Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Versatile Blogger Recognition

One of my fellow bloggers, JP Brandano, has honored me and 7 others with the Versatile Blogger Award. Jim is a fellow photographer and his work is super sensational!  I'll post a link to his blog below. Please visit and leave comments - we all love those.


So, here’s how the award works: I’m supposed to list seven things about myself and then share the award with seven other bloggers. I've listed my 7 award winners below but first, a bit about me.  Hmmmm, always tough, why oh why does my mind go blank when asked about myself? I'm stalling for time :D.
  1. Everyone in my life knows Not (capital N) to talk to me until I've had my first cup of morning coffee.  Without that first cup things can get ugly fast!
  2. My hubby and I are "of an age".  Seniors.  Grey hair, a few "laugh crinkles" as I call wrinkles. We walk around holding hands and smiling.  People get a kick out of us and I guess think we're cute.  We get great service and smiles back most places we go. It's a nice thing.    
  3. I ride English style in horse shows.  My horse, Mica (registered name Slightly Painted) is a strawberry roan and beautiful. I usually place within the top 3 riders in my age division.   We also trail ride in a beautiful 500 acre state forest.  Grooming her is a Zen experience for both of us - peaceful and relaxing. I brush, she falls asleep. 
  4. Along with photography I paint using acrylics, make collages, pottery and mosaics. I made jewelry for a long time but how many necklaces and earrings can you own or give away? :D With all our Pacific Northwest rain indoor hobbies is a necessity. 
  5. Until my mid-50's I ran in 1/2 marathons (I could never get past 18 miles), and rode my bicycle in centuries (100 mile bike rides). I was bummed that I never ran a marathon. I wanted to ride in the Davis Double (California) bike marathon.  200 miles in one day.  Never made that one either.  Riding a horse is much easier. :D
  6. We live on l.5 acres outside Seattle, Wa with 3 dogs and 3 pygmy goats.  Our pygmy goats are our meadow maintenance; they eat all the dandelions. Mica lives at a local stable. It's very peaceful and quiet here. We are surrounded by a variety of fir trees.  My favorite is the fragrant cedars. 
  7. Summers are spent landscaping with native plants and perennials.  We've been here 5 years and our hard work is paying off.   We have two decks and are rarely indoors during nice weather.

Oh, and I love to bake and cook! There, 8 items - I never could follow the rules lol. 



Now,  drum roll please, my 7 Versatile Blogger Award picks.


Here's someone I recently discovered and absolutely love. Sunny Sings the Blues.  She writes with humor, pathos and passion about very personal issues. Or, as she puts it,  "Cultivating plucky blooms from the fertilizer of grief." 


Another fave is Creative Cakes by Saru.  The page can be translated from Italian to any other language through Google translator.  Her cakes and pasties are truly works of art. Saru includes recipes and photos to help you along. Yum, yummy, yummiest!


Benjamin Heine is an amazing  photographer, painter, illustrator, portraitist, and caricaturist. He's a terrifically talented guy and a must see.  His blog includes videos of his work including pencil vs camera and digital circlism. Take a look at his flickr site if you like what you see. He shares a link from his blog to his flickr account.  


Phew - this is tough!  There's so many talented bloggers I like.  Okay, on to #4.


As soon as I spotted the following blog I knew I had to subscribe.  Erin Is Love:  "Reflections on life with the world's best dog, world traveler, therapy dog, church attendee, stage performer and beloved friend." I enjoy following Erin's stories.  It's rewarding to read David's recounting of her life.  


Wan has been a tremendous help in explaining some of the ins and outs of blogger which has helped me get my blog going. Thank you Wan.  Her recipes are delish and easy to follow. Her blog, Cooking Varieties, includes excellent photos of each dish she prepares.  She also writes and publishes eCookbooks.  Smart lady. If some of the ingredients in her recipes are not available in your area she may be able to give you substitutes if you contact her.


A Kindle In Hong Kong  Shannon used to have a love/hate relationship with bookstores. Every time she went into one it made her sad that she didn't have time to read every book that jumped off the shelves. Then she moved to Hong Kong and got a 35 minute commute and a Kindle. Now she's catching up. Her blog is interesting and she includes lovely photos to match her posts.  Best of all she reviews books in a very insightful way.


And last but hardly least here is Alida, Blackpurl's Knitpickings. She's an expat journalist living in Belize and chronicling her experiences through her blog. She is a missionary to people recovering from alcoholism and/or drug addiction.  Alida is also in training to be a Family Intervention Specialist with The Child Development Foundation of Belize. This organization is working to educate the public about the growing problem of the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Belize.  Her blog is filled with great photos and inspiration.  It's very impressive and so is she.  


Thank you to Jim Brandano for giving me the Versatile Blogger Award along with his other fave bloggers.  Check his blog out and be sure to leave your comments.  His photos are beautiful.


Here's a few snapshots of our "family" that you might enjoy:


Sprite
Rascal

Abe
Rob Roy napping in "Grandpa's" chair
Suzie our adopted rescue dog
Frankie trying to hide from the camera

Mica in her silver bling show halter


I'm looking forward to reading the posts of the seven bloggers I have nominated.  

















   

27 comments:

Amanda Galbreath said...

congrats on the award
I hope one day to get one
www.amandas-events.blogspot.com

Sunny said...

Thank you for the nod, Mari! I'll have to put my thinking cap on..but first I need to find it ; )

Mari Sterling Wilbur said...

Again, I love yoru post - just recently found it. It took me two days to write this post. Tough decisions to be made. Hope you find the cap :D

Kriti said...

Congratulations to all the awardees - you have now got my attention since Mari has selected you : ) Mari what beautiful 8 things those are (of course except the 1st one). I am the same exact way - need my space till the first cup is drowned : ) Love being here. And would love to see some of your paintings.

wan maznah said...

hi mari.. thanks a million for listing me....but i am not ready to submit my blog- my photos are so inferior as compared to professional photographers like yourself and your friends. really appreciate your kind thoughts. may be in time, when my blog expanded into broader perspective and more matured in approach..your awesome photos inspire me to improve my pics..best of luck 2u

Mari Sterling Wilbur said...

Hi Kriti - I will have to try taking some photos of my paintings and posting them to fb. That would be fun.

David said...

Thank you Mari!! I accept this honor on behalf of Erin lol. I'll work on my nominees and try to get it posted in a few days.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your award, Mari. I've seen you around and admit to lurking on your blog for the last week or so. Your photos are stunning! It's no surprise that your have other artistic talents as well. I know some of your award picks and others I look forward to visiting. And I promise to be more vocal in my future visits here! :-)

Shannon Young said...

Thank you so much for the mention Mari. I'm looking forward to reading your other recommended blogs.

The pictures of your family are adorable!

Swati said...

Sounds like you lead such an idyllic life Mari...I want to be you.... :) Congratulations on the award!! Very well deserved...

Alida Sharp said...

Mari, I am honored! Thank you for your kind words too.

Now, what to write?! It may take me a day or two to figure it out :-)

Mari Sterling Wilbur said...

Hi David - it took me 2 1/2 days to write my post. Take your time - let me know when it's done. I look forward to reading it. I should get notified by email when you post it. But one never knows about email.

Mari Sterling Wilbur said...

Alida - I'm looking forward to reading your list of 7 things about yourself. I know they will be fascinating judging from your blog.

Anonymous said...

Congrats to you Mari! Lovely site and well deserving!

Melissa Tandoc said...

wow Mari...thanks for sharing those seven things about yourself... very very interesting... you're into acrylics, mosaic, pottery...and landscaping too... you are a very artistic and talented person :)... ... would love to be your apprentice :P...

CONGRATULATIONS ;)

Unknown said...

♥ Oh my God! I'm surprised and so happy for this unexpected award!!
I'm blogging about six months and this is my first gift. I want to thank you in one of my post in these days..soon!! THANK YOU ♥

P.s. Isn't there an image of the award? Maybe I use your beautiful photo of you, in my blog, that linked to your site?

Shah Wharton said...

Hi I'm new to your fabulous blog and well done on your blog award. I'll be back. Shah. X

Unknown said...

Hi Mari!
I've just to write a post to thank you for the award!

http://dolcicreativi.blogspot.com/2011/03/versatile-blogger-award-7-random-things.html

Mari Sterling Wilbur said...

Saru - I love your lastest post about the Versatile Blogger Award! I'm afraid of chickens too :D

Anonymous said...

Hi Mari, very nice to meet you!
Thank you for your comment. I think I'll follow you back, because I have a lot to learn about digital photography, especially on food photography. I hope you can give us advices also about that subject.
Your photos are stunning.
I have an English version of my blog (actually, I'm translating it from the beginning until now, so it will take a while):
www.amouseonthetable-english.blogspot.com
I hope you'll find the time to give a look.
Greetings from Modena, Italy.

Mari Sterling Wilbur said...

Hi Rosemary - I will be doing blog posts on food photography. I will post photos and instructions about both indoor and outdoor locations. After all, don't we all love to have meals on a patio or picnics under lovely trees or at a lakeside setting.

Alessandra said...

Hi, first time here, always good to learn tips about photography :-).

I'll follow you!

ciao
Alessandra

Alessandra said...

Hi, first time here, always good to learn tips about photography :-).

I'll follow you!

ciao
Alessandra

Rosemary said...

Hi Mari, very nice to meet you!
Thank you for your comment. I think I'll follow you back, because I have a lot to learn about digital photography, especially on food photography. I hope you can give us advices also about that subject.
Your photos are stunning.
I have an English version of my blog (actually, I'm translating it from the beginning until now, so it will take a while):
www.amouseonthetable-english.blogspot.com
I hope you'll find the time to give a look.
Greetings from Modena, Italy.

shah wharton said...

Hi I'm new to your fabulous blog and well done on your blog award. I'll be back. Shah. X

wan maznah said...

hi mari.. thanks a million for listing me....but i am not ready to submit my blog- my photos are so inferior as compared to professional photographers like yourself and your friends. really appreciate your kind thoughts. may be in time, when my blog expanded into broader perspective and more matured in approach..your awesome photos inspire me to improve my pics..best of luck 2u

Sunny said...

Thank you for the nod, Mari! I'll have to put my thinking cap on..but first I need to find it ; )