Sunshine Award

After a drought in which I'd truly forgotten that blog awards were handed out - which lets people walk the red carpet and wear their Harry Winston jewels in cyberspace - here I've been given a second award in a two-week span!  This is the Sunshine Award, and comes from my dear friend Judee of the Gluten Free A-Z Blog, who offers great recipes and fabulously creative ideas I would never think of.  Go say "hi!"

The way the award works is this:

Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.

Thanks so much, Judee!  I'm so flattered that you shared this with me ... :)

Answer questions about yourself.

1. Favorite color: Oh, I think everyone already knows the answer to this one - pink!

2. Favorite animal: I love anything cute and fluffy and funny-faced, so this is hard.  Jeremy is convinced that one day I will be a crazy cat lady (as opposed to my current status of simply crazy lady!), so maybe I'll go with that.

3. Favorite number: 3 - Three chances.  Three strikes.  Three ghosts offering redemption in the story of Scrooge.  Third time's the charm.

4. Favorite drink: Coffee. Milkshakes. Cocoa with lots of whipped cream and maybe a drizzle of caramel on top. Rum and Cherry Coke. Grasshoppers. Truth be told, I drink water almost exclusively - an occasional iced tea or soda or juice, but mostly water. It's boring, and it's not my favorite. The others would vie for the #1 spot, depending upon time of day and weather and whatnot.

5. Facebook or Twitter: Facebook.  Most of the time, I forget I even have a Twitter account. When I do think to check it, I find there's too much information, too abbreviated, too fast, too much.  Twitter has surged ahead, though, recently because  Pizzeria Biga retweeted my post about it: "A special THANK YOU to 'Yenta Mary' for a super cool Pizzeria Biga eview-review in her super cool blog."  And then I swooned when the head chef, creative force, and Beard Award-semifinalist himself -  Luciano Del Signore - sent this: "Thanks for the review.  Hope you enjoyed your Biga experience.  Grazie mille!"

6. Good book or a good movie: I don't have much time to read for pleasure any more, but I'd rather read than sit and stare at a screen.  (I do enough of that with my computer, though that's at least productive time!)  I used to love movies, but have somehow evolved away from them.  I see maybe two movies in a year, and often don't even bother with that.  It's got to be highly enticing to lure me.

7. My passion: Anything Italian - the food (of course!), the language, the art, the shoes (yeah, like I can afford 'em).  You thought I was going to say "cooking and eating," right???  Well, those are pretty far up the totem pole, I admit.  As is Jewish food.  But if I can only pick one, at this moment it would have to be my Italian fixation.

8. Giving or getting presents: I love finding the right gift for someone - something that's perfect for them, but clearly indicative of having come from me.  Like giving a native Detroiter a t-shirt with an outline of the skyline and pictures of cars, but with the word "Detroit" spelled out in Hebrew letters ... who else could that be for?  Who else would that have come from???

9. Favorite day of the year: Erev Rosh Hashanah [EH-rehv RAHSH hah-SHAH-nah], the first night of the Jewish new year.  (And remember, Jewish days begin at sunset; so this is the very beginning moment of the very beginning of the new year.)  I work in the Jewish community, so summer is our busiest, most hectic season as we prepare for the fall holidays (4 major ones within 3 weeks) and a new school year; longer hours, 6-day weeks, lots of stress.  I always take a few moments before leaving work that day to look at the sanctuary in its last seconds of peace before the crowds come, and contemplate the past year and my hopes for the new one.  Then I go home and put on a new dress (this past year, it was one made of beautiful royal blue lace), put on sparkly jewelry, and join with loved ones for a service welcoming another year, another chance.  And it's followed by a reception serving apples and honey, rum balls, cakes, and other goodies to help usher in a sweet year.  I always go home happy.

Select 10 of your favorite bloggers, link their blogs to your post and let them know they have been awarded the Sunshine Award!

1. Alisa at The Meat and Potatoes Foodie

2. Andrea at Andrea the Kitchen Witch

3. Candace at Mi Chiamo Candace

4. Carla at The River

5. Jean  at Delightful Repast

6. Karen at I Made It Through the Rain

7. Leanne at From Chaos Comes Happiness

8. Lisa at Sweet as Sugar Cookies

9. Mrs. B at Go Ahead ... Take a Bite!

10. Robin at Your Daily Dose