Whatta week in Blog World. First, THE GOOD: I found out that I was awarded the Style Blogger Award 
from Barb at http://www.cafetodaymyblog.wordpress.com. This sent me into a tailspin because 1. I don’t win things. 2. Even when I do win things, I’m not aware of it. Wendy at www.writerwoman61.wordpress.com told me she had given me a couple awards back in September, and I never responded. I’m really sorry about this. I’m also thinking there might be an unclaimed Oscar waiting for me somewhere or even the Nobel Prize. I have no idea. So, I’m accepting this award and I’m going to tell all of you five ABSOLUTELY TRUE things about me or my immediate family:
1. Both of my parents came here illegally (more like falsifying documents than climbing fences or hand-paddling tiny boats at night)
2. Someone in Then Husband’s family committed what was then called “the murder of the century.” Hint: Bye, bye, Stanford White.
3. Now Husband Dan’s Turkish family lived for 500 years in the Ottoman Palace, because one of his female ancestors was the Keeper of the Keys for the Harem. I call NHD “deposed royalty.” Unfortunately for me, he has lineage without any cashola.
4. The first two of my three children were born 12 months and 3 days apart. No, I didn’t plan it that way. When I came through the doors of the labor room with my second, the nurse looked at me and said, “You, again. Weren’t you just here?”
5. I studied ballet for seven years, from age three to ten. I didn’t know that I had a congenital spinal deformity that manifested in puberty. Finally, at age 50, I had spinal fusion and instrumentation. I have enough metal in my body to fly myself somewhere.
THE BAD: My comments on some of your sites have been either flipping into spam or disappearing entirely (You might want to check under your pillow or in your laundry hamper tonight, for clever and thought-provoking messages.). If you have usually seen comments from me on your posts in the past and are not seeing them now, it doesn’t mean that I still don’t read every single ever-loving word you post. I don’t know what to do, and a couple of you don’t have ways to contact you on your blog, so I can’t even tell you, except by listing you here:
www.hannahjustbreathe.wordpress.com
www.textmelovemom.wordpress.com
And, in another category, because he is in a category by himself anyway, www.carldagostino.wordpress.com. I am subscribed to Carl’s blog, but I never receive his posts.
So, please make sure you read and comment on all of these worthy bloggers, because apparently, I can’t. And if I’ve listed you, you can all give yourselves whatever award you wish and do with it whatever you wish. Just don’t ask me for money.
And last, THE INEXPLICABLE: I posted a story this week https://lifeintheboomerlane.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/we-have-stuff-like-earrings-with-a-lot-of-breasts/ about how I came to be the proud owner of a pair of boob earrings. And, because I am in the running for my next achievement, The Mother Teresa Award for Philanthropy in Blogging, I decided to bestow these on anyone who commented on my post and gave me the best reason for wanting them. To my shock, people actually did respond. I will now announce the winner: Tori of www.torinelson.wordpress.com. I don’t know whether I’m giving these to her because she said she deserved an award for breastfeeding or because she told me that her friend peed herself after reading my post. And Tori, if you can do with one, I can award the other to the runner-up. Either way, contact me secretly at renee@invisiblenomore.com and tell me where to send your prize.
I think I need a nap now.
Life in the Boomer Lane 
Amanda Hoving
February 18, 2011
Congratulations on your many claimed and unclaimed honors! P.S. Those earrings have surfaced in my nightmares…
lifeintheboomerlane
February 18, 2011
THAT is hilarious. Who knew that a pair of dollar earrings could impact on so many lives?
36x37
February 18, 2011
Congrats on your award! Given that you’ve missed some of the other awards you’ve been granted, I think you should also investigate whether you have any unclaimed funds lurking out there. How nice would that be.
I think it’s cool your first two kids were born 12 months and three days apart. My sons were born two years and nine days apart, and they both had the same due date. That means their hand-me-downs are always the right season, and I can celebrate with one massive birthday party rather than two separate, smaller ones. Little conveniences like that go a long, long way.
lifeintheboomerlane
February 18, 2011
In my case, the first was a boy and the second a girl. I was a very practical and thrifty mom, and I saw no need to rush out and buy girlie clothes for her. My daughter didn’t know she was female until she hit puberty.
duke1959
February 18, 2011
What a great post. If you write something then claim it and allow others to respond.
lifeintheboomerlane
February 18, 2011
Thanks, Duke!
duke1959
February 18, 2011
Never a problem for you!
hannahjustbreathe
February 18, 2011
Aww, thank you, lady! Two of your comments did show up in my spam folder recently, and even when I tried to “approve” them, WordPress wouldn’t post the comments! WEIRD.
But, don’t worry. I know you are there in spirit. 🙂
lifeintheboomerlane
February 18, 2011
My pleasure!
Tori Nelson
February 18, 2011
YES! VICTORY! AND BOOB JEWELRY! I think I might save it for next year, when I recover Tom’s Pimp Stick Box for Valentine’s Day!
Congrats on your award, and keep on writing…that Nobel is sure to find you 🙂
lifeintheboomerlane
February 18, 2011
Can’t wait to see the box!
TexasTrailerParkTrash
February 18, 2011
Omigosh, your ex-husband has Harry K. Thaw in his family tree? Wow! One of the most interesting books I read last year was “American Eve : Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, the birth of the “It” girl, and the crime of the century” by Paula M. Uruburu. I’m impressed.
The Turkish harem key keeper is pretty cool too. I found out recently that I’m very distantly related to the Bush family (you know, George H.W. and little Dubya). I’m trying to live that one down, though.
lifeintheboomerlane
February 18, 2011
The Thaws were split between Pittsburgh and Philly. The Pittsburgh Thaws made a fortune; the Philly Thaws were solid blue collar types. Then Husband’s grandmother was part of the Philly Thaws. The two branches had little or no contact, except when Harry K, the ultimate ner-do-well was released from somewhere, they threw a big society party for him and sent either the invitation or clipping to the poor relations. There was a film made in the 40s, “The Girl on the Red Velvet Swing.” Of course, TH and I watched it early on in the relationship.
TexasTrailerParkTrash
February 18, 2011
That movie starred Joan Collins (later of “Dynasty” fame) as Evelyn Nesbit. The book has photos of the real Evelyn meeting her. After all the hoo-ha about how beautiful Evelyn was when she was young and all the passions she inflamed, it’s kind of a shock to see her in her later years as this grandmotherly type whom you wouldn’t give a second look to on the street.
lifeintheboomerlane
February 18, 2011
I didn’t realized the movie starred Joan Collins. Ah, the ravages of age. Imagine how she would have looked if she lived now, all Botoxed up. I used to wonder, was she really that beautiful or was it because she was little more than a child when all this occurred?
planejaner
February 18, 2011
Yeah! 🙂
funny–and glad to see the boobyearrings off to a great home…
My daughter was in Ragtime last year, and she read about Stanford White–and was enthralled with Evelyn Nesbit.
small world–Kevin Bacon, anyone?
blessings
jane
lifeintheboomerlane
February 18, 2011
Wow. Did your daughter swing above the audience a la La Nesbit (who was like 16 when she started) Hey Jane, you were actually the runner up of the contest. Tori only needs one. If you would like the other, it will nipple its way to you. Let me know.
Kathryn McCullough
February 18, 2011
Tori is the winner! Horray for the earrings. And you won the stylish blogger award, too! That prize really gets around. I’m sure it was the earrings that won it for you!
Hugs from Haiti,
Kathy
lifeintheboomerlane
February 19, 2011
The very definition of karma.
Natalie
February 19, 2011
It’s Clint! I did a little dance.
(Pulled your comment out of spam a couple of days ago. Along with comments from two other not spam people.)
lifeintheboomerlane
February 19, 2011
Aaaargh. Others are having the same issue with my comments. Thanks for retreiving me.
deliriouslydivine
February 19, 2011
While I am happy for Tori I mourn the loss of what I was hoping would be the biggest, best and only present I’ve received in quite awhile. Alas… but on the bright side I do still have my own.
Wonder if the WP Voodoo gods are out there doing bad things to you? I successfully retrieved you out of Spam. Couldn’t figure out how you got there!
lifeintheboomerlane
February 19, 2011
Now I feel terrible. My quest will be to find another pair of boob earrings for you (like the proverbial snowball’s chance in hell qwest). Tori only wants one so I wrote to Jane. If she doesn’t respond, I can declare you the winner of the other. Maybe you could wear one boob menage-a-tois and one hoop. I am seriously bummed about being sent to spam on all those blogs. I’ll write to the help people, but I’m not optimistic.
deliriouslydivine
February 19, 2011
I’m a big girl…and losing the shot at a new pair of boobs is by far not the worst thing I’ve experienced lately!
writerwoman61
February 19, 2011
Hi Renée:
Congrats on your awards and thanks for the shoutout!
Neat facts…shame out Dan being deposed without the “disposable income!” That happened in our family too, although they were rich farmers, not royalty…by the time my great-grandfather came along, the land had been given out to the more than a dozen siblings before him!
Will check out your nominees!
Wendy
lifeintheboomerlane
February 19, 2011
For generations, when anyone in the family needed money, they would sell off tracks of land. Dan’s grandmother sold off the last tract when she was in her eighties and died shortly thereafter. Perfect for her, but not so much for her daughter (Dan’s mom).
Sarah@afterhood
February 21, 2011
Turns out we probably ALL have skeletons and black sheep in the family closet. And it’s interesting how quickly a family *star* becomes a pariah between one generation and the next. The ‘Southern’ part of my family still reveres the fact that a Civil War era ancestor gave the oath of office to Jefferson Davis. The modern & ‘Northern’ part of the family finds it anachronistic and just plain sad. So it’s a good thing if you can put a glamorous spin on that family history!
lifeintheboomerlane
February 21, 2011
Wow. That’s really interesting about your family. And it doesn’t surprice me that each faction of the family feels that way about the other. I would love to be able to trace my family back, but all info stops with my grandparents, and all I know about them is their names.
sunshineinlondon
February 21, 2011
Congratulations on this award, Renee, and the many others you’ve been too humble to collect!
Sunshine xx
lifeintheboomerlane
February 21, 2011
I wish it were humiliy, but I think it’s a state of permanent unconciousness.