Tagged and an Award and a Treasury

There have been days when I wonder, does anyone enjoy reading what I write?

And then something like this happens....

I received this award recently from Cheryl at Cheryl's Chatelaine Thanks so much for your thoughtfulness. This award is fitting as you will see in a minute. Cheryl has been cleaning her closets lately and I have been enjoying her organization skills, which I strive for, but never quite achieve. I have been noticing the similarities in our stashes and our love of embellishments.

Here are the guidelines for this award:'This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes for 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!'These are some very wonderful gals to visit. They are thoughtful, friendly and have so many wonderful ideas.

I am supposed to pass this along.One of the best part of blogging is the people you get to know, and I would like to pass this award on to these people that I would not have had the opportunity to "meet" otherwise:

1. Pat at Bell Creek Quilts - Pat is prolific quilter that lends a lot of her sewing time to good causes.
2. Greenmare at The Mare's Nest - She is always leaving me kind words and her blog makes me laugh.
3. Lynn of Getting My Feet Wet - She and I have been sharing ideas about art quilts. Lynn makes beautiful memory quilts for loved ones.
4. The Calico Quilter of It's the Cat's House, I Just Live Here - Who helped me find the perfect gift for my husband, Three Stooges Christmas ornaments (Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk). By the way she has most of Bonnie's latest mystery quilt finished so if you don't want to see step 5 you may want to look at older posts only.
5. Gwen at Desideratum - I love reading her blog. It is full of beauty and light.

I owe Jackie of Jackie's Stitches a follow up for 8 random facts about myself. I plan write this post soon with a diet theme. My goal for the New Year is a healthier me and Jackie is a great example of what a good diet can do. More on that later.

I just heard from The Rainbow Girl that she had included my flying geese earrings in her recent ETSY treasury "Hand Dyed Heaven". It is an honor to be included with so many creative artists. Stop by and take a look and leave a comment. The treasury expires late Saturday.

Tagging and Some Random Facts

Quilt Crazy Gal Jenna Louise has tagged me.

Here are the rules to play the game:

1. When you are tagged you are asked to list eight random facts about yourself and post them on your blog for visitors to enjoy.

2. Tag eight of your blogging friends and leave them a comment that they have been tagged and to join in the fun if they have the opportunity. (If not, that's okay. They can still enjoy the random facts everyone shares:) Be sure to list a link to your eight friends in your posting.

I'd like to leave this open to any reader that wants to play along. Let me know in the comment section that you are playing along and I will put a link to your blog here.

1. I have been married 20 years.

2. I have worked as a babysitter, cashier, restaurant manager, sales person for recycling services (one of my favorite jobs), accounting clerk and now sell commercial roofing products from my home office for the last seven years.

3. I have to create to keep my brain well balanced.

4. I wish I had been told at an early age that "The more you create, the more creative you become." Tell your children!

5. I dream of traveling the world and hope to do that one day. For now, I'll just read your blog posts and travel with you.

6. I want to learn to be a metal smith (whitesmith or blacksmith) someday, but I have so many other interests I'm afraid to have another all consuming habit.

7. This is our cat Cleo. She is 20 years old, deaf and blind. She likes to help me sell roofing products. She yells a lot now that she can't hear. Customers often ask if there is a baby crying in my office.

8. Here I am with my son outside his first apartment. I still haven't learned how to take a good self portrait with my camera...Lake Superior is just over the roof of the house behind us.

Autumn Splendor and Some Tagging

October 7th at the farm.
The sumacs are brilliant this year. Our house in just beyond the grove of trees. The small building just to the right of the grove of trees is an old sugar shack where the previous owner made maple syrup.
The mist rising from the fields is from the hard frost changing to moisture as the earth warms in the sunlight.
A little further down the road on October 9th as I leave for DesMoines with Sue.

I've been tagged by Embellisher at a Million Little Stitches and Bindu at Transient Lives so here it goes.

For Embellisher:

7 things you may not know about me:

1. In addition to our dog we have a cat named Cleo. She is a 19 year old Blue Point Snow Shoe Siamese adopted from a shelter. She is blind and deaf so she yells at us when she want attention. Despite the yelling is is very sweet.

2. I switched from an art major in college to nutrition. I plan to go back to get a masters in art some day.

3. I love science fiction and fantasy books and films. I am thrilled that Doctor Who is back in production after so long.

4. I used to be terribly nervous about speaking in front of a crowd. It is only in the last few years that I have overcome this problem.

5. I am fascinated by dragons and dragon lore.

6. I'd rather be traveling, teaching and writing about all I see on the way.

7. I'm shorter in person than I appear on the Internet. ;o)

For Bindu:

1. Clothes Shop - I only do when I have to. Not much available in the country.

2. Furniture Shop - Antiques for me. Both British and American Arts and Crafts Era and early 20th century southwestern furniture. Also Danish Modern. These are my favorites, but not necessarily what I own.

3. Sweet - Organic dark chocolate with ground ginger - to die for!

4. City - Country life for me. Where I live is as close to heaven as you can get.

5. Drink - Diet Coke or a Sam Adams lager.

6. Music - Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Natalie Merchant (solo or otherwise), Heart, Vivaldi, Mozart, Secret Garden. I love most of it as long as the singer can sing, no screaming please. I just don't get it.

7. TV Series - Dr. Who

8. Film - Don't make me choose - Fried Green Tomatoes (I adore Fannie Flagg's books too). The Color Purple. Time Bandits. 12 Monkeys/La Jetee.

9. Workout - Walks in the prairie grasses, bicycling

10. Pastries - Cinnamon rolls

11. Coffee - no thanks