The Renee Award

I received this really neat award from Gayle at the White House--the one in Alaska, not the one in Washington DC. The award had been passed on to her. Gayle quoted the sender of her award, “The Renee award was created by Bella and Ces in honour of their friend Renee who has inflammatory breast cancer. In Bella's own words "this is a brand new award and I have the pleasure and honor of spreading the seed, watching it grow. I hope it finds it's way to those who are like Renee: the acorn, a small package becoming a tall and sturdy oak, giving more acorns, becoming tall and sturdy oaks, giving acorns…” Gayle goes on to say, "The award is being passed to creative souls who give."
Wow, how cool is that. She sent me the award because of the work I do with wildlife on Sanibel with the not to be named Wildlife Hospital there. (LOL). She also passed the award on to a friend of mine, Tootie, who goes out early one morning a week to walk the beach to check for Sea Turtle Nests then blogs about it here.
So, in keeping with the wildlife theme, I am going to pass the award along to Rambling Woods, The Road Less Traveled. She lives in Western New York state and apparently has turned her backyard into a bird sanctuary of sorts. And, like me, she has rescued her fair share of wildlife also. And what is really inspiring is that she is also dealing with multiple sclerosis but yet she still puts forth a lot of effort in protecting and caring for wildlife. She takes the most amazing pictures of her visitors. I always look forward to her pictures and her stories. So, my hat is off to you, RW. Keep up the great work you do.
Again, thanks Gayle.

Tag I'm It!! Twice.

Ok, so Gayle at The White House (the one in Fairbanks) tagged me several weeks ago with the Friends Award. Isn't it purty??
Well, actually it is and I'm sorry, Gayle, that it has taken me so long to respond. The following words came along with the Friends Award.

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to 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 kind writers."
When you pass the award along please include these guidelines. I am to choose eight friends to share this with."

Ok, so what I'm going to do is name a few blogs that display friendship. And I'm going to break the rules--I'm not naming 8. My bloggy friend circle is rather small and I think many of the blogs I read have been named already by Gayle. But I still would like to bestow the Friends Award on them and if they wish to write about it--fantastic. If they wish to accept the award in silence--also fantastic.

The definition of self-aggrandizement is thus--"an act undertaken to increase your own power and influence or to draw attention to your own importance". I have got to say that most of the blogs I read totally lack self-aggrandizement. Here are a few of my favorite bloggers who totally lack self-aggrandizement. (Don't ya just love that word?)
#1.
ChrisC and JonJ at Our Vanilla Life. I discovered this blog through Tink. Chris and Jon live in Tampa and love the beach as much as I do. Lately they have been sharing pictures of some of the beaches around them. Gorgeous shots. ChrisC does amazing projects with shells and has a blog about that aspect of her life also.

#2. Kathleen at Southern Artistic Touch. I'm not sure how I discovered Kathleen. I actually think she discovered me first. Kathleen is a grandma, like me. Her blog is what I would describe as eclectic. She blogs about a little bit of everything--cooking, grandson, family, weather, food (oh my you should look at the pictures of her cooking!), etc. I really enjoy reading her blog and would love to sample some of her cooking. Did I mention she cooks!!!

#3. Mary the Teach at Work of the Poet I found this blog because she started the Ruby Tuesday meme. Again, she has lots of great posts but I love checking into her blog because she is forever changing the picture on her header and each and every one is different and beautiful. Go check her out and join in on the Ruby Tuesday meme. It's lots of fun.

Ok, I could name Tink and Tootie too but Gayle already got them. So, I won't do it again--but do go check out their blogs. I love them!! And I could name Gail at Shedding the Wolf but I won't. I should as pay back for tagging me in the next Tag I'm It that I got!! But go check her out too. I love it when she goes on a baking bender and posts pictures of the goodies she has baked.

Ok, so here is Tag #2--thanks to Gail mentioned above. The "rules" of this Tag are as follows: "I must take a self portrait of me, of course, and post it on my blog. Not just any old portrait, but a right here, right now, as I am portrait. No leaving the room to make myself beautimous, no primping or changing clothes. Nothing. Just right here, right now." Since I got this last night, I took the picture right away. The camera was sitting right beside me so I was still sitting at the computer when I took it. I HATE having my picture taken and to have to take one of myself is even worse!! But here you have it--in my full glory. And I'm not going to pass on this tag because I already tagged a bunch of people in this post and I don't want everyone and their brother to hate me. OK?

So are you ready for this???

Do I Make You Smile?

The Farmer Files-Lost in Oahu tagged me with the Smile Award. Wow. Thank you. I'm glad that I bring a smile to your face and to others with my rantings of Bob the Builder, my stories and pictures of my fab five grandkids, my stories about rescuing wildlife, dumpster diving for raccoons, and my life in Paradise.

Characteristics for the Smile Award:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude (not necessarily at all times–we are all human) (I do try to maintain this but when it comes to Bob the Builder the attitude seems to change a bit!)
2. Must love one another (I try, I really really do.)
3. Must make mistakes (Oh and do I make mistakes!)
4. Must learn from others (I hope that I have. I know I have. Or else I wouldn't be a blogger!)
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world (I sure hope I am.)
6. Must love life (Absolutely! Positutely!)
7. Must love kids (Hey, I was a teacher, a mother, and a grandmother-what else can I say?)

These are the rules:
1. The recipient must link back to the award’s creator.
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must chose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

OK, so now I have to pick 5 award winners who make me smile. How do I pick 5 from all the blogs I read. I guess I will just have to try, huh.

My daughter at Shama-lama Mama is going to hate me for picking her for yet another award but her posts about my grandsons always bring a smile to my face, or a giggle or an out and out laugh. For instance this post about her Child of Passion or her story of Noah's swimming lessons in Water Boy and the video of A Little Refreshment with Twin Toddlers. Anyway, Karen, thank you for keeping me updated on the boys and for making me smile, giggle, and laugh when I need it.

My next award goes to Tootie at Turtle Talk with Tootie and at Sanibel Toot's Lazy Days. Once a week, Tootie drags herself out of bed before dawn and heads to the beach to check on Sea Turtle nests in her assigned zone. Along the way, she picks up trash-you can't imagine what people leave on the beach. She also takes lots of beautiful pictures of the sun rising or of the birds along the beach early in the morning. On her other blog, she talks about happenings on Sanibel--like todays tropical storm. From both of her blogs, I stay in touch with Sanibel when I'm not there. Thanks Tootie for helping stave off my Sanibel homesickness and for making me smile.

My next award goes to Tink at My Mobile Adventures. Tink has phone, will blog. She blogs about trips to Disney World, her recent trip back home to New York which was interrupted by TS Fay, and most recently about putting up hurricane shutters. Her pictures and her posts always bring a smile to my face. Thanks Tink--and I would leave those storm shutters up until December too if I were you!

4th on my list is Deb at Mom of 3 Girls. I "met" Deb when I became her winner of a Bloggy Giveaway. You can thank her hubby for my beautiful header. By the way, Happy Birthday Ron. Anyway, Deb shares the adventures of her three beautiful daughters, Abby, Hannah, and Becca, life with remodeling (boy can I relate to that!) and her adventures with baby kittens. Deb, thanks for the smiles you bring me.

OK, last but not least. This is a blog my daughter introduced me to and I know that this gal has no idea who I am as she has hundreds of readers daily. There is no way she has time to read anyone's blog! Ree at Pioneer Woman grew up in the big city but is now the wife of a rancher who she lovingly calls Marlboro Man. Their two daughters and two sons help out around the ranch and are home taught. Ree is also a photographer and takes amazing pictures of life on the ranch. She is also one of the funniest writers I know. She never fails to make me laugh. I love all of her posts but when she writes about Charlie the Basset Hound, I can't help but laugh outloud. Go spend a few hours roaming around her blog. You'll love her.

Ok, so that's it. Again, Farmer Files, thanks for the award. I do appreciate it. I'm glad that I can send a smile out into Bloggy Land every once in awhile.

Playing Tag

I have finally been tagged in the Blogger World of Tag. Tink from My Mobile Adventures has tagged me with the BLOGGING FRIENDS FOREVER GOLD CARD (aka BFF Gold Card). Wow! When I got into blogging, I started it mainly for my family and friends. I never dreamed that I would get a whole new circle of friends. I had "met" Tink through the Best of Sanibel/Captiva Message Board and through that she found my blog and of course, introduced me to hers. You need to pop over to her blog and read all about her adventures in the land of Mickey, her trips to Sanibel, and all of her other mobile adventures.

So, it seems that the rules for this prestigious award state:
1. You have to tag 5 people.
2. 4 of the 5 have to be dedicated followers to your blog.
3. One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and must live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to whomever gave you the award.

So, after reading the rules and going through my list of dedicated followers-some more so that others (LOL), I have come up with the following list.

#1. Karen at Shama-Lama Mama. OK, I'll admit it. She is my daughter and my most dedicated follower. And she has a great blog. She talks about life in San Diego as a wife and the mother of 3 of my grandsons. Noah is 5 1/2 and the twins, Ethan and Luka, are 2 1/2. And trust me, they keep her hopping. How she has time to blog I will never know. And she is a great photographer. She had better be. We paid for her college education so she could become one! LOL. If you haven't checked out her blog, hop over and check her out. So, Karen, you have been tagged.
#2. Gail at Shedding the Wolf. I also discovered Gail through the BOSC message board then discovered her blog and put two and two together that Sandpail Gail and GPC were one and the same. Gail is another of my dedicated followers and always leaves very insightful comments. Gail lives in Michigan and is a grandma, just like me. Gail says in her bio, "My life is good, and I want to be sure that a good life is available for my grandchildren when they grow up." So Gail decided to "Go Green". Most of her posts on her blog show how she is doing this. I do envy her for what she has done and want to be like her when I grow up. Ok, Gail, this is what you get for following my blog. LOL.
#3. The Farmer Files. I am a LOST fan and stumbled on to this blog when searching for blogs located in Hawaii. I started following her blog and then she began following mine. She is the mom of 2 young boys who are adorable. I have loved reading about her life in Hawaii and also about her stint as an extra on LOST. But she will soon be leaving Hawaii and moving back to San Diego. I will definitely miss her adventures in Paradise but am looking forward to more of her adventures in SD. So FF, this is the thanks you get for following my blog.
#4. Mariby on the Learning Curve. Mariby came to me and I found her blog through Tink. I always love and appreciate Mariby's comments on my posts. I am a real sucker for her photos on her blog. She lives in the northwest and has such a beautiful "backyard" in which to take pictures. You just have to jump on over there and check out the most beautiful scenery you will ever hope to see. And her flower pictures are spectacular. So, Mariby, thanks for reading my blog and you've been tagged!
#5. For my newer reader (although she doesn't live all that far away) I have chosen Raven at Views from a Raven's Nest. I can't quite remember how I found Raven. I think it was through a Wordless Wednesday or a Ruby Tuesday. I posted a comment and because of that, she found my blog. In her bio, Raven says "I'm 61 years old going on eight. I'm agoraphobic, permanently disabled. I live an odd life, but a relatively happy one. I have two cats. Angel - who is as sweet as an angel and as naughty as a devil, and Tara Grace who is sweet and gentle with the voice of a long shoreman." Even though Raven never leaves her house, she writes the most beautiful poetry and takes the most amazing photos through her windows. Raven, thanks for sharing your view of the world with me.

So, it's been fun tagging y'all. Hope you enjoy your BFF Gold Card. So, get out there and share the wealth!! Happy Blogging.