Tag Archives: awards

Wonderful Team Member Readership Award & My Mom and Dad’s 30th Anniversary

29 Replies

I have two really wonderful people to thank for nominating me for the Wonderful Team Membership Award, both Pretty Little Things in a Box (on June 14th) and knitxpressions (on June 17th) have gifted me with the honor of knowing that somehow or another I have been a wonderful team member! I love the idea of this award, that bloggers can thank all the people who have helped them – mainly because so many of you have helped me. I feel as though I am flattering myself here a little though, both of these outstanding bloggers don’t need my help, but I am thrilled to read their posts and offer my humble insights. To you both, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Wonderful Team Membership Award

Wonderful Team Member Readership Award (I REALLY want to create a New Award for this, much like blogger Movies, Silently did!)

Now onto the nitty-gritty.

To accept this award, I have to follow some rules:

1.The Nominee of the Wonderful Team member Readership Award shall display the logo on his/her blog. (check!)
2.The Nominee shall nominate 14 readers they appreciate over a period of 7 days, all at once or little by little. (check!)
3.The Nominee shall name his/her Wonderful Team Member Readership Award nominees on a post or on posts during 7 days. (On My Way!!)

I want to say an extra thank you to all of you I am passing the award to. You have supported me with both your advice, your motivation and your exceptional kindness. I have found a family here and you have made the world a little richer every day!

A World Created  ♥ knitrun4sanity ♥ Creatively Carolyn  ♥ lollyknits  ♥ yarnycakes  ♥ DaniellaJoe’s Blog  ♥ knittingsarah  ♥ Skyscrapers and String  ♥ A Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventure ♥ Lottieknits ♥ B.G. Bowers ♥ Cross(stitch) Your Heart  ♥ Intricate Knits ♥

So here are my 14 wonderful, insightful, helpful lovely nominees. There are so many other bloggers I want to give this award to as well, your insights have been just utterly priceless. To the nominee’s – CONGRATULATIONS!

** Planning a Big Old Party **

Mom and Dad Christmas Morning. 2011.

Mom and Dad Christmas Morning. 2011.

These are my parents, and in the literally thousands of photos I have on my computer – this is the only one I have of them together. Seriously, I just spent a good 45 minutes attempting to unearth a single shot of my parents in the same frame. I could suppose that this says something (very loudly) about my Mom and Dad, but I am choosing not to go there.

Planning this party is….interesting. With T out of work and every penny we have accounted for, planning the type of party that I would like to give my parents is proving to be quite difficult. Hours spent logging serious library time looking for affordable recipes to feed all the people they want to invite, going to big box stores to find the cheapest paper on which to print invitations and trying to be as creative as possible to make their day special.

The invitations have turned out quite well, another perk of having Photoshop on my computer I suppose. I am going to mail out the invitations and include a 4″ by 6″ blank index card for everyone invited to write a little note. The plan being that I will present them with this in an album the day of the party. I would love to ask people for pictures but I am not about to press my luck.

Then there are the centerpieces. My Mom suffers from COPD, which basically means that real flowers are absolutely out of the question; her suffering from a crippling asthma attack would spoil the entire party for her. So, what is a knitter to do? Well…knit!

Assembly Line.

Assembly Line.

Loads of Flower Stems.

Loads of Flower Stems.

First Attempt at Construction.

First Attempt at Construction.

 

First Trail Vase...Needs Work.

First Trail Vase…Needs Work.

The plan is to make these the centerpieces, all acrylic yarn and no asthma attacks! I figure 6-8  flowers per ice tea glass (its plastic but we’re broke, so I will forgive us). I am also going to do a very delicate i-cord in blue (for water) and spring green (for grass) to place in the bottom of the vase. I may do a type of bow around the middle, but simplicity is my goal and I don’t want to verge on tacky. Bonus: this is a GREAT way to stash-bust!

I am also making a scrapbook of their married life, all 30 years. I am a bit concerned about this because I have never scrapbook-ed in my life! My Mom dearly loves scrapbooks but I was just never able to get into it, I like the photos neatly labeled and able to stand on their own. Maybe it’s OCD, maybe I just don’t like putting glitter and stickers on my photos – but for my parents I will suck it up. I just hope that I don’t make it too boring, I think I might have to buy some glitter….

Whew…long post today friends and neighbors! I hope you were able to hang in there till the end because I have a very important question to put out there. Do you have anymore ideas on how to make an amazing party for my parents on a budget? ALL SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME!!

 

 

50th Post & WordPress Family Award!!

11 Replies

Today is a big day! My 50th post and a new award to show off from a blogger I greatly admire. There is a bit of guilt since I haven’t posted since Sunday – my father-in-law has re-injured his hip and we spent the majority of the past few days in a hospital where the internet is a big no-no. But my fellow bloggers, and their trials and tribulations, have never been far from my mind. Did the frogging turn out ok? Did the sweat block the way you hoped? How is your Mom doing? Is your son’s first strep throat on the mend? If you are reading this, you know who you are.

50 posts ago I never imagined being a part of a community, let alone one that I cared so dearly for. Online communication is rumored to be stale, sterile and removing us from one another – I wholeheartedly disagree. I have been repeatedly gifted with kindness, calming words and encouragement from all over the globe. I am a very, very lucky girl.

So I humbly dedicate my 50th post to all the bloggers out there who encouraged me, helped me and showed unparalleled kindness to myself and others.

♥ The WordPress Family Award ♥

The WordPress Family Award.

The WordPress Family Award.

What is better than knowing you are part of a close-knit community? I am stealing the line from Knitting with Heart, the lovely blogger that has given me this award today. It still comes as a surprise that I have been awarded anything, even after 50 posts. I love reading knitting with heart’s blog – I love reading all your blogs! Knitting with heart has shown her caring nature, superb talent and ability to enchant every reader with every post. I owe you a debt of gratitude – reading your blog opened up my eyes to writing about things other than just knitting, and the fact that you consider me a part of your Online Family brings more than a little mist to these weary eyes.

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.

RICHARD BACH

Thank you. Thank you so much to all the bloggers that have made me a better – and stronger – individual. Since I can only link to 10 of you this is an incredibly difficult decision to make. I will do my best.

knitrun4sanity ♥ knittingsarah ♥ lollyknits ♥ Pretty Little Things in a Box ♥ A World Created ♥ throughacrackedlens ♥ B.G. Bowers  ♥ Creatively Carolyn ♥ curlsandq ♥ The War in My Brain ♥

If you choose to pass on this award, here are the rules:

1. Display the award logo on your blog.
2. Link back to the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family.
4. Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them.
5. That is it. Just please pick 10 people who have taken you as a friend, and spread the love.

To my WordPress family – we are what we make, and because of that we are stronger than we ever knew!

 

Playing Catch Up – The Liebster Award & Photography!

18 Replies

Okay. To start off after days of radio silence I would like to answer the The Liebster Award questions so kindly given to me by knitrun4sanity – Seriously, check out this blog. I have already been nominated for this award, so I won’t hassle all you lovely readers with more questions, but since I was nominated (and she worked so hard on the personal questions) I feel it only right to answer them

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award

1. What is your all time favourite craft? – The obvious answer would be knitting, but my favorite “craft” is actually writing music. I fell in love with it in High School and still to it to this day.

2. Where is the strangest place you have ever crafted? – The strangest place I have ever knitted it (gulp) the morgue. When I worked in the hospital I was working on a little tomato to give to my Mom as a pin cushion. I stuck it in my scrubs when we took the expired patient to the morgue, not realizing that we had forgotten to toe-tag him. My partner went upstairs and I (in accordance to Ohio State Law) remained with the body). So, naturally, I picked up my double-pointed needles, kept my yarn in my scrubs and proceeded to knit. It got quite a laugh.

3. What is your favourite craft time snack? – I am so anal about not getting anything on my knitting that I never eat around it. I do, however, take that time to indulge in ridiculously lavish cups of coffee. Creamer or syrup, whip cream, caramel, milk…mmm. Usually I drink it black so it’s like dessert!

4. Do you prefer the radio, tv, music or other when crafting? (If other then please inform!)- I definitely like listening to music when I knit. Recently though, I have been listening to quiet a few audiobooks and also podcasts. Variety is the spice of life!

5. What is your proudest achievement?- That I am able to write again after my hand injury.

6. What is your biggest crafting ‘dream’?- I guess like lots of knitters I would like to be published, but first I just want to write a pattern that I can call mine.

7. Who is your inspiration?- My husband, my niece and my cat keep me moving. Without them, sometimes I think I would just disappear creatively.

8. Is there a craft that you have yet to try that you would like to have a go at?- Crochet is a dirty little mistress, I want to have her, take her, OWN her. But I cannot, no matter how hard I try. I just keep coming back to it only to fail again. I feel I will conquer her one day though….hopefully.

9. How often do you craft (everyday, every weekend, twice a week etc) ?- Every. Single. Day. It is my version of meditation/yoga/therapy all rolled into one.

10. Are you a messy or neat crafter?- Messy! I have no idea how my husband keeps from going insane with the amount of stuff I have everywhere. It’s all so organized to start, but I always have so many things on the needles that it just…grows!

11. What or who got you started crafting?- My Great Grandmother was a knitter, and it was stumbling upon her old knitting journals and needles that made me decide to give it a go. What a great decision!

Surpirsed My Failed Hat Works!

Surprised My Failed Hat Works!

See that girl above with the goofy, shocked expression on her face? That’s me. The first picture I have put of myself on my blog and more than less likely the last. I hate having my picture taken – always have – but since my stripped stocking cap turned out better than it had any right to after some careful washing (I think snowboarders would like this, don’t you?) I just had to share.

* * * * * * * * * *

Okay, it has been a couple of days since I have posted, but things have been a bit crazy here in the Buckeye State. There are a couple of things I want to give you a preview of – my mind has been on my knitting and my blog even as I find myself cleaning the bathtub for the fourth time. Let’s see what you think!

  • My Life in Books – Here I plan to have a post each week covering one of my bookshelves shelfs. One shelf at a time I want to show you who I am a little better through explaining my choice in books, their history and how it has changed me.
  • Photography Friday! – I want to showcase more pictures throughout the week, but on Fridays have my blog mainly set on the pictures I am taking. This may seem a little pretentious (especially considering the talent here in the blogging world) but I am really enjoying it and I want to share.
  • Stitch Pattern a Week – Definitely have to keep that going!
  • Etsy Finds – One day a week I want to include an item on Etsy that I am gaga over. This is sort of a way to investigate what sells and what doesn’t in the Etsy world, since my stuff still isn’t.

So which are you more excited to see? Hey, my first ever poll! 

So much to get caught up with and so little time (and almost 1,000 words already written) I am going to call it a day. So, friends and neighbors, I am going to leave you with a couple of photos and I hope you like them. More knitting pictures tomorrow (loads going on there as well) and I hope all is well and good for each and every one of you. Your kindness knows no bounds.

The Lake

The Lake

More Purple Flowers

More Purple Flowers

Max in Hi-Def

Max in Hi-Def

The Wooden Woodpecker

The Wooden Woodpecker

Max and the Setting Sun

Max and the Setting Sun

Ohh...Ahhh

Ohh…Ahhh

Purple Flowers

Purple Flowers

I Have Been Nominate for the Liebster Award AND the Sunshine Award!

15 Replies

What a wonderful surprise to receive this in my inbox this dreary, rainy old in the Buckeye State! I want to thank A Poem A Day And Like, Apples, Or Something (great name by the way) for nominating me for the Liebster Award.

The Liebster Award.

The Liebster Award.

A second and equally stunned thank you goes to whatimuptotoday for nominating me for the Liebster Award and the Sunshine Award.

The Sunshine Award.
The Liebster Award.
  •  The Liebster Award is given by bloggers, to bloggers, and it’s purpose is to highlight blogs  with under 200 followers that deserve a look.

This is so incredibly overwhelming, after such a lousy weekend this was almost too much to handle! But so many questions, so many posts to complete. So taking a page out whatimuptoday and I am about to cheat, in the name of efficiency. (No, NOT laziness!)

I’ll be combining the requisite post into one, and just nominate one list of blogs to be joint winners. That way, the winner can choose which (or both!) award they want to accept.

  • The Sunshine Award Rules

Answer the questions (below) and nominate 13 blogs which do the same for me.

  • The Liebster Award Rules

1. Post eleven facts about myself
2. Answer the questions given to me by the person who nominated me
3. Invent eleven questions to ask people whom I wish to nominate for the award
4. Choose eleven people (with fewer than 200 followers) to give this award to and link to them in my post.
5. Go to their blog and tell them

The Sunshine Award Questions:
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Animal: Cats for domestic animals – Sloths for their sheer awesomeness.
Favorite Number: 24
Non-Alcoholic Drink: Diet Coke!
Alcoholic Drink: Ruby Port.
Facebook or Twitter: Twitter. Since everyone started having babies it can be a bit overwhelming some days, Twitter is a bit safer!
Passions: Oh man- Rowing, Farmer’s Markets, Knitting (that was a given), training therapy dogs,  reading, writing (even though I am scared to show my writing to people), and gardening/canning.
Giving or Receiving: I’d rather give. Receiving is great but I still have no idea how to handle praise or presents, I get flustered! When you give something you are sharing a part of you withe someone you care about, it’s a bit magical.
Favorite City: I am the first to admit that I haven’t traveled the way I thought I would. My favorite city Portland, OR, there is this vibe there I haven’t felt anywhere else.
Favorite TV show: Hmm…probably America’s Test Kitchen, I have a thing PBS.

Liebster Award 11 Facts About Me:

  1. I met my husband on a blind date at 17. We were set up by a girl who was enamored with him and thought we would clash like oil and water, leaving him to come to realize she was the greatest girl in the world. We got engaged 8 months later 😉
  2. I planned my wedding in 20 days, bought the first dress I tried on, made all the food myself and it was magical.
  3. I have been a rower for since my freshman year in high school, there is just nothing more magical than being on the water. My hand has caused some problems, but I still get out there…just with an emergency radio if I have to be brought it.
  4. I wanted to teach English in a school for the deaf, so I am fluent (yup, fluent) in American Sign Language). My hand injury has made my signing incomprehensible. I can still translate, it’s just very one-sided.
  5. My grandfather delivered papers for The Saturday Evening Post and became quite good friends with Norman Rockwell. As a result he is my favorite painter, and we have a lots of signed prints/books/covers/letter of his work in our family.
  6. I am a chess playing freak, 200 more points and I will qualify for Grand Master status.
  7. When my OCD/anxiety was at its worst, I didn’t leave the basement of our home for four months.
  8. My eye color is so dark it is considered black. I cannot be dilated for eye appointments because there is no discerning my pupil from my eye color. It’s not as creepy as it sounds, just really, really dark brown.
  9. I love smoking. I know it is not PC to say so, but I do. I quit over a year ago and still miss it.
  10. I saw a man in a stalled car get hit by a train when I was 8. My mom is a nurse and stopped to see if she could help (or cover up the dead guy). My brother and I followed to the shell of a car and he was…fine. Bruised and mad his car got hit by a train, but fine!
  11. I was a twin, but she died in utero. I’ve never had any trouble with it but my parents never quite got over the fact that they didn’t get two babies. I was born 5 weeks early and she could never have anymore children after me.

11 Questions To Me Are:

1 in one sentence, why do you blog?-  I want to be a part of a community of talented people, it is the best way to improve yourself.
2 favorite childhood memory? – I remember my grandfather (who was an amazing tenor) setting me on the kitchen table and singing to me. It was like we were the only two people in the world.
3 who or what inspires you in your life? – My niece, Gloria, makes me want to be a better person every day. I see her becoming a woman and I want to be a good example for her, as well as a source of strength.
4 Chocolate or vanilla? –  Vanilla, it lends itself as a perfect base to add any other flavors you want to.
5 favorite season? – Most definitely fall, the colors are amazing!
6 coffee or tea? – Tea, with orange blossom honey.
7 best vacation spot ever? – A cabin in the woods at Hocking Hills here in Ohio. It is like the world disappears when you are there.
8 what do you want to be remembered for? – I just want to be remembered as a kind, dependable person. I don’t think there is a better compliment you can give someone than to say you trust them implicitly.
9 what made your best boss ever your best boss? – My best boss was at OSU Hospital in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. She was the best because she was hard, stubborn, difficult, strict and the most compassionate person I’ve ever met. That combination created the best boss ever!
10 preferred way to spend a Sunday afternoon? – Listening to music, knitting, baking, reading, cuddling with my husband and my cat. No TV, just being with one another without distractions.
11 If you won a million, what would you do differently? – I would go to the best hand specialist in the world to see if they could fix my hand. I would buy better yarn. I would help support therapy dog trainers and owners because they are invaluable. I would eat only fresh food, nothing frozen.

My Questions for the Nominees:

  1. What is your perfect meal?
  2. If you could meet your idol (who is it?) and only say one sentence, what would it be?
  3. If you could have a guest role on a television show, what show would it be?
  4. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
  5. Would you rather go to the Oscars, Super Bowl, Olympics, or Tony’s?
  6. If you can go back in time and see any concert, what would it be?
  7. If you could switch bodies with someone for a day, who would it be and why?
  8. What Super Power do you wish you had and why?
  9. What is the one event in life that has made you who you are today?
  10. Would you rather be deaf or blind and why?
  11. Would you rather live to the age of 40 with perfect contentment or live to 200 with all life’s ups and downs?

Choosing blogs is the hardest part, because I read so many amazing blogs every day – many of which have already been nominated. I may have given these bloggers awards before but these are the highlights of my day. So, in no particular order here are my nominees (remember, you can accept one or both awards, you’re that amazing!):

  1. A Slip And A Stitch
  2. yarnandpointysticks
  3. feelgoodknitting
  4. Lottieknits
  5. A World Created
  6. Knitting Sarah
  7. Movies, Silently
  8. Through a Cracked Lens
  9. The War in My Brain
  10. biddywink
  11. Chris the Story Reading Ape’s Blog

*I hope that I did this correctly and that you haven’t received these awards already or you’re over 200 followers. I tried to check but I may have missed something. If so, please just take it as a compliment that I wanted to highlight and showcase the amazing work you are doing!

Another Award? Are You Sure?

22 Replies

– The Super Sweet Blogging Award –

Super Sweet Blogging Award

Super Sweet Blogging Award

I am still completely overwhelmed and perplexed by receiving the Versatile Blogger Award, so this one has left me nearly deaf and dumb! It doesn’t help my confusion that I was given this award by Knitting with Heart, which is a blog that I come close to stalking! I want to thank you so much for even considering to pass this along to me and I will do my best to continue on this wonderful surprise. So with all awards there are some rules that come with it. I will try my hardest to do this right!!

THE RULES:
Copy & Paste This Whole Post and Replace All Your Information — who awarded you, for example.

1. Thank the Super Sweet Blogger that nominated you. (Done!)
2. Answer 5 Super Sweet questions. (Done!)
3. Include the Super Sweet Blogging Award in your blog post (Done!)
4. Nominate a baker’s dozen (13) other deserving bloggers.
5. Notify your Super Sweet nominees on their blog.

– THE 5 SUPER SWEET QUESTIONS –

1 – Cookies or Cake?
– Cake!! How can anything be as good as a slice of cake and a glass of milk?

2 – Chocolate or Vanilla?
– Vanilla

3 – Favorite Sweet Treat?
– Key Lime Pie….oh good God I love that pie.

4 – When Do You Crave Sweet Things The Most?
– Around four in the morning. Not the best time to crave sweets but with how I sleep I guess that is more like seven o’clock at night for “normal” folks.

5 – Sweet Nick Name?
– Shug (pronounced just like it’s spelled). This is what my Mom called me growing up.

OK, so now to nominate 13 other fellow bloggers of mine I feel deserve this award…This is the worst part of receiving a blogging award, there are just too many people I want to give it to. Okay…here it goes!

– My 13 NOMINEES FOR THIS AMAZING AWARD GOES TO……

  1. Pointe Shoes Punk Rock and Purl– Yarn Bombs, Hysterical Videos, Helpful Tabs and a voice all her own. I look forward to every post which displays both talent and a wicked sense of humor
  2. aHandKnitLife – Displaying an intimidating amount of talent, this blogger also supports Knitting in Recovery. Championing a cause as deserving as this makes you super sweet.
  3. knittingsarah – An eye for photography and a spinning goddess, this blogger makes me want to buy local yarn every day. The clarity and colors in her work are fantastic, she could make any knitter feel a tad envious.
  4. B.G.Bowers – Do you like to read? Well then there is nothing on this site that you aren’t going to like. Inspirational poetry, love of music and an openness that makes you feel like you are drinking coffee and talking in person – not just reading a blog.
  5. kfklever – A Klever knitter indeed! Intricate lace work, gorgeous photographs and an easy, care free attitude when offering help makes her one of my favorite bloggers!
  6. polkadotsandsparkles – Knitting talent, an easy sense of humor and great taste in music makes this blog a must read.
  7. Knitting Rays of Hope – Another knitter championing a great cause, she shows her love for children and knitting one hat at a time. This blog is sure to be an inspiration to any reader.
  8. knitnrun4sanity – This is an amazing blog, I will get that out of the way because it is obvious. This blogger also has helped me personally by sharing her strengths and advice from thing great and small, and it is greatly appreciated!
  9. A World Created – A Blog with a little bit of everything that is good and fuzzy. Awesome writing, diverse posts and an air of sweetness. Perfect for this award!
  10. Chris the Story Reading Ape’s Blog – Want to laugh while you are getting priceless insights to books, reading, writing and life? Check this out. Seriously…I will wait….
  11. schmoozelfleugen – Want a little bit of everything? Check out this eclectic blogger who also happens to be an amazing conversationalist!
  12. Monster Yarns –  I don’t know what to say about this blog because there are just too many good things to say. This blog makes me want to be a better blogger and knitter.
  13. Movies, Silently – I love silent movies and I love this blog. The dedication to her posts are nothing short of miraculous, I check every day to see what movie she is going to review and am awed by her writing.

Congratulations guys! 🙂

There are so many more blogs I want to say “thank you” to, but since I can only do 13 these are my picks. Thank you bloggers, you are an inspiration to me.