UPDATED - A Treat for YOU on Halloween & SMILE awards too!)

I've had Halloween coming out of my ears this week! Getting costumes together, spider-themed storytimes, baking witch hat cupcakes (thanks for the idea, Diana!), Abby's preschool party, Family Movie Night/Costume Parade at the library, and another special Halloween storytime this morning...Whew! And now I'm trying to get my house somewhat presentable and DECORATED before trick-or-treating tonight. But I thought it might be fun to leave a little treat for YOU, my bloggin' friends, this Halloween!

TRICK OR TREAT!

I know...not quite as good as a handful of chocolate, but it's gotta be a close second. Who doesn't LOVE receiving a blog award????

A few weeks ago, Kalisha and Reneca over at Mommy Lounge presented this award to me. I was beyond excited! And, of course, I've been meaning to spread the love. Honestly, I have yet to come across a blog that I didn't like. The cute pictures, the hilarious stories, your honesty, creativity, the cute layouts, fun carnivals, the advice and encouragement...so if you are reading this right now, snatch this bloggy award up! From me to you!

*******STAY TUNED! I'll be passing on another award hopefully this weekend. Laural (currently known as Mamasphere for just a little while longer...) bestowed this awesome award upon me:

Here are the characteristics of the SMILE Award:

~You must display a cheerful attitude.
~You must show love to others.
~You must make mistakes.
~You must learn from others.
~You must be a positive contributor to blogging.
~You must love life.
~You must love kids.

Here are the rules for the Smile Award:

~You must link back to the award creator. (I'm sorry! The address is too small on the award. I can't quite make it out. Anyone else have better eyesight than me?)
~You must post the rules if you are a recipient.
~You must choose 5 people to pass the award to. (On my TO-DO list for this weekend! It's so hard to choose!)
~You must fit the characteristics of the award.
~You must post the characteristics of the recipient of the award.
~You must create a post sharing your win with others.
~You must thank the giver of the award...

Thank you, thank you, Laural! This award really brightened my day. I admit, when I first read the characteristics, I wasn't in the best mood, and I thought...ME??? Cheerful? Are you sure? haha! :)

Linky love coming soon!

Happy Halloween!
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(Updated 11/1) Okay! This was harder than I thought! Especially since so many of you gals have already received this award. You guys are just too awesome. So I thought I'd try to spread the love a little further and pass this award to a few deserving gals who aren't sporting this "bloggy bling" on their sidebars quite yet.

1)Elizabeth @ The Mommy...etc - Honestly, I've only visited her blog a few times, but I plan to visit more! She's a girl after my own heart...an aspiring water, a new mom, her daughter is named after my favorite flower, and she just posted the cutest pictures of a SPOOKTACULAR Storytime they went to. (You know how I love storytimes!)

2)Cecily @ My Chaos My Bliss - Okay, I've said this before, and I'm saying it again...you have to see this gal's pictures, especially the ones she takes of her kids. The love she has for her children is so evident through her pictures and her writing.

3)Robin @ A Day In The Life - This gal loves life. She has a great smile, loads of talent, and is one tough cookie. She's been through some crazy ordeals lately such as enduring a burst appendix for THREE months and she didn't even know it! Talk about "Grin and Bear it!" She loves her nieces and nephews to bits and has a mother's heart. I know she and her husband Matt will be wonderful parents, hopefully soon!

4)Kalisha and Reneca @ Mommy Lounge - I really can't believe this ladies haven't received this award already. They are always posting great ideas to encourage moms to pamper themselves a bit, make life a little easier, and they post the cutest stories about their kiddos.

5) Kristen @ Loving Our Simple Life - The name of her blog says it all, doesn't it? She's a camera happy mama...just like me, although her pictures are much better than mine. (I really should take a class.) I was especially touched by this post. I've been thinking a lot about that lately too. There's an awesome new CD by Hilary Weeks called "If I Only Had Today" that I've been meaning to post about... The inspirational lyrics go right along with her thoughtful post.

So, there you have it...WHEW!!! I promise to post the lyrics to that song very soon. Right now, I need to go help my hubby with dinner.

Yes, he's making dinner tonight.

Now that's definitely something that makes me smile! :)