A great big thank you!

Another award has come my way from my dear friend in Syndney, Charlotta Ward.

Charlotta and I met a few months ago as I became a more involved blogger. I can't remember how I found her, but it has been a blessing. Sometimes you get to know people very quickly from the things they write, not just as posts, but as comments to your posts. Charlotta has left some of the most insightful comments on things I have written about. I feel she is an old soul, and she and I go way back. Her blog,

Space for Inspiration, is an amalgam of good design, blending her love of swedish, organic, and contemporary styles in a fresh way. Charlotta is a super-woman in my book-- wife, mother, artist, writer, designer, friend. Please stop by her little corner of the blogosphere (click HERE to check her out), and tell her hello.

A condition of this award is to answer the following questions about myself.

1. Why do you blog?
2. What are your 3 best memories?
3. What are the 4 best fiction books you have ever read?
4. What are the 5 best movies ever made?
5. Name 5 things you can't live without.
6. If you could change your name, what would it be?
7. Tell us a unique and interesting fact about yourself.
8. What do you love best about yourself?
9. If you could have a "Freaky Friday" expreience, who would you change places with?
10. What is the best thing about being a woman?

So here goes:

1. I began blogging early this year as a creative and beautiful way to help me in my grief over losing my son Ryan to suicide at age 18, almost 2 1/2 years ago. Creativity heals my soul, and blogging seemed to be a way to practice my love of photography, express my love of writing, and explore my love of interior decorating, in one neat little package. The reason I keep going is YOU, dear readers. Your comments mean the world to me. You support my habit, and I am most appreciative.

Pictures of Ryan from his self-portrait series taken when he was 16.

2. My 3 best memories from adulthood (excluding the birth of my children) have been spread out. The first one occurred when I was 18 and in love. The man I was dating and I went out to a lovely Italian restaurant in Chicago and meandered back to our north suburban town through the opulent suburbs on Chicago's north shore. We stopped at the Chicago Botanical Garden while it was raining. No one was around, so we had the place to ourselves. We wandered about as if it were our very own big back yard. It was one of the most romantic experiences of my life.

English walled garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois.

My second memory occurred at Cheekwood Museum and Garden in Nashville about 8 years ago. It was in the fall, and once again I was in a botanical garden in the rain. My husband and I stolled around the grounds of ths 1930's estate, whilc are an incredible sight any time of the year. Then we went inside to the newly renovated gallery space in the main house of the former estate. This was another incredibly romantic day.

Cheekwood, Belle Meade, Tennessee

My third memory was in 2004 when my husband and I departed from Gatlinburg, Tennessee leaving behind my parents and my children to finish their vacation together. We headed into North Carolina, traveling backroads through the Smoky Mountains seeking out waterfalls. There are a huge number of waterfalls in and around the Smokies. Some are easy to access , but others are deep in the woods. We hiked to and photographed 6 of them, from little streams tumbling over rocks, to Fall Creek Falls, the largest waterfall in the eastern U.S. He and I travel well together, especially when armed with a camera, iced tea, and some good music to sing along with.

Fall Creek Falls, Pikeville, Tennessee

Since that trip, we still seek out waterfalls. Luckily there are some closer to home.

Burden Falls, rural Pope County Illinois

3. The 4 best books I have ever read:

4. My 5 favorite movies:

5. Five things I cannot live without:

Being able to express creative urges, whether visual, written, or musical.


"The Ties That Bind" 16" x 20" mixed media.

Living with beauty around me--light, flowers, softness.

Spring centerpiece, peony buds ready to burst.

Cats to share my home with.


Max, my male tabby.

Access to the natural world and the sense of wonder it inspires in me.



Bell Smith Springs, rural Pope County Illinois


Moments of solitude.

Bell Smith Springs, rural Pope County Illinois.

6. If I could change my name it would be:

Annick Beaudelaire is the best I can come up with right now. I love how French words feel in my mouth as they roll off the tongue, so it would have to be something French.

7. A unique and interesting fact about me is:

I am fascinated by dreams. For a long time I wrote down the symbols that appeared in my dreams and analyzed them to see what I should be learning from them. In my work as a therapist, I help others to do the same thing. We can learn a ton about ourselves, from our deepest desires to our current anxieties, by examinimg our dreams. The themes in my dreams give rise to my short stories, poetry, and works of art.


8. The thing I love best about myself is:

My compassion for other human beings.

9. If I could have a "Freaky Friday" experience, I would swap places with:

Author, poet, professor, presenter, Diane Ackerman.

10. The best thing about being a woman is:

All the options we have-- for hair styles, shoes, clothing, for presenting different aspects of ourselves. I can go from being a work-boot-and-flannel shirt-wearing, tool-wielding, carpenter-ess to being a red-silk-dress-wearing, jewelry-donning, sweet-smelling belle of the ball. Guys just don't have as many options for expressing themselves. Their hair, pant, and shirt styles are limited.

And now I wish to honor a few of the many fellow bloggers out there who consistently inspire me. You ladies are the best! Your comments over the past several months have made bloggging one of the most fulfilling endeavors of my life. Thank you so much for your generous support and encouragement. If you don't accept blog awards, please the recognition I am giving you for making a difference in my life.

1. Sarah at My Yellow House: http://meandmyyellowhouse.blogspot.com/

2. Janet at The Gardener's Cottage: http://thegardenerscottage.blogspot.com/

3. Kerrie at Sea Cottage: http://seacottage.blogspot.com/

4. Pamela at French Buttons: http://frenchbuttons59.blogspot.com/

5. Kristin at My Uncommon slice of Suburbia: http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.blogspot.com/

6. Anne at Fiona and Twig: http://fionaandtwig.blogspot.com/

7. Jackie at Home: http://home-biba.blogspot.com/

8. Chania at Razmataz: http://razmatazblog.blogspot.com/

9. Suzanne at Privet and Holly: http://privetandholly.blogspot.com/

10. Lara at Air Kiss: http://beachychic.blogspot.com/

11. Carrie at The Vintage Wren: http://thevintagewren.blogspot.com/

Please stop by and check out these wonderful blogs. You will be pleased you did!

Until next time...

Anne

Images 1, 5, 6, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20: decor naturel. All others via google.