One Good Deed Deserves Another

I have been gifted several awards, and would love to thank and acknowledge the bright and beautiful bloggers who have presented them to me. Sometimes, they come at a time that I am absolutely too slammed to acknowledge right away, and I wait before I pass them on. This also serves to slow the pace of award-giving throughout the blogging community, which I think is a good thing, sometimes.

On 5/31/12, Amy Keast gifted me with a nomination of the Versatile Blogger award. I encourage all of you who don’t know Amy to visit her at http://amykeast.com/. She has been developing some phenomenal channeling and healing gifts. Now, when I say “channeling” I mean this in the broad, modern sense of telepathic communication with others. There’s no head spinning or vomiting pea soup, just bringing messages through from the beyond. Whether you believe in channeling or not, you can hear the wisdom in her words. This award requires that I:

1. nominate 15 other bloggers (see the list at the below);

2. include the award image in post;

3. thank the person(s) who nominated you and link back to the (see above); and

4. share 7 random things about yourself (see the list below in the Sunshine award or Liebster award sections).

On 8/25/12, Misifusa at http://misifusa.wordpress.com/ nominated me for the Sunshine Blog Award from The Presents of Presence. A breast cancer survivor for 10 years, she focuses on the present, rather than over-identifying with her past. She loves to send digital “cards” that are uplifting and often thought-provoking. The rules for this award are as follows:

1. link the award to the person who gave it to me (see above);

2. answer the questions about myself (see below);

3. nominate bloggers for the award; and

4. link my nominees to the post and comment on their blog, letting them know about the award (see recipients’ blogs).

Sunshine Award Trivia about me: 

1.  I am trying to lead a balanced life, in a driven sort of way (that doesn’t make sense, does it?).

2. I’m too wordy for Twitter.

3. My Passion:  animals and writing.

4. Favorite Time of Year:  I love spring, because of the new growth, but I really love cold

weather and snow, making winter a good choice, too.

5. Favorite Vacation:  I’m big on working hard, not as good at playing. Camping in northern Colorado among the aspen trees is a favorite I return to again and again, but Kauai, Hawaii is an all-time favorite place that I’d like to visit again!

6. Favorite Physical Activity:  strolling in the wilderness with my dogs (and my cat Pixar, before he died).

7. What puts a Smile on My Face: since my children are too big to snuggle with me now, it always makes me smile when my dogs, cats, birds, and/or husband snuggle with me. As a snuggling substitute, I it always brings a smile when I go out to lunch with one of my kids, too.

Also on 8/25/12, Sharechair, at http://sharechair.wordpress.com/ nominated me for the Liebster Award. When I get my iPhone, that’s the first place I’m going to help me with all the questions I know I’ll have. She’s already shared several tips I’ve put to use. She gives lots of ideas to enhance our electronic existence. The rules for the Liebster Blog Award are to answer the questions that the tagger set for you, create 11 questions for the people you tag to answer, and nominate 11 blogs (all of these are below). It is an award aimed at newer blogs with fewer than 200 followers.

Here are 11 questions for the recipients of the Liebster Award to answer:

-What is your favorite type of book to read?  Science fiction

-Do you have a pet? Of course! Dogs: Jazz, Nutty, Garnet, and Tribble. Cats: Tsunami and Russell Sprout. Rescue parrots: Sugar, Hannah, and Ruby.
-If you could live in any era of the past, what era would you pick and why? I really don’t want to live in any era that does not have good optometry or birth control, so answering this is hard. Can I say Atlantis? I’d bet they had some sort of magical way to deal with these issues, as well as indoor plumbing.

-Who is your favorite singer? My favorite musician is Lynn Patrick, but she doesn’t sing, so I have to say Lyle Lovett.

-On a free evening, would you choose TV? Movies? or Books? Books

-What toppings do you like on a Pizza? Mushrooms and onions

-Name a food that you could eat every day. I’d like to eat chocolate daily, but I’m more likely to eat yogurt daily.

-If money was no object, what would you buy? A ranch in Colorado!

-As a child, were you naughty or nice? It depends upon who you ask. I think I was nice most of the time, but my mother may say something else (no, Mom, this is not an invitation to tattle on me).

-What is your favorite season? See above: winter when I’m feeling lazy and cozy; spring when I’m tired of being lazy and cozy.

-Are you a coffee person or a tea person? Definitely tea; I can’t stand the smell of coffee.

Questions for the next nominees:

• What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
• What was your first job with a regular paycheck (not babysitting, lawn mowing, etc.)?
• Where would you spend your perfect day?
• What book is your all-time favorite?
• How do you like to calm yourself when you are stressed?
• What was your favorite subject in first grade?
• What is your favorite non-profit organization?
• What did you swear you would never do, but in time, did after all?
• Do you prefer to vacation someplace out-of-the-way or at a large resort?
• What is your favorite movie?
• Are you usually early, on-time, or late for appointments, meetings, and events?

On 10/18/12, Everyday Adventures in Havachon Heaven, http://raisingdaisy.wordpress.com/ ,  nominated me for the Super Sweet Award. Who can resist such a cute, mischievous little dog? She posts adorable pictures and dog toy reviews (hint: Daisy doesn’t go easy on them)!

Here are the rules for the Super Sweet Award:

1. Give credit to the person who chose to nominate you.

2. Nominate a “Baker’s Dozen (13) blogs (see below)

3. Answer the “Super Sweet” questions.

Cookies or Cake? Cookies. You just can’t beat sweet and crunchy.

Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate

What is your favorite sweet treat? Reese’s peanut butter cups or English toffee with almonds. Trying to choose between the two gives me a headache.

When do you crave sweet things the most? Any time after lunch.

If you had a sweet nickname, what would it be? I very seldom have nicknames, so I’m a bit flummoxed. Let’s go for my favorite breakfast sweetener, made from cactus (my favorite plant type): Agave

Nominations: This is always the difficult part. One reason I like to discuss several awards at once is that it is easier to give lots of awards than to whittle down my list of favorites to just a few. (Plus, I don’t like to answer questions about myself and so I double up when I can.)  Nominees – you can either take the award nomination and re-gift it to others – or not. No pressure to perform. No deadline (since I didn’t meet one….) to post, and no guilt if you don’t have time. I just want to share my favorite blogs with y’all.

The Versatile Blogger (nowhere near the required 15, but if you add all the blogs featured here together, then I over-achieved!)

http://russelrayphotos2.com/– good pictures, California focus, and cat friendly

http://awindowintothewoods.com/ – an eclectic mix of great nature photos and fantasy discussion

http://brendamarroyauthor.wordpress.com/ – serious, thought-provoking commentary

http://holisticwords.com/ -another thought-provoking place; I don’t always agree, but always enjoy the discourse

http://allpointshealing.wordpress.com/ – I see a trend here; more thought-provoking discourse

http://acrosstraditions.wordpress.com/ – deep discussions about topics many people are afraid to touch

http://dailymuse.spiritlightinsight.com/ – addressing spiritual matters accessibly

http://freedomtoafulllife.wordpress.com/ – Katrina offers a variety of interesting and thoughtful topics.

The Sunshine Blog:

http://animalcouriers.wordpress.com/– dedicated animal lovers

http://hutchagoodlife.wordpress.com/ – guinea pig fun!

http://bassasblog.wordpress.com/ – a dog’s view from Georgia (you know, formerly in Russia…)

http://istopforsuffering.wordpress.com/  – wisdom in a manageable bite

http://wildwesterngirl.wordpress.com/ – an Idaho woman blogs about her life and lessons along the way

http://bluegrassnotes.wordpress.com/ – consistently uplifting words

http://spilledcookies.com/ – Cherry always has good thoughts to share

http://cauldronsandcupcakes.com/ – a consistent favorite blogger of mine, who lives her beliefs and is really good at what she does.

The Liebster Blog (11 blogs with under 200 followers – I didn’t quite make the quota, because of the way I sorted my lists…..):

http://musicintheleaves.wordpress.com/ – this is a new blogger, just getting started; please make her welcome.

http://thegirlandthegoats.wordpress.com/ – veterinary student and sustainable living model with some adorable goats and tips on farm living

http://oldsunbird.wordpress.com/ – a mature woman and her poodle, Jenny

http://soul-in-progress.com/ – a spiritual woman shares her views with always thoughtful posts.

http://brendamarroyauthor.com/ – Brenda has come through a lot and emerged centered, self-confident, and restored to her rightful place of peace. Always a good read (and maybe over the 200 limit; I’m not sure).

http://creatingheaven.wordpress.com/ – Danelle Hollenback provides wisdom in digestible chunks

The Super Sweet Baker’s Dozen (13 – and I didn’t quite make it):

http://rumpydog.com/ – animal advocacy and great pics!

http://memyselfandela.wordpress.com/ – an eclectic mix, but always uplifting

http://mtlawleyshire.wordpress.com/ – always great photos from down under

http://thislightworkersjourney.wordpress.com/ – always interesting or inspiring

http://pawstotalk.net/ – I love this advice column by poodles; I never miss it!

http://standingoutinmyfield.wordpress.com/ – this is a perennial favorite of mine, mainly because it is refreshingly different from anything else I read, articulate, and has great pics!

http://fergusatyourservice.wordpress.com/-this is another favorite blog. Fergus the whippet always a quick smile and then I get to move on (pictures only, no words).

http://dolitotaiwan.wordpress.com/ – I love to read this blog by an animal communicator in Taiwan. If animals could talk, they would say amazing things (that aren’t always politically correct)!

http://ourfureverfamily.com/- This blog features nothing but love stories, full of love at first sight for animals and their forever families. It’s always uplifting, and sometimes, I need a boost.

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