You're NOT going to believe this one...

I've been tagged with the "Thinking Blogger Award". My bloggy friend, Tracey, over at Show Me State of Mind says my blog makes her think...I'm pretty sure that's only because you must have a few cups of coffee, or Diet Coke, in your system in order to follow the many happy trails of my mind!!! So, thank you to "Real Estate Girl", and here you go...

There are a few rules to this thing. The first of which is that we are supposed to link back to the original post that started this whole thing. The second is that we are supposed to "Pay it Forward" by tagging 5 other blogs that make us think. HOWEVER...when I actually went back and read the original post, I discovered one little phrase that says..."...if you choose to...". Now, I read about 15-20 blogs on a fairly regular basis. The ones on my sidebar are those I check at least once a day...every day! And many of them have received this award already, and rightly so I might add. A couple, surprisingly, have not. And I found myself wondering if maybe people didn't tag them because they don't feel that they "know" them well enough to tag them to do something like this. But then I read that "...if you choose to..." line and realized that they don't have to tag others if they don't want to. I can give them the award for making me think, and they may never even know it since they most likely don't read this thing anyway! So, I'm going to just let you know who makes me think and why, and if any of those people see it and haven't been tagged yet, they can "Pay it Forward", or just quietly be proud of themselves...it's totally up to them!

Okay, here we go!

Obviously Barb over at A Chelsea Morning makes me think. She has the best posts about how to clean stuff, and cook stuff, and in general be a really good wife, that I've ever read and they actually make me want to clean stuff! I even saved a copy of this post partly because it cracked me up, and partly because there are many lessons in housecleaning there, and I'm afraid that if Barb ever pulled up stakes and deleted her blog, I'd be lost...so I saved a copy to my hard drive! Now, Barb has already been tagged, so this is just an exclamation point. If I didn't mention her, I'd just be, you know, lying! And I've really tried to resist, but I just can't. Barb linked to ME in her "Sunday Meanderings" post this week!!! Can ya'll believe it? I feel so special! And let me tell you, if I had any qualms at all about sharing the secret recipe for the cookies, or posting all those videos like a total AV geek, I don't any more. Barb needed them, and that means it must have been the right thing to do, and the lightning is not going to strike me down after all! Hee-hee!

I've already told you about Lisa, The Preacher's Wife who makes me think AND laugh! She's also already been tagged...DUH!

How could I not include The LPM Blog If THAT doesn't make you think, you're brain-dead my friend...pure and simple...brain-dead.

My last two are related to dear Barb.

Sarah's In the Midst of It was the very first blog I ever read. In fact, it was the way she wrote and documented those special moments in her children's lives that made me want to start my own blog to keep track of all those little memories myself! I had read an excerpt from her blog over at Lisa Whelchel's site, and decided to check it out further. The first post I read was about the book "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane". It was written in the form of a letter to her son, and I fell in love with both her writing and her taste in books! I immediately checked the book and the CD out from the library, and the kids and I listened to it in the van while out and about. It was FABULOUS!!! I've checked in with Sarah daily ever since, and am now very impatiently waiting on "Marley and Me" to be turned back in to the library based on the review that she gave it. So, I guess Miss Sarah not only makes me think...she also makes me READ and WRITE!!!

Finally, there is Bev over at Blessed Beyond Measure who also just happens to be Sarah's mom, and Barb's sister. Her posts just invite you in. She posts about her life in such a way that makes you think..."please, can I be your friend?" She is so open and honest and friendly, you just feel welcome. My favorite post so far has been this one. I laughed so hard I was wishing I hadn't had quite so much Diet Coke before I read it! But her "Monday Morning Musings" are quiet and thoughful and full of much wisdom. It's a great place to hang out, ya'll!

And so, that's it. I've officially completed my first meme! And don't worry Tracey, I did manage to feed the kids and the man a decent meal: meatloaf, green beans, garlic-cheddar mashed potatoes, and ice cream to be exact! I finished the dishes, and did 2 loads of laundry. Just in case you were concerned...LOL. And now, I suppose it's time to get to bed...sigh.