Hotlight?

Remember that? Where I your link to your favorite sites on a specific topic? Well, last month, I did nearly all of the work, eh-hem.

So June? We’re skipping.

Hey, I’ve already managed to keep that New Year’s blogolution longer than I’ve ever kept one before.

But one thing I won’t give up is props to my new commenters. Because I’m needy that way and comments are what make my world go ’round. So thank you to the delurkers and the first time visitors. I hope you feel free to come by again - and again, and again. Because you make my life special.

• Molly - A Fellow VerveEarther - at I Heard Tell. Her posts are just right and have the ability to make you laugh and think.
• Madge over at Diva Cosmos - She’s Vivienne’s evil twin, and somehow I think I’m flattered that Madge stopped by. I love her snark.
• Karen from 3Garnets2Sapphires - Since garnet is my favorite gem, I’m thrilled she’s willing to share her cute kids and her fears.
• Maggie at Maggie’s Mind - She has great pictures and math lessons to boot!
• Pamela from The Dayton Time - The Boss of Things in Western New York whose daughter is offering her services as a flower girl.
• AnyMommy writes at Is AnyMommy Out There? - Became Mom to 3 babies in 22 months, and shares her amazing story.
• ‘M’ over at MommyPie - has been ambushed by the Ingalls family AND photographed with a famous billionaire.
• MommyTime at Mommy’s Martini is a PhD’d professor in Michigan, so you better believe I’m proofreading my stuff. I know she relates to ‘water issues’ though.
• Ilina from Dirt & Noise - She’s a neat-freak Obama Mama who gives me new drinks every Friday!
• Celtic Buffy is Serving Up Life - One Latte at a Time - in search of life, love and a new home - and the inspections that go with it.
• Jacki is Moving at the Speed of Life - A sweetie pie in Northern Virginia watching out for the environment.
• Natalie at Tell Me About It is a Mom to 4 in Turkey (yes, the country) - and she’s a much braver blogger than I.
• Jeanie writes at Jeanie in Paradise - she had her garage sale in Australia the same day I had mine in the U.S., and we both know our Dr. Seuss.
• Zeghsy is someplace in Wisconsin, and though she frets at dropping the f-bomb, her language is much cleaner than mine.
• Lindabelle from Lindabelle’s Mindless Clutter proves that living with grown children can be done, you just have to decide WHERE.
• Kim, at Methinks, is a SAHM to a disabled daughter, who just joined the big 4-0 club! (Welcome Kim!)
• Jess, from Just a Little on the Side - shares a love of purple Flinstones vitamins and good ways to work out frustrations.
• Tina over at The Bigger They Get has been trying to sell at home for a year - I hope they eventually get to retire.
• Missy - who is Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch - is a gorgeous Aussie girl going to BlogHer, but rightly fears Twitter.
• Wow, Was that Awkward (aka Brett) - writes at It Was A Dark, Stormy and I Lost My Serial Comma - the absolute longest blog name I’ve typed - poor guy is allergic to cats, but likes beer, so he’s okay in my book.
• Nicole is from Resolving Time Issues - She’s another Neighbor to the North, and I like her thinking.
• Chefdruck at Chefdruck Musings knows moms ares superheroes and can explain masturbation if needed.
• Gallicissa shares amazing photos of birds in Sri Lanka - and dragons, too.
• Obison at Obi’s Mind comes and goes for months at a time, and provides me with another male frame of mind.
• Super Hero at me and others said he wouldn’t want to be my neighbor (hee), but I can’t not like someone with a love of Redbull.
• Louise at New Orleans Food is invited to come watch out my front window while sharing plates of this.

—- Can y’all believe June is gone already? Of course, Mother Nature (the Bitch) is treating us in Ann Arbor to near record lows in the 40’s tonight. Cuddle up with someone warm tonight. —-

Wha? It’s June? Damn. How did that happen?

In honor of my dirty fingernails and my muddy knees, in honor of the weather forecast for the next week (80s y’all! Now shush, no pissing off Mother Nature, eh?), in honor of the Eastern Bluebirds nesting in my birdhouse, and, in honor of 5 months of Hotlighting, here you go.

Way back when, I was looking for some information on how to kill transplant a bunch of Russian Sage, I stumbled upon this thing called a blog. Oh, I’d heard of blogging, but I thought it was something that teenagers did. (um, oops. Forgive me?)

Anyway, it was Colleen’s “In the Garden Online“.

Then I made my way through some of her links:

Calendula & Concrete
Cold Climate Gardening
May Dreams Gardens
Our Little Acre

Rurality and The Inadvertent Gardener were the very first sites I found where I read through each and every archived post.

TxPoppet sent me Tea and Margaritas in my Garden

And lovely Elle gave us her very own Gardening 101 tutorial.

Magpie wrote a beautiful post about pass along plants - what a wonderful tribute to the gardeners in her life.

And Dizzy Ms Lizzy sent me this wonderfully complete site.

So, see, if I wasn’t trying to kill something that cannot be killed…(a first for me) - I wouldn’t have found blogs. I wouldn’t have found Susie Sunshine (someone linked to her white flower garden, I think). I wouldn’t have been discussing blogs with Mr. Hot - and he wouldn’t have come up with the brilliantly (snort) appropriate (double snort) name for this blog!

—- Now, I have tomatoes to water, and I must scrub my knees. And I don’t have my new June header ready yet because of the freaking 96 spitoonias petunias and 48 smelligolds marigolds I put in the ground. Hope you find some inspiration and your inner green thumb. —-

In honor of May Day:

Thanks to DaysGoBy and available here - A picture of Hotfessional.com!

The Key:
What do the colors mean?

blue: for links (the A tag)
red: for tables (TABLE, TR and TD tags)
green: for the DIV tag
violet: for images (the IMG tag)
yellow: for forms (FORM, INPUT, TEXTAREA, SELECT and OPTION tags)
orange: for linebreaks and blockquotes (BR, P, and BLOCKQUOTE tags)
black: the HTML tag, the root node
gray: all other tags

For May’s Hotlight, let’s do gardening sites! Send me your favorite blog about plants, flowers, and other grow-y things by May 24th, and I’ll get them hotlighted by the end of the month.

And I needed to check:

You Are A Lily

You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist.People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you.You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words.Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.

What Flower Are You?

Aw.  I am a saint.  (Who says fuck way too often?)

and here’s another:

What These Tulips Say About You

You are very popular and universally admired.You are often hopelessly in love, and you connect to other people easily.You are a naturally cheerful and upbeat person. You have an amazing smile.

What Do The Flowers You Pick Say About You?

Amazing smile, makes sure people don’t stare at the bald head!

or this:

You Are a Purple Flower

A purple flower tends to represent success, grace, and elegance.At times, you are faithful like a violet.And other times, you represent luxury, like a wisteria.And more than you wish, you find yourself heartbroken like a lilac.

What Color Flower Are You?

Grace?  Gah!  Tell my mother that.

—- Now, go dance around the stripper pole maypole. But don’t forget to send me gardening sites! Send an email with “Hotlight-May” in the subject to “reereep(at)gmail(dot)com” or leave me a comment here. —-

Is it any surprise I find it a bit difficult to get any work done?

Yes, that’s my desk. I work like this, with one or the other of the cats spreading out in front of the window and shedding (oh, mah holy hell, the shedding in this house, between two cats, the dog, and me!) like crazy all over my papers.

And even more fun - guess what I got in the mail today! Return address - Austin, TX.

Sigh, no, it was not a bare nekkid picture of Matthew McConoughey. It was from the I.R.S.

It was NOT good news. Seems that I fucked up made a teeny tiny little mistake on my 2006 tax return. So I get to spend this evening figuring that out. Um, oops. Whee, fun! (I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible, of course.)  Why yes, that is my checkbook in the picture.

So, in return, I’m giving you the April Hotlights - Recipes: Yum, yum, yum. Go look around and enjoy….

First up, my darling Mr. Lady and her Super Saturday Suppers (who, by the way, has a video up today and she is showing some cleavage….). I love this damn easy Brownie recipe.

Lyvvie, over the pond in Scotland, told me about Cooking With Dog. And All Recipes. What she left out was that she’s a marvelous source of inspiration in the kitchen herself.

Dizzy Lizzy (bow your heads in memory - her computer crashed today - and we pray she’s back soon) knew I’d start drooling immediately upon heading over to Baking Bites. Especially when I scrolled down and saw this and then? Peanut Butter and Jelly muffins. Pass the napkins - my keyboard is getting wetter by the picture.

Andrea, over at SchizoFrenetic, sent me Cooking Light. After that last site, I’m going to need this. Seared Salmon. And just in time for our favorite May holiday (well, except for my birthday and Mother’s Day) - tequila!

The Yummy Mummy Cooks Gourmet was brought to this page by Veronica - who has her own hilarious take on cooking with a toddler. Warning! Do not read Yummy Mummy with anything, food/drink/your fingers, in your mouth. You will either choke or your monitor will end up wearing it. (Hey, don’t blame me if you don’t take that advice.)

And this month’s overachiever (I love her for her shoes, but she’s also a damn special kitchen whore) - Lys at Just Because… Three of her favorites are: Erin Cooks, Flanboyanteats, and The Pink Shoe Cookbook. I gained 10 lbs just reading through these three sites. Thanks Lys! (And I only mean that half sarcastically!)

—- Now excuse me while I go drink myself into a stupor rob the nearest bank sell myself on the corner look for my 2006 tax return. Do you think they’ll accept Shortman and Moody as collateral? —-

The results are in.

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This month’s Hotlight will be “Sites That Make You Snort Coffee Through Your Nose”. Y’know, like Magneto Bold Too - I don’t dare read her posts unless my office door is closed (and no, not because she actually says fuck more than I do) - because I can’t keep my Hotfessional status when someone sees snotty coffee spewing everywhere.

So, get them to me no later than….. say…… the 26th of March. That’s three weeks from yesterday. Gives y’all plenty of time! (And I’ll send out reminders because this is one long ass month!)

******lalalalalalalalalala******

I’m taking two vacation days (Friday and Monday) and giving myself a four-day weekend. Yay me! 20 and 24 are coming to visit us. 24 is bringing some stuff up with him; we’ve rearranged the basement - his living space come May. Now, what do you supposed we’re getting this weekend? Can you guess?

Snow! No really! And, according to this story, “If that happens, Ann Arbor will break the record for snowfall in a single season.” Single-fuckin’-season. And y’all thought I was just kidding about this before. So far. Seventy-damn-six point nine-killme inches. Have I mentioned that I hate winter with a passion? I was made to live barefoot and in shorts and a t-shirt.

So, tomorrow, before the skies open up and the troops arrive and all hell breaks loose in the Hotfessional household, Mr. Hot and I are going to go shopping and stock up on vodka. And limeade.

Enter the ICHC online Poker Cats Contest!

—- Srsly! And don’t forget coffee snortin. —-

Looking through the lens
So much more than can be seen
With the naked eye

I’m combining my own Hotlight and Haiku Friday because I’m being all artsy-fartsy today. I love writing haikus and limericks (although my limerick ability has been pretty shoddy lately - I use up all my naughties spitting out prose these days) so I thought I’d join in all the fun that everyone has on Fridays.

Back in January (y’all, it’s the end of February! - we’re going to survive winter, I think), I asked for your favorite photography site. I am a frustrated photographer. I don’t have the right equipment (I carry around a point-and-shoot or [shhhhh] my phone). I don’t have Photoshop. I am too impatient.

But I love to browse through blogs where those with the gift use their photographs to share their lives with us. Thank you all who sent me these links.

Enjoy!

Clik&Clak (thanks to Lyvvie) - A beautiful site with music tied to the photos. Make sure you travel to the blogger’s other site From Belgium with Love - where everything is sepia-toned.

Lawstude’s Journeys (thanks to Dizzy Ms Lizzy) - photos from a law student traveling all over the world.

Dry Reading (thanks to Amanda) - an absolutely amazing site with beautiful photos from Craig Hickman and others. Tips and software (check out his weather guy and his D- program) also included.

All Eyes on Jenny (thanks to Lys) is the personal blog of Jenny Frazier - a young Bostonian working in PR. Her photography portfolio is amazing.

Brenda Eckhardt Photography (thanks to RC) - Personal and Senior High School portraiture. Beautiful work.

Intimate Photography by Amelia (thanks to Mouse) - a new blogger (Jan 2008). Go show her some love!

And my personal favorites:

Meghan - Xan and River’s mom is a gorgeous woman with a beautiful family and amazing talent.

The Pioneer Woman - Another Ree (hence sometimes I comment as “the Other Ree”). Who almost went to Chicago in black pumps. Instead she stayed west with Marlboro Man to take pictures. And raise punks.

—- Y’all?  I’m giving up my day of REST for you.  Today is Blog365’s day of rest since it’s Leap Year.  If you’re wondering why your feed readers are actually a little calmer today, it’s because every other crazy ass who joined up to blog all year is taking today off.  But not me.  Because I promised you a Blogolution.  Yea, yea, you know.  —-

Y’know, like Hot-Crossed Buns? Yes, I know Wiki says it’s “hot cross buns”. Shush. I remember hearing my mother read the song from my Mother Goose book. She said Hot Crossed Buns. So, Crossed it is.

Anyway, we’re not talking about buns (today anyway). We’re talking about crafts. These are the ones that my friends have asked me to tell you about.

Marvellous Mouse Designs

Mouse has such cute stuff - plus, she’s a sweetheart to boot! Totes and aprons in retro fabrics that are to die for. You can purchase through her Etsy Shop or on eBay. Here’s a preview:

Wave - a sneak peek of one of the designs from her Spring / Summer Collections due to be launched in March 2008. Those are Swarovski crystals on there!

and:

Hearts Afire tote. I love this fabric!

Esprit * d’Art

Sherry makes breathtaking cards and art collages.

I “met” Sherry when I was promoting the “Save-the-Boobies” campaign last October. I love her sites “Sage and Thyme” and “ABreast in the World“, but I never knew that in addition to painting pictures with words, she makes beautiful pictures with paper.

Visit Sherry’s Etsy Shop - your special Valentine will be yours forever (at least I would).

D. Celestine Limited

Diana Celestine makes gorgeous jewelry. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces. Her necklaces make me wish that I could actually stand to wear things around my neck.




See what I mean?

You can shop right from her site.

She also knits at The Chic Life. If you’re a knitter or a crocheter, go check out the photos of projects and yummy yarn!

Erin - Out of Character

I’ve heard of Sock Zombies. And when I went and looked at them? I want one. I’m putting it on my birthday list. I mean, how cute is this guy:

Slightly sick, and yet, oh so cuddly. Another Etsy Shop seller… I want the Butterfly Double Decker one.

Dropstitch Knitter

Although this working mom doesn’t sell her knit products, she’s an amazing knitter and photographer. She does, however, sell her handcrafted pins and stitch markers. It almost makes me want to add knitting to my ever-growing stack of projects, books, post ideas, sporting events…

She sells under Scotts Mountain Crafts

The Basement Boutique

This Etsy Shop has adorable items for children.




Plum Full of Goodness (Cute names for the products, too!)

Crazy Aunt Purl

In her own words: “True life diary of a 30-somehting, newly divorced, displaced Southern obsessive-compulsive knitter who has four cats.” She’s also an author - and the book looks hilarious. Go look!!! Explore!

Custom Gifts by Talina

Gift Baskets, Fudge and Craft Kits, oh my! Check out this cell phone holder:


Check out her Message In A Bottle for another romantic Valentine’s Day idea.

Tampon Crafts

Yes, that’s what I said. Just go look, because y’know, sometimes we take ourselves far too seriously. The pan flute? Made me spit out my vodka. And you know that’s not an easy thing to do. Well, I spit out coffee and water regularly, but my vodka???? No way.

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Thanks to the contributors: Lys, Candy, MadMad, Amanda, Liz, and Kelley. (Betcha can’t guess which one Kelley contributed.)

Remember, next month we’ll hotlight your favorite photography sites. Get them to me.

And y’all? Here’s the small print:

THOSE PHOTOS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THE SITE OWNER. I SNATCHED THEM OFF OF THEIR SITES FOR THEIR BENEFIT. IF THEY DON’T WANT ME TO DISPLAY THEM, I WILL TAKE THEM DOWN. DO NOT STEAL THE IMAGES WITHOUT PROPERLY CREDITING THE SITE OWNER. Thanks!

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