I am very pleased to announce that Liz Voce of Sort It ~ Professional Organizing has nominated me for a Beautiful Blogger Award. Maybe it’s an ego thing, or maybe I just love memes, but either way, it’s fun to be selected. Plus it gave me a perfect excuse to sneak in a BIG announcement, so it will be worth your while to read through to the end of the post.
Just like any other award, there are rules to be followed, and here they are:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award 
Thanks, Liz!
2. Paste the award on your blog
3. Link to the person who nominated you for the award
Meet Liz here: http://sortit.ca/about-sort-it/
4. Nominate 7 bloggers and post links to the 7 blogs you nominated
This was actually two separate steps in the original instructions, but I’ve taken the liberty of streamlining. I didn’t think anyone would mind. 
The blogs I’ve nominated have three things in common: all of the bloggers are Canadian, I knew each of them before I starting reading their blogs (in some cases, long before they started blogging), and the blogs are not 100% focused on business (because I thought it might be hard for them to fit something like this into their editorial calendar).
- zoeSocial – Zoë and I met at a networking breakfast a couple of years ago and were drawn together by our common passion for social media. Be sure to check out her About page. It will really make you question your own, I promise you!
- Mom in Work PJs – A fellow virtual assistant, Rachel is also what’s sometimes referred to as a “mommy blogger.” She blogs about things that make life easier, healthier, and more enjoyable, and has a regular feature called “Spotlight on a Mompreneur.”
- Canadian Army Wife – I met Jacki at POC Conference many years ago. She’s one of the nicest and hardest working people you’ll ever come across.
- Teatime with Tina – Tina and I go way back to when we were both professional organizers. She now blogs about one of my favourite topics: food!
- Cute Canadian Princess – Scott and I used to work with Brenda (see random fact #4 below) but she now lives in Australia. This is her personal blog.
- Penguins, Pot & Other Stuff – Another former co-worker, I think Tony has been blogging longer than anyone else I know.
- Four Monkeys 4 Me +1 – I met Tiffany on the bus to Toronto for the She’s Connected Conference last October. Despite being practically neighbours, we haven’t really stayed in touch. I guess an empty-nester and a mom of four-soon-to-be-five don’t have a whole lot in common…
Some of them haven’t blogged in a while, so I hope this nomination will inspire them to start again!
5. Post 7 random things about you.
I thought this might be difficult, since I’ve written similar posts in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011, but then I thought, surely there is more to me than just those 26 facts! So, if you’ve managed to read this far, you may be interested to learn that:
- After driving a PT Cruiser for many years, I’m the proud new owner of a Hyundai Elantra.
- I recently joined a book group, with two women I’ve known since I was seven years old, and three friends they met in their twenties. Since I became a member, we’ve read The Dolphin’s Tooth, Rebecca, On the Outside Looking Indian, Loving Frank, and The Irresistible Henry House.
- My favourite Facebook page is Vintage Toronto. Although I haven’t lived there since 1982, I grew up in Etobicoke and I really enjoy seeing the old photos and how things have changed, as well as reminiscing about my earlier years.
- Most people know that my husband works with me at Organized Assistant, but not so many know that this is the third time we’ve worked together.
- I enjoy doing Cross Sums puzzles (also known as Kakuro).
- I love to make my own soup. Most recently, I made Mixed Vegetable Soup.
- And finally, my big announcement! I’ve just launched a new website called Organized Bloggers, which will be a blogging community for the organizing industry. If you’re looking for help organizing your home, your office, or some other area of your life, or if you’re a professional organizer or productivity consultant with knowledge to share, I know you’re going to love it!
If you’re one of the people I’ve nominated for a Beautiful Blogger Award, I hope you’ll play along. And if you do, be sure to post a link to your post in the comments section so we can learn more about you!
I’ve had my own business since 2002, and by the time this month ends it will have been my full-time job for eight years. That time has gone by so much faster than the previous eight years, and it’s not just because time seems to pass more quickly as we get older; it’s because I really love what I do. Don’t get me wrong – there have been some rough days, but I’ve never regretted my decision to become self-employed. In fact, I often feel sorry for my friends who work in traditional jobs, even though they have paid vacation and sick time, dental plans, and other benefits.
There used to be a huge imbalance between the marketing options for big businesses and small businesses. Large businesses could afford to advertise to large audiences in major newspapers, glossy magazines, and on television, whereas your little guy had to rely on placing an ad in the classifieds or pinning up flyers at the local grocery store and hoping someone might notice it. Social media has changed all that. Now businesses of all sizes can reach out to anyone, anywhere, and anytime.
I have the best job in the world! I set my own schedule (for the most part), I can dress as casually as I like (most of the time), I don’t have to take on projects or clients that aren’t a good fit for my skills, interests, or personality, and then there is the five-second commute. Not to mention that I get to work with the love of my life!
