A couple of Blog Awards floated my way

Work is pretty demanding of my time, attention and… well, life, lately, but I finally made enough time (instead of going to bed early), to properly thank and acknowledge the following blog awards which floated my way through the blogosphere.

Thanks a million to everyone!

Given how wonderful the lovely people who awarded me are, it makes me feel especially honored that they felt I deserved the:

Liebster Award  from Catherine Russell of Ganymeder, and Franny Stevenson of dr.franny and mrs.myself.

The rules for passing on the award are quite simple:

• Thank the person who nominated me,
• post 11 facts about myself,
• nominate 11 bloggers + notify them of their award,
• and pose 11 new random questions for them.

So… 11 facts about me, in no particular order.

1. Today, the Chef and I exchanged presents, just because we found two cute (highly perfect for each other!) magnets. Mine says “Keep calm and drink tea”, his says “Keep calm and drink coffee”.
2. I’d like to be able to move to Brasov and live in the “Writer’s Quarter”, right where it borders with “Flowers Quarter”.
3. Usually, clothes shopping for myself happens when/if my mom brings something cute home from the clothes shop she works in and I like said item. I dislike shopping for myself that much.
4. My tea supply currently holds 8 different flavors. The current favorite is Vanilla Caramel. (And I’ll have to try Dandelion tea, since Cathy says it’s sweet!)
5. The best latte I had, while out and about, was at Bibliotheque Pub with my friend Trisha, in Brasov. Crème Brûlé flavor.
6. Love having met one of my online friends in real life in April! She’s an absolute delight <3
7. I still am not rested enough since the beginning of April, since the shop merger thing at work.
8. Melon is my favorite ice cream flavor. And melon-chocolate, my favorite combo.
9. 1 and 8 are numbers which repeat themselves so much in my life. Won’t even go into it
10. This particular green I saw in the shop was never a shade I would’ve consciously chosen for drapes, but seeing it in my room, I just love it! Even upholstered my computer chair and had a decorative pillow made from the remaining fabric.
11. I simply don’t have the energy to reply to Franny’s questions, nor to form new ones myself…

As that last one states, I’d like to ask those I nominate, to please go read and reply to Franny’s questions if you want to; or see the questions she or Cathy had to answer. If not, I’ll happily read the 11 random facts about yourself even without extra questions!

 

The Sunshine Award from Kira Lyn Blue

Here are the rules:

• Include the award’s logo in a post or on your blog.
• Link to the person who nominated you.
• Answer 10 questions about yourself.
• Nominate 10 bloggers.
• Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

And now for the 10 questions:

1. Favorite color – blue.
2. Favorite animal – cat.
3. Favorite number – 81.
4. Favorite non-alcoholic drink – Lime & Mint Lemonade.
5. Favorite alcoholic drink – Coconut Mojito or Piña Colada.
6. Facebook or Twitter? – I would’ve answered differently a year ago, but right now it’s Facebook. I like Twitter nearly as much though.
7. Passions – Reading, writing, photography, creating anything handmade.
8. Prefer getting or giving presents? – Giving. I can get really awkward when receiving them…
9. Favorite City – Siracusa in Sicilia, Italia.
10. Favorite TV Shows – The Big Bang Theory, Pretty Little Liars, The Good Wife, The Flintstones (cartoon), etc.

My nominations for both of these, or the one they haven’t yet received:

Catherine Russell
Franny Stevenson
Kira Lyn Blue 
Tabula Rasa
Mark Koning 
Nessa 
Kenneth Hopkins 
Bellanda Inparis 
Becky Povich 
Janel Gradowski 
Deanna Schrayer 
Rukmini Roy
Laura Besley

Hope everyone has fun with these! Looking forward to your facts and answers

 

PS: I’m generally awful at the whole remembering who awarded me with what around the blogosphere, so I hope I haven’t forgotten about someone/something! Please remind me if so.

Small Kindnesses {Blogsplash}

I have written about small kindnesses before. Like in my blog post “Fifteen minutes and a doodle” from 2011, or in “Orchids and love” from 2009. There are other posts as well about kindness, sprinkled all over my blog.

 

Today, I want to tell you about the time when my at-the-time boyfriend broke my teapot. It was an accident, but it made me seriously upset because I only warned him a few minutes before the teapot was on the floor, shattered to hundreds of pieces. That particular teapot was from my mom, it had a nice, different shape than other ones I’ve had, it was the perfect size for as many cups of tea as I drank per day, and then it was broken. I went to bed angry…

By the time I got home the next day, there was a box waiting for me on the bed. I opened it, in it was a teapot. Similar to my old broken one, about the same size. My boyfriend went from store to store trying to find one that day so I’d be able to make tea in the afternoon. Such a loving, thoughtful and sweet gesture!

That is the teapot I’ve used ever since, and have only put it away this summer when its handle broke…

I’m unsure why this particular memory stood out as I started writing this blog post today, but I’ve long decided not to fight it and just post what feels right at the moment.

And, I want to say “Thank you!” again.

~~~

Another small kindness which warms my heart is receiving lovely gifts from a friend who lives seas, oceans and continents away. They’re displayed on my shelf, one of the first things I see after waking up.

I’ve always wanted chopsticks, and after a visit to China, he sent me a pair. They’re so beautiful! He’s such an amazing friend, I wish for everyone to have someone like him in their life! I love him dearly!

~~~

The most recent small kindness I’ve received was in form of two small chocolates to take and “eat them at work when you can use a sugar rush”. It made me smile. And feel grateful. And fall in love just a little bit more. <3

 

—————-

The Blogsplash is organized by Fiona Robyn to celebrate the release of her novel ‘Small Kindnesses’ which will be free on Kindle all day today. All you have to do is write something about being kind – a memory of someone who was kind to you, a list of kindnesses over the past week, or something kind you did for someone else. It’ll be a celebration of kindness in all its forms, especially those little kind acts that make all the difference.
To find out more visit Fiona’s blog, or join the Facebook event.

Being thankful

Today, I’ll be acknowledging two blog awards.

Funny, it seems like Fall is always coming around with my acknowledgment of awards. And it’s a first here on Life’s a Stage that I don’t leave them hanging for months at a time before I do, right?

During my hiatus, Terri, of Workin’ With What I’ve Got awarded me with The Liebster Blog Award. I approved her nomination comment as soon as I got around an internet connection and would now like to properly thank her.

Thank you so much, Terri, it fills my heart with such joy that you thought of my little corner of the web!

The rules of acceptance related to this award are:

The Liebster Blog Award is an award for blogs with under 200 followers. Apparently Liebster is German for “beloved” and a blog nominated for this award is “worth watching”.

• If you are nominated for the award and accept it, then you have won!
• Link back to the person who presented the award to you.
• Nominate 5 blogs with less than 200 followers who you feel deserve the award.
• Let the nominees know by leaving a comment on their blog.
• Attach the Liebster award badge to your site.

 

The second award comes from Lynn, of Present Letters. We met back when she was doing the A Month of Letters challenge, where she’d hand write a letter a day for a month. Lynn offered to write anyone a letter if they sent her their info. As I was looking to adopt a love letter bundle at the time, I contacted her and asked if she’d write a letter, not for me, but for someone else. Lynn has been so wonderful, she accepted and has been writing a love letter a month ever since!

Thank you for being such an amazing person, Lynn, and also for awarding me!

The rules of acceptance related to this award are:

• Acknowledge the giver of the award and provide a link to his or her blog.
• Copy and paste the award to your blog.
• Pass the award on to up to ten bloggers.
• Notify the selected bloggers of their nominations.

I will compromise with the rules (of how many people to award) for a second here and send both these awards on to five blogs I absolutely love and think are worth watching:

1. Kid Stuph, by Kenneth Hopkins – wisdom from the mind of a grown up kid on various life subjects like travel, writing, nature, photography, etc. Kenneth loves being an artist in an artistic household. There is always something being created, whether it be music, art, poetry, drawings or plays.
2. tabras’s space, by Trisha – a little look at life through a multifaceted lens of introspection, inspiration, and inquisition… a single perspective from a single person that tries to incorporate wider ideas of life, love, culture, perception, positivity, and self realization…
3. Challenging Barriers, by Mark Koning – The scariest thing about facing any barriers in life is keeping the fear bottled up inside. The best way to work through any obstacle in life is to talk about it and to know you are not alone. That is what his blog is all about, opening up, sharing and walking the path of accessibility.
4. Workin’ With What I’ve Got, by Terri – a series of freewrites, though, as the blog progresses, they’re no longer derived from stream-of-conscious writing. Terri has written for publication some twenty-plus years and her artwork has been exhibited for almost as long, currently offering classes and coaching.
5. Present Letters, by Lynn – writing in her favorite form of writing, epistolary, Lynn loves hand writing letters to people. She also love to cook, garden and do anything creative.

Hope you guys will accept the awards and if you have one of them already, just focus on the other

Estrella Azul, Featured Poet

My week started out quite badly. It continued in the same manner. Though it’s only Wednesday, I’m somehow having the worst week of 2012 so far. (You guys, dear friends have been very supportive and wonderful – thank you! It helps.)

However, last night I came home to see myself featured on Dani Harris’s My Heart’s Love Songs, as part of her Featured Poets Series.

Dani’s description of me includes “she lives in Kolozsvár/Cluj-Napoca, Romania  but could truly be the girl next door in any country ~  as long as that girl is a young woman bursting with talent and creativity and sweetness. […] Estrella is one of  the most charming people you will ever meet.”

Well what can I say, except that Dani’s kind words about me and our friendship have turned my week around!

Thank you, Dani!

In lieu of a love letter

Life’s a Stage won a few awards this year and I’m sooo late in properly acknowledging them. Again. I know. Sorry about that!

That doesn’t mean I wasn’t (and still am!) excited to be considered worthy of them, so I’ll finally take a minute to thank Mari and Patsye for loving me and my blog!

Starting off with the most overdue award (oh my gosh, how did February turn into October like that?!), I’m so grateful to have received these pretty flowers from Mari.
Thank you, Mari!

I’m sending them on to:

1. Patsye, at Whimseytopia - for her warm friendship and wonderfully crafty blog which I fell in love with from the first visit.
2. Becky Sain, at First pages – for continuously inspiring me with her lovely writing; no matter when I happen to drop by her place.
3. Cindy Fasset, at Wings and Arrows – for always trying to be present and choosing a road to learn all about Love; and then sharing.

And last, but not least, one of the best surprises these past few weeks (I’m only two weeks late on this one. Right?), the Crow Worthy Award, which came from Patsye as a way to say thank you, she likes me, and she hopes I keep writing my wonderful posts.
Thank You, Patsye, you have truly touched my heart!

I’ll pass along this award to a few people I would like to recognize with the following words:

* I have enjoyed your blog and want to say thank you.
* Your photographs and writing have brought me great joy.
* I have subscribed to your blog and will recommend you to others.
* I believe you exemplify the spirit of blogging and what it means to share.

1. Mari, at Mari’s Randomities
2. Kenneth Hopkins, at Kid Stuph
3. Trisha, at Tabula Rasa’s Space

Thank you again!

Out the door, right out of my comfort zone

Something I occasionally always do is: question. Even when I shouldn’t. Even when I know there’s no reason to. Yet I do it. Especially regarding myself. There’s nothing in this world I question more then myself.

This is why many things are out of my comfort zone. And of course they call it “comfort zone” because it is just that, comfortable. I don’t like to make things uncomfortable. I avoid it as much as possible.

However, there are those moments when I remember to choose acting on that first instinct. When my answer to an invitation is “Yes”. After which I start hyperventilating and panicking about basically only knowing one person at that event I agreed to attend. I do this right up until the last minute before ringing the doorbell and being welcomed into the circle.

And then I realize how wrong I can be.

I realize how pushing myself out the door and right out of my comfort zone is more than beneficial. How much fun I have as soon as I get comfortable. How I do get comfortable. How getting home at 6 AM never felt quite as great. How, when someone (three guesses who?) throws the idea of taking a walk and watching the sunrise since we’re up out there, one’s friend agrees without asking why.

It’s still tough even though I’ve had numerous proofs to this end. The important thing is, I’m working on getting better at it. I’m doing my best to say “Yes” to more and more new things than I would’ve before, than I would’ve even just a year ago.

~~~

And for something completely different: don’t you just love it how/when Love turns up in the most unexpected places? Like while playing board games.

All smiles :)

It’s Friday. It’s a special day that started out with many Twitter mentions and messages, e-mails, chat, texts, Facebook status comments and messages – and a beautiful Rosa Tros shoved under my nose this morning while I was still asleep!

I’m all smiles

A perfect start to my day – thank you everyone!

 

Now… that said:

Don’t you just love it when even your food smiles at you?