Full hearts

This, my friends, is my one hundredth post...

I had not been intending to mark the occasion in any particular way,

but

it's almost Valentine's Day and because of some sweet, sweet friends

'round this blogging world of ours, here I go...

'Seasons of the Heart'

~ by Jeanie Tomanek ~ 

I found a message waiting for me this morning...Penny from Tanglewood Threads had stopped by to say she wanted to give my wee blog an award.  Oh crap.  No offense to dear Penny but I am just not an awards kinda gal.  Or I didn't think so anyway.  After a couple of guffaws, I sat back with my morning cuppa and thought about it awhile...really, it was such a nice gesture.  I should just get over myself and accept graciously.

There's more.

My last post, the one about my grandmother's needles, was one of the rare posts where I've spoken about my family.  Grandma Lange was such a huge part of my growing up time and and she taught me many things that (most) little girls want to know.  What I never mentioned was that my grandmother was of German descent....

The 'Liebster Blog Award' is of German origin, too...liebster  translates to 'dearest' or 'beloved, but it can also mean 'favorite.'  My grandmother used to call me by that name in my not-so-frequent moments of good behavior (I was a bit of a sassy handful).  A timely coincidence, yes, in my time of a full heart!  Thank you, Penny, I am honored.

So here's what it is: in the spirit of fostering new connections, the idea of the Liebster Award is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers.  Just a few rules for the recipient which come with acceptance of the award:

Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.

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Copy & paste the award onto your blog.

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Reveal your own five picks for the award & let them know by leaving them a comment on their blog.

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Have faith that the love will spread...

It's my pleasure to highlight the following great blogs, in no particular order ~ they are all wonderful.  Because I am a rule breaker, too, I am including a 6th - just because I really want to.  There is no obligation should any of you not wish to participate...simply know that you are very much appreciated out there in the blogging world ~

Art & Etc   There's an explorer in all of us & Ronnie doesn't hesitate to show us that side of herself.  Way over in Sams Creek, NSW, Australia is some "seriously irreverent" artwork happening...and I'm quite partial to all the very fine phone photography.

Prairie Break   Little horticultural miracles popping out of rocky crevices make my heart zing.  I eagerly await every post from Panoyoti (Senior Curator & Director of Outreach at the Denver Botanic Gardens) who serves up his vast knowledge of plants with the utmost of humor and wish-I-were-there pictures.

Chad Alice Hagen   My only complaint about Chad is that she doesn't blog enough (probably because of the darn cats) about her exquisite handmade books and her latest explorations into naturally resist-dyed felts, and all her teaching forays 'round the world...

Travelogue of an Artistic Mind  My newest blog acquaintance, Jen Worden, lives in the boonies of rural Nova Scotia...she's art obsessed, passionately opinionated (in a good way) and definitely not afraid to color outside the lines.  And she uses her dogs for subjects, too  :>]

LaWendula   From the heart and from the home, to the beautiful landscapes close to the Baltic Sea in Germany, this quiet and serene blog is pure inspiration and a special place to take a deep breath...

Fearfuldogs' Blog   When a seriously fearful dog named Sunny entered Debbie's life, everything changed.  He was her "inspiration and catalyst" behind the creation of her blog.  She is one of the strongest advocates for scared dogs - and how best to handle them for their optimal well being - that I have ever *met*.