Thank you all for the Wonderful Awards – Happy 2013

Happy New Year to all of my friends and readers and all of my readers who have become friends.  I’m a little tardy with acknowledging my appreciation for the many awards I’ve received and passing them on, but celebrating the new year is the best way I can think of to thank all of you who have kept me blogging for one year now.  As always, thanks to my wonderful daughter, Niki for pushing me over my own personal cliff by pre-announcing this blog to her Facebook world and jumping in with her own ideas.

It’s hard to decide who exactly fits best under each award and all of you, in my opinion deserve every award.  I want you all to know how much I enjoy reading your blogs and hope that you keep doing what you’re doing.

My first thanks go to Vina’s Delicious Recipes for nominating me for both the Sunshine Aware and the Blog of the Year Award.  She’s an incredibly creative and talented lady with a terrific food blog.  Please stop by to say hello to her and savor her recipes.

Here are the rules to accept this award:

1 Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award
2 Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.
3 Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award – and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)
4 Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them
5 You can now also join our Facebook page – click the link here ‘Blog of the Year 2012’Award and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience
6 As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…

My selections for Blog of the Year (2012) Awards:
http://bamskitchen.com/
http://fromthebartolinikitchens.com/
http://ourkitcheninventions.wordpress.com/
http://happinessstanlives.com/

Home

Now for the Sunshine Award:

http://whilehewasout.wordpress.com/
http://buttersugarflowers.com/

I also have Danny, now at his new self hosted website http://www.1227foster.com to thank for the honors of the REALITY and Sensual Awards.  I’ve followed Danny since I started blogging and am always impressed with his creative combinations and suggestions.  He always seems to pull a meal together like a magician and is certainly willing to experiment.  Although he has bazillions of great recipes, I have to send you to him for the best Mac & Cheese in the world.

For the REALITY award:

http://backroadjournal.wordpress.com/
http://adetailedhouse.com/
http://enjoymyadventure.wordpress.com/
http://unorthodoxepicure.com/

Rules for the Reality Blog Award

1. Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you
2. Acknowledge that blogger on your blog and link back to them
3. Answer the 5 questions presented
4. Nominate up to 20 blogs for the award and notify them on their blogs
5. Copy and paste the award on your blog somewhere

Q&A for the Reality Blog Award

1. If you could change one thing what would you change?  My impetuousness – maybe think things through a little more
   
2. If you could repeat an age, what would it be? 28
   
3. What one thing really scares you? Losing my eyesight
   
4. What is one dream you have not completed, and do you think you’ll be able to complete it?  To spend months in different cities and other countries to see if I might like to retire there & I don’t see why I can’t.
   
5. If you could be someone else for one day, who would it be? My dog – what a life!

Now finally for the Sensual Award (which frankly I don’t understand because I’m sitting here in my sweats with my wet hair up in a towel & an avocado mask on my face (hey, avocado’s not just for eating you know) but I think the idea is that creating wonderful food is a sensual experience) – but specifically for his awesome love letter to his wife, Adam definitely deserved this award as well as Man of the Year (but I don’t have that one to give Adam, sorry):

http://unorthodoxepicure.com/

Thank you again to all of my readers for your support and great comments.  I appreciate hearing from you and look forward to reading all of your new posts for 2013.  Please feel free to pass along the award wealth to recognize and support your favorite blogs.

Thank you Squirrel!

It was a dark & stormy night…. but then I read Squirrel Circus’ blog & found that she had nominated me for the Kreative Blogger award. Thank you millions Squirrel Circus for honoring me with a Kreative Blogger award!  I love your sense of humor and highly recommend that everyone stop by to say hi.  Being new to blogging, I am amazed at how many interesting, informative & crazy/funny blogs are out there on WordPress to read, therefore it makes my day when people stop by to read mine, comment and pass the word on to others.  I love hearing from readers and appreciate all the fellow bloggers who want each other to succeed.  I guess that’s what keeps us all writing and experimenting with what we do.

As part of the Kreative Blogger award I’m supposed to list 7 things about myself.  Most I don’t blog about, so you may learn a few new things about me:

1.  In high school I used to pump gas at the Esso station in town when gas was still pumped & oil was checked – that was short lived after working through a New England winter!  Enjoying the outdoors, I then worked two summers during college driving an ice cream truck where my best customer was a 250 lb. Newfoundland who used to stand on the little door at the back of the truck until his owner came around to buy his ice cream sandwich after which the line of kids behind him got their ice creams.  My first career was in retailing as a buyer, then I opened my own discount outlet store, got tired of retailing and moved into software in the 80’s.  When my daughter turned 4 and we moved, I decided to stay at home, although I wasn’t home much after being enlisted as a soccer coach until Niki decided to become a competitive figure skater. At that point I pretty much lived in my car going from school to rink, to school, to rink… There were contract jobs in between but for the most part I consider myself retired now.
2.  People who think they’re important and take themselves too seriously make me laugh.
3.  I love to sew and used to make all my daughter’s prom gowns and  skating dresses.
4.  I want to learn how to reupholster & now have a disassembled couch, blisters & a gouge in my left hand. Maybe I should get a book about this.
5.  I’m currently taking an on-line course in quantum physics – I know, I know but you have to learn something new every day.
6.  I love animals with fur and don’t like those that slither.
7.  Although I don’t like to refer to my health I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 20 yrs. ago, then with multiple sclerosis, which all turned out for the good because the tests accidentally detected a tumor and I am now a 5 year cancer survivor. This also gives me a chance to thank Doreen Konik, the best primary care doctor ever who isn’t afraid to buck the insurance industry & why I can blog today!

So, more than I planned to say, but thank you again Squirrel Circus for making my day with your nomination and especially with your terrific blog.  The final step is to nominate other blogs that I enjoy & hope you will drop by for a visit.  Please, accept with thanks for your great blogs and continue to pass the word & award on to someone else to give them a smile today:

Susan at Our Kitchen Inventions is promising a certain recipe (but no pressure Susan).
Domestic Diva, MD always cracks me up & makes me wonder what I’ve said under anesthesia.
Malou at Going Dutch has awesome photography & gorgeous daughter.
For decor & remodeling inspiration, check out A Detailed House – I want to live there.
Anastasia has really unique recipes Inspired by her Russian roots – while chasing kids too!
Many of you already follow Danny’s Kitchen but he’s the go-to guy for great food.
And a very fun place to visit is Happiness Stan Lives Here (south of London)