I apologize for another list post but my mind is stuck on them right now. I have gift lists, guest lists, and grocery lists scattered around the house. When not making or checking off my lists, I read these five great articles this week: 1) It's For You, Teacher Tom is a sweet reflection in the true meaning of gift giving, as observed with preschoolers.

2) If I Do Something Bad, Will You Still Love Me? by Amy Turn Sharp makes me feel all funny inside. She can do that with the shortest stories and I am always amazed.

3) The Chicken In The Snow is Lil's latest blog post. She wrote the comic after we saw a little snowfall and wondered how our chicken Austra must feel.

4) Alex pointed out the Most Popular Photography Tips, Tricks and Hacks post by Lifehacker. I hope to find some time to dig through all the ideas soon.

5) I was thrilled to see my name among the Charcutepalooza Semi-Finalists list. I am so appreciative of those who followed along and supported my meaty writing. If you liked my posts, click through to some of the other sites - I'm among some amazing bloggers!

Did you read anything great this week?

Inspired by Andy Soell's link list this morning, I'm sharing some awesome blogs I read and think you might like too:

Snapdragon Ink - http://www.snapdragonink.com

A recent immigrant to the US from Canada, Joanne writes with ease about parenting and living in our part of North America. She recently visited Haiti with a group from Ohio State University and her writings about that experience are incredibly moving.

Simple Mom - http://simplemom.net/

I met Tsh Oxenreider, the mastermind behind the Simple Mom blogs, at Blissdom last winter. Simple Mom features tips and articles about slowing down and enjoying the little things in this crazy chaotic world. I love reading not only for the content but also to dream about someday writing a similarly beautiful professional blog.

Recommending Reading:

Plan Your Peaceful Christmas

How to Live A Better Story

for bloggers, Tsh has a stellar Advertising Page and Media Kit that can serve as examples for making your own.

Teacher Tom - http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com

Teacher Tom's blog about teaching and learning from young children is a great big mess. He writes about the best kind of messes, the ones from which children and adults learn. Nature, mistakes, reconstruction and paint messes are the topics of blog posts inspired by and about the cooperative preschool Tom runs. If you have young children or work with them, this blog is chock full of inspirational ideas and experiences to empower children.

Persephone's Kitchen - http://persephoneskitchen.com

Debra is a newbie to the Columbus food blogging scene but she has a clear voice that is sure to stick around. She shares recipes with local whole foods and wine pairings. I love that a music selection is also included with nearly every recipe.