Blog Awards… Sharing the Love!

This post is overdue… not because I am not thankful, but more because I was surprised, flattered, and caught off guard to be nominated for blog awards by my peers!

I am quite new to the bloggering world, and I admittedly did zero research and just jumped in writing with both feet because I was inspired by the changes in my life that came from eating gluten free. It wasn’t until I had been blathering on and snapping pics with my phone (yes I am still using my phone, sad but true), that I opened my eyes to see all of YOU, and that I wasn’t alone in blogging about food and lifestyle choices. How great is that?!

I have always enjoyed writing, whether it was an email to a friend, a college research paper, or just getting some thoughts down on paper to vent or amuse… but I never really thought of myself as a writer. I guess I still don’t, and yet here I am writing several times a week about something I love (food) and something I believe in strongly (healthy living through diet) and expressing it hopefully in an artful way to people who share similar interests (YOU)!

The reason I was so surprised to be nominated for a blog award is that as I read and look and comment on everyone’s posts, I never cease to be amazed by the creativity coming from your hearts and kitchens. I drool over images and recipes, try a few out myself here and there, and store all the info away in the back of my mind to pull out next time I have certain ingredients on hand. So, thank you to everyone out here who is blogging and sharing, it is such a positive experience!

THANK YOU!

Now, on to the awards… thank you first to Glutenvy Girl for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger award! Your support and comments have been very much appreciated and you are an inspiration! Yours was one of the first gluten free blogs I found, and your positivity spills over 🙂

 

Next, I would like to thank CookingUpTheCure for nominating for me the Liebster award. I have enjoyed her blog very much, and the shared dialog as well. I always learn new things when I visit this blog, and learning is one of my passions in life! Especially learning things that I can apply and put into practice.

Random Facts about Me…

Part of accepting the awards is sharing some facts and information about myself. Hmmmmm! I am not quite sure where to go with this, so…

1. I am a mom and it is the most challenging and best thing that ever happened to me. By far, I am a better person because of who I have chosen and evolved to be for my son. I’m thankful that we are traveling together in this life!
2. I love going out dancing, especially to 80’s music and alternative rock!
3. I grow an herb garden every year (even when it had to be in pots) and use them frequently in my foods and in remedies.
4. I am an artist, and have painted dozens of murals over the years. You can see some of my work here.
5. I am addicted to sushi, and taught myself how to make it at home several years ago because we live in a sushi-deficient small town 😉 I was thrilled to find out that most sushi is gluten free!
6. I prefer utilizing natural remedies for most ailments (when common sense dictates) and some of my favorite ingredients are Bragg’s organic apple cider vinegar (with the Mother), baking soda, peroxide, witch hazel, coconut oil, shea butter, cayenne pepper, borax, lemon, local honey and herbs.
7. I also clean with white vinegar and baking soda, and don’t purchase things like Windex.
8. I believe LOVE is the answer. Love yourself, love each other, love the earth!
9. I am passionate about learning, and strive to learn and share something new every day. I think that a life filled with learning (not necessarily in a school setting) is what enriches our existence, along with LOVE 🙂
10. I’m glad I can’t eat gluten. Seriously, I am. I am thankful that discovering an intolerance is what finally pushed me over the edge, and made clear to me how bad processed carbs are. I always knew it at some level, but now knowing WHY makes it pretty much painless to go without it. OK literally painless, because my body feels great now!

 

Paying it Forward

I would like to nominate the following blogs for the Versatile Blogger Award:

Cooking Up The Cure Versatile is an understatement, variety and information abound on this blog!
While Chasing Kids Not only a great name, but an interesting blog, bringing a Russian twist to healthful foods.
Gracefully Gluten Free Informative and positive, check out the recent post about whether oats are gluten free!
The Food Refashionista Great concept and dedication to making over foods to fit special dietary considerations!
Being Here Now   Flavorful ideas from a multi-cultural point of view!

And for the Liebster Award:

Gabrielle Whitney Visit for a variety of flavorful and healthful recipes.
Feed the Piglet Beautiful images and commentary along with delicious recipes!
Frugal Feeding When you feast your eyes and belly on the recipes, you may think the name is misleading, but it takes talent to be gourmet and frugal!
A Table in the Sun a newer blog with some tasty recipes and interesting commentary.
Cook to Love Great gluten free recipes and inspiration!

I hope that I didn’t nominate someone who had more than 200 followers, but I wasn’t able to locate those numbers in most cases… so just take it as flattery anyway, and know that I enjoy your blog!  I have so many more to visit, thank you for sharing this journey with me!
~Gretchen