Slack Sally is my other name!

I'm ashamed to admit I have been hoarding new awards and not acknowledging them here, or passing them on for too long now. So today I am going to correct my lack of blog etiquette and rectify this, but I am also only going pass on each to IMHO very deserving recipients and not just the number required.

Now I know some of you think these awards are just a bit of 'blog fluff' and switch off when you see 'award'. But let me tell you this post took me 3 hours to write and I gave alot of thought to what I wrote and who I passed them onto. I have taken this as a chance to introduce you to some of my fave bloggers and a little bit about them, in the hope you'll go visit.

The 'Light in the Soul' award recognises bloggers who let the light in their soul radiate throughout their blog, spreading warmth to their readers. It was given to me by Karen at 'Border Town Notes', her wonderful blog about life in Africa is a great escape into the wild and a life most of us will never experience. I have been amazed by her posts on giant Ant Hills, Elephants blocking highways and incredible sunsets and vistas.

I am passing on this lovely award to Braja at 'Lost and Found in India'. She and her husband recently narrowly survived a horrendous car wreck and yet the light in her soul burns brighter than ever. She writes about her fascinating life in India (soon to be a bestselling book) and her strong faith beautifully and wisely.

The second recipient is Gaelyn and her blog 'Geogypsy' which is all about her extraordinarily uncomplicated life. Gaelyn is a seasonal Park Ranger (currently at the Grand Canyon) and lives the ultimate life of freedom from her RV year round and has done so since 1997. She is one of the most independant and brave women I have ever come across and I admire her hugely. All three of these blogs will take you far away from your own life and bless you with their warmth.

The 'Sisterhood' award is given out to those blogging ladies who demonstrate and encourage sisterhood with their blog. I was honoured to receive this from Bella Foxx who has a few blogs and is a very talented and honest NY'er, jewelry maker and book reviewer overcoming lifes hurdles a tweet or post at a time. I also received this from Kat of '3 Bedroom Bungalow to let in Crazytown' who moved in the opposite direction to myself. She writes about her life as a military wife, young mum and American expat' discovering the eccentricities of England.

I am passing this on to just one lady blogger, who is my role model for encouraging sisterhood in the blog world, Daryl of 'Out & About in New York City'. Her blog is an eclectic mix of great photographs, featurettes, her hubby inspired Toon, entertaining anecdotes and great style. She never fails to reply to a comment by a personal email, she is generous to a fault and engenders much love for her amongst her regular readers.

Sherri of 'Sherri's Reading Jubilee' presented me with the 'Splash' award, which is for blogs that inspire, awe, allure, amuse, bewitch or impress you. Sherri was one of the ladies who inspired me to start my own blog, after we met on a reading message board at Weightwatchers Online. She writes about her love of books, her life and family in North Carolina, gardening, lifes trials and her at times stressful but much loved job. She has a kind hearted blog that overflows with love and warmth.

This was a tough one, but I am going to give this to the man who is my biggest inspiration amongst photography blogs, Ivar Ivrig. He inspires, awes, bewitches and impresses me constantly with his stunning landscape pictures of Norway, a country I'd now love to visit thanks to him. He is also generous with his advice, having recently helped me improve my photography blog template. I urge you to go and be awed by his photography and unfailing eye for the shot.

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words!

Wow this is a fun award and I'd like to thank my fellow Okie and Geocacher Yogi of 'Yogi's Den'. He was our inspiration to become Geocachers, for which the Hubster will be forever grateful. He writes about his life in Tulsa, Super Pizza Boy, the best places to eat and the best things to see. He is also a fellow Skywatcher and My World'er, so we have many things in common. Mary also kindly gave me this fun award and she was one of my first inspirations (also WW's online) and readers. She has my own personal favourite book reviewing blog, we share similar tastes and she has tipped me off to many great books I might not have found otherwise. So if you are a reader then check her out.

Okay so who would I brave a pack of zombie chickens for, or my interpretation - who do I read everyday without fail. That would be my good 'real-life' friend PamOKC, who I met through my blog and then we moved into reality. She is also married to an expat' Brit' from the same area I moved from and we all get on fabulously. Her blog is a mix of her life, great photography (she is a photoshop wonder), her unmissable weekly American Idol Snark Station where the fans all trade strong opinions, and great funnies. Recently she has been under huge personal stress, with her sister Carole in ICU for weeks sedated, a house move and her very pressured job working in state government. So she has really been through a 'zombie apocolypse' but still she posts everyday without fail. She deserves a wider audience, so please go visit her.

The 'Renee' award celebrates women's smart, strong and inspirational spirit! It honors women who spread joy and love like an Acorn, a small package growing into a tall and sturdy oak tree which gives more acorns.

I was delighted to receive this firstly from fellow expat' Brit' Jo of blog a 'A Brit in Tennessee', a completely charming corner of the bloggy world. Jo has such a lovely, refined and warm blog, it's like curling up under your favourite quilt. If you are a fan of England, antiques and lifes refinements, you will enjoy Jo. I was then delighted to get this again the same day from Jill of the blog 'Jill of all Trades'. Jill is another resident of Tulsa and an Okie. I enjoy reading about her busy and interesting life as a wife and business partner, plus her sparkling social life at 'the cabin'. She shares her life generously and is a great renovator and refurbisher, often proving inspirational.

This one goes to the hilarious Sassy of 'Well okay, Sassy Britches'. We found each other purely by chance a few months ago and it was immediate and mutual blog infatuation. We are very like minded and so I love her highly entertaining and often side splittingly funny posts. She pulls no punches, tells it like it is and has a large loyal following. If you enjoy my blog, then I'll personally guarantee you'll love her blog style.

Do you reach for a cup of cocoa or tea when you’re relaxing, seeking comfort, sharing a plate of cookies with family & friends? You know that feeling you get when you drink a yummy cup of cocoa, tea ~ or a hot toddy? That is what the Heartfelt award is all about, blogs that leave you feeling warm inside. Now there ought to be a cute mouse peeking in/out of that cup, but I cannot get it to load properly! Yet again I was blessed with this cute award by the afore highlighted Sherri who I really ought to pay a retainer too!

Anyway this was an obvious choice for me and I am delighted to give my final award to a couple of lovely ladies. Kay of the fabulous blog 'Musings' is a lady with a wonderful life and attitude. She is a retired teacher who last year moved to Hawaii and now shares it's great beauty with her readers. Her husband loves to travel extensively; currently they are touring Canada with her mom, last year it was Japan, and she always takes us along for her personal tour. Kay has one of those beautiful faces that just radiates her personality and I'm delighted to have got to know her.

Last but not least is a relatively new find for me, Esther Garvi a real life inspiration living in Nigeria. Her parents started the Eden Foundation in 1985, which educates the locals to utilise the many edible plants, shrubs and trees to stave off famine. Esther leads a really fascinating life as a volunteer worker, educator, horse breeder, spokeswoman and writer. Niger is a beautiful country and Esther shows it off with her wonderful photography and entertaining posts, go check her out.

Phew I feel like I just announced the Oscars, if you're still with me feel free to pick any award and take it, just for your perseverance!