No, not those kind of jugs.

Or this kind of jugs.

Or even these jugs.

Brick City Love been awarded it’s very first bloggy award – the J.U.GS Award.

J.U.GS stands for Just Us GuyS

Lily from Tapdancing in the Dark {who enjoys drunken canoe pirate adventures aboard the Salty Wench, not killing her dog, and writing nauseatingly nice things about her significant other (amongst other hilarious things)} has deemed me just one of the guys. Coming from a girl who shamelessly {dare I say, enjoys} peeing in the woods, it means a lot.

The award doesn’t come with any particular requirements or instructions but since – last I checked – I am of the XX chromatin persuasion, some justification may be in order.

Sure I can walk 3 miles in 4″ heels and describe the difference between celadon & sage {and am not really a fan of either} but I’m really just one of the guys.

1. I’m the more handy one in the relationship. Not that Rob isn’t handy, he is. I’m just slightly more handy. I blame my father. I was learning how to sweat copper pipe at age 3.
2. My high school graduation present from my parents was a 14.4 volt DeWalt screw gun & circular saw combo kit. It remains one of the best gifts EVER.
3. All the power tools are mine {with the exception of one} and clearly labeled as such in sharpie.
4. I’ve given up on getting manicures cause they don’t last 24 hours. Things need to get done without worrying about wrecking the polish.
5. I prefer pants to dresses & skirts. I’d live in jeans if I could.
6. Pastel colors make me puke.
7. I don’t pay more than $20 for a haircut, including tip. {I can hear the collective gasps}
8. My favorite show of all time is M*A*S*H.
9. I like to build stuff {see numbers 1, 2, & 3}. I also makestuff but that’s slightly more girly.

I guess it’s not so much that I’m one of the guys, I’m just not that girly. I don’t spend hours primping or preening; my make-up routine consists of concealer & mascara. I’m not frilly or a huge fan of pink. I’m not fussy about being dirty and I certainly sweat, rather than ‘glow’. That said, tufting, luxurious bedding, & a killer pair of heels make me swoon. I’m a sucker for a good pedicure & eyebrow wax. I can sew & use a table saw. Guess I’m just that kind of enigma.

Instead of awarding this to specific fellow bloggers, I’d love to open it up for comment right here. So ladies, are you a girly girl? Just one of the guys? Or a lil-column A & lil-column B combo? Fellas – are you a man’s man? Or can you get in touch with your softer side?

Since beginning on May 29, 2009 {the day we closed on our house!}, Brick City Love has grown by 75 posts. My how time flies.

With an ever increasing archive, I thought it was time to do a little house keep. If you pop out of your reader, I’d like to point your attention to a few new features.

Take a gander at the top navigation bar and you’ll notice:

1. An updated “About” page, so new friends can get aquainted with us quickly.
2. Blueprints – We’ve got a lot of projects going on simultaneously and I think it’s be less confusing if you had a visual lay of the land. I’m a very visual learner, so it at least helps me.
3. “How To” – Easy, direct linkage to our more instructional posts. And I use the word “instructional” very loosely. If there’s a specific post you found particularly informative, let me know so I can add it!
4. All our floor refinishing posts in one spot, neatly organized in chronological order. According to my blog stats, that’s what draws most of my search engine hits and I tried to make finding the relevant posts a bit easier.

Also, you can now follow Brick City Love on Twitter. I’m switching from my personal twitter account to this one, so come be my follower! I’m feeling lonely at the moment. You can read my most recent Tweets in the lefthand nav bar.

*Updated: For safety & security we’ve removed the Blueprints page. Sorry!!