I’m thrilled to have been nominated this week for a Versatile Blogger Award!

Thanks so much to

zestybeandog.wordpress.com

for the nomination! You need to check her blog out–she’s remarkable. To be nominated by her means a great deal!

The rules for the award are:
1. Thank the person who nominated me and link back to them in my post.
2. Share 7 things about myself
3. Pass the award on to 15 more bloggers that I enjoy
4. Contact the bloggers I have chosen to let them know that they have been selected

7 Things about Myself

1. I originally wanted to be a journalist and started off college in Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. But then I changed my major to Philosophy. Now, as a parent, I don’t know how my own parents kept silent about this. I hope my mother–and my father, god rest his soul–realize how grateful I am that they didn’t throw a great big fit about that!

2. I married my best friend more than 18 years ago. [Write that once without feeling insanely old.] We are still best friends. I won’t tell you how many years ago we met because that will make me feel even older! But I will say we met when we were 14–and it was truly love at first sight. I am eternally grateful for how hard my husband works to keep this family afloat. He’s a very talented musician–check out his music on Facebook/DavidAcoustic or  at David Acoustic.com.

3. Philosophy degrees don’t get you far in life unless you want to go to law school (like one in-law did) or become a philosophy professor (like two of my in-laws have done). Therefore, with a stunningly low-paying but exciting job in book publishing, I took  myself back to school and earned, within just a quarter or two of the maximum allowed time, a MBA from Loyola University Chicago. It was a long haul because I worked during the first half of the degree and gave birth 2 times during the second half of grad school. Oh, and I got pregnant a third time shortly before graduation and was too sick to go through commencement.

4.  I have an unusually, rather incredibly large, cookbook collection. Some were my German grandmother’s cookbooks from the 1920s/30s when she was a live-in cook for a wealthy Indiana family. Some are brand new and filled with lots of great ideas. Some are from used bookstores and filled with lots of great ideas. Some were my mom’s and my mother-in-law’s. I now even have a few on my Nook. And I’ve had some books since I first started living with David. I like to collect local cookbooks from places where we’ve gone on vacation or even on a business trip.

5.  If I loved to exercise as much as I love to read, I’d be super thin. Unfortunately . . .

6. Oh, yes: the children. We have three of those. A 15-year-old age girl, and two boys, 13 & 12, all of whom keep us on our toes with their quick wit. I’m sure there will be a blog about DD, who now has her driver’s permit. The boys still remind us of puppies in their play, their sense of humor, and the awkward way they trip around in their rapidly growing forms.

7. I’m thrilled to receive the Versatile Blogger award because, a year or so ago, I made a decision to become a more versatile blogger, ditching the niche and expanding my personal blog far beyond “mommy blogger.” And since that change, I ‘m much more satisfied with my writing–and my readership has also expanded.

Bloggers Who I Enjoy Reading

Sharripie.blogspot.com – a fun blog from a Kentucky knitter and home designer.
Sharing Recipes –  While Chris’ Sharing Recipes is a community page on Facebook, it really should be a blog. So, I’m adding her to my nomination list in hope that she will consider creating a blog.
Zestybeandog.wordpress.com – Jen has a great blog. She even makes living in Texas look appealing. Go read it!
Evanstonnewbie.blogspot.com –  A fun take on Evanston by a recent transplant.
ChicagoFoodies.com – Great blog on topics related to eating and cooking in Chicago.