Although I stopped setting New Year’s resolutions a long time ago, I thought I would revisit the idea. Throughout the month of January, I plan to present the most popular goals. As we begin week #3 of the year 2015, it is already becoming apparent why I choose not to limit myself. You may wonder how, resolutions are limiting; by envisioning and selecting X number of goals. We’re also very hard on ourselves when we fumble, or completely drop the ball. I prefer instead, to keep an open mind and embrace opportunities as they present themselves to me. In this case, a very lovely surprise – this nomination means being open to flexibility. Believe me, I am more than happy to change up the schedule to accomodate ‘The Lovely Blog Award.’
Along with ‘resolutions,’ I have decided I will be adding values and traits to the list. Starting with ‘GRATITUDE.’
Thank you, Valerie Vanderheiden-Rath from The Kitchen Revival for the nomination and for considering my blog ‘lovely.’
Nominations for ‘The One Lovely Blog Award,’ are chosen by fellow bloggers – a kind of ‘pay it forward’ award for new or up-and-coming bloggers.
Guidelines for the One Lovely Blog Award are:
•Thank, and link back to the person who nominated you for the award – done.
•Add the One Lovely Blog Award logo to your post or blog – done.
•Share 7 facts/or things about yourself – see below.
•Nominate 15 bloggers you admire and inform nominees by commenting on their blog – see below.
7 Things about me:
- I created my blog in July of 2012 as a coping mechanism; an outlet for the inevitable upsets that occur as a result of being involved with animal welfare – I am a volunteer. My earlier posts are dark and angry, and not at all grammatically correct (it was a journal). A type of ‘abstract’ art. I was throwing words randomly at my canvas. When people started commenting on posts and contacting me, I thought about ‘cleaning house’ for future visitors. I decided against it. It is what it is, and those early posts were all part of my journey. My blog is a living thing; it continues to evolve as it is meant to – as I do. I have big dreams (and a few changes) for 2015. I am grateful for the opportunities that present themselves to me, and I look forward to sharing those with you.
- I wrote, illustrated and published a children’s book called ‘Henry says, “Hello.” The book was written to teach children to introduce themselves and behave respectfully around dogs. I truly hope the lesson will make a difference, and we will see fewer incidents of injured children and dogs being put to sleep.
- I lived in England for 12 years before returning to Canada (and bringing my husband with me). The Parker Pack consists of Sadie (moi), John (referred to in posts as ‘hubby’), Henry, Reese and The Rooster (Ricky, the big ginger cat). I would LOVE to rescue a third dog and foster/rehabilitate another cat. We are foster failures (The Rooster is staying) so, not sure hubby will agree to that again.
- I used to work for Virgin Atlantic Airlines and had the opportunity to travel the world. I still have the travel bug and enjoy visiting new places and experiencing the personality of each. Nowadays, at least one trip is a ‘research’ adventure; I write about a ‘dog-friendly’ holiday destination. I love spending time in the city. However, I am a country girl at heart. I grew up on a (soy bean) farm, and I feel blessed at having the companionship of animals throughout my life.
- I love to create! Art, Music, and English -in particular, creative writing were my favourite subjects in school. I have some collaborative projects coming up this year that I am incredibly excited about.
- I’m Vegetarian, leaning towards Veganism (more on that later).
- I like to push boundaries. If I can find a way to relate a subject that is of interest to me, and that I feel my followers might also be interested in, to animal welfare, I will. For example; philosophy, spirituality and all forms of art: theatre, movies, television shows, visual art (see our ‘featured artist’ each month), books, and music.
Thanks again Valerie for this nomination. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my knowledge of animal-welfare related issues and all things pet-related. I am grateful for the opportunity to express myself freely, and creatively and share the ideas, suggestions and creations of others. I also look forward to learning about different topics through this experience. www.thekitchenrevival.com
I nominate the following ‘lovely’ blogs:
Nadya – lil’ things by nadya
Positive, Inspirational, Generous, and Genuine. I am proud to consider her a friend. Each of Nadya’s creations has several layers; they have an energy about them (these pieces don’t just hang on a wall). http://lilthingsbynadya.com/
Kyle & Emily – Fresh Take 5
His & Her blog providing interesting, quick reads for those times during your day where you just need a quick five minute escape Love this concept!
http://www.freshtake5.com/
SOPHINA – Influencer of young people. Musings of a Nanny
http://mssophiemac.blogspot.ca/
Jennifer Johnson Hunt – Sisters of Earth & Sky
I love their philosophies and feel like a distant cousin
http://www.sistersofearthandsky.com/category/i-am-cafe/
Karleigh Strickfaden – Teens Unlimited
providing (positive) support for peers
http://www.teensunlimitedofficial.com/
Hannah – Pull Yourself Together
Keeping it real and helping others by sharing her story
http://www.pull-yourself-together.blogspot.co.uk/
Carlie – More Than Mum
providing inspiration for women who want more
http://morethanmum.com.au
Danity Donnaly – Saving Mamasita
Great ideas for family activities, crafts and recipes for families (and tips for moms)
http://savingmamasita.com/category/allaboutmama/
Hema Unnoop – Cre8PositiveLife
Positive & Optimistic
http://www.cre8positivelife.blogspot.com.au/
Jessa Moore – New York Girl
Reality Check – Every day is a gift
http://jessatheactress.blogspot.ca/
Erin M. Tracy – Traveling Thru History
I love learning about history and the images on this site place you there!
http://www.travelingthruhistory.com/
Christine – This Real Life
The friend you contact when you need gift or repurpose ideas, or just a cup of tea and a chat!
http://thisisreallife.co/my-story/
Gillian Woods – Gilly Face Photos
Where do I start? Brand New to the world of Blogging, this young lady is TALENTED! Her photographs are theatrical, like images from a fairy tale. I look forward to working with Gillian on a future project (stay tuned). http://gillianwoods.com/
Liz – WOOF Now What
This website includes references for everything dog! Their goal is to build a comprehensive list of products and services that will help you and your pet live better lives. I especially like Lil’ Woof Corner featuring Kids talking about their Dogs. http://www.woofnowwhat.com/
Rebecca & Derek – Fetching Apparel
An online retail store inspired by their rescue dog Jeffrey. Purchase fun and colourful t-shirts (long and short-sleeved), as well as hoodies and onesies (products feature a graphic of a smiling Jeffrey). A large portion of proceeds from the sale of products goes to one of our favourite causes – spay and neuter programs (helping homeless pets). See photos and read inspirational stories from and about customers at
http://www.fetching-apparel.com/shop/
Gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation is a feeling or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive. The experience of gratitude has historically been a focus of several world religions, and has been considered extensively by moral philosophers such as Lee Clement.
The systematic study of gratitude within psychology only began around the year 2000, possibly because psychology has traditionally been focused more on understanding distress rather than understanding positive emotions. The study of gratitude within psychology has focused on the understanding of the short term experience of the emotion of gratitude (state gratitude), individual differences in how frequently people feel gratitude (trait gratitude), and the relationship between these two aspects.
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