Stylish Blogger Award!

Something pretty I made and ate a while back . . .

Sally Kitten at "Of the Kitten Kind" has bestowed the "Stylish Blogger Award" upon "A Midlife Vegan" among other blogs. I am honored!  I love Sally's blog. Her recipes are inventive and luscious (I featured her "Almond Parsnip Soup" on "A Midlife Vegan" once). Her photos are beautiful and artfully done, which is no surprise since Sally is also an artist -- there's a link to some of her amazing artwork on the blog. Besides the rich content of Sally's blog, I get a real kick from visiting because of Sally's positive, youthful exuberance. I always leave smiling and refreshed.

As a recipient of the Stylish Blogger Award, I need to provide seven facts about myself:

1. I have been vegan for a little over a year now. I provided details ad nauseum about this transition in a recent post "Happy V-Day to Me!" Suffice it to say, it was the right decision. I'm not going back.

2. I've not held a full-time job since 1993 when I was a Campaign Associate at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. My duties there included Events Planning, Fundraising and  Speech Writing. I was honored to work with remarkable people including survivors of the Holocaust. I used to give hardhat tours of the Museum's construction site to prospective donors. My husband and I moved to Detroit right before the Museum opened its doors to the public.

3. Since getting married in 1992, we have moved eight times. Cities have included Detroit, MI, Williamsburg, VA (back to my alma mater for a couple of years -- William and Mary - yeah!), Winston-Salem, NC, Fairfax VA, and Alpharetta GA. We have been planted here in Georgia for over ten years now.

4. Being a mother is the most fulfilling and most difficult thing I've ever done. I would not have missed it.

5. I love writing -- I've published some articles and have a book of short stories that is languishing on my hard drive since blogging is currently a better fit during this "drop everything" chapter of life with teenage kids.

6. I have ambitions for more schooling, maybe something in healthcare for my second chapter of employment. I'd love feedback about suggested courses of study from any of you with experience in this area.

7. I've been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis for over 15 years now. I have been giving myself injections daily for over ten years. The injections are not interferon, which I tried for a year before starting this "decoy" medicine. I think interferon is the devil and will not try it again under any circumstance. Integrative Medicine has been very helpful to me. The vegan diet has provided the most dramatic benefits.

Now I get to award ten more recipients of this coveted "Stylish Blogger Award". I will do so with the caveat that I have a feeling I've seen some of my favorites with this award already, So if you find yourselves "doubly awarded" don't feel the need to go through all the motions again, unless you want to!

I'm in a bit of a "branching out" phase of my veganism, and am loving learning more about specific nutritional approaches. One blog that is very intriguing to me of late is Lisa's "Raw on $10 a Day (Or Less!)" The content is so new and fresh to me that I had to run right out and buy a dehydrator! I'm officially inspired. But beyond the content, we have another artist here folks! The blog is gorgeous and meticulously styled and Lisa's actual artwork (link is on her blog) is ethereally beautiful. It positively transports. When I look at some of Lisa's pieces, I am compelled anew to pursue neglected dreams with a youthful vigor. Well done, Lisa.

Another blogger whose nutritional expertise is much appreciated is Dr. Joanne M. Williams at "Foods for Long Life". Dr. Joanne has been inspiring my cooking and attention to nutrition for quite some time. Thanks!

Debbie at "The Health Seekers Kitchen" is someone else with some nutritional expertise I'd like to recognize. Her healthy, creative recipes never disappoint and her photos are gorgeous! Though I've not personally met Debbie, she feels like a good friend through the blogwaves. Debbie is one of those I may have already seen as a "Stylish Blogger Award" recipient.

While we are still on the subject of nutrition, I'd like to feature someone whose work I've recently been enjoying, Ainslie from "Everyone Is Vegan". Ainslie is a nutritionist (forgive me, Ainslie, if I don't have your title just right). In any case, she sounds like she knows what she's doing. I always feel like I have learned something important about the vegan food I'm eating whenever I visit Ainslie's blog, and as a bonus I get to enjoy quirky clips from different sources that mean something to Ainslie. I remember one day, during my son's recent health crisis, being afforded a much-needed belly-laugh from a "30 Rock" clip posted by Ainslie on her blog. Ainslie's energy  is enjoyable in a blog format. Her irreverance is refreshing.

Speaking of irreverance, I LOVE "Vegan Burnout".  Shannon is amazing, she's just . . . anything I say won't do her justice. You've just got to read her for yourself.  She's awesome -- oh yeah, and her food is good too!

Trying not to veer off the subject of nutrition just yet, I do want to mention Vivaciousvegan at "Adventures of a NutritarianVegan in Midwestern America". I am absolutely positive that Vivacious recently received this award, but I need to count her as one of my most current inspirations. Besides a wealth of knowledge about nutrition beyond the scope of my own, Vivacious (who does have a name, I think it is Jennifer? -- I can no longer find it on her blog and my short-term memory loss is kicking in . . .) is inspiring to me as a fellow chronic-illness manager. Right after my diagnosis, many family members urged me to find a support group, but I intuitively knew that belonging to such a group would be the beginning of my demise. I employ a healthy dose of denial in my disease management. So, while my approach of "let it be as if it were not," has worked for me thus far, it does leave me with a deficit of identifiable associative personae. Vivacious' (Jennifer's?) blog allows me to step harmlessly for a moment into the experience of another with perhaps similar challenges (though our diseases are very different). Vivacious' upbeat attitude through it all is most healing to my soul. Thanks, Viv!

Talking soul-healing now, I must feature Jeri and David of "GOD'S DREAMS FOR ME in my Vegan Playground". These amazing people are wise, holy. When I visit I am always inspired and, in Jeri's words, "refreshed". This is another one I'm almost certain has received this award, and again, someone who feels like a friend, though I've never met her personally.

In the same genre of "inspiring cyber-friend" is, of course, Lindsay Wolf of "Kiss Me, I'm Vegan!" Lindsay's star shines brightly and her activism, beyond the scope of anything I am likely to accomplish until perhaps my next chapter in life, is infectious nevertheless.  Inspired!  (Yeah, you've probably gotten this award already too, huh?)

One of my earliest inspirations is Morgan at "Little House of Veggies". Before I learned how to cook for myself, "A Midlife Vegan" was one reinterpreted "Little House of Veggies" recipe after another! (though I did cite her!) Morgan is an amazing chef, her photos are beautiful and I predict she will go far wherever she puts her energy. She is a wonderful cyber-friend to me. Thanks Morgan! -- You continue to inspire!

Another blog I love lately is Stephanie's "Diary of a Frenzied Vegan". This girl has got the goods. Stephanie is a great cook and I've been eating a lot of her creations lately, albeit with my lazy spin upon them.

That's ten already, but since there are quite a few here who've already gotten the award (I think) I can mention a couple more who mean something to me:

Melissa at "Green Beans and Yam" -- Activism, young energy, spiritually and healthfully blooming -- an inspiring cyber-friend.

Sara at "Busy Vegan Mama" -- Great cook, visiting this blog transports me back to a lovely chapter of my own life, but Sara is doing it better through veganism. The cheeks on those babies!!

Hilary at {Plate+Simple} who has been on hiatus from blogging for an undisclosed exciting project, has nevertheless been an early and huge inspiration for me as a vegan. Plus, I love her rockin' haircut which I just copied. I'll post a new photo soon if I get one. Anyway, Hilary's blog archives are worth checking out if you haven't yet. Best of luck to you, Hilary, on your project, and if you can, come back to the blogging world -- we miss you!

I could go on and on. There are so many creative souls on the blogosphere who inspire daily. I'm grateful to honor just a few, and thanks, Sally, for the award!