A Saturday Chat with the Queen…

(Self-portrait from my art Journal from last year…click to enlarge)

Kate from Kate’s Library (who lives in Southern NH which I must check into, and who writes marvelous book reviews on her blog) has honored me with the Versatile Blogger Award.

Here are the rules that go with it :

1. Thank the person who gave you this award. (did that on her blog !)
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award on to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason!

Kate only awarded 3 Awards, making up her own rules, and I liked that ! I will do the same. But first, here are my 7 things about myself – I guess if I had to categorize them it would be 7 things that show where I am in this moment….

1. I will be 45 this year – in less than a month actually. What ???? How did I get here so fast? Happy with it when I consider the alternatives ! ;)

2. David and I will be married for 10 years this December. That went fast too. If I had to give it a number of years that it feels like it would be about 5, I think. Love love love that man !

3. David and I never had a wedding. We got married in front of a Justice of the Peace named Harriet Holly 5 days after Christmas in 2000, right after I officially immigrated to the US. on my fiancé visa. We sort of had a plan to have a wedding or at least a reception type party at some point but it never happened. I am not a white dress, center of attention type person so I don’t regret this at all. Wouldn’t have minded a party and the gifts, though. ;)  Ah, well, maybe for our 20th ?

4. I am a true shoe lover. I have been since I was a little kid. I just shared a memory with my mom of when I was 5 years old and she took me to a special shoe store, you know, where they measure your feet and everything when you are small. And she bought me these gorgeous pinkish-red leather shoes! I remember being totally in love with my special probably first pair of expensive shoes ! I am in love with the new White Mountain Mohawk Mary Jane Clogs I bought yesterday !

I tried them on with aching feet after working for a few hours  at the store yesterday and they stilled felt really comfortable. I wish they were green or pinkish-red but I am loving them anyway !

5. I have worn glasses for extreme near-sightedness since I was nine. I have worn contact lens since I was sixteen – my dad bought them for me when I graduated from high school. I now have multi focal contacts because I am very very near sighted but I also need help for reading close too. Viva les 40’s !!! I am grateful everyday for these tools I have to help me see the beauty in the world so clearly !!!

6. The number one most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me was “You are stronger than you think you are.” David said those words to me when I was in the midst of a huge crisis and really doubting my ability to get through. They will stay with me always.

7. My favorite flavor of ice cream (I know- from life changing words to ice cream !!! But I got stuck for # 7 big time !) is Tiger Tail – orange ice cream with black licorice swirl in it. It is hard to find and this summer a grocery chain in Canada made special editions of  “Vintage” flavors , and my sister Kristina bought some at her house, just for me !!! It doesn’t make the 5 hour drive well so I couldn’t bring any home with me. Maybe it will always remain my favorite because it is a rare treat…

Okay that’s enough !!! As I was writing this I realized that I was having a hard time sharing 7 things about myself because I am really so open about myself on this blog already ! Those who read my posts know a lot about the real me. That is kind of cool to realize and just shows how my blog is a place for me to just be MYSELF ! What a great gift.

So my 3 Versatile Blogger Awards are going to :

1.The talented and poetic Meri at Meri’s Musing whose blog I have found thorugh Haiku My Heart.

2. Lynn at Getting My Feet Wet who shares incredible photos and great art work and is so very good at the Blog Love thang !

3.Lisa at Priti Art Studio whose art I just adore ! I am lucky to have won a piece of it recently ! ;) Lisa is another open book type person but I am still kind of getting to know her and would love to see what zany and fun 7 things she will share about herself if she feels like responding to this award on her blog.

So that’s it for today, Beautiful Ones. It is feeling kind of Fall like but so gorgeous here in NH today. David and I are off to do some errands and such and have lunch at Bertucci’s – oven baked pizza is my fav !!!!! Then it will be about getting all my art stuff together for the up coming Cape Cod trip. I hope you have some fun plans that make the most out of this precious day.

Happy Saturday !

Do You Want to Know a Secret ?

So Anne at Gaal Creative kindly nominated me for the MeMe Award, where you reveal 7 Secrets about yourself and then nominate 7 other bloggers to do the same.

The MeMe Award

I haven't passed on awards very much lately - I really do appreciate receiving them and the recognition from my fellow bloggers but I don't always want to use my posting time to fulfill some of the requirements and I also have a hard time nominating one blog over another as I have so many favorites that mean so much too me for different reasons.

The fact that this award asks you to share 7 Secrets about yourself worked for me today. It gave me an opportunity to share some more little details about myself, little things that make me Me !

Here are my 7 Secrets :

1. I only got my driver's license at 31, the same time I bought my first car (A green Saturn SL - it is still on the road after 13 years - my Mom has it now). Before that, I lived in a big city, took the bus a lot and relied on friends to drive me where the buses couldn't take me.

(Kim in the Banana Boat Yellow Mustang - FLA in 2003)

2. I met David when I was 34 and he was 39. He asked me to marry him after we had long distance dated for only 3 months. After knowing him for 10 years now, I have come to realize how brave and unlike him it was to ask me to get married after such a short time. He tends to be much more cautious and a planner than that. I guess it just shows that it was completely meant to be !

(David and I in St. Pete's Beach, FLA in 2001, our first trip after we got married )

3. If I could play any instrument, it would be the piano. I would love the play the piano the way Chris Martin of Coldplay plays the piano...magic !

Art Journal Page - 2007

4. My two younger sisters, Natalie (4 years younger) and Kristina (5 years younger) used to drive me nuts when we were kids by chanting "Kimberly Diana, Kimberly Diana..!" over and over again at me. I don't know why I hated it so much (My real middle names are Kimberly-Anne Pauline) but it still kind of makes me cringe even now !

(Art Journal Page 2006 - photo of me at 6 years old)

5. I am horribly afraid of sharp objects like saws (especially electric ones) and blades. It is so intense that I sometimes wonder if I was amputated in some way in a past life or something ! David is slowly helping me deal with this fear, but I still refuse to let him use a chainsaw !

(Art journal page - 2008)

6. I believe that my houseplants and my animals communicate with me, kind of telepathically. I feel like I just "get" their language. I have to ask a plant before I cut a branch or dying leaf off. I just know when they need some extra TLC or if they should be put into the ICU window to get some extra boosts of light. I know when Chica is feeling depressed about a lack of walks or when Azzy admits to me that he really loves me in spite of the fact he is still not sure if he can trust me (he was a street cat and it has taken him over 2 years to come and lie beside me). David thinks I am nuts about this but I just know I hear them talking !

(Chica and I on the top of the world - Mt Washington, 2009)

7. If I knew for sure that I had just 37 Days left to live, I would spend that time at the ocean somehow. I would probably take up smoking again (damn things, I still miss them after a year !) and eat yummy fruits and veggies and cheeses and bread and drink some fine wines. I would paint and write and watch the waves and smell that smell of the salt water. I would invite my family and loved ones to come and surround me, and I would spend as much time as possible listening to the kids laughing and chattering as they played by the sea. And I would then run up and join them and play the day away in the sand. I would breathe it all in and make it a part of my Soul and Spirit so that I could take it with me when it was time to go...

Me at Hampton Beach, Summer 2009

As I was writing this post, I came to realize that I have little or no fear about sharing parts of myself this way. I think it comes from being an extrovert in many ways. I feel like by sharing myself openly, I can help others feel safe and trusting to share themselves with me. That is a good thing in my world as it helps me make connections on a heart level, which I so appreciate.

So rather than choose only 7 people to take up this MeMe Award, I challenge any and all of the bloggers on my blog roll to take some time to share some secrets about themselves and then let me know they have done so. (Well, I will be reading the posts anyway !) Let's do it in celebration of the fact that we are all in this together, and for the fact that this Blogland community is so supportive and kind.

Happy Labor Day, all you Blogland Beauties !

Post 202 - Honors and a New Do

As I logged into Blogger to do this post, I saw that I have reached my 200 and 2nd post.
Wow ! That is a lot of posts in a year and a half, isn't it ?

I really can't imagine my life without my blog anymore. I would miss it and my Blogland friends too much to ever quit, I think. I get so many rewards from it, both from the connection to others that I love and appreciate so much, and also from the chance to express myself, putting little pieces of me out there in the shiny light. It is a sweet thing, this blogging world.

I am not going to do a giveaway or anything this time...seems like I just slowly and gratefully walked by that cool milestone on my own some how. Here's to the next 200 Queen of Arts posts ! :)

Speaking of the wonderful connections I have in Blogland, my lovely friend Lesley at the Funky Art Queen, honored me with the Queen of All Things Awe-Summm award on her blog yesterday. I love that one Queen passed the award on to another ! I am also very touched that Lesley considers me a "faithful and every present blog friend", something that I definitely strive for in Blogland everyday. Such perfect Blogland Love !

There are always rules for these awards, which of course, I am going to use as guidelines instead! ;)

~ List 7 things that make me awe-summm~ Pass the award onto 7 bloggers (I am choosing one special person to shine the awesumm light on today instead of 7)~ Tag those bloggers to let them know they are now Queens too (and link back to the Queen who tagged you)
Here are my 7 things that make me awe-summm :

1. I am really good at Loving
2. I have an artist's eye.
3. I love to laugh.
4. I keep on trying...
5. I encourage others by letting them know I really see them.
6. I see the beauty all around me.
7. I am open

Hey, you know that after writing this list of 7 things, I think the real award is taking the time to do a little loving on yourself ! ;) Feels pretty good.

So now I have to choose someone to shine some light on today. We all deserve this, everyday, but I think it is kind of fun to give a little extra light once in a while so I am going to choose...

Genie Sea at Reality Insanity as the next Queen of All Thing Awe-summ !

Genie is feisty. She is strong. She is a wonderful dreamer. She is a cheerleader for the under and over dogs. And every Monday, Miss Genie dances her heart out ! She inspires me and all her readers to love their awesumm selves. You, Miss Genie, are a Queen ! Consider yourself Crowned !

(as the applause for Genie die down, here are a couple of shots of the new hairdo. It is still raining here, so they are taken by the window in my studio. Sorry for the blur ...)

Okay, so maybe I don't look like a boy after all...;)

Happy Thursday, you Awesumm Blogland friends !

Be kind...be kind...be kind...

First off, I would love to thank Olivia at happy luau for awarding me with the One Lovely Blog Award. Showing appreciation for the content and the message of blogs you love is a beautiful thing, through comments, through these awards and through mentioning some special stuff going in your own posts. So much Blogland Love ! Yay !

As a recipient of this award, I am supposed to list 6 things that are making me really happy right now, so here goes :

1. my family & friends and the lovey-dovey love I share with them

2. my furry animals - so cozy and sweet...though if they had a little less hair right now that would be okay by me !

3. my meditation practice...takes work to tone that muscle but man, it brings you good stuff !

4. more light in the evenings which means longer days, more time for socializing, for doing fun stuff, for enjoying life - I know the day has the same amount of hours in it but that extra light makes it seem like more time.

5. boring t.v. which makes it easier to turn it off and do something more meaningful and enriching- like read a book or make some art or play cribbage with my hubby !

6. giving out little gifts of love to the universe and feeling them come back a hundred fold...

I have a really hard time singling out recipients for awards - maybe I try and be too PC about it and worry that someone will feel left out. I have decided today to wimp out and award the Lovely Blog Award to all of Blogland - to blogger sharing themselves and their loveliness bravely and openly with all of us ! Consider yourself awarded !

Speaking of giving and receiving gifts, I wanted to share a recent lovely Blogland find of mine.

The sweet and oh so inspiring blog called kind over matter run by Amanda and Jen.

Their whole raison d'etre is to spread love and kindness. What could be better ? They post photos and inspiring quotes multiple times a day. They provide a place for people to share their acts of kindness to encourage others. They even advertise for free for blogland artists who are spreading kindness through their work. It is an awesome site !

These sweet chicks also provided a series of kindness quotation cards in PDF format and encouraged readers to document how they have used the cards and link back to them. That is what I decided to do yesterday.

Had to get rid of the grey rainy blahs somehow...sprinkle some colorful love on it seemed like the perfect solution...

I copied the cards, cut them out and then went to Color Town decorating some tags with little collages connected to the quotes (8 in all). I added some ribbons in rainbow colors and here's what I had :

see the sweet cards that Amanda and Jen made available on the tags ? (click to enlarge)

The kind over matter gals suggest leaving the extra bits of kindness cards wherever you feel like people could need it. I decided to bring the tags with me to meditation last night and give them as gifts the the ladies in the class.

I took pictures of the tags by the Buddha in the meditation room as my "proof".

The girls at the class really loved the tags. Each one of the 5 ladies present chose one based on the color that felt right for them.

And as for the Buddha,

I think he approved...don't you ?

I hope you get a little and give a little extra kindness today ! Happy Tuesday !

1 Sweet Award, 1 Fantastic Prize, 29 Gifts and more !

So I have put out some "atta-girls" or recognition for a few of my friends in Blogland today. I have been very blessed with inspiration, love, appreciation and many kind words from quite a few sources this week and many of these blessings came from within my awesome blog community ! Today is my 75th post and I have to say that starting this blog and building my blog friendships has been such a positive addition to my world. Yes, the contact is mostly "virtual" but that doesn't make it any less "real". It blows me away every day how kind and caring the community of artist/bloggers is. I am so grateful for being a part of it.

Okay on to the well-deserved plugs !!!!

The first one goes to Lesley at Funky Art Queen who awarded who awarded me my first every blogging award ! The Blogging Friend Forever Award ! How cool !

Thank you so much Lesley !!!!! She is a fun and funky artist with a great attitude and is very generous with her blogging love.

Here are the rules for paying it forward after receiving this award :

1) Choose 5 people to pass the award on to

2) 4 must be dedicated followers of your blog

3) one must be a new follower of your blog, or live in another part of the world

4) and you must link back to the person who gave you this award

Here are my picks for the Blogging Friends Forever Award (it was hard to choose only 5!!!)

1. My talented, funny, "thinker" friend, Jennifer at The Stumbly Diva

2. The superb teacher, wise woman and wonderful writer, Paula at Little Scraps of Magic

3. The bright and cheery Quebecoise artist extraordinaire, Lulu from my pink turtle

4. The supportive, infinitely kind and talented "soul journaler" Arlene at artDeMe

5. The always hilarious, super cool crafter, and hockey-loving Brit, Sarah at are you flowin'?

Congrats to all you ladies ! You so deserve to be recognized for the awesome chicks you are !

The next "atta-girl" today goes to grrl+dog, who had hosted this "lush and rampant" (her words!)discussion at her blog about ART, winged, crowned and/or otherwise, and offered a chance to win a copy of the beautiful zine, Pasticcio, for participating in the above-mentioned discussion. Things got a little heated but in a friendly debater-kind of way. Head over to Grrl's blog and watch a hilarious "doll" video she made to announce the prize winner. (Hint : it may just be a "Royal" winner !;-))

My final honorable mention today comes from the ladies at the Yahoo Soul Journal Group. Kathryn, one of the moderators there, mentioned this site : http://www.29gifts.org/ to the group.

I checked it out and was very inspired to think of ways I can add more of the giving spirit to my life. The project encourages you to give something of yourself for 29 Days and to record how it effects your life and also to recognize the rewards that your receive back as a result of your giving. I started my 29 days today, and I will give you guys some updates along the way. It seems particularily fitting to begin this now as Canadian Thanksgiving is next weekend !

So check out some of these amazing bloggers and see what treasures you find ! Happy Sunday !