I’ve been intrigued by the award icons on various blogs I follow.  And now I can add one of these awards to my list — the Shine On! award given to me by Val Stamp, author of the blog Valentina Designs. I’m grateful to her just for following my blog and really surprised by her nice gesture of passing on this award that I can now post on my site.

Val is an interior designer and fashion designer.  She loves food, life and everything creative.  Check out her creative blog at http://valentinadesigns.wordpress.com.

The rules of the award are quite simple:

1) Show appreciation of the blogger who nominated you and link back to them in your pst.

2) Add the award logo to your blog.

3) Share 7 things about yourself

4) Pass the award on to 5-10 other bloggers you admire.

Here are five blogs I admire and have selected to win the Shine On!  Award:

1. Mary Gilmartin — http://marygilmartin.wordpress.com

Mary’s the author of Adventures with Easton, The Magical Journey published in 2012.  She was born in Tennessee and grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina.  She blogs about Georgia (where she lives), museums, festivals, pets, books, etc.

2. Mrs. & the Misc. — http://mrsandthemisc.com

Four women write this blog, and the topics of their posts range from home decor ideas to cooking and making life wonderful for children. Very creative ideas for living in this blog!

3. retireediary — http://retireediary.wordpress.com

One of my favorite photography blogs written by Michael Lai, a retiree living in Hong Kong.  Michael brings the Word-a-Day challenges to life with his pictures that are vivid, colorful, and unique in terms of content and perspective.

4. A Word In Your Ear — http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com

Another fascinating photo blog from a writer who loves travel, children, and animals.  Judging from her recent posts, she also loves clouds, sunsets, and the beauties of nature.

5. Sethsnap — http://sethsnap.com

Seth Snap photographs the world around him, so I like him already.  He lives near Cincinnati, a fact I can forgive since he was raised in the Deep South!

And now, seven statements about me, in no particular order!

1. I love teaching — children, teens, adults.  Doesn’t matter.  I enjoy standing in front of people and showing them how to do something or posing questions to see if I can get them to think.  (Hmmm.  Could be a connection to my career of 45 years!)

2. I enjoy watching movies with my husband and then sitting in our seats until we’ve read (or mostly read) all the credits — even when people in our row crawl over us to get out. We just crane our necks and keep reading!

3. My favorite milkshake is Peanut Butter, and I have no idea why!

4. All homes should have a few antiques — family or found.  Just anything old makes me wonder where it came from, who used it, how did it get to where it is today.

5. I’m trying to develop the perfect recipe for pimiento cheese.  Bear with me.  It’s a work in progress.

6. One of my guilty pleasures is standing in airport bookstores perusing the latest home decor magazines.  (Before you judge me — I DO buy a few!!!)

7.  I was a seat filler at Miss America 2013 because I talked my way into it!! Loved the whole experience.

Thanks for reading.  I love life and hope I shine on!

Rusha