Blog World ...

A view of my re-sorted linen cupboard with a couple of shelves devoted to "knuckles' baby things from a couple of weeks ago.
I am always intrigued by photos of other peoples homes - sheer admiration for those organised tidy souls who keep everything in place.
I also love the messy souls, they keep it real and make me feel normal.

I am sitting up with a cup of licquorice tea at 2.59am, sleepless again as this wee boy inside me refuses to sleep when it's night time (much like his mother). The annoying thing is that although I do not need to get up and go to work tomorrow, I do have two healthy robust school children home for the holidays. Top that with a cold that has mutated into a chest infection and a five-day light-sensitive headache, and I am feeling a bit mental for lack of much needed sleep.

Enter my blogworld. I am lying there with a slumbering husband in need of a bit of company. So I waddle (cannot wait until I walk normal again) into the mess otherwise known as study/studio and log in to my own little creative and inspiring community.

How fortunate I am to have found the blogging community. To have made the plunge myself this last year and started my own online journal. I read of my dear friends, their adventures, travels and journeys; their disappointments and frustrations; their delightful creations; their thoughts and souls bared for us to share. The photographs of places I have never seen and yet can appreciate without leaving the comfort of my home, whilst in turn I can share my world and have fresh eyes and minds appreciate my own corner of the world. My family who live across the ocean can keep an eye on us and have access to us without distance being too big a deal.

There are times, especially as I slowly came to terms with an unplanned pregnancy when I couldn't even venture past my front door, needing the security and quiet of my home while I processed the million questions that my new situation created. Even with a lovely home, good life, solid husband and two healthy sons, and big faith in my heavenly father; I just wasn't prepared for an infant. Another life to be responsible for. So I took to the hills and waited until calm returned and peace was restored. I did pray, and I did receive what I took to be my answer. It sort of sounded like a reassuring echo that no matter what I have faced in life, things have always turned around and been for my betterment. And that I always come to the right conclusions despite my messy ungracious ability to cope with change.

Admitting my own weaknesses, allowing myself to fail and 'not know', to 'not' be in control have been big lessons this year. Living life each day in the moment became my focus. Doing this here online has been a really positive experience. My inbox was chock full of encouragement and support - from remedies for morning sickness, to testimonies from others in similar situations to just plain admiration for my life. It all added up to a big and much-needed boost.

Having left my church community last year, I found my support circle immediately shrink. It is kinda reminiscent to leaving one's childhood home - needing to be independent and yet missing the home comforts. Still, love continued to flow in from the universe as friends I had previously overlooked became more central and I was available for new experiences. I will always be grateful and thankful for my church community, and my heart is still open to finding a new church home.

Anyhooos ... my reason for my rambling is that India, my friend from across the ditch gave me an award way back in August for my blog and I am finally responding in my own fashion. Mostly out of gratitude to these blogs that keep me inspired - not just by their artwork, but by their lives, do the following women receive my own version of this award.
Here are my nominations, people I visit with anticipation each time knowing that I leave with new gifts of inspiration and appreciation of both theirs and my own life:

Nina Bagley. Mixed media artist, jewellery, bookmaker, writer and photographer, fellow soul. USA. http://ornamental.typepad.com/

India Flint. Artist, author and deep soul. Australia http://prophet-of-bloom.blogspot.com/

Sara Lechner. Textile artist extrodanaire. Austria http://thefabricofmeditation.blogspot.com/

Melissa. Homemaker, handmade creative soul. Kiwi residing in Norway. http://tinyhappy.typepad.com/

Robyn. Artist, carver, journal keeper, generous soul with real monkeys in her backyard tree. South Africa http://artpropelled.blogspot.com/

I don't think I have followed the conditions properly but this is my take on the award and I happily mention the above because I wholeheartedly love their blogs. It is hard to choose because there are so many but these are my top five.

If you are nominated you are meant to:

1. Put the logo on your blog.
2.Link to the person who gave you the award.
3.Nominate at least 7 other blogs. (Oops, I did five).
4.Put links to those on your blog.
5. Leave a message on those blogs.

Just as an aside, my mother sent me an email to confirm a trip over in December when Knuckles is due to make an appearance. That is pretty cool news for us all here. A visit from Nanny Mo is just the ticket to help me through those couple of weeks and provide us all with some much needed support and distraction. I cannot wait. She gets my nomination for mother of the century!! See you soon mum.