So, I should be writing a review of Whistling in the Dark, but I've got so many other things swirling around in my head that I had to get them out. Here goes:

- Like you, I've been seeing tons of posts about CSN Stores. The company, which sells a huge variety of products - lighting, bookshelves, home decor, furniture, etc. has been tremendously generous to bloggers. I was slightly bummed that I hadn't been contacted by them ... and then, voila! I got an email offering me the chance to review one of their products. How ecstatic am I? Very ecstatic! CSN has such a variety - how am I ever going to choose a product? When I do, you'll be the first ones to know. Stay tuned for my review. In the meantime, click on over and check out all the goodies at CSN.

2. Although I have been bungee jumping, thank you very much. My older brother owned a bungee jumping company when I was in high school, so my younger brother and I both jumped out of his hot air balloon. It was a rush.

3. I'm not very daring in the food department either, although a year spent in The Philippines as an exchange student did broaden my culinary horizons quite considerably. I've eaten delicacies like dog, pig's brain, monkey, goat and nimbalut (you don't want to know, trust me). Okay, the curious can read all about it here. It should be noted that these dishes are not eaten often by the average Filipino. They were prepared for me because I am a gullible American.

4. I cannot sneak up on people. I have weak ankles that pop constantly. This put me at a distinct disadvantage when dealing with three brothers.

5. The same brother who convinced me to jump out of a hot air balloon used to roll me up in blankets, cinch a belt around my waist and tickle my toes 'til I cried. I'm still traumatized.

6. Back to food - my husband thinks I'm weird because I like soft ice cream. Not machine-soft ice cream, but hard ice cream softened. I've been known to pop a carton in the microwave if it's too hard.

7. Phew! That was hard. I think I am officially the most boring person in the blogosphere!

- Hm, was that it? I swear there was something else I was going to tell you. Oh well. Happy Reading!

... 'cause it's awards time. I'm sure you know by now that it's Book Blogger Appreciation Week. This is such a fun idea. Huge shout out to Amy and her crew for putting it all together. Congratulations to all the winners and to every book blogger out there - we have truly transformed the book reading universe. As I've said, my favorite part about BBAW is all the new blogs I find because of it - my Google reader is positively groaning under the weight of new feeds. It's so exciting to realize just how big the book blogosphere really is! Considering how many excellent book blogs are out there, it's a wonder mine gets any traffic at all, let alone earns prestigious bloggy awards :) Thanks so much for passing these on - receiving them just gives me the warm fuzzies. Who doesn't love recognition for their hard work?

... 'cause I snagged an award. The lovely Katie over at 101 Books in 1001 Days bestowed this on me:

So, wow, it's the last day of August. Where did the time go? It was a crazy busy month for me, with our big move, the kids starting school, and all kinds of other stuff. I tried not to neglect Ye Olde Blog, but it still happened a bit. Even now, after 3 weeks of packing, moving, and settling in, I've got lots of work to do. Anyway, there are just a few things I want to mention:

BestBooks - Julie Smith writes the funniest, most concise reviews ever. It's refreshing to get her perspective in just a few words. Her recent review of Breaking Dawn made me laugh out loud.

Kristina honored me with this You Make My Day Award, which is my very first blog award. I was touched by all the nice things she said about me. Thanks so much, Kristina!

I have so many book blogs on my feed list that it's just impossible to narrow my favorites down to 10. All of you do a wonderful job on your blogs - I've gotten so many fabulous recommendations from your posts. Here are just a FEW of the blogs that make my day:

A Patchwork of Books - My list has to include Amanda, because she's the whole reason I found this awesome book blogging community. I started my blog as a personal project, not even realizing that there were other book bloggers out there. When I stumbled on her blog and saw all of the sites on her blogroll, it was like Christmas for me. Seriously. Plus, she writes a great blog and always has excellent recommendations.

Inside A Book - I love this blog because its author and I have a lot in common. We live in the same city and seem to like the same kind of books. She doesn't update nearly as often as I would like, but her blog is wonderful.

Chainreader - The first thing you must do on this blog is read its description. It is laugh-out-loud funny. The author obviously has a great sense of humor, and I enjoy her succinct, but thoughtful reviews.

A Striped Armchair - I know Eva has gotten and given this award a million times, but that just goes to show how awesome she is. I love her thorough reviews and the sweet comments she leaves on my blog. She commented that I looked gorgeous in a picture I posted, so she's my BFF now whether she likes it or not!

Big A, Little A - I found Kelly's blog only recently, but I love it for its variety and the thorough reviews.

Miss Erin - Erin is a talented girl in more ways than one. Her blog covers a variety of topics, and her addiction to certain authors (Shannon Hale) just makes me laugh. I always enjoy reading what she writes.

Lightheaded Books - Despite the title of this blog, the reviews are not "lightheaded" at all. I think they are intelligent and well-written.

Thoughts of Joy - I enjoy this blog for numerous reasons, including the succinct reviews and the fun challenges Joy hosts.

Becky's Book Reviews - I know Becky is widely loved, but I just have to give her this award for all the hard work she puts in on her blogs. She's always got something going on, whether it's a review, an author interview or a new challenge. She's amazing!

In an effort to avoid folding laundry declutter my mind, I thought I'd let you all in on some thoughts that have been floating around in there lately. I've got news about a giveaway, an upcoming author feature, an award and lots of other random stuff, so here we go:

* I love magazines, so much so that I subscribe to at least 20 of them. Of these, only 1 - Bookmarks - is dedicated solely to books/reading. Book review magazines just aren't very prevalent (Anyone have any recommendations?), so I get excited when my favorite magazines allot at least a little bit of space to books. I recently picked up the March issue of Good Housekeeping, and was excited to see a short story by one of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult. I love Jodi because she's fearless. Her books tackle tough issues, which she examines with both honesty and understanding. To me, her stories ring with authenticity. Perhaps you can begin to see why I was so disappointed in "Spring Break," which concerns a mom who leaves her family one day out of the blue and takes up residence in a seaside Ritz Carlton. Although she scares her family to death, causing emotional damage to her husband and children, everything wraps up nicely in the end. Now, I like happy endings, but I excpected more from Picoult. Did anyone else read this? What did you think? I thought Jodi whimped out on this one.

* I've been chatting with some authors lately - did you catch Jason Wright's reaction to my review of Christmas Jars? I think the guy has a great sense of humor, and I'm honored that he stopped by my humble little blog. Stay tuned, because I will be talking to author Amanda Ford on March 5. She will be on a blog tour to promote her book, Kiss Me, I'm Single: An Ode to the Single Life - I've been perusing it, and I think it's full of some great wisdom. Stand by for a review and hopefully an interview with this fun writer.

* Many, many thanks to Kristina for honoring me with my first-ever blog award. Now, I'm busily trying to choose 10 bloggers who make my day. I have TONS of book blogs on my feeds list, so this is an amazingly tough job. Hopefully, I'll have that post up tomorrow. Thanks again, Kristina, this award definitely made my day!

* Finally, I just finished The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad, which is fascinating. My review should be up tonight (that's if I stop procrastinating on the laundry); as part of it, I'm going to be giving away my copy of the book. If you are interested in entering the drawing, all you have to do is wait (hopefully not too long) until my review is up, then make a comment. Simple, right? I (or most likely, one of my kids) will draw a name on February 25. If you're not interested in the book, I would still love your comment :)

* Crap! I think that's it. Looks like it's back to laundry for me. I hope the rest of you are doing something exciting - like reading a great book. I'll catch you later when I'm a little more caught up on my housework!