Bring On the Sunshine

I had been thinking that I've been using my blog too much to complain recently about all of my winter blues and ankle turmoil. It is totally okay for me to express what I'm going through here since this is my own personal blog but I was feeling guilty for sending out negative vibes into the blogosphere. The always helpful Duni from Lovely Purses chose to overlook this period of gloom and doom and awarded me the Sunshine Award today. Duni has a shop full of spring bags with bright colors and flowers blooming at Dawanda and is working on getting her own site up and running.
The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blog world. I would like to pass it on to a few bloggers who really exemplify this spirit. I don't know if you've already received this award or not and please don't feel obligated to play along.

1. Duck and Wheel with String --For always putting a smile on my face with her humor and amazing spirit.
2. Live Passionately -- For being the place I turn when I need positive words to uplift me. She always seems to be talking just to me!
3. Nature With Me --For all of the good she does with her charity projects and Change the World series.
4. Ann's Snap Edit & Scrap -- For always leaving the most positive and heartfelt comments and being such a wonderful member of my little blog community.
5. Nfall2rt -- For being a good blog buddy through the past year to me and supporting the handmade community in such a great way on her blog.
6. Missy-Ellen-- I wanted to include a new blogger on my list that I just discovered and Missy-Ellen was the perfect choice. She has a lovely and bright blog that is full of potential.

This week has been a turning point in my recovery with working a full time schedule and getting more of my life back. I even went out last night with a group of friends from the office for the first time in months. I also saw a student yesterday that had obviously been crying for much of the last 24 hours. She had recently found out that she did not pass the nursing entrance exam and wouldn't be admitted this year to the program she had been working towards. It's my job to work with the nursing students and with the program just filling this week I'll be seeing many more in her position. I talked to her for 30 minutes or so and used all my positive counseling skills and when she left she had a partial smile on her face. She told me that she always feels better after she leaves my office. This made me feel good and happy that I could help her to accept her situation.

So thanks to Duni for brightening my day with the award and helping to remind me that there is a lot of positive energy out there if you know where to look.

Random Thoughts & Blog Awards!

For some reason it feels like I'm starting over with my blog since I got back from my trip. I have one more trip related post planned and then things will be getting back to normal around here. I hope you all haven't given up on me. I will be getting back to more typical craft related content very soon I promise. I have been knitting up a storm since I got back from my trip with a newly renewed passion, and getting my inventory all prepared for the upcoming fall season. I'm wanting to get some decent pictures taken soon of inventory to post as well. If the nice cool weather holds up maybe this weekend will be a good time for it.

While I was gone I was given a few lovely blog awards by some lovely ladies. First Fallen Angel Jewellery Designs awarded me the One Lovely Blog Award. She makes some seriously gorgeous jewelry like the Gothic design above in her shop on etsy here.

And the amazingly prolific blogger Jodi of Bargain Central awarded me the Lovely Blog Award. She updates her blog many times a day with great deals, freebies, and coupons.

The rules for the awards are pretty similar and I am going to combine them together if you don't mind:

THE RULES:
1. Accept the award.
2. Post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, along with his or her blog link.
3. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Here are my 15 new discoveries with some super creative folks you should totally check out:

1. Crafters Guru
2. Able Mabel
3. Diary of a Mad Crafter
4. Experimentalk
5. I like it Frantic
6. Indie Style
7. Live Passionately
8. Sharing Our Gifts
9. Domestic Disaster
10. It's Gravy, baby!
11. Selahestelle
12. SoSoRosey
13. Wouldn't you like to See Something Strange?
14. Earth to Holly
15. Fabulously Funky

Thanks!

So I've been feeling a Depression coming on the past few months slowly. Nothing major just a dip in energy and general ennui. Well, I had an emotional crash this weekend. As a trained counselor I have to know when it's time to throw in the towel and bring in reinforcements. I also don't believe in hiding my problems as if they are something to be ashamed of. If I had diabetes I'd complain to you guys when things were bad so why not this disease that I've been battling for my entire adult life.

I think it's time to find a new counselor. For the past 10 years I've seen the same counselor as needed. I just call her up when I need a tune up but I think it's time for a change. We've gotten to the point in our relationship where I know exactly what she is going to say and she really has used up her resources on me. I need some fresh eyes and ears. I'm also at the point where I think I need to talk to my psychiatrist about my meds and whether or not they are doing all that they should be doing.

This blog has been so good for me and helping me to stay connected to the world. One of the first things I normally do in depression is isolate. My blog has really helped me to stay a part of the world and even when I feel like burying my head in the sand I have found encouragement from your kind words.

I want to thank the two lovely bloggers Cherry Tart Design and Tile Me Beautiful for giving me the Lovely Blog Award above this week.

Here are the rules for the award:

Here are the rules to receiving this award...
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.
3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Please forgive me if I don't have energy to contact 15 people today. But please check out the two lovely bloggers who passed it my way, they really are some cute and creative blogs that I'll be adding to my daily rotation.

Award's Day

So I got a few awards last week that I thought I should acknowledge and since I have no energy today for anything else here goes. First Mary from Mother Nos Best gave me the The Queen of Alll Things Awe-Summm award.


Here are the award rules:

* List 7 things that make you Awe-Summ and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers you love.

* Make sure to tag your recipients and let them know they have won!

* Also link back to the Queen that tagged you.

Here are the seven things that come to mind:
1. I am an awesome aunt
2. I am an awesome knitter
3. I am an awesome friend
4. I am an awesome blogger
5. I am an awesome listener
6. I am an awesome wife
7. I am an awesome kisser

That was the best I could do today my friends. And now for the amazingly awesome recipients of this awesome award:

1. The Queen Speaks
2. Stroll Through Storyland
3. Momma Miller
4. Magic Markings Art
5. ShimmerMeBlueDesigns
6. Namaste
7. Joy To the Blog

And Nancy over at Nfall2rt awarded me the Works of Heart Award. This means a lot coming from here since I have come to consider her a friend. She is one amazing knitter and crafter too. So that wraps up The Award's Day. Stay tuned tomorrow for some regularly scheduled blogging.

Kreativ Award

I always feel a bit braggadocios when I talk about a new award. They really are a sweet way to feel connected to the community and I try to acknowledge them all but it makes me feel a bit self conscious sometimes to be perfectly honest. The latest award is a very special one as it recogizes bloggers who are creative. The Kreativ Blogger award was passed onto me by both Signature Sterling who has a very creative blog herself and makes gorgeous jewelry like the Spring Green necklace to the right. Nature With Me also passed the award my way. She has a very earthy and green blog and makes adorable handmade items like the bunny that I always love seeing next to a comment.

So the rules to this award are pretty simple. I'm supposed to list 6 0r 7 (it seems that it is different in different blogs) things I'm thankful for and then pass it on to that number of people. Since I like odd numbers I will choose to say 7.

I'm thankful for the time I get to spend with my nieces,
for the laughs I share with my husband,
the sense of joy that my knitting gives me,
for my parents who truly love me despite their flaws and my own,
for being blessed with such a sweet mother in law,
for my husband and my own job security in this tumultuous economy,
for having enough money to buy the things we need and many things that we just want.

And now I would like to pass the Kreativ award on to 7 very creative bloggers who use their creativity to create gorgeous creations with their hands as well as create unique blogs that I love to read: (Yes, I did just use 5 variations of the word create in one sentence, how creative was that)

1. A Kindred Spirit's Thoughts
2. A Nut in a Nutshell
3. Mariposa Farm Alpacas
4. The Soap Seduction
5. the weblog of artist athena workman
6. Yarn Obsession
7. PamperingBeki

So Thankful

I just wanted to take a few minutes to thank my peeps for continuing to drop in on me in the month of February. I have been working hard to return the favor as much as possible. The fun spring thank you cards are from bdoodlez on etsy. She has some great card sets that will come in handy all year long.

Dropper # of drops Guilty Pleasures 30 Youniquely Chic 30 A Rose By Name 30 More Than Sew So 30 My gypsygoods 30 Alteredevents 30 The Ad Master 29 Unique You 29 Computer Aid 28 Dogmaw Glass 28

I am so thankful to have developed some great blogger friendships which is the theme of the sweet award that P and J Crafts has sent my way. She is a local blogger and crafter that makes the most unique rag quilt purses like this butterflies and flowers one, which would be perfect for spring. This is what the "Let's Be Friends" Award represents: These blogs 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 who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award. I'm sure some of this bloggers will be nominated more than once since they so perfectly represent the awards meaning. Here are the friends I'd like to award, it was very hard to keep it to 8: My Art and the Mom in Me nfall2rt designstudio Be Jeweled By Candi TILT Creations Custom blog Designs Split Rock Ranch Bonhomie Jewelry Feel Chic Ramblings

My first award!

I want to thank the amazing Stitch Witch for giving me my first blog award. It absolutely made my day when I saw it yesterday. Sometimes it feels like I'm talking to an empty void but since the Stitch Witch has started commenting here I have been inspired to up my game and try to have something useful to say every once and awhile. Thanks so much for the encouragement!

So it is now my turn to share the award. Here are the "rules" of the game:

Award recipients are asked to “Pay it Forward” to at least 5 bloggers whom they feel are deserving of special recognition.

The Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award recognizes blogs that:

* cause inspiration
* cause smiling and laughter, or at the very least, gigglets!
* provide amazing, incredible, useful information
* provide a great read
* present amazing design
* deserve recognition for any other reason that makes them Uber amazing!

Award recipients are asked to do the following:

* Put the logo on your blog or post.
* Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!
* Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
* Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

And now let me present an Uber Amazing award to:

1. The Fabric Addict, I've blogged about The Gray Eyed Scorpio before and the inspiration she has been to me. And her blog is always source of information and positive thoughts.

2. I've had the pleasure of getting to know the Hyperlexian from the very beginning of my blog. She is another amazing sewer and I always enjoy reading about her life and creative adventures.

3. Needle Tatting and Other Nonsense is a place I consider to be a great source of useful information. She is a seller on Etsy who has a very thoughtful approach to selling that I really admire.

4. The elephantine is a what I consider a visual treat. She has a great eye for interesting things and I find her blog to be a great creative source.

5. I just discovered Craft Therapy on Entrecard and I really love her spirit. She has a very similar approach to her craft as myself and I love to read about her creative approach to life.

Here is the award which can be cut and pasted to the recipients blogs!