As the year is quickly coming to a close, there is one more thing I really need to do. I wish to give thanks to all of you for the support you’ve given me this past year. And I particularly want to thank those of you have taken the time in honouring me with awards in 2013.

With every award that was bestowed upon me, I was always grateful and appreciative. So much so that I always wanted to pay that person back in my own special way. I could have just stuck to the awards tradition and followed the rules. You know, answer the questions, nominate other bloggers. But I don’t like to follow rules. Just look at the way I write. Starting sentences with “and”. Or “but”. Or even “or” for that matter. That must be the biggest rule-breaker in the English language. What I meant to do was make that person feel special by cooking up one of their fabulous recipes and showing you all how wonderful they are.  And I did recreate some of their recipes. Some of which I documented with photos, and some of which I did not.

Such as this finnish strawberry pancake from Seana over at Cottage Grove House.

Or her absolutely fabulous fresh corn soup.

And if you haven’t tried Fae’s cabbage rice, over at Fae’s Twist and Tango, you don’t know what you’re missing!

Oh, and how about Shanna’s Curls and Carrots spiced whole-grain pumpkin bread, to which I added chocolate chunks!

And I did mean to get their yumminess on this blog. But time ran out. Or rather, time is running out. I remember years back overhearing a young woman saying the oddest thing. It was New Year’s eve and her hair was all done up. She said that every New Year’s eve since she was a little girl, her mom would tell her that she needed to start off the New Year with her hair looking fabulous. This way, she would be starting the New Year looking fab and would continue to do so throughout the year. As strange as that comment may have sounded, it stuck with me. I actually believed that if I ended the year with my home one big, disorganized mess, that is exactly what I had in store for me throughout the new year. Well, I have yet to prove if this theory makes any sense as I could never get my home tidy and organized by New Year’s eve! And so I continue to live as I do.

All this to say that I do not want to start the new year with things I should have done in the past year. Perhaps this will set me on the right path for 2014, thus getting things done in a timely manner. We’ll see about that!

So, thank you so much for deeming my blog worthy of an award. It was truly an honour!

The lovely Fae over at Fae’s Twist and Tango for awarding me with numerous awards:   Shine On Award & Best Moment Award; Awesome Blog Content (ABC) Award; Versatile Blogger Award; I’m a part of the WordPress Family Award; Blog of The Year 2013 Award.

The always sweet Tasty Treats 13 for awarding me with:  The Kreativ Blogger Award; The Versatile Blogger Award; The Dragon’s Loyalty Award.

The wonderfully creative Elamb over at Food Daydreaming for awarding me with:  The Sunshine Award and Blog of the Year 2013 Award.

The ever-so-sweet and always-there-for-me Shanna over at Curls and Carrots for awarding me with 4 awards:  The Liebster Award; The WordPress Family Award; The Dragon’s Share Award; Blog of the Year: 2013.

The super-nice Dimple over at Shivaay Delights for awarding me with:  The Versatile Blogger Award.

The wonderful Seana over at Cottage Grove House for awarding me with:  The Kreative Blogger Award.

As for passing on the awards, I deem ALL OF YOU worthy of them! Truly, I do. All of your blogs that I follow are held in the highest esteem. And instead of answering some of the questions associated with these awards, I will direct you to some blogs that I quite enjoy. I hope you have a look. They might tell you a little more about who I am and what I enjoy. After all, I’m not just a foodie!

Now At Home Mom  The oh-so-sweet Ingrid has a flare for home decor and DIY crafts that leaves me quit envious!

Christopher De Voss  The ever talented Chris has that twisted sense of humour that I really quite enjoy! He’s too funny!

Ambling & Rambling  Jackie has a way of telling stories that has me, every now and then, bursting out loud with laughter late at night, while reading her blog in bed!

thebestdressup  Because everything she shows me is just fab and I absolutely LUV!

Una Mirada B  Rosa is an absolutely fabulous artist and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! I’m just waiting for the day that I am able to own some of her artwork. For my friends and family who might be reading this, if you had to choose one for me, then let it be Oro. Or El deseo de volar / The wish to fly. Or any of them really. And for you Beatrice, I would give you this, The sewing machine!

And on that note, I wish you all the very best in 2014. Happy New Year! Buon Anno! ¡Feliz año nuevo! Baci a tutti! Ciao!   xoxoxoxo