Is your blog droopy?

One upon a time, I blogged on a blog called It's Blogworthy.

Wait, I still do.

Maybe I should say, once upon a time my blog was super lame. I started it on a whim in August 2008. I wrote a singular post, nobody read it and I stopped blogging until almost a year later. In August 2009, I wrote about my new stove being delivered, posted the link on Facebook, and got my first follower, Jennifer, my sorority sister from college.

I kept blogging about everything, and by everything I mean I didn't have any specific topic. It was just a hodgepodge of drivel that I found mildly entertaining. A few more people did, too, and kept coming back.

I made approximately $0.00 monies on my blog. That means I wasn't willing to put any more than that amount into it. I run a blog on a free platform and found a free template and the only cost was my time to install it. I cant' tell you why I choose that template. I guess it just worked OK and had what I needed and didn't look like 10000 other blogger blogs out there, so I went with it. I didn't put any time into branding or promoting it, even though that's what I do for a living -- branding and promoting.

So it just sat there, my little slice of the World Wide Web, being all sad and pathetic and....droopy. It's just the best way to describe it. Like our landscaping right around August, when all living things have just about enough of the Florida heat.

Then I had a baby. Then I had an epiphany (much easier to push out than a baby). I wanted to work on my blog.

I mentioned it to Liz and she told me about a new project she and Kristin were working on, consulting services to help bloggers get on their A game. She wanted to help me undroop my blog.

Image via elirose.com

The girls put on their Eli Rose Social Media hats, talked about my blog goals, evaluated my site and sent me a checklist of about 20 quick wins to improve my blog, blogging and blog audience. These included a redesign, branding efforts, behaviors to promote my blog on Twitter and in the blogging community and tips to build a more consistent blogging schedule.

(I used some form of the word 'blog' in the above paragraph 7 times. Some kind of record? Probably.)

They knew I didn't have the monetary resources for a full blown blog redesign and move to self-hosting, so they gave me solutions working within my current (free) blogging platform, including focusing my brand, developing a new tagline (which they helped me brainstorm) and improving my Twitter page.

I asked my friend, a designer, to throw together a header based on what I wanted my blog to convey: I blog about things that are newsworthy to me. Combine the two words? Blogworthy. This blog is like the Access Hollywood of my life.

And I love pink.

And if you haven't clickyed on over here from your Google Reader, go ahead and do so...........NOW!

Anyway, I redesigned the blog myself using a lot of code/cheats for blogger and a simple Blogger template. They suggested a template that could go mobile, so I went with it. They suggested I start posting on a schedule, so I went with Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They suggested a lot of other fantastic things, but you'll have to contact them for your own evaluation. I'm not in the business of giving away trade secrets thankyouverymuch.

One of my goals, down the road, was to monetize the blog (isn't that everyone's goal?) and they were able to suggest some things for that, too. I mean, I won't even be able to make enough to pay for my domain registration, but 1 cent a day is better than 0 cents per day, am I right or am I right? (I'm right.)

Although I knew these two women already, what I appreciated most was that they evaluated my blog as professionals, not as friends. Does it hurt to hear your blog design sort of sucks a little? YES. But they virtually held my hand as we improved the blog together. They didn't just give me ideas and then leave me high and dry -- they checked-in once per week, if not more, to see how things were going.

A month or so later, Kristin emailed to see how things were going, and I told her the numbers could speak for themselves: 40% increase in pageviews; over 50 new subscribers in two months; 3 new email subscribers (which says a lot -- if someone likes you so much they want to get your post via email), Twitter follow increase of 20%! And that's putting maybe 5 hours per week total into my blog (that's all the time I have).

I owe a lot to these two women. They are extremely savvy, in-tune with what's going on in the social media world and successful bloggers on their own blogs. I know this new venture is going to be great for them.

Eli Rose Social Media can help bloggers, small business owners and Etsy shop owners and I highly recommend them for anyone who wants to perk up their droopy blog. Go! Now! What are you waiting for?

*I was not compensated at all for this review.It's just my honest opinion of how much their services have helped me. Contact them on Twitter @eliroseSocial, or email them Info[at]EliRose.com. *

You're still the one

I was recently pregnant.

I think you all knew that.

During my pregnancy, I was able to squeeze my way into my pre-preg jeans the entire time. They might not have been comfortable, they might not have been zipped, but they pulled up over my hips, so that's a success in itself.

The night before I went back to work, I pulled out one of my pencil skirts I"d been missing OH so much and zipped it right up. From that second on, I resumed the love affair with my closet.

Dear walk in closet, you're still the one.

I'm guesting over at a belle, a bean & a chicago dog today and talking more about my new (old) wardrobe. Hop on over and visit her sweet  neck of the woods.

And if you're visiting from Liz's place: Welcome. I hope you find It's Blogworthy is a fun place to be.

I like television....

Dear Gretchen from Project Runway
Let's discuss this situation again, shall we?
Jake "The Bachelor" waxes poetic about nothing

celebrities....

A short list of celebs I'd like to never hear about again
The post in which it becomes clear that money can't buy brains
Pouring out a 40 for some fallen celeb couples

and my baby.

Green Beans and Hot Garbage
I've got a case of pregnancy brain
Baby Blogworthy must not know about turkey yet
Baby Blogworthy in living color

Enjoy, and thanks Liz for letting me post!

My God Sized Dream

This is a hard one to write.

I'm not sure how to say what I want to say about this blog. I think its' going to just be word vomit all up in your readers, but maybe that's the way it's supposed to be.

I'm pouring my heart out today on this blog because I want to make some changes.

Let me backtrack.

After my baby was born, I was removed from the blogging world out of necessity for a month. I didn't have time to check my email, much less write a blog and make cool charts and graphs for all y'all. I was having some blog blahs before he got here, so it didn't effect me too much. I didnt' feel like I was missing much, or that I was missed.

This is not a pity party, I swear. I needed to step away and re-prioritize. I was thrown into a new world I knew NOTHING about. It was life changing. I know that seems like an understatement -- of course having a child is life changing, but what I mean by "life changing" is that I didn't expect the change. I was very naive. Blogging was, at best, an afterthought.

Then he started sleeping better and motherhood started to click. I was able to sit down for the first time in four weeks without a newborn cradled in the crook of my arm. I had two hands to type, two eyes to read blogs, and at LEAST 3/4 of a brain to come up with witty comments. I dusted the cobwebs off It's Blogworthy and started writing. And writing. And writing. I wrote and scheduled posts for all of January. I wrote and scheduled Tweets, too. I felt like I was really on top of things.

And then a bunch of you went to Blissdom and I got all envious. I wanted to be a part of the fun.

However, even if I hadn't just given birth a couple months earlier, I couldn't have spent money in good conscience to go to a blog conference. My blog wasn't important enough; I hadn't put enough time or effort into it.

I also felt scared: scared to meet new people face-to-face, scared to be in a strange place, scared to network and go to parties and be myself.

That weekend at our church, our pastor spoke about having God-sized dreams. He said that a God-sized dream was scary, but lays in your heart, feeling like it's just the right thing to do. He said to dream big, but start small. He said two dream killers are fear and impatience.

Fear.

So, I left church and said to my husband, I think working on my blog is my God-sized dream. It might sound really silly. I mean, it's not world peace, it's not feeding hungry children or going on a mission trip. It's not building houses for the homeless.

I've gotten so much out of blogging. I've meet so many wonderful people and have been touched by the kindness of --  let's face it -- perfect strangers. I know all about their kids, their husbands, their pain, their joys. I feel less alone in this new role I've been thrown into (thrown into HAPPILY and JOYFULLY but thrown into anyway). I am a changed person because of the community I've met through blogging.

I want to change others like others have changed me. What if my words make someone smile who's had a terrible day? What if they change someone's mind, or touch their hearts? That's what I want from my blog.

I'd love to grow it so much that it's a source of income for my family. Is that going to happen? I'm 90% sure it won't, but that doesn't mean I can't grow my blog regardless.

I also want to make this blog so much of a priority that I can justify one of these blog conferences somewhere down the road.

I want to grow. I want a direction for It's Blogworthy. I want to put effort into it, because writing is what I love. If I don't, I'm afraid of falling into the gap of being someone's Mom or Wife or Employee and lose who I am as a person. I enjoy writing about ridiculous things like Jersey Shore and Project Runway and Lindsey Lohan, but is that what people want to read? Do I care? Those are things I struggle with.

So I'm just going to do it. I'm going to post, participate in the community more, Tweet and re-Tweet. I'm going to re-design my blog and post more regularly. I'm going to find my voice. I'll figure out the answers as I go.

I'm going to tackle this God-sized dream head-on.

Happy New Year Best Post Round-up: AKA phoning it in for the holiday

Oh 2010, you saucy wench.

It was the best of times.

We found out we were having a baby.

I became a Word of the Week Made Man by talking about celebrities.

I discovered how much richer blog posts can be with charts and graphs.

Hub and I celebrated our three year anniversary.

The Bachelorette was on and I was able to use some lyrics to Quad City DJ's song and we all died a little bit inside from the inane-ness of it all.

People at work discovered the dry erase board, to my endless amusement.

We found out our baby is a boy.

Our Publix re-opened.

I vlogged.

I had a baby.


It was the worst of times.

My Mom was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer.

It was hot.

I got a shot in the butt.

Our back-yard neighbor was a raging bitch and I got all passive-aggressive about it.

I missed an epic Boyz II Men concert because I was too pregnant to do anything.

The Situation stunk up Dancing With the Stars.

Courtney Cox and David Arquette busted up that love affair.

The clinic kept sending me to L&D for high blood pressure. But it's probably because they kept screwing up our bills.

We had some cockroaches infest our garage (and/or bathroom).

I'd say all in all, it wasn't a bad year. We'll see what 2011 has in store.

tagging in (har har har)

My friend and old sorority sister, Miranda, tagged me in a "getting to know you" type of post! I'm still working on a doooo-hooo-sey of a post about my childbirth education classes, which, even if your not pregnant, get thyself to one of those bad boys post haste because they are hiiiiiilarious. So anyway, while I'm working on that, get to know me a little better with these questions Miranda came up with!

1.  What is your daily routine like? What time to you get up, go to bed, dinner routine, etc.

  

I am definitely a creature of habit. My routine goes a little something like this: get up at 7 to get ready for work. Get to work at 8 (takes about 20 minutes or so to get there). Work until 5. Come home and fix dinner. Clean up dinner. Take a shower. Watch whatever trash is on TV. Go to bed around 11. I bet y'all thought my life was infinitely more exciting, didn't you? Well it can't be all frosty taste tests all the time, people. 

The weekend goes a little something like this: Get up at 9, eat breakfast, watch football -- I mean "watch" as in read magazines while my husband watches. Sometimes there is a little laundry thrown in there. Saturday is bed sheet changing/washing day, so I do some of that. Lunch, then a NAP that usually lasts 2 hours or more. That's just how we roll. Then we mess around the house, eat dinner, watch more football, and I basically dont' get dressed at all for an entire day.

2.  What are things you do with your family for fun.  And for those of you with children, what fun things to you like to do with your kids?

 Clearly, I can't yet be too active with my child, but as far as Hubby and I go, we love to travel and see new places. We've been traveling together for almost 6 years and love experiencing new places together. Although I don't love sports, I do love seeing new sports stadiums and the cities they are in. He loves history, so we see lots of forts and battlefields, which even I can get into. We love cities with "charm": Savannah and Nashville are some of our favorites. We've been all over the South East, but on our list are Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, etc. We always wanted to go to Memphis, so that's on our list. And of course, we still have to explore the West. Our dream trip is to start in Washington or Oregon (we have a friend there) and just drive down the coast. I would love to see L.A. Also on our agenda: London, Italy, Germany, Greece. So either we'll be putting it off for a few years or our son will be a world traveler early.

3.  What are your FAVORITE holiday traditions?

I really and truly love the holidays. Thanksgiving, you've got the the parade, the turkey, stuffing, rolls, GRAVY, green bean casserole (the only way I'll eat green beans), pumpkin pie, and carb comas. And maybe this year birthin' a baby. And then Christmas: I love the lights, the decorations, the smell of cinnamon, cookies, fudge and of course the birth of my Lord and Savior. My family always made Christmas season so special. We put up the tree usually the first Friday after Thanksgiving. We'd order pizza and unwrap every ornament individually, usually talking about the memories attached to it. Although my sister will tell you I rarely put AN ornament up, which is sort of true. 

My favorite tradition is probably opening up gifts after Christmas Eve service. When I was a little girl, we used to go to the midnight service then come home and open our gifts from the family (so our "santa gifts" were main attraction on Christmas day). Yes, that meant finishing the unwrapping at 2 am. Christmas morning always included cinnamon rolls and watching Christmas specials all morning. Now that our baby will be here, Christmas will be a little different, but 

4.  What do you do when you want to relax and have some "me time" ?

I'll do one of two things: read blogs or watch TV. If Hubby isn't around, I will add eating Chipotle or some other place he doesn't like and painting my toes to that list. If it's summer (and especially if I'm near a pool), I love laying in the sun and reading a book or magazine. There's nothing more relaxing than that to me.

5.  What is one of your favorite books you've read so far?

Ohh, this one is tough because I can't remember the last time I read a good book. I used to read every second of the day before my Hubby came along, but he's sort of hyperactive. I really enjoyed all the Harry Potter books, and I'm always drawn to "chick lit" -- beach books. 

6.  What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

Obviously, I adore reality TV:

• Dancing with the Stars 
• Intervention, Project Runway, Austin & Santino, Jersey Shore
• Toddlers & Tiaras
• The Bachelor and Bachelorette
• Random celebrity gossip as seen on E! TV, including but not limited to E! News and E! True Hollywood story
• And my latest, Say Yes to the Dress, which kicks so much tail.
• Friends, 30 Rock or How I Met Your Mother  DVDs

Honestly, if given the opportunity and an E!THS marathon, I will watch this kind of thing for hours on end. 


So hope you guys enjoyed learning a little more about me, and now I want to learn about you!

1. Do you like sports or do you want to murder-train them? Which sports are your favorite, if you do like them?
2. Which is better, chocolate or vanilla?
3. What was your favorite vacation you've ever taken?
4. If you could go the rest of your life without hearing about ONE  celebrity or public figure, like if that person ceased to exist, which person would it be?
5. Do you enjoy TV watching, and if so, what's your all time favorite show?
6. What's your favorite kind of music?

And I'm tagging: 


Sarah @ Princess & the Blog
Brooke @ Building a Kingston Castle
Jayme @ Random Blogette
Cher @ The Only Girl
Jamie @ Daydream Believer
Cathy @ Antsy Pants
KLZ @ Taming Insanity

Please don't feel obligated to post, and also if I haven't tagged you and you want to do this, please do! I know some of us in the blog-o-sphere have been feeling the bloggy blues lately and this might just be the thing to perk y'all up!


OH, and if you haven't noticed (especially if you're reading this in Reader), clicky on the old blog and look to the left and gaze upon my button. 

My blog button, you pervs. 

It was created by Miranda via her new blog business, Little Sailor Designs! She does blogger blog designs and is just great to work with. Check her out.

Jazz hands come to Florida

My good buddy Hutch over at Be Awesome Instead has been trying to start a revolution. A revolution of sass. It all started with her guest post from Chicken , who suggested we stop taking boring pictures and start jazzing the place up! So since then, I've been on a mission to bring a little jazz into my own photos.

I used to go with the thumbs up in my pictures:

This was taken during our first trip to Disney as Florida residents when we visited four parks in one day. It was our 4 peat and this quarter was my reward. So of course I gave it a thumbs up.

The thumbs up is OK. It's adequate. It represents how I am feeling and makes me feel less awkward than when I just have to stand around and look at a camera. but there was just something missing...

But then I started noticing a trend, and my own personal version of jazz hands, the "wave with your mouth open" pose. It's both tacky and unflattering!

But I have gotten a little jazz handsy over the years, as evidenced by this gem from my sister's wedding rehearsal:

Listen, I'm all kinds of sassy up in that church, y'all. I can even do jazz hands while holding my fake bouquet!  This one was sort of an inadvertant jazz hand pose -- sort of a "mouth open waving"/jazz hands hybrid. After Hutch started the revolution, I knew I had to shape up in the posing department:

This was at the All Star Sports Resort at Disney, and while these little ducks are trying to hit and catch a baseball, I'm showing off my 10 little photo pals.

I forced my husband to take some jazz hands pictures after our anniversary dinner last week, you know, for the cause:

And even Sushi the cat got into it!

He's extra good at it because he has extra thumbs. I'm sure he'll want to do that again VERY soon.

So expect more jazz hands in the coming weeks, especially after my sister and I take loads of jazz hands pictures on our cruise next month. If you write your own, let Hutch know so she can link it, and tweet about it with the hashtag #jazzhandsrevolution. Let's start something, people!

As if you need more encouragement, I present you with this graph of things that are awesome. You can't argue with graphs. It's science:

In other news, the Bachelorette started last night. Who is watching? I'm there for every white hot second of that mess. You should go read Jamie's take on it over at Daydream Believer.

As for me, my thoughts can be best summed up in list form, from a conversation I had with my friend JP today:

JP: First of all, nice weave.
Me: Second of all, if you're going to have a weave, can it please be in a color that occurs in nature? "yellow" is not a hair color.
JP: Third of all, wear a dress that fits. 
JP: fourth of all get your shoulders out of your ears.
Me: Fifth of all, shut the heck up with your stupid laugh.

 So there you go, my thoughts on the first 15 minutes of the Bachelorette. I'm going to see if Jamie wants to join forces for some Bachelorette snark on Mondays.

Happy Tuesday! *JAZZ HANDS*

Monday Minute and guest blogging

Hi friends, I'm guesting over at Be Awesome Instead today for my good bloggy friend Hutch. If you don't know her, head over to her blog and subscribe already! She's amazing!

Now it's time for Monday Minute with Ian at the Daily Dose of Reality!




1 - How much would you have to be paid to eat a human cadaver's finger?

Oh sick. This is even grosser than eating green beans, and ain't NUTHIN'  I thought was grosser than green beans. I would say that it would have to be enough to keep me independently wealthy for the rest of my life. And this includes retiring on a yacht somewhere. And then multiply THAT amount by one million and that's how much you'd have to pay me. 

2 - Describe the worst physical fight you've ever been in.


I'm a lover, not a fighter, so I can't say I've ever been in a physical fight. I've probably thrown things pretty hard in the general direction of someone, but I like to wound with my words instead.

3 - Name one song that if you never heard it ever again, you'd be thrilled.




Ke$ha. Like anything by Ke$ha. Not a fan.

4 - Describe the "drunkest" situation you've ever been.


I am not really a big drinker these days, but the drunkest I've been in recent memory is during a trip to Savannah with Hubby and a friend. We met her friends in this skanky dive bar and I should have remembered that dive bars = trouble. However, I wasn't drunk enough to take care of her. She would not shut UP about a Gortito from Taco Bell so we drove through and got her one. The next day she was all, "you guys got Taco Bell without me?" Priceless.

5 - What's your biggest regret?

I don't really have regrets because I feel like everything happens for a reason and has lead to something else. That being said, I probably would have spent more time with my friends in college instead of driving 2 hours to spend the weekend with my boyfriend who later dumped me. 

Enjoy these random surveys because I'm phoning it in today

Good Monday, all. I was tagged by Salt today with this nifty little 3 Things survey, and since I'm trying too hard not to vomit from the green bean smells to be funny, I'll let this survey be my muse:

3 names I go by…
1. Amanda (cop out, I know)
2. Manny (my fam and a few random others)
3. AJ (not so much anymore -- the J was my maiden name and I will occasionally get an AJ from people who knew me back yonder)

3 jobs I have had…
1. bra seller/panty folder (Victoria's Secret)
2. chicken wing slinger (Buffalo Wild Wings)
3. medical advertisement sales executive (Don't worry, you guys, I might have been an executive but I can still relate to the little people)

3 places I have lived…
1. Highland Heights, KY
2. Huntington, WV
3. Gainesville, FL

3 favorite drinks…
1. Water (with lemon)
2. regular coke
3. coffee with cream and sugar

3 TV shows I watch…
1. How I Met Your Mother
2. 30 Rock
3. The Bachelor

3 places I have been…
1. Cancun, Mexico
2. Nashville, TN
3. Las Vegas, NV

3 places I would like to visit…
1. Italy
2. London
3. Hollywood/LA

3 fave retro TV shows…
1. Press Your Luck
2. Golden Girls
3. Full House (I'm considering it retro because it's on TV Land)

(P.S. Do you guys remember Hee Haw? That is totally still re-running on TV on the RFD channel. We just found this out last night)

3 fave dishes…
1. Chicken lo mein
2. Deep dish pizza
3. Steak

It was super hard for me to come up with three considering the only thing I could stomach today for lunch was a can of pears and some rice Chex.

3 things I am looking forward to…
1. Cruisin' in the Caribbean with my fam in June
2. The next beach trip
2. My baby coming in November

3 people I am tagging…
1. Allyson
2.  Hutch
3.  Liz

And don't' feel sad because I didn't explicitly call you out to do this survey. I mean really, I've just placed a burden on all these lovely ladies because if they don't do this they will be dead to me. (Just kidding) (sort of) But please feel free to just pick it up and fill it out yourself, especially if you don't have anything else to post.

You know what? While I'm at it, I'm going to do Ian's Monday Minute:





1 - What drugs have you done in your life?

None because I'm high on life!


2 - A/S/L?

29/f/FL <--and this reminds me of ye olde days of the Internet when everyone had AOL or Compuserv as their ISP and chat rooms were all the rage. Creepy, skeevy, scary chat rooms and we just went on and were all, "A/S/L? tee hee" as innocent as the day is long. And honestly, the first time I entered a chat room and somebody said "IM me!" just to the general room in hopes of striking up a conversation, I thought the person meant I'M me as in the contraction for "I am me" and by that they were saying, "I'm me! I am happy with who I am! I'm a good person and people like me!" and I'm all, the internet sure is a positive place. IF I ONLY KNEW WHAT I KNOW NOW.

3 - Do you pick your nose?

YES. And if you say no, I'm calling it right here, you're a fibber. Hey Pinocchio, your nose sure is long (or, if you prefer, "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt!") Of course I pick my nose. How else do you get the really tough stragglers so you can breathe clearly?

4 - What's your favorite childhood cartoon

I recall loving Garfield quite a bit. Also? Muppet Babies. ALSO? My Little Ponies.

5 - List the URL, of what you believe to be the best blog post you've ever done

How Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer almost ruined my Christmas

It's Monday all day, even when part of it is spent in bed

I didn't blog all weekend because I just wasn't feeling very funny or bloggy and I have a reputation to maintain. Especially since Ian challenged me on Twitter to write something funny OR ELSE. I'm going to try and make this rant as funny as possible.

I woke up this morning really sick, like sit-in-front-of-the-toilet-try-not-to-vom sick. Fifteen minutes later, I realized that ain't no way I'm getting to work at 8 am so I called and let them know I'd be a little late. I ate some cereal and got a couple extra hours sleep.

I woke up rejuvinated (sort of) and was on my way to work  thinking, what a lovely, spring day. Too bad I have to spend it at work. And then I reached over to grab my purse to put on my lipstick and OH GUESS WHAT -- It's not in my car. Well I thought, screw this, I don't need anything in that purse anyway and kept on going.

Then as I'm driving, I pass the Checkers and they had a Bacon, Swiss and Mushroom burger advertised. I'm all, excuse me? Queasy person driving past your fine establishment and you're going to put the most disgusting combination of foods ever on your sign board? Checkers, you're dead to me.

And then there was this guy running down University Ave. without a shirt. Just a pair of tiny running shorts and a smile, muscles rippling in the wind. And I thought, DUDE, as chiseled as your upper body is, and I'm sure you're mighty proud of it, but it's 10:30 and, like 70 degrees out. Shirtless when it's less than 90 degrees out is gratuitous. And also? I'm pretty sure if you had a beer gut you wouldn't be jogging shirtless, so this is very clearly a cry for attention, so I guess mission accomplished for that guy since I'm writing about him in my blog.

Then I didn't get a space on the lot, but that's the price you pay for coming in late. It all evens out because a couple weeks ago I got the most fab parking space of them all:

Now here's where I try to win some giveaways and help my fellow bloggers:

• Miranda is preparing to move to Hawaii in about a month! She needs some help finding a temporary home for her kitty cats. Read all about it here. If you can't help, please let your friends know! she's in the Jacksonville, FL area currently.
• Surferwife is giving away some mighty fine tankinis and I need to get my bod in one of them, so go visit her!
• I <3 gadgets and so does Jessalyn, so check out her champagne cork giveaway.
• Salt has a sweet little headband up for grabs, you know you want it!

Listen, I'm shameless and I don't even CARE. But these are some of my favs regardless of the free stuff they give out! I never win anyway, so might as well give my readers a chance.

Tune in this week for another It's Blogworthy award, cat dancing and a little blast from the past.

The one where you all adopt cats from me

Monday night I had the weirdest dream and I just remembered what it was. It was so bizarre that I thought I'd throw it out there for you guys to analyze.

Hubby and I owned one of those beach stores, like you know the touristy shops that sell shells and hermit crabs and obscenely overpriced bathing suits? There is one of them in St. Augustine Beach and we stop there all the time to just look at the junk. But the dream store was all tiki hutty and cool.

In my dream we LIVED at the store. Like there was an upstairs part of it and that's where we lived, and there was a restaurant attached somehow that was a cross between a Captain D's and a Perkins.  So let's get this straight: home upstairs, beach shop downstairs, Captain D/Perkins attached. The restaurant has nothing to do with the rest of the dream, I just knew it was there.

So I'm dream cleaning the store one minute and the next minute I'm carrying in a whole box full of cats in all sizes and colors, and I put them under one of the clothes racks, but the clothes racks were all the way down to the floor. When I was little I loved hiding inside the racks that held long clothes. It was like a little tent or something. But that's what it was like in my dream -- a tent for dozens of cats. I guess I was trying to hide them?

Anyway, I was desperate to find homes for all these kittens because I knew I couldn't keep them all. I wasn't afraid they would get out from under the clothing rack. I frantically started making calls to see if people would take them and got a lot of response FROM MY BLOG FRIENDS. Like all y'all came to my beach shop and left with a kitten. And you took all the mixed color kittens, all the orange and gray tabbies, calicos, and white kitties, but left all the black ones. How could you. Black cats are beautiful, mysterious, wonderful creatures.You're all dead to me.

Then the weirdest thing of all, there was one cat that was pink with a white face and I said "Surferwife would freaking LOVE this pink cat! It's a strawberry cat!" and I swear to God dream-me said it was a strawberry cat. So Hubby was all "Who do you know that surfs?" and I said, "DUH Monique, but she doesn't surf, she's just married to a surfer" and I took off with my pink cat in a box to find her.

Now, I'm a dedicated Surferwife reader, but I don't' know if she likes cats and I also don't' know how she feels about the color pink.

Some things I can piece together from this dream:

• I may have too many cats
• I need to take a trip to the beach STAT
• I play Farmville far too often because the cat looked just like a Farmville pink cow, except it was a cat
• Lay off the guac before bed, sisterfriend
• I read too many blogs

I feel like Dorthy in the Wizard of Oz...."and YOU were there! And YOU were there!" and I'm pointing at all y'all out there in the Interwebs when I say that. I freaking love you guys. And cats. And Farmville. And the beach.

Any thoughts on this bizarro world dream?
Image via

Let's take a tour around Amanda's cubicle

My little bloggy blog is going to take a break from basketball madness (although my house is not taking a break, but I'll talk more about that this weekend) because today is a pretty exciting day to me. I'm taking a half day off work because I DESERVE IT DARN IT, and also, I'm the featured blogger on Compulsive Comment Worshipers Anonymous! CCWA is a blog group for those of us who love meeting new bloggers, love commenting and, well, love getting comments.

So hi, new people, thanks for stopping by! It's Blogworthy is completely random. My goal is to find the ridiculousness in life and just make you guys smile by spreading it all over the Internet. To prove how random it is, I'd like to give y'all a little tour through my cubicle at work. I'd like to think that it's a representation of me.

Why don't I start with my new finds. I just got these from a co-worker who was doing a stress cleaning of her own office (she has walls).

What's a Web editor without a pair of dork glasses? Please excuse the free show I'm giving you with that low cut shirt..MERCY. Or if you want, please send money.

We're all looking for ways to improve our blogs and Web sites. I'm holding on to this little gem for a rainy day when I have nothing else to blog about! But here's a little taste of the fab site improvement techniques I'm going to blow your mind with, if it was still 2001.

Then there's my collection of things on my dry erase board ledge. The twin snowmen and gingerbread boy are finger puppets from our department Christmas party White Elephant gift exchange. The penguin is a pin that one of my old co-workers gave me when he left; same with the pig. It's just a tiny little pig. Why the guy had it in his desk I have no clue, but now it's mine all mine. Brain eraser was also a gift from a departing coworker.  Guess I'm just well known for being given strange things when people leave?

Definitely, because here is my pride and joy:

Aren't they amazing? I got these from the same co-worker who gave me 14,000 candy canes (approximately). I sort of want to put them on some really important project that's going in for editing, just to add a little levity to an otherwise boring project, but I'm afraid the person would keep them (who wouldn't keep them?)

So they live here instead:

Are these the happiest little Muppet paperclips you've ever seen? I think so.

By the way, I just got an order in from my bloggy buddy Allyson at Magnolias and Mimosas who has a fab little jewelry shop called Daisy and Elm and let me tell you, the stuff I bought was A-MAZE-ING and I was not paid a blue cent to say that. So why not stop by her place on your way out and see what kind of lovelies you can find for you or your favorite people, hmm?

P.S. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! Brooke from Building a Kingston Castle has graciously given a tour of her own cubie! And so has Cher from The Only Girl!

This post will make more sense if you take some Dayquil

So, you guys, guess who got the ManCold? Yup, apparently picking up dirty tissues and sleeping right next to a sick person will, indeed, get you sick. Of course, I can't let a little head cold get me down. And it is nothing more than a little head cold. I've done more in the first 12 hours of this cold than he did in a week. But he thinks it's because "it hasn't kicked in yet". Right. Might not have anything to do with the fact I actually took something for it when he suffered for a week refusing to take anything but Nyquil at night. Dayquil, people -- it is the wonder drug.

I made some homemade guacamole today. Dudes, I really adore me some guac. Publix had avocados on sale for  $1.25 each. I already had onions and tomatoes and garlic, so basically I made a whole mess of guacamole for $1.25! Now I'm going to eat the snot out of it while watching basketball. Speaking of basketball...

Today is the SEC tournament semi-finals. A die-hard University of Kentucky fan, Hubby was so super excited about watching the Cats play TN this afternoon. But big time FAIL for our local ABC affiliate, TV20, whose antennae  conked out at approximately 12:45 pm (with the UK game tip-off set for 1 pm.) But I don't' expect much more from a station that is more or less run by interns. We headed to Beef 'O Bradys and had a nice little lunch while watching the game.

During halftime, I picked Hubby's brain for this week's blog posts. He suggested I write about the difference between men and women when they are sick. Um, too late. I guess I could always write about other differences, such as when men just can't see messes and let them sit for a million years before women clean them up. Such as this example:

How cute is that lobster chalkboard anyway? Much cuter than rotten lemons.

This is a pitcher of lemonade made with real lemons that he got from a student at Valentine's day (I know -- weird gift but whatev.) VALENTINE'S DAY. That was a month ago. He immediately made this lemonade, drank one glass, set it on the counter where it has stayed for 4 weeks. Those lemons? Rotten. Like to the CORE rotten. Like green stuff all up in those lemons. But I feel like he should be the one to get rid of that mess, right? Do you hear me ladies? So now it's a battle of wills that I'm apparently fighting myself because I'm pretty sure he doesn't even NOTICE the green lemons anymore. *sigh*

But then we came up with a really great series to celebrate the only time of year I actually enjoy sports -- MARCH MADNESS PEOPLE. Get excited!

Here's where I need your help. You know how guys who are really into sports have their own little secret language? It's like Twin Speak or Pig Latin or something; little shorthand phrases they use to describe plays or players or refs. Like, for instance, "THAT PLAY WAS NASTY!" or "WAHOHOHOHOH THAT DUNK WAS SICK!" You know you, your men and/or men friends do this! So I need you to leave those phrases in the comments, email me or friend me on Facebook (that's right, I'm going there) and leave it on my wall. I'm planning this one for Tuesday, so don't let me down! You guys blow my mind with your clever-ness and wit!

Watch for my basketball themed series next week and if you want to get in on the hot bracket making action and you're a bloggy person, Cathy from Antsy Pants is coordinating a little sumthin' sumthin' so go visit her or tweet her!

The post in which it becomes clear money can't buy brains

Did y'all watch the Super Bowl? Wait, let me get more specific. Did y'all watch the Super Bowl commercials?

Remember this one?






That baby, he's so cute and clever and good with money. And what a player! Milk-a-holic, isn't that adorable, because they are babies, see, they aren't old enough to drink; and it's a derogatory statement towards that little 8-month-old Lindsey baby who is obviously a dirty boyfriend stealer. Calling her a whore would be crossing some sort of line, I think. That's why the ad agency made the choice to call her a milk-a-holic instead.

Genius!

Let's just laugh together for a moment over this super cute ad while E-Trade's ad agency reps roll around naked in piles of money.

Now, what are your thoughts right now? Are you thinking about Lindsey Lohan?


Because Lindsey Lohan thinks you are.

That's right, according to US Weekly, (because where else do you get news?) Lohan is fixin' to sue E-Trade $100 million for using her name in this commercial. The one in which two babies fight over another baby. And one baby happens to be named Lindsey.

From the article:

"Many celebrities are known by one name only, and E-Trade is using that knowledge to profit," Lohan's lawyer, Stephanie Ovadia, said in a statement to the New York Post. "They're using her name as a parody of her life. Why didn't they use the name Susan? This is a subliminal message. Everybody's talking about it and saying it's Lindsay Lohan."

Really? Everybody? And by everybody, does she mean the small sphere of flunkies and paid friends with whom she spends her time?

I find the fact that the lawyer said it was a "parody of her life" more disturbing than the same name aspect. Basically, Lohan is admitting that she's an alcoholic man stealer; that the above commercial reflects her life accurately enough that it would be infringing on her image. Really? Three babies are ruining your image. Enough so that you need $1 million for retribution from, what? Lost income? From the roles you lost because E-Trade was making fun of you? Because this whole, "Lindsey Lohan is an alcoholic slut" angle hasn't already been beaten to death in the media over the past three years. I mean this lawsuit is coming from a person who has been arrested and been in rehab many times. The damage has been done, sister. Lindsey Lohan hasn't worked since 2006, but somehow has found all kinds of cash to buy drugs and booze and life the high life (PUN INTENDED). Wait -- maybe that's why she's suing.

In other news, I just purchased a domain name but I have forgotten everything I know about domains and I can't figure out how to make it go to my blog. So anybody who can help, email me. Please and thank you!

In other, other news, go over to Naked Cupcakes and tell Sarah what she smells like!

In other, other, other news, the Boob Nazi is giving away jewelry in honor of her 1000th post. One thousand posts of pure awesome. You can't beat it. And if you email her and she emails you back, your inbox will have a message from "Boob". Awesome.

In other, other, other, other news, have you heard of Lady Bloggers? It's where I found a crap ton of awesome bloggers. If you are 1) a lady (you don't even have to be *ladylike*, just have lady parts) and 2) a blogger, go over there and apply and tell them I sent you!

In other, other, other, other, other news, I have been at work early enough to park in the lot three days in a row. Threepeat! Badass!

Thank you for liking me

I'm catching up on my blog reading this morning because we were in Orlando Saturday and Sunday. Apparently lots went on this weekend, which OF COURSE IT WOULD. The days when I'm sitting on my duff all weekend, nobody posts a darn thing, yet the 48 hours I'm away from a computer, you people come up with all kinds of great things to say and have a blog-a-thon. Thanks guys. Thanks a lot.

Know what else I want to thank you for? Reading this blog. For real. Every single time I log on to Blogger, I'm truly shocked that there are people in this world who like what I write enough to respond to it. I love you all for it. Every day when I wake up, my goal is to make at least one person laugh. And when I can make that happen through this blog, well, then, mission accomplished.

So I got a couple of awards I'd like to post about. Now a word about awards: I like them a ton, but sometimes don't like all the stipulations that come with it and there is a 95% chance that any award given to me will probably be re-gifted without following the rules. That's just the kind of badass I am.

First, this one is from Amy from Undomestic Army Wife.

I have to write about 6 things I'm a master at and give this to 6 people who are masters at friendship. EASY.

1. I am the master of typing. I type 100 WPM. I am trying to get my coworker to have a type-off with me but she's too scared.
2. I'm a master at procrastination, which is evidenced by the baskets of clean and dirty laundry sitting in my living room.
3. I am the master of naming animals after food. We have cats named Cheeto, Pepper, Praline and Sushi. And a dog named Truffles.
4. I am the master at navigating our Web site at work; I can find things on it when nobody else can.
5. I am the master of not eating the fruit that I buy and instead, forgetting about it and letting it rot.
6. I am the master of eating those chocolate covered after dinner mints they give you at fancy restaurants. I won that contest at work because we had a whole box of them we needed to get rid of. It was epic.


I'm choosing the masters of friendship for people who have supported my blog with lots of comments and love.

•  Making Stuff is Fun
• Reality Faker
• My Husband's Watching TV  
• Naked Cupcakes
• Nobody Listens to the Girl 
• itsybitsyknitsy

Go visit all of these blogs because they are some of my favorite "must reads". And I guess I did follow the rules on this one, but for others, you've been warned.

Whew, all that blog awarding made me so sleepy. Maybe later I'll have the energy to blog about our trip to Disney this weekend and how I'm now pretty much a celebrity, and also Econo Lodge is probably out to get me (doesn't all that sound fun?)

Google Analytics gets my blog even when nobody else does

I got this nice little email from Google Analytics the other day:

You already know that Google Analytics helps you gain rich insights from your website. But did you know that when you combine Google Analytics with Google AdWords search advertising, you can get even more from your website -- more traffic, more qualified visitors and more business. With Google AdWords, you can easily create ads that appear next to relevant search results on Google, and target potential customers at the precise moment they're searching for the products or services you offer.

Which would be great except for a few key details. First, I'm not even sure what "qualified visitors" are to me.  Visitors who watch the Bachelor?  People who like restaurant magicians? Those who were traumatized by Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? Because those are the things I write about. I don't think people are actively searching for those things. My blog is not what you'd call a niche market.

I appreciate Google Analytics and their offer to help, I really do. It's very kind of them to think of me, and while yes, I could use a new phone like the awesome one my hubby just bought that does EVERYTHING and advertising would surely help fund that, I really don't have anything to sell. Unless I start knitting sweaters and scarves using the metric ton of fur my cats shed on the daily. Wait -- not a bad idea.

But Google Analytics, dude, it's amazing. Quick, do go it and it will change your life. With Analytics, I get to see exactly what people are searching for who get to my site. Here's a little sample list:

Apparently writing about fat baby cheeks that one time makes me the all time blog expert on it and I don't even have kids. Also, yes, candy canes do go stale and the person would came here using that search term would have known that should they have stayed longer than 0 seconds on my blog.

But wait, there's more!

Um, you do die in Lego Indiana Jones. You die over and over again and it takes your husband 20 years to get through a level and in the meantime you've missed lots of awesome TV and have eaten a whole box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and have inadvertently stayed up till 3 in the morning. Trust me, I know.

And also, if blogging about Shania Twain was an Olympic Sport, I'd be all Shaun White up in your face, gettin' the gold medal. Although inquiring minds wanted to know if Shania was at the Olympics, came to my blog and didn't bother staying to read. Sad face.

And can we also talk about: naked heels or shoes "lost her clothes" for a second? Because I don't remember writing anything about that.

So what can you learn about me from my Google Analytics?

1. Watches the Bachelor
2. Likes fat babies
3. Know a lot about Shania Twain
4. Nothing else of substance

Do you' guys run Analytics? Any weird  keywords pop up?

Updated to add: Hutch at Be Awesome Instead wrote an Analytics post today, too! Rock on!

A little housekeeping

I'm taking a break from random blogworthy stories to give a few shout outs to my favorite bloggy friends and post a couple awards I received. I'm relatively new to all this and just finding my place in the blogosphere. I've gotten to know some truly amazing people through this new medium and wanted to share their blogs with the rest of y'all.

First I got this nice award from notquiteawake over at Reality Faker. I found her blog when I was first starting and I've been a fan ever since. She's also very supportive of me and my blog and comments a lot! What's not to love about her? Read this latest post and you'll be hooked:

And here is the award:

 

And yes, I do believe my blog is very much over the top!

With this award I have to answer the following questions using one word and then give it to a handful of other bloggers. 

Your Cell Phone? red
Your Hair? short
Your Mother? loving
Your Father? generous
Your Favorite Food? lomein
Your Dream Last Night? cats
Your Favorite Drink? Coffee
Your Dream/Goal? happiness
What Room Are You In? Living
Your Hobby? blogging
Your Fear? failure
Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? mother
Where Were You Last Night? church
Something That You Aren't? extravert
Muffins? yes!
Wish List Item? shoes
Where Did You Grow Up? WV
Last Thing You Did? breakfast
What Are You Wearing? PJS
Your TV? huge
Your Pets? excessive
Friends? amazing
Your Life? comfortable
Your Mood? happy
Missing Someone? sister
Vehicle? G6
Something You Aren't Wearing? glasses
Your Favorite Store? kohls
Your Favorite Color? pink
When Was The Last Time You Laughed? morning
Last Time You Cried? yesterday
Your Best Friend? hubby
One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? work
Facebook? addicted
Favorite Place To Eat? LaFiesta

I thought that was going to take forever, but seeing that you only have to answer with one word, it's pretty easy!

Bethany at Nobody Listens to the Girl.  You guys? She's so funny. This is a new find for me but deserving of this beautiful blogger award because she also  

Lauren (aka Salt) at Salt Says (I really love saying Salt Says, by the way). I just found her blog recently and vice versa and it's quickly became a must read! She's funny and such a nice girl, plus an amazing commenter. 

Tristachio at Tristachio: Not a Peanut. Why does she get this award? She tie-dyed her dog to win a blog contest and writes about Asian ladies feeling her up at airports. 'Nuf said.

And then I got another award from Kiera over at Imperfect Daisies!

Thank you! And with this, I have to tell 7 things about myself and pass it on to 7 bloggers. 

1. I am going to be 30 in 6 months.

2. I've been married for almost 3 years.

3. I moved from West Virginia about 2 years ago for my job down here in Florida.

4. My favorite cities to visit are Savannah; Nashville and St. Augustine, FL. 

5. I have 4 cats, 1 dog and zero children.

6. My day job is a Web editor. I have a degree in Journalism and a grad degree in Communications, but I hate reporting.

7. I'm about TO RIP BELL SOUTH A NEW ONE IF THEY DON'T FREAKING ANSWER THEIR PHONE AND FIX MY INTERNET.

There are a handful of bloggers who have been regular commenters since the beginning. I want to give them a shout out and award them this beautiful blogger award!

1. Jennifer over at Crazy Shenanigans . She's a sorority sister from back in the day and an awesome blogger. She was also one of my very first followers! A great friend and a very entertaining blogger; check her out!
2. Miranda at Tucci Times Three. Again, she's a real life friend, sorority sister and fellow transplanted Floridian who has the cutest little boy ever. She has great stories and shares her goals, financial plans and yummy recipes! check her out.
3. Mariah at Mariah Smile. Let me tell you a story about Mariah. In 2007, my Hubby and I had to rush our sweet little white cat to the Animal ER because her little back legs weren't moving. Mariah was the vet tech at the ER. We got to talking and she knows my cousin. It was the saddest situation, but I knew after talking to her that my sweet cat was in good hands! The cat never recovered and passed away shortly, but I still stayed in contact with Mariah through Facebook. I will never forget her kindness. Now she has a blog! She's new to the blogging world, but I love what she blogs. Check out her latest escapades in Snowpocalypse 2010.
4. Jackie at Happiness Is... She's an online friend and also has been a follower since the beginning of It's Blogworthy. She's sweet and clever and writes blogs that always make me smile. She's also a really awesome photographer and I always look forward to her Favorite Photo Friday.
5. Rachel at Our Life in WV.  Rachel is another sorority sister and Momma-to-be! She's one of my first followers, too, and she's been supportive of my blog since the beginning. She's a great blogger and now she's got a new little person to blog about!
6. SS at Passionately Pink. She's got a great writing  style and really sweet stories. She's also really supportive of my blog and leaves great comments. SS is one of the first blogs I started following and I'm so glad I did!
7. Steph at Le Sigh of a Fasionista. She's not only funny and a great writer, but also very stylish! I'm new to her blog and she's new to mine, but she's also a really supportive reader AND a great read! Go to her blog now!