Friday's Friends: Very Shiny Valentines, Indeed!

First thing I want to do today is to thank all of you who prayed for Adelaide and her surgery. She made it through surgery (Yea!), and I request your continued prayers for her recovery. I spoke to her briefly yesterday, and she was so appreciative of your prayers for her. And I am, too! :-)

Today, I'm going to take a moment to thank three very special people (the first of a series of special people) who have been so kind in featuring this blog on their blogs: David McMahon of Authorblog, The Muse of A Diva's Hammer Wielded by the Muse, and Claudie of Bubblin' Over. I am both honored and humbled at your kindness and am grateful for your friendship. You are people I admire very much, and I thank you from the bottom of my little ole magpie heart. You are very "shiny" people whom I happily pick to call my friends! :-)

As a novice blogger, I was thrilled when months ago (yes, I'm the March Hare and should be ashamed and am at my tardiness), David McMahon featured my first Thankful Thursday post in an Honorable Mention on his Post of the Day and also my more recent Sunday Solace as an honorable mention for the Post of the Day . David is an encourager, particularly to new bloggers, and I cannot say enough nice things about this gentleman from Australia. Not only is he an international photographer and author, but he is the quintessential gentleman. His blog header proclaims that he is "totally committed to promoting excellence in others," and he is. I want you to please be sure and check out his blog because I have no way of telling you what David can show you in both his eloquent words and amazing photographs.

Photographs like this one...


Photograph: Copyrighted to David McMahon and used with permission

And this one....


Photograph: Copyrighted to David McMahon and used with permission


Or this one...


Photograph: Copyrighted to David McMahon and used with permission

Or this one...


Photograph: Copyrighted to David McMahon and used with permission

Then there are incredible photographs like this...


Photograph: Copyrighted to David McMahon and used with permission

This is a photograph of the sky during the recent brush fires that have been raging in Australia not far from where David and his family live. Please remember to keep them in your prayers for safety as these fires have been burning a little too close for comfort, having left much destruction of life and property in their wake.

I got permission some time back to borrow David's copyrighted images to use in my thank you to him, and I want thank him again for that privilege. :-)

Aren't they beautiful? And on his blog, there are humorous posts and interesting interviews as well. You will definitely want to bookmark this site. You can get there by clicking here.

David, this is a long overdue shout-out, but it doesn't negate the heartfelt thanks I want to extend to you for cheering me out of the gate on this adventure in blogging! :-)




Next, I want to thank my good friend, The Muse, of the blog, A Diva's Hammer Wielded by the Muse, for featuring this blog on her Blog of the Day which has actually lasted several days! :-) The other day, I was stunned when I went with my search and rescue team (Annie, Jaunty and Roy) to find The Muse and instead found that surprise waiting for me. If you haven't been to her blog, you need to do so because you will be in for a special treat, particularly if you like interactive fun with other bloggers.

The Muse also amuses her readers with her poetry, wit, and warmth. Somehow, she found me, and am I ever glad she did because she is a shining spot in my day! And I want her to come back from her sabbatical as soon as she can because I miss her! The Muse is a designer, a writer, and a philosopher of the heart and one of the nicest people on the internet. I "borrowed" the Muse's photographs without permission to use in this tribute because I wanted to surprise her, and I beg her pardon for this infraction and pray she doesn't send the blog police out to arrest me! ;-)

So please note that the following photographs are copyrighted to The Muse at A Diva's Hammer Wielded by the Muse!

Of her many loves, the Muse loves pink. She can see herself riding on a pink ferris wheel (and so can her loyal readers)...



She has made us laugh with her wry wit...



And let's not forget her amazing ability to communicate...



And to challenge others with her game days like Friday Follies...



But whatever hat she wears and wherever she takes us, you may rest assured we enjoy going there with her! Hugs to you, my dear friend and Muse, and many thanks for the honor!

So please do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a trip to The Muse's blog by going here.

Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my fabulous French Canadian friend Claudie from Bubblin' Over for being selected to be her Site of the Week. I was bowled over (or should I say bubbled over) when I read that on her blog one morning. If you haven't visited Claudie already, you simply must! Claudie is light and bubbly like the bubbles in a glass of good champagne or the bubble bath that greets you on her blog each day...



And Claudie does something near and dear to my heart, she rescues animals, and she shares her own fur babies' lives with you, fur babies that are too cute for words as seen in these pictures on her blog...






And Claudie (who loves pink) shares her own sense of charm with you, and you will come away from her blog with a smile on your face and feeling all bubbly because she has such a light and lovely touch, just as lovely as she is...



Like all beautiful women, another thing Claudie loves is shoes! To that end, Claudie stayed up all one night playing dress up and creating this adorable If The Shoe Fits Wear It award and was kind enough to award it to me (among others). :-) So I am indebted to Claudie for both honors to which I send her my most sincere thanks and love! :-) Because it is such a heartfelt award, I will be passing this award along to you on a separate date, along with some other heartfelt awards I've been saving (I promise I won't hoard those shiny objects much longer), so please stay tuned! In the mean time, pop on over to one of the cutest blogs in Blonglandia and visit Claudie here.



Finally, I would like to leave these three bloggers with a little "Ode of Thanks" I wrote especially for them. If you will indulge me...

Ode to Friendship

by Mrs. Magpie

To Claudie, David and The Muse,

Whose blogs are dressed in rainbow hues

Of color, wit, and warmth sublime,

From photographs to errant rhyme,

I thank you for your *shiny* nods

To magpie chirps and rag doll bods,

To cupcakes aping snowbirds white,

And doors that open wide to light.

I thank you, too, for friendship rare,

That shiny object sans compare,

And hope you know how much it's meant

Because YOUR friendship's Heaven sent!

:-)

Thanks to all of you for visiting. Here's hoping you have a lovely day, and please don't forget to visit these special friends! And while you're at it, please be sure and have a Happy Valentine's Day! From my heart to yours, I'm sending you lots of love. :-)

Quintessentially,


Mrs. Magpie (Sheila)