Happy New Year! (+ a mocktail recipe and an award!)

A big thank you to all who have been following my blog in 2012 – I wish you all a wonderful start to the new year!

How are you welcoming 2013?  Anyone with great resolutions, exciting parties or big plans?  I’d love to hear about it!

I am grateful just to be at home.  I will spend the evening watching movies and guzzling water in an attempt to flush out a kidney stone (which, luckily, is small enough to have only required a 12-hour stay in the hospital).

I had planned to crack open a bottle of my homemade frost grape wine tonight, but obviously that wouldn’t be very wise right now.  So, I’d like to share my favorite ‘mocktail’ recipe:   It’s bubbly & fruity!  Mix together the following:

1 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. orange juice

1 oz. pineapple juice

2 oz. ginger ale

The original recipe is found HERE (I leave out the grenadine, as it is filled with artificial dyes and more… tastes fine without it).

I would also like to end the year by extending my appreciation for being given a Sunshine Award by fellow blogger Melissa over at Just Enough Sugar.  If you love desserts, be sure to check out her lovely blog!

This award is given from one blogger to another for “positively and uniquely inspiring others in the blogosphere,” and is symbolized by a flower.

The process:

(I am editing this to say: I realize that this is a time consuming thing, and don’t expect that you complete any or all of this process – I simply wanted to pass it forward to thank Melissa, and to show some appreciation for those who have recently inspired me in the blog world.)

1. Acknowledge the person who gave this award in a blog post.
2. Complete the Q&A below.
3. Pass on the award to 10 deserving and inspiring bloggers, inform them and link to their blogs.

–I must admit, I do not spend a lot of time reading other blogs.  So, rather than search for 10 to nominate, I will be sharing this award with a few successful blogs I follow and find inspiring.

Q&A:

1. Who is your favorite philosopher? Not particularly traditional philosophers, but rather nature philosophers –  Thoreau and Emerson.
2. What is your favorite number?  Is it strange that I don’t have one?
3. What is your favorite animal?  Dogs, well – my dog, specifically.  Really, though I’m kind of a nature fanatic and love wildlife in general…
4. What is your favorite time of day?  9am or so on a sunny day.
5. What are your Facebook and Twitter?  I’ll pass on this one (I’m rather private, despite maintaining a public blog, ha. :)
6. What is your favorite holiday?  Winter solstice – daylight is on the increase!
7. What is your physical favorite activity?  During winter, snowshoeing and x-country skiing, all other seasons- hiking and kayaking.
8. What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink? A blend of half-water, half-lemonade.
9. What is your passion?  Nature and art… if they’re combined, even better.
10. What is your favorite flower? This is hard, I love wildflowers.  My favorite in spring is wild geranium… one of the first pops of color around here!

My nominees:

Make Great : a colorful blog brimming with creativity and recipes

Clouds of Colour : another colorful blog with fantastic art, design and photography

Beautiful Hello : a beautiful blog full of art, design, and creativitiy

ps- thanks to Melissa (Just Enough Sugar), Larissa at Love and Green Juice, and the Sown in Peace blog for Liebster award nominations awhile ago (sorry I am so pokey in acknowledging it)!  The process is similar to this one, so I won’t take the time to complete it- but I do SO appreciate all of you reading my blog and sharing it with others!

Happy New Year!

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