Award time!

Good Gal over at Good Gals Inc sent me the Honest Scrap award. It came at a really nice time too as I hadn't left my hotel yesterday at all due to the cold and was busy busy busy working away. I opened my blog and saw the comment from her (don't you just LOVE comments, by the way - they totally make me smile!). So, thank you Good Gal! You totally made my night - well, besides watching the 3 hour long LOST last night.
The rules...

1) Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.

2) Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with "Honest Scrap." Well, there's no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.

3) List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

So, I'll go with the ten honest things about myself first.

1) I look in a mirror every time I pass one. I know that sounds vain & in some way, it probably is. I can't help it. My eye just jumps over to it. Are my eyebrows ok? Is my hair getting frizzy? Should I have worn a tank top under this sweater? Do I have the chin hair poking out? I wonder how hard it would be NOT to look?
2) I am fanatical about hotel room cleanliness. I worked for a vacuum company for 3 years (Crazy, huh? Whoever thinks they will work for a vacuum company??) and traveled a ton for them (the running joke was 54 weeks of the year - yeah, I didn't find that too funny either). All the cleaning product training really stuck with me. So when I check into a hotel, I usually ask for extra towels & lay them out as a "runner" in my room. I don't touch the floor barefoot (I actually have a pair of travel slippers) - especially the bathroom. I apologize in advance if you travel as a part of work - look under the sink & compare the grout under there (where nothing usually touches it) to the grout around the tub. Uh huh.
3) I love to throw parties. We're having a Post Holiday, Holiday Party - With a Twist on the 24th. We had a great holiday party last year with open bar, great food (make your own sandwiches with roasted turkey or pork, mini cheese tortes, mini quiches, my famous sausage balls, etc.) and a ton of people.
Yet December is hard, so we're having our 2nd Annual Holiday Party this month. We've also hosted a competitive wine tasting - I shared my idea with Mrs. NOLA.
My favorite was a Bad Santa party which yielded the picture to the right. Yes, that is Mr. Potts dressed up as an escaped convict elf.

4) If I could do it over, I wouldn't have cut 6 inches of my hair off right before the wedding. I still miss my hair. The picture below is an example of the length it would have been had I not cut it off.
5) I was mugged in front of my home in New Orleans when I lived there two days before I was moving back to Charlotte. I lived in the Lower Garden district, but you just have to be careful no matter where you live. It was Cinco de Mayo & I had gone with my friends to eat at my favorite Southwestern restaurant & afterwards had had cucumber cosmos (I can share the recipe if you want it). I pulled up in front of my house, made sure no one was lurking & got out of my car. I heard someone behind me & I thought he was asking for change. So I brushed it off with a "I don't have any change." Something in his tone changed & when I turned around I saw the gun & heard the man tell me to give him my money. I never carry cash - didn't then, still don't now - so I told him I didn't have any. It seemed rather silly at the time that he would continue to ask me for money when I didn't have any. I gave him my purse & he took off. I was very blessed he didn't hurt me.

6) I had a gerbil growing up named Penelope (Nellie for short) that lived for 5 years.
7) If I had my way (which obviously, I don't) Mr. Potts & I would have a new puppy. An Australian Shepherd. I really (REALLY) want a weimaraner, but we "can't" have another large dog until we have a house - we have a yellow lab who is about 65lbs. Another reason is due to my travel schedule - I'll be the trainer & therefore need to be home regularly to train it.
8) I already have children's names picked out. Both a boy name & a girl name. With approval from Mr. Potts, of course!

9) I love cook books. I just received two Cooking Light cookbooks & spent hours pouring over them deciding what I wanted to make. YUM!

10) I have a very specific routine when I wake up in the mornings. It goes in this order:

• Bathroom
• Wash face
• Put in contacts OR Put on glasses
• Go down stairs
• Let Hayden out
• Feed Hayden
• Go back upstairs
• Get ready for gym - although I'd rather go back to bed
• Go to gym

Now - I'm supposed to pass this on to 7 bloggers (I almost put bloogers & that made me giggle) who I think are brilliant. Here goes!

• Mrs. G over at Mmmm...Tastes Good - she's hosting a Doodle Bugs online show right now - you should check it out if you love stationary!
• NOLA over at With Love From New Orleans - she's going private soon - we should all be aware of who follows us!
• Shasta of Bergdorf Blondes - not only is she very fabulous, but I equally loved the novel.
• Mrs. Jetplane of Leaving and Loving on a Jetplane - she had Mr. Jetplane answer questions from her followers - you have to read it!
• Tina at Life's a journey - check out her puppy snoozing!
• Kristen over at Something about nothin - I'm really digging her new background!
• Kimmie over at Living in Dallas and Loving it! - she just hit 50 followers (will I ever get there?) so go on over & check her out!
• Julie over at Wearing Mascara - she loves Nordies - I had to add her in!