This past Saturday, my friend Amiable Amiable at Big Happy Nothing passed me The Stylish Blogger Award. My friend, AA, is very sweet (be sure to check out her highly amusing blog!), but clearly delusional in bestowing this honour on a woman whose children have threatened kindly offered to suggest Style by Jury do a makeover on her (“They’d give you brand new pearly whites!” says Hope, hopefully). Nevertheless, being the gracious sort (and not wanting to hurt AA’s feelings), I am proud to accept this award, and pass it along to other deserving bloggers.
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The requirements I must follow as an award recipient are as follows:
1. Write seven things about myself.Â
I’ve decided (since I’m likely to repeat myself in my advanced age) to share with you seven little-known facts about me and my lack of style (Stacy and Clinton from What Not to Wear dream of getting their well-manicured hands on someone like me!).Â
2. Present the award to six bloggers.
There are few people on my Blogroll who I haven’t already picked on honoured with various awards, but I will offer up some of my latest additions for your perusal. I may lack that “je ne sais quoi,” but I’ve got a whack of stylish writers on my Blogroll!
3. Contact those people.Â
Will do (just as soon as the post is up!).
4. Create a link back to the person who honored me.Â
Done!
Seven Fashion Tips/Facts About Me I Hope No One Chooses to Follow:
1. My first (and second pair) of glasses were cat’s eyes: the first pink, the second blue. I was seven…I thought they were cool!
2. I made my own halter tops in junior high from a simple trapezoid shape with drawstrings strung through the top and bottom…I was a 34A until I was 16.Â
3. My parents didn’t have much money when I was growing up, and I bought all my own clothing from the time I was fourteen. One of the things I desparately wanted was a pair of Levis jeans. One day, a local store advertised in the newspaper that they had Levis for $3.99. When I got to the store, the “on sale” jeans were actually cords, and they were burnt orange in colour. I bought them anyway.Â
4. In Grade 10, I recut a pair of hand-me-down bell bottom jeans (remember the really big bell bottoms popular in the mid-70’s?) and sewed them into a long granny-style skirt…I spent the rest of the year tripping over it!
5. I was not a “girly-girl” in high school, and rarely wore regular-length skirts. Girls had to wear skirts for band though. I found out (from a photograph in the yearbook) that I had played my flute in a band concert sitting in the front row with my legs wide open (lucky that I wore granny panties then, just like now!).
6. Before I had kids, I used to have money to buy shoes. Shoes in Canada were always more expensive than they were in the U.S., so I’d wait until we went to the States to visit relatives to make my purchases. On one such trip, I was thrilled to find a pair of pointy-toed suede cowboy boots for only $38 (they would have sold for over $100 in Canada at the time). Some unkind people referred to my prized boots as “pickle-stabbers”!
7. In college, I went through a brief period where I wore hats all the time (it was the early ’80’s). I built up quite a collection before I came to my senses and realized I wasn’t a “hat person.”
My Six Stylish Blogger Nominees:
The proper words in the proper places are the true definition of style.
–Jonathan Swift
I have chosen my victims winners with Jonathan’s quote in mind…please check them out if you don’t already know them:
1. Another Stir of the Spoon. Jeanne and her husband, Curt, write one of two wife-husband blogs I follow (and they’re just as crazy about birds as Jim is!). It is an eclectic mix of food, art, gardening, books and nature. Just today, I learned about “real” ramen (as they do it in Japan), and “shino” glaze on pottery!
2. EduClaytion. Clay is the history professor we all wish we had in college…he makes history and pop culture fun! There’s a rumour that the look of the “Flynn Rider” character in Tangled was modelled after him…the real Clay is definitely cooler and smarter than his cartoon twin!
3. Jumping in Mud Puddles. I discovered Vickie after she was Freshly Pressed in mid-December…I kept reading because she cracks me up! Vickie’s a fourth grade teacher in West Virginia. One of my favourite posts of hers involves a lost ring.Â
What an honor! And it looks like I have some work to do. 🙂
First, I need to go change clothes. I’m in full-on, fifth-snow-day-at-home, will-my-new-job-ever-start mom clothes. They are stretchy and comfortable but not what should be worn by a newly awarded stylish blogger!
Thank you, Wendy!
Worry not, Amy…I’d spend every day in my jammies if I could! Congrats! Wendy
wendy–
another one?
wow!
🙂
jane
It surprised me, too, Jane! The best part about getting the awards is introducing people to other bloggers I love! Hugs, Wendy
You’re just piling those awards up, Wendy – I’m too impressed for words.
I love how self-deprecating you are, and the little known facts you share about yourself! I didn’t sew halter tops like that for myself, probably because I can’t sew, but I certainly had a few of them! hahaha!
(FYI I’m nearly 50 and I’m still 36A… how embarrassing!)
Sunshine xx
Thanks, Sunshine! I’ve suffering from “too much of a good thing” in the boobage department right now…I need to lose some weight so my cups will quit running over! Hugs, Wendy
You are truly the Award Diva of the Blogging World. And a Major Fashionista. Fascinating look into your fashion sense development. And finally, I don’t know whether to thank you are be upset with you. Because of you, I have now added several more bloggers to my Subscribe list. There aren’t enough hours in the day….
You’re welcome, Renée…that’s the best part of the awards…hooking people up! Speaking of fashion, I’m having difficulty locating those photos of my Grandma…I’ll keep looking! Wendy
Great. I’m still thinking about that!
There is only one set of documents that compair to your writing skills and the writer of the these words in the Bible.
“And God spoke all these words, saying: ‘I am the LORD your God…
ONE: ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.’
TWO: ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image–any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.’
THREE: ‘You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.’
FOUR: ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.’
FIVE: ‘Honor your father and your mother.’
SIX: ‘You shall not murder.’
SEVEN: ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
EIGHT: ‘You shall not steal.’
NINE: ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.’
TEN: ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.’
I’m extremely confused, Duke… Wendy
Oh Wendy, what hath thou wrought? I love it! An instant post just appeared in my brain. I’ll be sure to get the thing down right away. Thank you for this painful honor 🙂 Oh, sorry, honour 😉
Hope you have fun with it, Clay! Wendy
Sorry. That makes 2 of us. Ever since the doctor said this morning that there is still not an answer for the shoulder problem that started last August I have been in a funk. So I have more test at the end of this week and a different doctor next week. Sorry again.
Hope your shoulder feels better soon, Duke! Wendy
Congratulations! You will need a bigger house for all your “Major Awards”. Reading through your 7 things we did not know, I so related to many of them. All of which brought back memories and a smile tagged along.
I always love your posts. I appreciate your writing so much. Cannot wait to see which award comes your way next! oooo! Will we be seeing the warm glow of a Fish Net Stocking leg lamp soon?
Smiles….
Barb
Fish Net Stocking Leg Lamp???!!! I don’t think so, Barb! Glad you enjoy my blog…I’ll come over and check out yours! Wendy
From A Christmas Story…You know the movie. Maybe you don’t. oops!
Sorry…haven’t seen it yet…I’ve heard it’s very good, though… Wendy
You are stylin’ with that Stylish Blogger Award! Where did you find it? How come Charles didn’t give me one? I will have to raise this issue at Mostly Bright Ideas.
HELLO! Your glasses are the cat’s pajamas!!! Pink AND blue pairs? To die for!
Ah, yes, halter tops. I think I tried to fashion one out of a red bandana and some string. Stacy and Clinton would have had me locked up for that. (What Not To Wear is one of my favorite shows!)
I think your Pickle Stabblers and my Lizard Boots belong in the Smithsonian, right next to the dress Carol Burnett fashioned out of a curtain and rod in a Gone With the Wind spoof.
#5 cracked me up – me, the girl who discovered she forgot to wear underwear after she climbed in a dress to the top of the monkey bars during 1st grade.
Thanks for participating, Wendy! I enjoyed reading about all of your fashion foibles, though I think you have been making fashion statements!
Thanks again for giving me the award, AA! I found the graphic on the Internet… Every time I get rid of some article of clothing, it comes back into style! Carol Burnett is one of my favourites…I remember that routine! Wendy
I just realized I wrote “Pickle Stabblers” instead of “Pickle Stabbers.” I don’t know … I kinda get a kick outta “Pickle Stabblers.”
I didn’t even notice, AA! Wendy
Whoa! Now I’ve got to prove myself. Curt immediately passed the honor to me. It’s a busy week but I think I’m up to it. Hey we just won the Superbowl up here!!
Jeanne
No pressure, Jeanne…take your time! I missed the Super Bowl game (on purpose)…congrats on the win though! Have fun with the award! Wendy
Your fashion history makes my bargain shopping at Gabes sound very tame! Congrats on the awards. I love those ponies!
Also, I switched from email subscription to your RSS feed. Just wanted to let you know in case you get a notification. I’m still reading!
Thanks, Joey…I appreciate the heads-up on the subscription switch too…as you know, I’m a little sensitive about losing people! Wendy
Thanks. Our blog families are like are regular ones sometimes they things and you look at them like they are from Mars.
I’m always afraid when I’m out shopping that Oprah’s style police are going to ambush me and point out all my fashion mistakes.
Thank you for the blogging style honor. I am honored! And hope to get to passing this one at some point. I first want to spend some time visiting the other blogs you mentioned.
No rush, Colleen…that’s the best part of getting the award is promoting other people! Wendy
Who says cat’s eye glasses aren’t cool? You were a cute kid, Wendy. 🙂
Thanks, sweet Maura… Hugs, Wendy
Congratulations!
Love that picture of you with the ponies. PONIES?! You were living the dream of almost every girl in the United States, right?
I am sad that you’re no longer a hat person. I think hats are cool and I am still waiting for it to become fashionable again to just wear a hat as a style statement and not because it is freezing.
Thanks, Lin! Sadly, when that picture was taken, we were living in suburbia outside Toledo, Ohio. My Aunt Nancy lives in the country in central Ohio…we visited every few months…I only remember riding horses once or twice! You can carry off hats! My head is far too big! Hugs, Wendy
ROFL Wendy…Congratulations – It’s raining awards 😀
I was a ‘sit wide open’ kinda gal too, much to my Mom’s horror! I was such a tomboy and lived in pants, so the few occasions I wore skirts (parties and things), I just couldn’t remember to ‘keep them together’ 😛 Thank goodness I was too young then to know any embarrassment 😀
A picture of the ‘pickle-stabbers’ please!! If you still saved them!
Hugs, H.
Thanks, Harsha! Alas…the pickle-stabbers are long gone…this photo is pretty close though (mine were lighter beige)… Hugs, Wendy
Shoot…the photo didn’t work…here’s the link:
http://www.baseinchina.com/Products/Show.aspx/42863/Wholesale-Lane-Brown-Suede-Men-s-Cowboy-Boots/
Checked out the link! Those are some cool stabbers Wendy 🙂 I like!
Thanks, Harsha…they were cool in the early ’80’s! Hugs, Wendy
I know have a response to kids who think the late-70’s, early-80’s were cool: burnt orange cords. Great post, as usual, Wendy.
The scary thing is, Todd, that they’ll probably come back in style… Thank you for your kind words! Wendy
It isn’t hard to see why AA bestowed the award upon you. This is one of the best posts I’ve seen in a long time and am going to spend the next little while check out your six favourites.
Thank you, Cheryl, for your kind words…feel free to pour yourself a cup of tea while you catch up! Welcome to Hammond River! Wendy
I am … a cuppa Sowmee white tea as I write this! BFN
I loved halter tops and bell bottoms. Oh, halter tops and bell bottoms together was a real stylish combination if ever there was one. I think you are so deserving of the Stylish Blogger Award! Hugs, Diane
Thanks, Diane! My children hoot when they see pictures of me in the ’70’s…we were stylin’…NOT! Hugs, Wendy
Good God, Wendy, I am horiffyingly honored by this this “award.” More homeword is right!
Sorry it’s taking me several days to claim it; I’m just now getting back into gear after returning to Haiti late yesterday.
As you indicated, I have the Memetastic Award to pass along, before bestowing this “Stylish Blogger Award” on additonal victims. But I promise to get to this one this in the next few days–certainly before the end of the week.
your ever-stylish blogger,
Kathy
No rush, Kathy…hope you and Sara had a great time on your trip! Hugs, Wendy
Ok–this is hilarious! Is that a photo of me at the top? I had the SAME glasses! But you are a heckuva lot cuter than I ever was. And your pony is ten times cuter than mine. Then I advanced to black square glasses and looked like Peter Sellers. I had the SAME halter top! I have been finishing a post about my struggles with Home Economics (sewing).
Thanks for the fun memories!
Thanks for stopping by, RITY! I progressed from cat’s eyes to granny glasses to aviators…finally got contacts when I was 19! The ponies weren’t mine…we were visiting my aunt. I hate everything about sewing, but can do it if forced to! Looking forward to your Home Ec. piece! Please visit again! Wendy
Thank heavens for granny glasses and aviators! I had the same progression. And, I have to admit, I didn’t have a pony either–just a cheap rental for a month–an old swayback pregnant pony named Belle who had teeth that could hurt somebody. And did. Not me, but my next-door-neighbor. And he lives to tell about it.
Thanks, Wendy for the great post!
Glad you enjoyed it, RITY! Wendy
Pickle stabbers? There were pickles lying around? Jealousy makes people even more confusing, doesnt it?
Oh, Oma…now I’m going to have to Google “pickle stabbers” to find out where the term came from… Wendy
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Wendy, how sweet you are!!! Thank you so much for thinking of me and my poor little blog. I am very appreciative! Some of your readers have visited already and have left messages. You are awesome! 🙂
Your blog is funny, Vickie, and I don’t promote anything that isn’t good! Glad more people are visiting! Wendy
Congratulations, Wendy! So nice for you to receive some well deserved recognition. 🙂
Thanks, Laura…we Maritimers are stylin’, aren’t we? Wendy
I did it! I have sent it on. Probably only 3 out of the 6 may continue but it was fun, now I have to check out my fellow honorees.
Already read it and commented! Glad you had fun, Jeanne…will check out your nominees too! Wendy
Pink and blue glasses??
Thanks for the recommendations–good stuff!
Weren’t there any little girls in your classes with pink or blue cat’s eyes, Tom? Glad you enjoyed the list of nominees…no junk allowed on my blogroll! Wendy
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Argh! I came in to have a catch up… about 3 hours later and having flicked through a few of your other writers’s blogs ( and some of their friends too )… must not come over here during work hours or I won’t get anything done!
Fantastic blog – wish I’d had a choice of cats eye glasses when I was young.. I did have a choice of pink, blue or brown but they were pretty nasty!
Welcome back, egills…glad you enjoyed the post! Oops…is that your boss coming? Quick! Close the window! Wendy
Girlfriend, you are rocking the blog world. Love it! 🙂 iz
Glad you stopped by, Izzie…I miss you! Hugs, Wendy
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Heavens, I’m even more overwhelmed with all this than usual today. I’m trying to understand how the Stylish Blogger award words, along with everything else that Blogs are made of. I need to attend an on-line workshop!
Thanks for stopping by, Jenny…welcome to the wonderful world of blogging! The best thing about the awards is sharing the love, and telling other people about the talented writers you follow. Usually, the instruction are on it when you get the award…have fun with it!
Wendy
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