An Award!

I'm so excited! My new friend Becky at Queen of Theme has chosen me to receive the Arte Y Pico award. I don't have a clue what those words mean since the original blog is in Spanish, but it's an award nonetheless and who doesn't like getting an award? Thanks, Becky, not only for the cool award, but for having such a wonderful blog yourself. Hey, any woman that is willing to bare all and show all the stuff in her kitchen cabinets is definitely a friend!

From what I hear, the creator of the award is a woman who wanted to express her gratitude for all that she has learned by exploring blogs from around the world. I can so relate! I feel like bloggers are my Titus 2 mentors and I can't tell you how many things I've learned on blogs that I've been able to put into practice in life.

Now it's my turn to pass along the award to some very deserving bloggers. The catch is that I only get to pick five which is so hard because I'd really like to pick a hundred and five! In deciding who to choose I decided to stick with the theme of the award and spotlight a few bloggers that I feel truly take blogging to heart and impact lives in memorable ways. Really, though, you could check any blog on my sidebar as well as a bunch in my favorites that I haven't had time to transfer to my sidebar yet and all of them are wonderful.

These are the rules:

1. Pick 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribution to the blogging community, no matter what language.
2. Each award should list the name of the author and a link to his /her blog to be visited by everyone .
3. Each award winner should show the award and put the name of and link to the blog that presented her/him with the award .
4. The award winner and presenter should show the link of the Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

These are my award winners:

1. Michelle at Big Blueberry Eyes. The first time I visited Michelle's blog was during the bloggy giveaway. I was spellbound from that very first visit because of the pictures of her precious daughter. I literally couldn't stop going back just to look at her happy face. I love visiting her blog and hearing about her parenting adventures. I think she is one awesome mom and has one of the most beautiful families on earth.

2. Nester at The Nesting Place. If you've read much on my blog in the last couple of months you've already heard me mention Nester more than once. She's the queen of decorating and shows the rest of us (her loyal subjects) how to make a home beautiful without much skill or money. I can't thank her enough for all she's done to help me see things differently in the decorating arena. An added bonus is that Nester lives right here in my city so I've met her in real flesh and blood and just love the girl!

3. Kim and Jason at Escape Adulthood. Kim and Jason will help you get in touch with your inner child. You know, that person inside you who likes to laugh and have fun, the one that isn't bogged down by bills and worries and keeping up with the Joneses. They have a unique, contagious approach to life and I always enjoy my visits to their blog.

4. Renee Swope at The Journey of My Heart. Renee and I go way back. She's a real flesh and blood friend that I don't get to see very often anymore so I keep up with her via her blog. Have you ever met a person who absolutely lives to serve others? That's Renee. In every aspect of her life, she is all about encouraging and helping other people. Her warm, friendly personality comes through every word she writes on her blog and even if you've never met her she makes you feel like her best friend.

5. Marybeth Whalen at Cheaper By the Half Dozen. Marybeth is another flesh and blood friend. If I had to pick one person who has impacted my writing more than any other, it's Marybeth. She is always in the know about all things pertaining to writing and I'm always trying to catch up to her. She is the reason that I'm blogging today and I know that she is passionate about blogging. That passion comes through every word she writes along with a heaping dose of transparency. She's the real deal whether in person in or on her blog.

These folks receive the award, but I hope that all of you who visit my blog know that you are winners in my book. I appreciate each and every one of you and could never express the ways you've changed me for the better. Thank you ALL!