Versatile Blogger Award

Thanks to Maria Grazia at Fly High for the lovely Versatile Blogger Award.

There are rules to these awards:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason!

4. Contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the award.

I think the best way to share 7 things about myself is to link to two interviews that I did for fellow bloggers. The most recent is at Misty's Book Rat when she hosted Jane in June, and the other is at Maria Grazia's Fly High, where I was one of her first blogger buddies to be profiled. Thanks again, Misty and Maria for providing these forums for me to wax poetic about what makes me tick!

I personally think 15 is too many (not that there aren't that many and more wonderful blogs, but there's a noise level that must be acknowledged), so I am shamelessly breaking the rules and would like to pass along this award to the following excellent blogs that I have been following faithfully though my commenting is sporadic:

Books in the City
Sparks' Notes
Book Bath
Book Chatter
Books and Chocolate

Happy, Happy, Happy

The Happy 101 award was given to me by Lisa at Lit and Life. Lisa is a Midwesterner, a mother of three and lists her favorite things as books, cooking, movies, music, flea markets, football and family fun. I've really enjoyed getting to know Lisa in the blogosphere and appreciate her giving me this award, which asks that you list ten things that make you happy.

Here's my list:

1. My family--my husband and three teen-aged kids who put up with my puns, go to Shakespeare in the summer with me, and make me cups of tea when I'm feeling tired.
2. My mountains--I'm Colorado born and have never lived anywhere in which the Rockies don't provide a gorgeous, enigmatic western horizon.
3. My books--I love to read and feel rich in the worlds that I visit daily via the magic of language
4. My iphone--I have never loved a gadget before but this little device is awesome...I can read books with it, text my kids, look up words, find my way home, locate a great restaurant, check my email, play Suduko, call my mom...it's amazing!
5. My community--I live in a village that is criss-crossed with walking trails and it's alive with community spirit--with pancake breakfasts, summer concerts, parades year long, and a market "where everybody knows your name."
6. My job--I've worked for the same high-tech company for almost 30 years and I love what I do (PR), the people I work with, and the values/integrity of the company. Working is important to me--it gives me structure, sanity, and a paycheck, and for that I am thankful.
7. My projects--writing, blogging, recording, reading, quilting, gardening, traveling. I love being fully engaged in life.
8. My favorites--Austen makes me happy, so does Shakespeare, Mozart, Johnny Cash, Gaskell, Eliot, Keats, Beethoven, Verdi, Renoir, and the whole lovely rich panoply of artists who have enriched my life and world.
9. English breakfast tea with honey and milk, in bed, on Saturday morning with a good book and the promise of lunch with the family at a great new restaurant.
10. My six senses--I love to see the heron on my morning walk, hear the cooing of the doves who live near my office, smell the scent of fresh-baked bread when I come home, feel the cold wet nose of my chocolate labrador retriever, taste the hot vinegary goodness of our special homemade pickles, and anticipate the coming of spring.

I'm passing this one along to:
Dorothy at Of Books and Bicyles
Maria at FLY HIGH
CharleyBrown at Enchanted Serenity of Period Films

Let's Be Friends Award

Heather from Gofita's Pages gave me the Let’s Be Friends Award and I just love it! I used to think I was the only one who liked the books I like, but the Internet (book sites, reader forums, and blogging) has introduced me to so many fellow readers. Thanks, Heather

Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.

1. Rose City Reader
2. Things Mean a Lot
3. You Can Never Have Too Many Books
4. The Duchess of Devonshire's Gossip Guide
5. Lit and Life
6. We Be Reading
7. My Life in Books

Scribbling as Fast I Can

My dear net-Friend, Maria Grazia from Fly High, as honored me with a Superior Scribbler award. I particularly love the image although I rarely hold a pen anymore but type madly.

Thank you, Maria!

Now the rules for this award:

1. Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends
2. Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
3. Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
4. Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we’ll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
5. Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

Here are my 5 Superior Scribblers! Some are newbies to my world, and some are old favorites, but all are interesting, informed, and entertaining.

1. Wuthering Expectations
2. Books Please
3. Melanie's Musings
4. Sue Wilkes
5. Peeking Between the Pages

Back from Travels...Won Kreativ Blogger Award in Absentia

The Kreativ Blogger Award has been awarded to Reading, Writing, Working, Playing by The Anne Boleyn Files (if you haven't checked out this amazing site, I urge you to do so!).

Thanks, Claire, for the award--such a pleasant surprise to find this in my comments when I logged on this morning.

The award guidelines are that on receiving the award you must post 7things you love and then give the award to 7 other bloggers who are creative. So, here goes!

7 Things I love
1. My family - husband, kids, parents, brothers and sister and all their spousal units and kids and so forth!
2. Reading and writing (and working and playing) - a world without words is one that I cannot imagine
3. History
4. Traveling and coming home
5. The third rock from the sun and the little spot on it known as Colorado - it is so beautiful, a gem in the Milky Way
6. Tea with milk and honey
7. Gardening and cooking with my garden produce - there is no better way to feel connected to the earth

7 Blogs that Deserve the Kreativ Blogger Award (in no particular order):
1. BooksPlease - always interesting, whether Margaret is writing or posting photos or artwork, it's lovely to look at and thought-provoking
2. Elegant Extracts - funny, interesting, quirky, Theresa's blog is a joy
3. You Can Never Have Too Many Books - Susan and I have such similar taste in books...always a pleasure to see what I'll be reading next :)
4. Willow Manor - I've just started visiting this blog but the range of topics and art/photos makes it always a worthwhile time spent.
5. Bellsknits - I don't knit anymore but I love to visit this blog and admire the work and taste and passion that goes into the blog and the items she's made.
6. Echostains - another blog that is new to me but blows me away with the creativity on display. Cool, cool, cool.
7. My Cozy Book Nook - another new edition to the blogs I visit. Molly writes about books a bit differently from the norm, and I like that!

Lovely [Blog] Award

Margaret from Books Please recently gave me the One Lovely Blog award.. Thank-you, Margaret--that was a lovely thing to do!

Blog awards are one of the nicest forms of the infamous "chain letter" format - they are not based on fear nor superstitution, they make the recipient and the giver feel good, and they provide a way for more people to discover the blogs that speak to them. I'm still exploring the blog world, so I don't have a lot on my blog roll...just the ones I truly visit routinely and that contribute to the greater conversation that I feel I am part of...'nuff said.

The rules of the Lovely Award to follow are:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I’m nominating the following blogs (in alphabetetical order):

A Work in Progess
Enchanted Serenity of Period Films
Justine Picardie
Of Books and Bicycles
pages turned
Shelf Love
Spirits Dancing