Happy Valentine's Day and an Award!

First of all, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!!! Secondly, I would like to thank Angie, from "Angie's Kitchen" for awarding me with the Stylish Blogger Award! It means so very much to know that she thought highly enough of my blog to acknowledge it, especially with all of the wonderful blogs out there! This is my second year blogging...I started as somewhat of a hobby and as I've mentioned before, it's been very therapeutic for me. When I'm stressed out, I either cook or clean--you can likely guess what my preference is! All kidding aside, I have "met" some very outstanding and inspirational people and have had so much fun experimenting in my kitchen! I've even been able to probably quadruple what my husband would eat when we initially started dating! I thank all of you for sharing your wonderful recipes/posts! I am new to Angie's blog, but have already bookmarked several recipes that I intend to try and thank her, again, for thinking of me!

Here is how the award works:

-Thank and link back to the person who awarded this to you.
-Share 7 (random) things about yourself.
-Pay it forward to 10 bloggers whom you feel are deserving.
-Contact those bloggers and let them know about their award.

Seven Random things about myself:

1.) I am addicted to coupons...seriously! I have a HUGE binder filled with hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of coupons, all categorized nicely and I will spend HOURS at the grocery store, going up and down each aisle trying to find bargains!

2.) I worked two part-time jobs in high school, one of which was at McDonald's. They would NOT "promote" me to drive-thru or to work the counter...I was the "fry girl" and despised it! It wasn't so funny at the time, but I have to laugh now when I think back to the day I called in and quit, letting them know that I wasn't coming in that night or EVER again! The manager said "for future reference, you may want to give your employer a little bit of notice". Sorry, being a "fry girl" wasn't really my thing and I didn't plan to use McDonald's on my future resume, when I applied for my first job as a nurse! (Especially since my job description would have stated "made fries"!)

3.) My husband and I grew up living about 20 minutes apart, but didn't meet until we were both down at IU Bloomington. (Small world!)

4.) I save every greeting card that I'm given...I'm not joking when I say that I probably have about 4-5 HUGE storage containers filled with cards. I'm very sentimental!

5.) I am so very blessed to be able to stay home with my kids as much as I do! My husband and I have always been able to work it out so that one of us can be home with the kids, avoiding daycare/babysitters altogether. Wouldn't trade it for the world!

6.) I apparently am "left-brain dominant"...I discovered this after taking a little quiz last week! Not surprising at all!

7.) I'm a huge fan of online shopping...and I LOVE Ebates! I just received a free $10 and change for this past quarter ($85 total), just for going to their site before starting my shopping! (If you want more info, contact me...it's great!!!)

I would now like to pass this award on to some of my favorite blogs that I read routinely--the first 9 are cooking blogs and the last is my dear friend, Devonay, who has a little bit of everything!

1) For the Love of Cooking
2) Lynda's Recipe Box
3) Finding Joy in My Kitchen
4) Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi
5) Indigo's Sugar Spectrum
6) Recipe Shoebox
7) Amanda's Cookin'
8) One Perfect Bite
9) Macaroni and Cheesecake
10) Lumpkin and Me