needed" - that is so cute!!

Summer Frey said...

I'm new to your blog, but I see your name all over the place, so I know these are well-deserved. Congrats! So far I've only ever been able to grow shade plants, but I'm hoping to change that with my first in-ground garden this summer.

I'm still trying to get caught up on laundry and unpacking/settling into the new apartment.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Shannon - I love the panda too :)

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Congrats on your fine and well-dserved awards.
As for houseplants, they now make silk plants that can really fool you. No water, no bugs, no needing bigger pots.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Lola :) I appreciate them all!

Jemi Fraser said...

VR - thanks :)

'Tall person needed' is an amazing tool - Much easier than a step-stool!

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Summer - so nice of you to say! Laundry never ends, does it? Drives me batty!

Good luck with the new apartment!

Jemi Fraser said...

Tricia - yes - I've seen them - but I hear you have to dust them and that's even worse!! :)

Aubrie said...

That's great to learn more about you and congrats on the numerous awards!

I have three fish tanks and I know first hand how finicky fish are. It wasn't you, it was the fish. I've had to try a bunch of fish before my tank stabilized and now they live forever, I can't get rid of them!

Sage Ravenwood said...

I gave up on houseplants. Love them, but my cats love them more. I can't even have hanging plants without them trying a flying trapeze act to knock them down.

Plenty of time for pets when the kiddos leave home, gives you something to love on.

And as for fish, hardiest fish I've ever had was a Fancy Goldfish, they're bigger than the norm and easy to take care of.

Oh and I'm always trying desperately to catch up on writing. Seems I take 3 steps forward and 2 steps back these days. (Hugs)Indigo

Jemi Fraser said...

Indigo - I've heard cats can be really tough on the plants! Of the 2 I'd definitely keep the cats :)

You're right - once the kids are gone, and we're actually home longer, pets will be wonderful!

I know the feeling with the writing- I'm in the revising stage & it's lots of fun, but a lot of hard work!

Jemi Fraser said...

Niki - thanks - your comment just showed up on my version - don't know why I couldn't see it until now.

Blogger is trying to drive me batty again :)

Quillfeather is a cutie!

Anonymous said...

My comments went missing all over the place haha even on my own blog. I must have had a big blockage!

Mason Canyon said...

Congratulations on the awards. Richly deserved. Thanks so much for all the wonderful new links to check out. Always enjoy learning more about fellow bloggers.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Congrats on all your awards. I want to go on Safari too.

Jemi Fraser said...

Niki - that is really odd! I wonder what's going on. Another comment is hiding now - at least from what I can tell. *sigh*

Blogger is picking on me!

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Mason - there are some great people on this list!! Hope you make some new friends :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Susan - Africa seems like such an amazing place - I can't wait to get there :)

Stephanie Thornton said...

Congrats on your awards! I love the sunshine one- that gerber daisy just looks so happy!

I'm trying get caught up (or ahead) on so many things. The list never ends!

Jemi Fraser said...

Stephanie - thanks :) I love gerber daisies as well!

I have one of those never-ending lists as well - maybe we need a little magic to help us along the way!

DL Hammons said...

Congrats Jemi! Excellent choices for passing them along as well.

That makes me sad to hear about your nightmares. That can't be fun.

ModernDayDrifter said...

First off, those are great awards! As of right now, I'm getting caught up on homework....as usual! It consumes my life, sadly!

lisa and laura said...

Congrats on all the awards! Please send some of your green thumb with those house plants over this way...mine always die!

Also, your poem on Tahereh's blog kicks butt!

Jemi Fraser said...

MDD - oh, I remember those days. Unfortunately as a teacher I think I do even more homework than I did as a student :)

Thanks!

Jemi Fraser said...

Lisa & Laura - How about I just send you the plants instead of composting them! :)

Thanks - writing that poem was fun - I haven't done poetry in eons :)

C.J. Redwine said...

Thanks for thinking of me! :)

What does the quillfeather award stand for?

Shelley Sly said...

Congrats on the awards!! I'm also short (just about 5'1") and yes, I know 5th graders who are taller than I am. Anyway, trying to catch up on everything in life from being sick, but right now the spotlight is on blogging and maybe writing. (It's been days since I've worked on my WIP...)

Jemi Fraser said...

You're so welcome! It was created by Niki http://wool-n-nuts.blogspot.com/ in honour of her friend (mine too) Wendy Morrell from Down Under. It's in honour of friendship. I didn't post this time (I did the first time), but I should have included that the awardee should tell how he/she likes his/her eggs - and make a pledge to keep the cage clean & the grain dispenser filled :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Shelley - it's no fun being sick - I hope you 'catch up' from it really soon!

Good luck with getting back to the wip soon - take care of yourself first though!

Unknown said...

I'm trying to catch up on blogs. I love reading them, but there's so many great links posted on them that I get side-tracked.

Thanks for the award. :-)

I have a houseplant. (yes, that's singular). I regularily bring it to the brink of death, then swoop in with some water at the last possible second to save it.

Jemi Fraser said...

Mary - lol :) That's exactly what happens to me too!

You're so welcome on the award!

That sounds like one hardy plant you've got going there!! Good luck to both of you :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Aubrie - sorry it took me so long to respond, Blogger is hiding comments tonight - don't have a clue how to fix it!!

So glad to hear it's the fish - not me! Sounds like your fish and my plants come from the same primordial pool! :)

Anonymous said...

I'm catching up on my friggin' taxes. And my writing. And my blog reading. And commenting. Sheesh!

Congrats on your awards, good lady!

Jemi Fraser said...

Simon - I feel your pain - just finished mine on Sunday.

Good luck on catching up :)

Jemi Fraser said...

DL - sorry it took me so long to respond to you - Blogger is hiding comments on me - don't know why!

Thanks - and yup the nightmares aren't fun. I've come to expect it, but it's still not easy.

Dawn Simon said...

Awww, thank you! Since I get to pick, may I take the Sunshine Award? That flower is so cheery. :)

All the awards are nice! Congrats! You deserve them!

Sorry about the nightmares. That's not fun at all. But I enjoyed reading your seven things and learning more about you. I'm horrible on plants, but my hubby is an uber garden guy.

What am I trying to catch up on? My TBR list. I'm reading, but I'm constantly adding to it. I should be catching up on cleaning!

Thanks again, Jemi!!

Lisa_Gibson said...

I'm trying to catch up on my blogroll at the moment Jemi. ;) So nice to learn a bit more about you.

Jemi Fraser said...

You're so welcome Dawn :)

Thanks for your kind thoughts about the nightmares.

Enjoy the Sunshine award - the daisy is awesome & one of my fave flowers!! Enjoy :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Lisa - the blogroll catch up is a never-ending (but fun!) task :) Good luck!

Arlee Bird said...

I went ahead and put your link in the Blogging From A to Z Cheering section on my sidebar. I know you'll be following and leaving comments on a lot of the participants sites since you do it already. If you will just maybe mention about the challenge every once in a while that would be nice too. And it's still not too late to join us if you change your mind. I'll take stragglers as late as next Monday.
So I'm trying to catch up on this challenge. I didn't realize it would take off like this. And I got to write my blogs as well. It's really great--- we can handle more players!
Thanks, Jemi, for all your support.
Lee

Alyson said...

After a middle school science experiment that researched if house plants grow better while "listening" to classical, rock or country music, I never want to take care of an indoor plant ever again.

Luckily I did my laundry before the flu caught me, and tonight I changed the burnt out light bulbs in my bedroom, so that leaves about 523 other things on my To Do list. I love progress!

Jemi Fraser said...

Lee - it really has taken off on you! So much fun :)

I'll definitely comment and mention! It should be lots of fun - I bet the diversity of entries will be amazing! Congrats again :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Alyson - that totally cracked me up! I'm going to use this reason the next time someone tries to force me to make students do science fair experiments (I refuse!). :)

Good job on your progress! 2 done, only 521 to go! It'll happen in no time :)

Tamika: said...

Congratulations Jemi! I love the blog love that we all share. This is a special place for writers- I couldn't be more pleased.

Jackee said...

I've said it before, Jemi, but I think beyond kindred spirits someone might have cloned our brains! LOL! All except #7... I stink at volleyball. And I collect pets like most women collect jewelry.

Anyway... moving on... thank you so much for the award! You are always so sweet to me. And perhaps I'll just cut and paste your answers since they're going to be the same anyway! :o)

erica m. chapman said...

Congrats on the awards!!

I have nightmares too- and I read that book just after high school. However, I've read and saw many horror/scary movies/books, and I think if I hadn't I'd still have them ;o) The Shining is so good though. I'm sorry you have to deal with them though. Hopefully someday they will cease!

Yay for the volleyball award - very cool ;o)

Jemi Fraser said...

Tamika - thanks -you're so right! This community of writers is incredible!

Jemi Fraser said...

Jackee - kindred spirits indeed :) Maybe you should give volleyball a try! I'd much rather have pets than jewelry - any day!

Jemi Fraser said...

Erica -- yeah - I've pretty much given up on having a nightmare-free night's sleep. The one this morning involved complete strangers, an office building I've never seen and lots of knives - not so good *sigh*

Jennifer Shirk said...

Oooh, they were interesting things!
I love houseplants but they don't love me. :)
My bother and sister in law went on safari in Africa. It was their favorite trip ever.

Anonymous said...

I need to catch up on writing my next two books. Been a crazy busy month but I'm up to the challenge. The creative juices are flowing and I'm ready to go.

Stephen Tremp

Theresa Milstein said...

Congrats on your awards.

I'm editing a manuscript I wrote over a year ago, but forgot about to write something else. It's a rough draft that I'm trying to polish.

Rebecca T. said...

haha plants are taking over our dining room. My Mom won a small potted plant a couple of years ago. Then it turned out to be like six plants in one bowl. so Dad repotted them. Now we have about fifteen plants in our window. I call it the jungle.

And I'm trying to catch up on laundry today. ugh.

Elana Johnson said...

Wow, you are loved. Congrats on your awards and thanks for passing them along to me.

And can I just say "life" as what I'm catching up on? No? Well, it's true.

Jemi Fraser said...

Jennifer - thanks :)

I envy your brother & sis-in-law - It sounds wonderful.

Jemi Fraser said...

Stephen - get writing then!! When the juices are flowing - it's so much fun to get it down on paper. Enjoy :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Theresa - I bet it's been sitting long enough for you to have some distance on it - I think that's a great way to do things!

Thanks for dropping by :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Rebecca - that's it exactly - they take over completely! it gets to be too much :)

Thanks for dropping by and good luck with the laundry!

Jemi Fraser said...

Elana - you sure can say life - that's exactly how I fell almost all the time :)

Julie Dao said...

I thought I commented, but I guess not! Thank you Jemi for my award! :) You're a sweetheart and deserved every single one of these.

JournoMich said...

Thank you, Jemi! I will take the Quillfeather, since I haven't received that one yet--but what are the rules? Anything?

Thank you! And congrats on all of your awards! You deserve them.

Michele
SouthernCityMysteries

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Julie!

You may have commented - Blogger 'hid' a couple of comments last night for a couple of hours. It was acting very strangely - don't quite know what's going on with it!

Jemi Fraser said...

Michele - I believe the rules for Quillfeather are to promise to take good care of the little guy and tell everyone how you like your eggs :) Then pass it along to blogger friends you care about.

Talli Roland said...

Congrats on the awards!

Hm, what I'd like to catch up on... sleep? I had a rubbish night last night and I'm exhausted!

Jemi Fraser said...

Talli - thanks :)

Catching up on sleep is the BEST idea of all!! I don't remember the last time I wasn't tired! Good plan ;)

Anonymous said...

Congrats, Jemi!

I've heard great things come in small packages :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Wendy :)

You're so sweet!

Michelle McLean said...

great list! Now that wasn't so hard, was it? LOL congrats on all the awards! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Michelle - lol :) it was a little bit painful - but you're right - not so bad!

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

congrads!

i hope you write those dreams down - seems to always lead to bestsellers!

Jemi Fraser said...

Shelli - I often think that - but I'm not sure I want to record the reality of my crazy brain anywhere :)

Helen Ginger said...

Congrats on all the awards. Well deserved.

I do the "tall person needed" shout out too, and I'm 5'9", but still the shortest person in my family. I can't imagine having nightmares every night, though.

Helen
Straight From Hel

Anonymous said...

Congrats on all the awards.

I've never been able to make plants grow properly. This seems ominous.

My tall students are so helpful when it comes to retrieving or placing objects on high shelves.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Helen!

Yikes! I can't imagine the things you're trying to reach :) I'm so glad hubby and son are tall!

Jemi Fraser said...

Medeia - isn't it great having tall people around? I love it! If my students aren't tall enough, the grade 8 students are more than willing to help! :)

michelle said...

Congratulations!
Yay for awards that make blogging that little bit more fun :)
Thanks for the links to so awesome blogs xx

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Michelle!

Enjoy the new links - they're really great people :)

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your newest awards. It looks like both your popularity amongst the writing community and your plants just continue to grow!

Please don't cut us off at the roots or toss us out when we get too big : )

You are amazing and much loved.

As an aside, my word verification word scares me: fugginin!

TerryLynnJohnson said...

Wow! Congrats on all those awards. And thanks for the new links to some more good blogs.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

My life! I've sacrificed it the the great promotion god and I'd like it back...

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

nightmares every night??? I get nightmares every time I watch something even remotely scary. my husband didn't believe me until he tested it and I woke him up w/ my screaming.

I think fish are born to die. Quickly, I mean. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Cat - lol :) word verifications continue to haunt me and my bloggy friends!! That's a scary one for sure!

Thanks so much for your kind words, Cat. I love my bloggy friends much more than I love my plants :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Terry Lynn - enjoy the new links - they're great people :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Diane - LOL :)

The great promotion god does demand a high price! Make sure you claim some of it back!!

Jemi Fraser said...

Tamara - yup - every night. I don't remember waking up from a sleep without having a nightmare. It's bizarre. I'm really not a horrible person! Really :)

I like the fish philosophy & I'm definitely going to use that line from now on - no guilt - they're meant to die quickly!! :)

Mari said...

Wow Jemi, I've missed visiting you. It's been too long!

You've even changed the blog's theme. It looks fabulous! I have to confess I prefer this color, although the other format was a good one too.

One thing that hasn't changed is your multi-award post, heh. Many congrats my dear, you certainly deserve them! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks so much Mari - I've missed seeing you as well :)

I love the new colours of the blog template, but I still can't get everything to work perfectly *sigh*

I nearly broke the Internet when I changed it up :)

Susan Fields said...

Congrats on the awards! I love reading these tidbits about fellow bloggers' lives. I gave up on houseplants many, many years ago. With three kids, a dog, a cat, and a fish, I don't need one more thing to worry about keeping alive.

At the moment, I'm trying to catch up on all the day's awesome posts before new ones come out tomorrow and I miss them.

ChristaCarol Jones said...

Honestly, I'm never caught up. There's always something. Between kids, life, house, writing, school, sanity, eating, reading, blogging, remembering to breathe....plus a bunch of other random crap that really isn't crap, it just never happens. Maybe one day when I'm old and have no energy left to do so much I can finally say I caught up. :P

Jemi Fraser said...

Susan - that's kind of the same reason we didn't do pets :)

I can totally relate to trying to catch up on the blogs - it's a challnege every day! But at least its a fun challenge :P

Jemi Fraser said...

Christa - I think you just described my life! :)

Being totally caught up might be enough of a surprise to enduce heart issues, so let's not tempt things!

Thanks so much for popping by!

Rosalind Adam said...

Congrats on your awards. I can see a bit of a theme in your points about yourself. It's to do with sleeping and nightmares. I do hope you keep paper by your bed and record them all. They'll certainly add spice to your writer's notebook.

And now I'm off to visit all those bloggers you've suggested. Thanks, Jemi.

Jemi Fraser said...

Rosalind - I never noticed - apparently I have some issues with sleep :)

I actually just started keeping a notebook by the bed - we'll see what comes of it!

Enjoy the links - they're great people!

Unknown said...

Congrats to all the blog award winners! And you're right--all cool peeps :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Hi Beth - you're right they really are super-d-dooper people!! :)

Anonymous said...

Congrats on all the awards! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Layinda! :)

Mari said...

You're using the blogger new features right? I tried to change my blog's template as well, but everything became strange and alignment. Ugly!

So I'm stuck with the simplest template, but at least it's effective, heh.

Jemi Fraser said...

Mari - yes - I'm trying stuff out - the top linky things don't work, but the basics work, so for now I'm sticking with it. I probably won't have time to play with it again until summer anyway. Oh well :)

Karen Denise said...

WOW Jemi! Thanks so much! I'm sorry I'm just now getting over here to claim my award, but I've been dealing with some medical issues. But I'm on the mend and trying to catch up. Thanks again!

Jemi Fraser said...

You're so welcome Karen. No worries - ever! I just want you to know that I think you have a great blog & I aprreciate the contacts with you :) I hope everything is okay - or at least on the mend!!

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