"It's a Major Award" or Two

I received some really great news a couple of days ago. My friend, Vickie, who has a wonderful blog over at Aoibheal's Lair, nominated me for two blogger awards - the Awesome Blog Content Award and the Sunshine Blogger Award! Thank you so much, Vickie! I am so excited about this. It should be really fun. There are a few things I have to do in response to her nominating me. In so doing, you will get a chance to learn a little bit more about me. So let's get started!

The first award is the Awesome Blog Content Award. The rules for this are as follows:

• Download the award logo and add it to your acceptance post.
• Nominate a few fellow bloggers. (This has to be done for both awards so I'll postpone it until the end of this post).
• Take each letter of the alphabet and use it to tell something about yourself.

I first thought I'd make my ABC list about me, the Pagan. Then, I thought, no, I would do it about me, the gardener. Okay. Scratch that. I'd make it a general list of what is important to me in life. After a bit more thought, I just sat down with a pen and paper, wrote each letter of the alphabet down one side of the page, and wrote out a word or two for each letter. The list ended up being a combination of things about me - pagan, gardener, just me. This is what I came up with:

A - Autumn - my favorite season of the year and the one my birthday falls in.

B - the Beach - the place that brings me such peace and solace, renews my soul.

C - Chris and Christopher - my husband and son.

D - Dirt - yes, I said dirt, as in soil, from where my garden is nurtured.

E - the Environment - of which I am a fierce defender.

F - Family and Friends - who I share so much with.

G - Gardening - not just a hobby for me but part of who I am as a witch.

H - Herbs - my favorite things to grown in the garden and to work with in magic, healing, cooking, etc.

I - Individuality - it's what makes me, well, me.

J - Justice - I am the sign of the scales after all.

K - the Kitchen - where I work with most of my herbs, share meals with my family, and can see my gardens.

L - Love and Laughter - such important things in life, good for the body, mind and spirit.

M - Mother Earth and Mama Moon - two beautiful "beings" to be in tune with.

N - Nature - it's my church.

O - the Ocean - where I let my cares float away whenever I can.

P - Peace - in my home, my life, and my heart.

Q - Quiet - the older I get, the more quiet I enjoy.

R - Reading - my favorite past time.

S - Sisters - both my familial sisters and my spiritual sisters.

T - Trees - the most majestic of the garden beings

U - the Universe - where each strand in the web of life meets.

V - my Village - all the people in my life who play a role in who I was, am and will be.

W - Writing - my passion, the thing I have always loved to do since I was a young child.

X - X - the band, like in "Wild Thing", just because I couldn't think of anything else.

Y - Yule - which marks the beginning of the return of the Sun.

Z - Zeitgeist - my favorite Smashing Pumpkins album and which means the spirit of the time.

And now for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Here I have to nominate 10 fellow bloggers. Alas, not many bloggers like to participate in things like this so I will only nominate a few blogs I really enjoy.  The first is, of course, Vickie's blog, Aoibheal's Lair. Vickie's blog is always a good read and allows you to really know who she is. Next up is my friend Molly who has a wonderful blog at Green Grove - A Place to Grow where Molly takes you with her on her spiritual path through life in the West Virginia mountains. My third nomination is for My Moonlit Path, a fabulous blog by my friend, Autumn Earthsong. Autumn shares delicious recipes and great ideas for sabbats in her blog. And last, but certainly not least, is A Witch By Any Other Name. This blog is written by Tess, who is not only a friend and a fellow witch but an incredible craftswoman, making beautiful jewelry.

I have also been asked to write 11 facts about myself. Some of these are very general and others look a bit deeper into me.

1. I am married, for almost 19 years now, to the love of my life, my very best friend, and the guy who still sweeps me off my feet.
2. I have a teenage son who is intelligent, handsome, a bit anti-establishment, and sometimes seems to be channeling Jim Morrison.
3. To quote the Fresh Prince, "In West Philadelphia born and raised". Yep, that's where I'm from. I have lived in or outside of Philadelphia all my life. It's only a short drive to the Jersey Shore where I spent every Summer, the entire Summer, for the first 18 years of my life and have vacationed or spent countless weekends ever since.
4. I am a Master Gardener. Well, I still have some volunteer work to do and a project to complete before I receive my certification but I passed the test with flying colors and am well on my way.
5. I have been a witch for almost 25 years. I am mostly solitary, having spent a brief time in a coven many years ago, and wanting a circle of my own in the near future.
6. I always wanted to be a meteorologist. No, not the one you see on TV giving you the 5-day forecast but the one behind the scenes at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the National Weather Service or the Storm Prediction Center, the real science behind the forecast.
7. I technically have three jobs. I type medical reports at home, am office manager for a chiropractor, and an administrative assistant for a medical review company owned by the same chiropractor.
8. I have one tattoo but have always wanted more. I just can't make up my mind on what I want and, after getting the first one when I was 19 and not really thinking, I don't want to screw it up. They're permanent after all!
9. I am a hippie at heart. Give me an old pair of jeans, a really soft and comfy t-shirt and a pair of flip-flops any day of the week over any other outfit.
10. I like to collect old things - first edition Maxfield Parrish prints, Roseville pottery, art nouveau lamps and vases, and vintage postcards from the 1890's through the early 20's mainly.
11. I am a chocoholic. Yes, I admit it. I have a real problem. I love any kind of chocolate and have been known to eat unsweetened baking chocolate if desperate!

Well, that's it! I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little better. Don't forget to check out my fellow bloggers!

Blessings!