The Uplift Award

This post will likely be all over the place as I plan to write about snippets of this and glimpses of that. So, bear with me.

Firstly, I realize that I’ve not updated the Namaste section of my blog lately or the 101/1,001 list (I’m so excited that Claire over at Crafty Aspirations is composing her 101/1,001 list!) I have been doing yoga and whittling away at the 101/1,001 list (although not as ardently as I was a month or so ago) but often the progresses I make on both fronts are too small or insignificant to blog about. I can’t say much about every yoga practice nor do I feel that I should mention every letter I write (No. 31) or every new recipe I concoct (No. 87). Hopefully though, I will update both categories soon.

I’ve noticed many of my blog friends are posting about how many posts they’ve had on their blogs. This made me curious as to how many posts I’ve made here (I’ve never checked it before today) so I went over to my Blog Stats to have a look. This post will be No. 176. As you can see, it won’t be terribly long until I’m at 200 posts! Following in the example of other blog-friends who are celebrating milestones, I plan to do a contest giveaway. This won’t be until my 200th post – which shouldn’t be too far away, betwixt regular posts and inspiration posts – so don’t get too excited but when I round out to 200, I’m going to draw from the names of REGULAR READERS who leave me comments. Among the prizes will be a one-year subscription to the wonderful Body + Soul magazine, easily my favorite magazine of all as it is chock-full of inspiration and great healthy living tips.

Speaking of Body + Soul, my September issue arrived in today’s mail and I was even more excited about it than I normally am. The cover is colored up in reds and features hands holding an apple and just yells “AUTUMN” to me! You see, Fall – as we Southerners call it – is my favorite, most beloved time of year. I love everything about it from the wonderful crisp mornings to the beautiful changing colors of the trees. I love the apples, the colored corn, the pumpkins, the squashes, the pies, the smells, the leaves crunching underfoot, the promise of Christmas just around the corner, Thanksgiving and the coming together of friends and family… EVERYTHING! I long for – yearn for – fall each year and this year seems to be even worse than years in the past. I literally cannot wait for Fall and was delighted yesterday morning when, for a brief time, it was crisp outside, like a cool Fall morning. It’s days like this that I can’t wait for. It’s days like this when I want to never go inside. It’s days like this that I wait for – not so patiently – all year long.

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.” ~~~ Stanley Horowitz

Now that I’m finished with my Fall Rave, I have to announce – ruefully – that I’m a horrible “vegetarian”. Actually, I should admit that I’m not really a vegetarian at all anymore. After being pointed out all the minerals and nutrients in lean, organic chicken, I’ve decided to add it – along with fish – back into my eating repertoire. I’ve been assured that the additional protein will not only be good for me health-wise but will help in my quest to lose about 25 pounds. Yes, you read that correctly – 25 pounds. That is all I will say about that.

Some time ago, I was nominated for the Thinking Blogger’s Award. This was such an honor and I appreciate all who sent me nominations. Lately, I’ve read several blogs that have just been so wonderful for inspiration and uplifting, which I like to have large doses of. So, to that end, I’ve decided to issue my very own award, The Uplift Award. Below are my five nominations and the reasons that I’ve nominated them. Please feel free to pop over to their blogs to see what my buzz is about and, if you like, feel free to nominate others. It would be neat to see how far The Uplift Award can go.

In no particular order:

1. Nomadic Creations – Stacie never ceases to amaze me with the beautiful jewelry she creates and the experiences she comes across in her amazing life journey. She is also a wonderful wealth of information on so many things and a wonderful surrogate “Big Sister” to me.
2. Adornments & Distractions – Another talented jewelry maker! Stephanie not only has a beautiful Etsy store full of wonderful creations but she does a wonderful series on her blog called “One Small Change”. This is what really drew me into Stephanie’s blog and I love reading her “One Small Change” updates.
3. Be Present, Be Here – Liz Elayne is so incredibly insightful! Her posts are brimming with inspiration and glimpses into her enchanting life (the concrete results of her enchanting life can be seen in her Etsy store). Liz Elayne posts beautiful pictures and thoughtful posts that really can be pondered long after you leave her blog.
4. A Fanciful Twist – This blog is inspiration with a “twist”! Vanessa, this blog mistress, leads – what I believe to be – a fairytale life. I truly believe that she wears a tiara everyday and sits on a gold velvet cushion while she eats crumpets and drinks ambrosia. Her blog inspires her readers to go out and live a bit more “fanciful” than they otherwise might.
5. Creative Everyday… Everyday Creative – The mastermind behind this wonderful blog is Leah, another creative artist who creates more art than anyone else I know. Not only does she create a lot but she shares her creative journey with her blog readers, posting new pieces and writing about what lead her to those pieces. It truly is inspiring, makes you want to go out and create something too!

I just realized that all of these wonderful blogs are by people who are wonderful artists. You can see what kind of blogs I’m drawn to! I will enjoy seeing any nominations that are made. Won’t it be wonderful to get acquainted with other creative and inspiring bloggers? Please pass The Uplift Award on!

Well, that is enough for me today! Thanks for sticking with the directionless direction of this post. I’m off now to package parcels and list goodies. Have a brilliant day, brilliant readers!