I couldn't resist...

* Warning: I am still slightly inebriated while writing this post. I do not take any responsibility for mispelled words or bad grammar. If you are offended easily, please do not look at the cartoon below...



Happy Halloween! Hope your kids get to visit the "good" neighborhoods tonight; you know, the ones who pass out the full-size candy bars and Frisch's coupons good for a free kids' meal...gotta love 'em.

P.S. Becky and I had a great time in Columbus, and I promise to post pictures later, when I'm more sober.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

When I was little, I couldn't wait to turn 10 years old. Double digits, man. All would be right in the world when I was 10.

Then I couldn't wait to be 13. A teenager. I idolized my three older sisters, and I just knew I would be as cool as them when I was 13.

Ah, 16. Driver's ed, my mom's hand-me-down '84 Chevette, a bit of freedom.

18...Adulthood. Total freedom (or so I thought; really there is no such thing, is there?)

21! Woo-hoo! Legal drinking age. Although I swear I drank more before I turned 21 than I ever have since.

25. Umm, cheaper insurance. Married, mother of one, with one on the way.

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

Yesterday, my 35th birthday. By far the best birthday I have ever had. I am so content with my life. A good marriage, three healthy babies, a great job, a nice house, sweet family and friends, my health, enough money to pay the bills...I am surrounded by all that God has, for some unknown reason, blessed me with.

Other than having a bad cold, the day could not have been better. 60 degrees and sunny. Breakfast with my sister. Shopping with my MIL. Gabe's preschool Halloween party and parade. Fabulous dinner (at the Grand Finale in Glendale) with Joe, and shopping, too (he bought me a gorgeous sweater). Today, a trip to Columbus with Becky (pictures to come).

Thanks to everyone for all of my gifts and well-wishes on my blog. You sure know how to make a girl feel special.



Obviously, I did not plan ahead for this picture, or the kids would have coordinated a little better. Seriously, orange, red, pink and brown do not go with my black and white outfit, guys. But they're awfully sweet and adorable, so I guess I'll let it go.

Joe, on the other hand, got my memo about the "black and white theme" for the evening. And he knows how important it is to me to match :)

Heck, at this rate, I don't mind getting older at all!

You say it's my birthday?

Thirty five years ago, a star was born. Do you recognize her, with the big 80's hair and the "glamorous" earrings?



She was once mistaken at a local Red Lobster for this famous actress:

Alright, give up?

It was me!

I know, I know, hard to believe I was that "glamorous" at the ripe old age of 16, huh?

Anybody else fall victim to the sensation that was Glamour Shots? I'd love to see some pics, if you're daring enough to share them.

Seriously, I don't think I resemble Tori Spelling at all, but I have been mistaken for her several times, mostly by rednecks in Walmart and Red Lobster. No offense, I love rednecks. I'm just sayin' they're the only ones thinking I was a Beverly Hills alumni.

Anyway, back to my birthday. I am having a great birthday week so far. Lula already sent me a gift (see previous post); Michelle spent the evening with me on Saturday and gave me a sweet card; Catherine took me out for lunch at Mimi's cafe on Monday (and gave me a lovely picture frame); my other sister, Rhonda, is taking me out for breakfast at my favorite place (Cracker Barrel...Momma's Pancake breakfast baby!); Joe is planning a surprise dinner (with reservations, even!) tonight; Becky and I are spending the day in Columbus on Thursday; and Kay is making me a homemade carrot cake and a yummy dinner on Sunday.

I feel absolutely spoiled. All this love and attention overwhelms me. I have the sweetest group of friends and family, who surround me with affection. And cards, and gifts, and phone calls, and best of all, their time.

Thank you all for making my thirty-fifth birthday such an awesome one. I love you guys...

(You may wonder why I have Marvin Gaye's song "Let's Get it On" playing second on my player. One, 'cause that's what feeling glamorous does to you, folks. Two, 'cause good ole Marv was #1 on the charts in the year of our Lord 1973, the year I was born. Does it get any better than that?)

Another kitten picture?

Sorry, but the answer is yes, it's another kitten picture. Couldn't resist this one of Autumn playing cat and mouse with, well, my mouse. And you'll understand why I had to post this after you scroll down and read my story...
There are a few people who know all the dirty (and I do mean dirty) details of this post. For those of you who I haven't had the chance to tell, here goes:

Once upon a time, there was a little girl (okay, it was me) who loved animals. Her parents got an Irish Setter as the family dog when the girl was four, but that was never enough. The little girl LOVED cats, kittens especially (really, what little girl doesn't?). But the girl's dad was allergic, so any kitten who found its way into her home (by way of cheese and milk handouts to all wandering strays) had to remain an "outdoor cat". Thus, most of these cats met their maker early. Jumping onto the highway from a moving truck, getting caught in the truck motor (where they apparently were just trying to get warm), jumping into the yard next-door and getting eaten by the neighbor's Great Dane (yep, the girl witnessed that one...traumatized, wasn't I, Michelle?); the list goes on. The worst story is one of Midnight, the girl's one and only "indoor cat", who fought a battle with the clothes dryer, and lost. After a while, the strays stopped coming around (can you imagine why?), and the girl lost hope of ever being a cat owner. There was a "Klenk curse" rumor spreading around the alleyways: if you value your nine lives, stay away from 105 Westfield Drive. (Oh, that's a catchy phrase, I like it). Eventually, the girl grew up and became a Kelsey, and the curse ended. Or so she thought.

The point of this intro is to explain to you why I am not surprised when crazy things happen to my cats. The surprising thing to me is how Sugar (our outdoor cat) has survived eight years in our family. Incredible, really. When Autumn joined the fam as our indoor cat (and mainly Isabel's, at that), I kinda forgot about the curse. Until Sunday.

I left for work at 2pm. Around 9pm, I get a call from Isabel, to say goodnight. She happens to mention that "something bad happened to Autumn tonight". She says it in such a calm voice, I am not really that worried. Until the story progresses to "she had blood coming from her ear and now she won't walk or eat and her pupils are dilated" (yes, this is my eight-year-old talking). I tell Isabel to "put.your.Dad.on.the.phone." Joe gets on the phone, and here is the adult version. Let me just preface this by saying that Autumn is fine now. Given the A-OK by our vet. Truly, she's fine. This being said...

The house was quiet with the older two kids gone, and Gabe was taking a nap, so Joe decided to take a nap, too. Autumn snuggled on the bed with him, and he fell asleep. About an hour later, he woke up in a fog, needing to pee really bad. He jumped up to the bathroom, lifted the lids, and proceeded to, you know, pee. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, midstream, the kitten jumped into the toilet! Joe's kneejerk reaction was to grab the kitten out of the toilet and toss her onto the floor. Except the toss turned into a slide, and when Joe looked down, Autumn was knocked out cold with blood coming from her ear. He totally thought he killed the cat. Just then, Isabel walked in, saw her "dead" kitten, and ran screaming and bawling into her room. After a few minutes, Autumn woke up, but she wasn't quite the same. She couldn't/wouldn't walk or eat, and her right ear was drooping down. I was pretty much convinced she had suffered a head bleed, and in my sick mind, was even thinking about her needing a "CAT" scan. I made Joe check on her all night into the morning, to make sure Isabel didn't wake up with a dead kitten in her bed (she insisted on keeping her in her room, where Autumn normally sleeps). By the morning, she was walking and eating, but still pretty lethargic. By the afternoon, she was running in circles, a bit calmer than before but acting pretty normal. Isabel and I took her to the vet, and after a thorough neuro exam, he declared that after losing lives 1 through 6, Autumn should be fine.

Joe is sighing a huge sigh of relief right now. And I'm here hoping the Klenk curse is over for good.

Not Me! Monday

I did not let Gabe "choke the kitty" for a photo op, and a cute blog post idea.

I did not think mean thoughts about another mom this week, just 'cause she dropped the ball on a school event we were all hosting together (not you, Becky).

I did not take the chance of being late to work yesterday, just so I could do this blog post ahead of time.

I did not threaten to do bodily harm to my child in church if he wouldn't be quiet during prayer.

I did not not tithe this week.

I did not hire a cleaning lady to come to my house today, just so I wouldn't have to do it.

I am not turning thirty-five this week. I am not upset about getting older (really, I'm not...sure beats the alternative!) Truly, as Rod puts it, I feel "forever young".

Hmmm...I really do like this idea for Mondays. Confession is so good for the soul. Have a great day!

She (finally) did it!

Who did what? Is that what you're wondering? Well, here's a little hint: she was my very first commenter, is still my most faithful blog follower, and she once swore she would NEVER have a blog.


*Photo taken at our last scrapbooking retreat in Richmond, IN, this past spring.

Yep, introducing "heathersister"...my big sis, Michelle. I say "big" loosely, 'cause I've been bigger than her since I was eleven (she's 4'11", I'm 5'7"); but she is nine years older than me, so I still say big sis.

Way back when I started my blog, I tried to talk her into creating one. She is hysterically funny, but she doesn't think so. She refused to join up, instead making an account only so she could comment on mine. Fast forward to June of this year, when SITS came to be. I called Michelle on the phone and told her to go and read Heather and Tiffany and Lula, some great bloggers I had discovered. We cracked up laughing over Heather's naked Barbie posts, Tiffany's letters to Tampax and her hot OB, and bonded over the love that is Twilight which Lula introduced us to. Eventually, Lula and Michelle became buddies, and she even tried to talk her into starting a blog, to no avail. Becky tried her best to talk her into it, and she must have worked some magic, 'cause last week, Michelle told me she (finally!) wanted me to help her set up her very own blog. Yay!!!

Thanks again to Lula for the Twilight book, 'cause that was the bait I needed to lure Michelle over to my house tonight. While she was over, she decided to go ahead and get set up on Blogger. She made her first post tonight, and is excited to work on adding some more features. She's already got the SITS button, and a fair warning from me on the addiction that is blogging.

Would y'all go and give Michelle some comment love, and start the process of getting "hooked"? Her blog name is "Tales from the Lunchroom"...appropriate since she works in the cafeteria at my niece's school. She is going to have some great tales to tell!

Woman's Remote

A little humor to kick off your weekend:

Then, after you've had a good laugh, scroll down to the previous post for some sweet dreams...

Twilight Bliss

Yesterday, I came home from running errands to find this book on the counter:

an early birthday present from Lula. Girl, you know I love you for so many reasons. However, my love of Twilight is a direct result of your recommendation, and for that, I thank you and will love you forever.

So, last night, after the kids were tucked into their beds, I popped some homemade popcorn with real butter and garlic salt, opened up a Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade, climbed into my comfy bed, and cuddled up with Edward/Robert Pattinson. To be honest, at this point I am loving the both of them.

Here are some of my favorite pages:

And the picture that gave me some goooood dreams:

Just look at that expression on his face...sigh, I am so in lust, I mean, love.

And who could resist a man who plays the piano, composing his own music, at that?

Oh, Lula, I am so happy with my gift. Thank you, thank you!

Less than a month until the big day. I can't wait to get my Twilight tee, re-read the book and get dolled up for the special night.

Anybody else have big plans for the Twilight opening night?

Punkins, punkins and more punkins...

*Warning: Long, photo-laden post ahead. Pics of babies, kids, grownups and lots of pumpkins...

Our week began with a pumpkin patch/cookout planned with mine and Becky's families. It started out small, and grew and grew into a huge event. With the weatherman calling for a perfect fall day, both my sister and my in-laws decided to join in on the fun. It was a terrific day, filled with great photo ops, (free) hayrides and corn mazes, apple cider slushies and a bazillion punkins!

Becky and I were so excited to get a picture of our families together. As you can imagine, this was quite an accomplishment! Thanks, Kay, for snapping the shutter at just the right time...



The "babies" of our families...

My sweet niece, Kylee. As blond as the day is long, with the cutest little voice...

Joe's parents, Bob and Kay, with their first grandson, courtesy of MOI. Yep, I'm totally taking the credit for that one.

Mike, Tatum and Summer enjoying a little snack. Mike decided to save some caramel for later (on his shirt).

My sister, Rhonda, with her hubby, Paul, and their babies, Katlyn and Kylee. I'm so glad they decided to tag along; they had a great time, and I loved spending the afternoon and evening together. I don't see my big sis near enough...

The corn maze was just right for little ones (and did I mention it was free? Definitely a bonus for the grownups forking out the bucks).

Joe and his momma hanging out among the cornstalks. Gabe was nowhere to be found, as he was too busy looking for the aliens from "Signs". He was "gonna kick them and fight them" when he found them. Lucky for the aliens, he never did.

Man, I love this girl. Everytime I hear evil MIL stories, I thank my lucky stars for Kay. She is an incredible grandma, mom and friend; I don't know what I would do without her. (Go crazy, I'm pretty sure.)

We had to stage this photo a bit. There were too many people in front of Isabel and Katlyn at first, so we waited for them to pass, then told the girls to "walk normal but slowly". (The things we do for a memory.)

After the punkin patch, we headed to my house for a cookout. Hotdogs, hamburgers, pasta salad and Becky's incredible apple cake (yum). It was the best day I've had in a long time.

Fast forward to Wednesday. I probably should've made this into another post, but I didn't (sorry). Joe took the day off, and joined Gabe and me on his field trip to another punkin patch, one we've never been to before. It was incredible! Only one year old, the barns were new, the horses were friendly, and the play area was awesome.

Whaddya think of this place, Gabe?


Remember Gabe's little "girlfriend" from preschool? Yep, Macy seems to always be where Gabe is. Funny how early this starts...

We were so glad to have Daddy come along. He was a great help with all these energetic preschoolers.

This horse used to be a "school horse", used for giving horseriding lessons to kids. Now he is "retired", but still loves the attention from the little ones. He loves to hold this ball and let the kids use it as a punching bag. Of course, Gabe showed no fear and went right up to him.

Gabe got the chance to pick out his own "perfect" pumpkin. Didn't take him but two minutes, and he was done. (He was really ready to play on the huge "mountain slide".)

Climbing up the manmade hill, which housed a big section of pipe used as a slide...

Once again, fearless...

Another day, another pumpkin. Off to another great adventure...We are officially "pumpkinned out". (And we still have to carve them all. Hate the guts, love the seeds.)

E.T.

Dear E.T.,

I walked in on you this evening, sitting so innocently in the middle of my living room floor, and I have to tell you: you scared the ever living crap right out of me! What on earth were you doing there? Did Gabe play with you up until bedtime, then leave you to "greet" me when I came home from work? Did you think you'd have a little fun, seeing if you could make a soon-to-be-middle-aged-lady pee her pants?

Well, it almost worked. Look, I'm sorry that Gabe only likes you when it's daylight outside. Can you blame him? You have to admit, that long neck and big head looks freaky in the dark. I don't care how cute you were in the movie (and the book, too...yep, I read it); after the sun sets, your cuteness disappears and you become downright scary. Afterall, you are an alien. And after watching Signs one too many times (yes I let Gabe watch Signs; it's one of our favorite movies!), an alien in the house at bedtime is not something we desire.

I'm sure come morning, Gabe will want to feed you and dress you and play with you. Until then, lay low, dude. I can't take it when you want to play with me...

Sincerely,
Heather

Doubly Tagged

Okay, so on my way home from work this evening, I was planning my blog post for Tuesday. Thinking back on my shift, looking for funny blog-worthy moments (none...we had a death of a young 61 year old mom/wife/grandma, lost to breast cancer). Thinking back on my day with the kids (pretty uneventful, which is good in its own way). Then I checked my email. And found that I was tagged by two different bloggers with a very similar tag, the 6 (or 7) quirky things about you tag. I'm pretty sure I've done something similar in the past, but I love to play along, and I'm desperate for blog fodder. So, thanks Tattooedminivanmom and Queen of the Residence! Here goes:


Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules in your post. Share 7 random/weird facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your blog and link to their blogs. Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment in their blog.



Are you sure you wanna know these things about me? Please don't run away...

1. I often dress my family in color-coordinated outfits, especially to church or potentially photographed events. My husband does not like to play along with me on this, which gets on my nerves. Humph...

2. Although I hate to miss out on my sleep, I do love working night shift. I will miss the fun of nights while I'm working my new schedule (but I will love getting a full nights' sleep).

3. I feel the need to blog everyday except for Sunday. I like for my blog post to be done the night before, so my sweet sister can comment on it before she goes to work.

4. I love to talk on the phone. To friends and family, but mostly to my girlfriends and sisters. My husband does not understand this. He cannot believe I can talk to a certain blogger for two hours at a time (men just don't get it).

5. I am not only addicted to blogging. I am also addicted to (gasp) exercise. I never thought I would say this. I hated to sweat. Now, I look forward to my M-W-F routine with my BFF, Becky. That runner's high people talk about? Yeah, I still don't get that. And sweat still feels icky. But man, my jeans are fittin' fine, y'all! (Hence, the Conway Twitty song playing in the background...thanks for the idea, Lula.)

6. October is my most favorite month of the entire year. My anniversary, my birthday, Halloween, fall...there are so many things about October that I love. And in case you wanted to know, my birthday is the 29th. You know, if you wanted to send me a present or something.

7. I let my dog sleep under the covers with me. Curled up behind the crook of my legs. I love it.

Okay, that's all I can think of. The kids will be waking me up in 6 1/2 hours to make their breakfasts and pack their lunches (yes, my kids wake me up, not the other way around...I never have to pry them out of their beds for school...the disadvantage to this is they NEVER sleep in).

I'll be back later to tag some friends. (Too much work, all that linking...)

Not Me! Monday

This is my first "Not Me! Monday" post. I'm not sure if I'm gonna like this or not...

Here we go:

I did not skip Sunday school yesterday so I could let my hubby sleep in and I could blog. I would never do that!

I did not dress all my children in fall outfits so I could get pleasing pictures at the pumpkin patch that would match the pretty scrapbook paper I just bought. That's just weird.

I did not let Gabe eat "cookies on a stick" for breakfast. I only feed my children nutritious meals all the time. No snacks, ever.

I did not make Elijah wait for me to fix his hair while I finished this blog post. I am not that addicted!

Okay, maybe I like this a little. Good for the soul, this confession thing.

Happy Monday, y'all! I start my new work schedule this week (i.e., less hours, no overnight shifts except for once in a great while, which translates into more sleep for me, happier wife and momma for my family. Yep, it's all good, as Catherine would say).

The Power of the Sausage Dog

I'm sure I've mentioned before how much Gabe loves scary books and movies. With Halloween fast approaching, there are monsters and goblins and ghosts everywhere you look. Gabe is so in his element. He was thrilled to get a new Goosebumps DVD at Kroger today, after having a great week at preschool (can I get an amen?). Tonight we had popcorn and lemonade and watched the new show together. Ohh, it was so good (just a little scary). Good times.

Fast forward to bedtime. Read a story, tuck a boy in, get the cheesestick, turn off the light, say a prayer, turn on the sleepy music, shut the door, nighty-night.

Except tonight, after the lights went out, Gabe was a bit...scared.

"It's too dark. Those monsters will get me."

What? My brave boy is finally acting like a normal four-year-old, afraid of the dark and monsters and such? I could hardly believe it. So we said a prayer for Jesus to protect Gabe, said amen, and nighty-night.

Nope, still a little scared.

That's when the idea of a magic power-filled sausage dog from Australia was born:

Katy, Gabe has been sleeping with this little dog you made ever since it made its way from Australia to Ohio. He's the perfect size, soft and snuggly, and even smells nice. And best of all, he has magic monster-repellent powers. Who knew?

When a monster even thinks of entering Gabe's room, or even our house, Sausage Dog is on alert. He perks his ears, focuses his beady eyes, and sends even the fiercest monster packing.

Gabe totally bought into this story, and by the end of me telling it, I began to believe it, too. Hey, anything is possible from the Land down Under, right?

If you or your children are afraid of monsters and in need of a magic Sausage Dog of your own, go visit Katy at What Katy Did Design and arrange for a swap of your own. I'm sure she'd be glad to help you out. She sure did the trick for us:

Nighty-night!

Her Mother's Daughter

I completely forgot about these pictures until tonight, when my friend, Monica, reminded me of them. About a month ago, my MIL bought some Halloween baby clothes for Isabel's American Girl dolls. One night after a sleepover with her BFF, Maya, the girls got together and begged me to use my camera. They went out back for a little photo shoot with the babies and had a blast, placing them in different poses and taking tons of pictures (gotta love digital, huh?). I didn't really pay much attention at the time, but when I downloaded them onto my laptop, I noticed what a good job they did.

I'd bet they took over thirty pictures, stopping only when it was time for Maya to leave. I love the way Isabel treats her baby dolls like real people. I totally remember my three favorite dolls to this day: Renee, Sarah, and Jeffrey (two Cabbage Patch dolls and one from a craft fair in Metamora).

She is such her mother's daughter. Gotta love that.

What about you? Did you play with baby dolls as a little girl? Do you remember their names? Do you still have them?

Favorite Things Swap

I have to say, I am getting quite addicted to this blog swap phenomenon. The first one I did with Katy was just between the two of us, and the one I'm in the middle of now is between me, Betty, and Becky. But the gift I received yesterday was the result of a Favorite Things swap, hosted by Kat of Sunshine and Lemonade.

My box of goodies traveled across the ocean from South Africa! Loraine of the Pink Tulips sent me a ton of delightful presents; she was even thoughtful enough to include a little something for each of my kiddos.

We were so excited to open the box. Gabe helped me rip off the tape and pull out the packing...




Once Isabel walked in the door, I couldn't wait to share the news that our swap had arrived (my kids love these swaps as much as I do, especially seeing the different stamps and coins from countries other than our own). We ran upstairs to Elijah's world map and found South Africa right away, tracing the route our package probably took to get to our part of Ohio.

Isabel's favorite: the lavendar potpourri and the stamps.

Gabe's favorite: the animal stickers and the chocolate safari animal lollipops (yum!).

Elijah's favorite: the African bubblegum and coins (the boy loves money).

My favorite: the handsewn pincushion in my favorite colors and the handsewn bag in safari print. Loraine made these herself, and filled the bag with beaded artwork made by the locals in her South African town. I also loved loved loved the scrapbook papers and magazine she sent!

Loraine, thank you so much for the wonderful gift. I hope you liked your swap gift as well as I did. I can't wait to drink some soothing African tea and cuddle up with my new magazine. Kat, thanks for organizing this fun swap. I'm looking forward to doing it again!

Happy Birthday, Jen!

Maybe you've read her blog, Buried with Children. Maybe you've read her comments on my blog posts, or maybe she's commented on yours. Maybe you're a member of my family and you have no idea who I am talking about.

Meet Jen. Nurse, wife, mother, blogger extraordannaire. The girl who introduced me to SITS. A faithful commenter (even when she is recuperating from frequent injuries). A fellow ICU nurse who understands my warped sense of humor in all things hospital/nursing related.

Today is Jen's birthday! Please go and visit her blog and leave her lots of comment love today. With triplets and a four year old, she needs lots of love and moral support (well, don't we all?).

Jen, I hope you have a terrific birthday! Your hubby totally won me over with this idea; how about you?

SITS: Circle of Friends

A while back I did a post about how much I loved SITS. Tiffany and Heather are absolute geniuses for creating this community of mostly women bloggers, who support each other in the world of blogging with comment love, contest prizes, and much more.

I first stumbled upon the magic SITS button on a fellow nurse's blog. Jen from Buried with Children had one on the right side of her blog, and I had no idea what on earth it was. This was back in June, just after SITS had begun. It sounded like a neat thing. At the time, the only people commenting on my blog were my sister and a blog friend from Texas, Jennifer from Three Little Indians (also a nurse). The idea of "meeting" new people and getting more comments was appealing. So I signed up. And immediately fell in love. Or became addicted. Whatever. I became a blogging maniac, stalking other blogs (in a friendly way, really).

I joined a new "circle of friends". Friends who showed up and loved on me in a comment-y way, complimenting my kids and my mothering skills, lifting me up on bad days, showering me with love on my feature day. I met one blogging friend in person and became friends with Catherine and her family; I exchanged email addresses and phone numbers with two more friends, and am planning a visit in November with one of my favorite bloggers ever (more details on that one later). This circle has widened to include my real life BFF, Becky, who I finally convinced to hop on the blogging bandwagon with me and join in the love and fun that is SITS.


So many great things have come out of joining this circle of friends. I have enjoyed an Australian swap with Katy from What Katy Did, sending her a package of homemade cards and candy and American fabric to sew; receiving a few special handmade items from her (sausage dog, bird-mobile, Nintendo DS cover). I am currently doing another swap with Betty from Keeper of the Skies; she is making me a shawl, and I am making her a box of cards. Not only are we swapping gifts; we also swap comment love nearly every day. I love to see Katy's creations and hear Betty's stories of her daughters and life as a couple after your kids are raised (and she makes a mean skirt, too).

Another blog friend I discovered through SITS is Angela from The Painted House. Angela and her family fought a battle with cancer (and won) this past year...her love and support of her husband and their babies is inspiring. Not to mention the fact that she gorgeous, hilarious, a talented artist, and a great blogger. Yep, I hate her. Not really, but I probably would if she weren't such a genuinely kind person with a passion for life. And she leaves me comment love whenever she can.

Last, but never ever least, is my friend, Lula from the town of Lulaville. Lula's profile picture is the best one out there. Those gorgeous eyes just suck you in. I started reading her blog after reading one of her comments on SITS. She is an awesome writer, leaves the best comments ever, and her southern belle twang comes through on every post she writes. Not to mention the fact that she invited me personally to join this circle of vampires, I mean, friends:

And now I am not only addicted to the world of blogging, the world of SITS and the need for comment love everyday... I am also a Twilight junkie.

Hello, my name is Heather, and I am an addict. Where's the line for the 12-step program that I clearly need?

If you're new to the blogging world and/or have never heard of SITS, you so need to check them out. It's the most supportive group of women I have ever "met", and I feel blessed to be a part of this circle of friends.