Pressies

It is the time when the children are on a sugar high which may subside in time for summer vacation, wrapping paper is everywhere, the thought of taking down the tree is cause to drink a little eggnog in your liqueur and we sit back and think about the gifts the year held. Wait. What is that behind the tree?

Oh, look. It has your name on it. I know I told you I was a regifter, so portions of it are slightly loved. For instance…

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Sage Doyle thought I was very inspiring. Coming from a writer with a couple of manuscripts in play, a penchant for on demand poetry and an affinity for photographing trees, I thought it was pretty cool to be inspiring.

If you have ever been by The Trophy Room, you will know this is the third time M3 has received the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Sit tight and you will see whose name is on this present.

Cut and Paste

The next present is one of those DIY numbers. It came with one of these:

six yellow starsAnd it came with a boatload of instructions which I have dutifully not installed here. If you get one of the above to go with one of these:

blog-of-the-year

 

You need to stop by The Tilted Tiara and Words from the Heretic. Both of them have a copy of the base model and the plethora of instructions we are supposed to copy and paste to everyone who is a recipient of one of these. I am foregoing following the directions on the basis it would unduly elongate what I am planning on being a fun and heartfelt gift-giving session. After all, I only do this once per quarter, and this is it.

Follow up with both of these blogs who definitely deserve Blog of the Year. I am certain before the giving is done there will be quite a few of you who have far more than six of these to cover with stars.

Dedicated

dedicated-follower-awardWhen this one came along, I nodded my head. Dedicated has been a word used to describe my stalking following for ages. This lovely award comes from Lizzie at Running Naked with Scissors. I stalk her place in much the same way she (and many others) stalk M3. This is a first award of this one. I think she is going to fit in nicely here and on a number of other blogs.

We could take a break now, but we would never get through this before Mardi Gras, and I have plans for mid-January. Let’s press on.

Newbie

commentator-awardAnother new award to the line up is the commentator award. I got this one from Carrie Rubin of The Write Transition less for my comments on her blog as my reading skills and my ability to talk in the comments to A.N.Y.O.N.E. on any blog.

If you have not stopped by for her singular brand of humor and to pick up a copy of The Seneca Scourge, it opens in another tab… get to clicking.

booker-award1
Carrie also awarded me  the Booker Award. If you have not seen my answers to the Booker questions, check them out. I will be adding a bit to that when I start handing things out. She handed out a plethora, but more on that in a bit.

Guilty

reality-blog-award

Tess of How the Cookie Crumbles was awarded the REALITY Award, and the reasons should be abundantly apparent. This happens to be the first time M3 has been awarded this particular one, but I think it is a good fit here as well. (Just ignore the last four letters.)

So, who’s ready for me to play Santa?

Let’s start with the easiest of the awards. Carrie gave me this one, and truly it is probably the only one I deserved from her blog.

When we give these things out, there are always rules and things you have to do. Not this time. This award goes out to the M3 Readers:

dont-do-a-damn-thing-awardIf you are seeing this post, you are welcome to the Don’t Do A Damn Thing award. If you are here, it means at some point I have been there. I have not quit going anywhere in a while, so chances are good this applies to you. Please take it with my kudos for having not run me off. Thank you, Carrie, for presenting it to me.

Booker

This Christmas I received something I have not had in more years than I can remember: journals. Along with them, came a fabulous quill with which to write in said journals. I am dedicating what time I have left with my hands to writing in said journals. Perhaps, one day I may birth a memoir after all.

If you would like a Booker Award, follow the rules on the other post and tag back to this post so I know where to look for your answers on what I should be reading.

BOYT

When I first got this one, I had to think about where I was going to send the stars. I have a few to hand out and the reasons why.

How the Cookie Crumbles: Tess is extraordinary in many ways. Probably, the largest way is her humility. She is a lovely woman with a heart as big as her country who writes touchingly about so many different things. She is a flasher who swore she had no time for it, yet still has managed all of this quarter’s words with panache.

Odds & Ends of a Wondering Mind: Laurie embodies hard work. She is a tireless woman, with an autistic child and more assignments than any one person should have to write, who still finds the time to visit the blogosphere and contribute both content and dead-on comments.

The Tilted Tiara: Valentine will have you rapt or wrap you up, depending on the topic du jour. She is one of the only writers you will ever read who can make history sexy. Eternally my favorite person to debate, even when we are on the same side, my sister is a star in the blogosphere.

Running Naked with Scissors: Lizzie’s tagline quote is from Groucho Marx. “Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light.” I told her she was wrong; she is the light. She has a unique way of putting the world into perspective, regardless of how cracked she may think she is.

The Sober Identity: Lisa is a success story. Every step of the way, she is willing to hold your hand, interject reason, rail against the insanity and believe in your ability to succeed. Recovering is not easy, and she shows all of us how to recover from life.

Inspiring

To say I am not impressionable is akin to saying the ocean is not dry. For me to find inspiration requires a clear mind or fifteen uninterrupted minutes. Neither happens very often. Rather than follow the directions (What? Where did you think you were?), I am going to name seven (instead of 15) blogs and how they inspire me (instead of secrets… see why here).

1. Somkritya ~ Poetry, Prose, Lambretta: Another mother of an autistic child, Soma is one of the kindest people on the planet. She has a fabulous imagination and really truly should be writing children’s books by the hundreds. She reminds me it is perfectly fine to be a child every once in a while.

2. Fervour & Forever: Lots of you are regulars at Mon Chat Doux’s regular blog, but you may not have been by Cat’s other blog. She finds the most passionate people and asks them what makes them tick. She reminds me it is okay to look inside the clock to see how it works.

3. Dreamwalker’s Sanctuary: Sue is a light bringer. She writes inspired poetry and encourages everyone to listen to the inner rhythm which binds us to one another and this planet. Without making you feel chided for not doing something, she reminds us to be mindful. She reminds me I am not in this alone.

4. No Throw Aways: Derek is a youth minister. He blogs about his faith and the adventures God takes him on seeking to bring souls to Christ. Even if this does not sound like your cup of tea, his four children just may be. Check out the Lego Jar. He reminds me to invest a little faith once in a while.

5. Taking Candy from a Baby: Candy is an educational prostitute. Oh, and she has chickens. And a life. And the mother of all theses to write. I have watched her pick up pieces and decide fixing what is broken is not always the best way. Sometimes, finding new pieces and starting from scratch makes the strongest place to be. She reminds me it is okay to build something completely new.

6. Buddha Kat: Janet is a premier fractal artist. She is also a lover of music and cats. Her faithfulness as a colleague and friend is unrivaled. She had a dream of her art being in the hands of others, and she let me be a part of that dream. She reminds me to put color in every day.

7. Wendy’s Works: Wendy is delightful. With her love of creepy, erotica and photography, one would be convinced she runs a horror porno site, but nothing could be further from the truth. Her accomplishments are many, but she inspires others to overcome their fears. She reminds me the things which go bump in the night run in the light.

Check out these inspiring bloggers, and tell them I sent you as a present.

Commentators

Green stars

Each week, the green stars in the right side bar light up for a number of speakers on M3. I happen to love that widget. Watching the names change each week lets me know there are some times when I have pushed your buttons or made you think or just made you laugh.

I award this one to everyone who has left a comment on M3 before today. Your interaction is why I blog. You make this worth doing everyday.

REALITY

This award comes with five questions. If you answer the five questions, you get this one.

1. If you could change something, what would you change?

I would change the attitude of the world to one of goodwill toward everyone to create a sense of unbreakable community who was not hindered by diversity, rather engaged in learning the ways and customs of others to appreciate there is more authority than what parents present to children.

2) If you could repeat an age, what age would it be?

The year before I die, ad infinitum.

3) What one thing really scares you?

What does not scare my children.

4) What one dream have you not completed yet and do you think you will be able to complete it?

I do not have one. I am the possessor of many fulfilled dreams. Since I have gotten my share, it is time for me to be fulfilling the dreams of others.

5) If you could be someone else for the day, who would you be?

I have no desire to be anyone else. No one has better friends than I. There would be no benefit in it.

Take a whirl with the questions. Ping back here so I can see what your answers are.

Dedication

There are many of the M3 Readers who are just as deserving of the above awards as they are of this one. I want to call out a few bloggers who are here rain or shine, even when they are delayed in the process. I want each of you to take this award back to your places with my gratitude for your continued support. For those named below, who are not bloggers, you are welcome to post it to your walls/profiles on social media:

Androgoth, Gail, Binky (and the rest of the Wombies), Bearman, Laurie, Prenin, Val, Lorre, Janet, Derek, MJ, Ray, Phil, Phil, El Guapo, Miss R., Spilled Ink Guy, George, Tony, Jeremy, Cat, Soma, Sue, Sue, Sage, Becky, Mia, Susan, Maria, Maria, Mo, Lewis, JoAnne, Johannah, Noeleen, Heretic, Lizzie, Wendy, Candy, Tom, Carl, John, John, Ben, Peter, Cha, Frank, Loon, Tess, Deb, Deb, Novroz, RLB, Colleen, Lisa, Laura, Bo, Tina, Joe, Barb, Ted, Angie

All of you have made this a wonderful year for me. I appreciate your visits, comments and shares. You truly are the best audience in the blogosphere. May you and yours have a bright, joyous, prosperous and healthy New Year.

Red Signature


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© Red Dwyer 2012
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41 Comments

  1. Thanks for the shout out and for the new blogs to check out. You mentioned the interaction here and I would say that much of blogging is that interaction. Otherwise it is like talking to an empty room. (I have done that too)
    Derek Mansker recently posted..Christmas Is Here AgainMy Profile

    Reply
    • I have never been a really good diarist, and my topics beg interaction…even follies. It is the interaction which makes blogging so much better than merely being a “web log”. Happy Christmas, Derek.

      Reply
  2. I do believe that’s the nicest description of me that I’ve heard in well…..decades. Thank you 🙂
    Laurie recently posted..Rambling ThoughtsMy Profile

    Reply
    • You are very welcome, Laurie. It is nothing shy of the truth. Happy Christmas. Squeeze Shorty for me.

      Reply
  3. You my dear deserve all this and more!

    I love journals, especially those you must hand write in. They are special, even when we only write a word or a sentence. Even when our hands hurt, or our arms are numb or we think we can’t lift a quill. Journals are something for the future.

    Reply
    • You do know it is going to make me shop. I was in what passes for antique shops around the TCH, and I saw an old ink well. While I have one, this one was cut glass and had a beautiful stopper. Although, I have an equally beautiful cologne bottle with a silver stopper which would serve the precise purpose. Hmm. Must shop to decide. I so need to be where you are. <3

      Reply
  4. Wonderful acceptance post and thanks for the mention. It’s much appreciated!

    Loved your answer to #2 under the Reality award. But I hope I’d still be healthy in the “year before I die.” Otherwise it might make that ‘ad infinitum’ part less desirable. 🙂

    Reply
    • I have a better than 50/50 shot at dropping like a stone as opposed to withering away. Thank you for stopping by and for the fodder for the post. Happy New Year, Carrie.

      Reply
  5. My dear Red… You have warmed me through and through with this lovely post and gift… ( a very GOOD thing to do on this chilly Christmas morn)…
    do you have any idea how inspiring you are? From your single minded focus to your total dedication to the project at hand all with snark sauce and the whisper of the muse. You bring out the best in me, from your thought provoking subjects (utopia, anyone?) to your lol responses to the less fortunate, those with few and/or damaged brain cells who send themselves to the spotlight of the SIB.
    I am constantly stretching myself to reach the level of confidence and drive that you inspire. And your gift to bring people together, be it for an afternoon of sillyness or to share in the bringing to life of a dream, of one or of many.
    I look forward to many more years basking in your warmth. You really get what it means to serve others and catalyze to fruition their dreams – a task you have mastered for yourself and are destined to share.
    I love you, Red. You have brought such light and lightness into my simple and happy world. And the friends I have made through you and working with you, are among the brightest stars in my life.
    Wishing you only the best, and the strength and perspective to handle anything less!!!

    🙂
    BuddhaKat recently posted..EARLY – Thursday’s edition of the FridayFractalFeature…My Profile

    Reply
    • I love you, too, Janet. I am humbled by the things you say. You have heard me say it before, all I do is put it together. I have spent my life being a xenogogue and do not see that changing. Much light and joy this year and all the ones after. <3

      Reply
  6. Thank you so much for the mention Red. I think that you and your blog are inspirational as well. 🙂 Love you! xo
    Wendy Reid recently posted..Scared to Death – Random FrightmaresMy Profile

    Reply
  7. You are always pushing my buttons!! Merry Christmas Red
    Bearman recently posted..Australian Taxi Cab DriversMy Profile

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  8. Congratulations, and all well deserved, Red!
    Thanks for the nod, but even more, thanks for the introduction to some blogs I don’t already know.
    El Guapo recently posted..An Adventure – The Naked Snow AngelsMy Profile

    Reply
  9. It should be all of us thanking you my great friend as your Space is a world of knowledge, interesting themes and topics and full of inspiration. In short, and you will be pleased that I am not about to rattle on forever with this observation of mine 🙂 lol

    You are a lovely young woman Red, a really good friend that offers genuineness and realness in our blogging lives and someone that everyone here looks up to 🙂

    Thank you for all that you have offered us in 2012 and I for one am certainly looking forward to your excellence in 2013, thank you also for your wonderful friendship and the true warmth that is M3 🙂 🙂

    Have a lovely rest of evening and of course be good too, as you know I always am 😉 lol

    Andro xxx

    Reply
  10. Thanks for the mention Red! 🙂

    Hope you have a brilliant New Year and that you fulfil all your dreams! 🙂

    Love and hugs always!

    Prenin.
    prenin recently posted..Tuesday – Christmas Day.My Profile

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