What a few weeks it has been! So many best-laid plans made with good intentions have been only somewhat accomplished but as the tendency to over-extend ourselves and to THINK BIG at this time of year seems to be the norm, one would think we would know better by now… Seems like a good time to put aside the holiday scurrying around and thank all the wonderful bloggers who have sent us some early Christmas treats!

Our favourite big dog with a blog, Clowie, over at Clowie’s Corner has sent along the Fantabulous Award. This one is truly fantabulous in every way because, according to the originator, there are “no-strings-attached” and can be “bestowed upon others as (we) see fit” – and it does seem to sum up the mood of the season in that here it really is the thought that counts! Do go and have a look at Clowie’s blog if you love all things humorous and canine, there are some doggy words of wisdom us bipeds would be wise to heed and a few felines thrown in for good measure… This little gem of an award is being passed along to Spumoni Caddo who is always there with a good word or piece of wise advice for those who need it and who certainly has her hands more than full enough without having to deal with the rigours of an award with a lot of rules!

Tom, who writes the tech-oriented blog TechnoTom filled with tips and reviews, has come up with a new award which he was nice enough to send our way:

The rules of this award are simple:
– When you receive the award, publish a post mentioning the award and thank the blogger that sent it along (linking back to their blog);
– Read their post on the award (don’t forget to give them a like!);
– Mention the rules above and below:
– Answer why you think you’ve been given the award
– Nominate 10 other bloggers you find interesting (linking to their blog) and leave a comment on their blog (leaving a link to the post you’ve just published)
– Post the “Read-On Blogging Award” image on your blog sidebar!

We are all for an award that has its roots in literacy, not only going forward but also going back – the beauty of our blogs (and reading in general) is that we can pick it up at any point in time and see what has gone before, re-read our favourites, pick and choose what strikes our fancy and thrill to the next post or page. We’d like to think that Across the Bored inspires everyone to “read-on”! Those who have followed us for awhile will know how hard it is for us to do 1 of anything let alone 10 so we are going to fudge (hey, it’s the holiday season and the elves are on strike in our neighbourhood) and nominate 5 blogs. These five have two things in common, they have followed us from the beginning and their authors make a special effort to craft posts that are word-oriented whether the emphasis is on a technical aspect, family, work, love or just the humorous side of life.

Island Traveler
Aperture 64
Naomikko
NMNPHX
The Bright Old Oak

Another thank-you goes out to Ann, at afriendofJESUS2013Blog, who has nominated us for a Blog of The Year Award 2013! She writes on all manner of topics religious and has visitors from over 111 countries reading her inspirational quotations. This award lets you collect stars and even if you or your nominee has already been given the award by someone else – you can still bestow it on them again and help them to reach the maximum 6 stars!

This is a particularly nice touch and seeing that we were never very good with stars even at the most elementary level, we are going to help Ann with her collection. If anyone out there knows blogs that are collecting stars for this award, please leave a link in the comment box below and we will go and have a look. The instructions for this award are simple and the full set of rules are available at The Thought Palette where the award originated.

Imagine our surprise when we got a notification through our fledgling Twitter account that Destino had nominated us for the Versatile Blogger Award. Her blog combines observations on daily life with photography – how can you not want to visit someone who “laugh(s) really loud” and likes “change. And coffee”!

The rules for this award are:
– Display the Award Certificate on your blog
– Write a post and link back to the blogger who nominated you
– Nominate 15 other bloggers and inform them of their nomination via comment on their blog
– Post 7 interesting things about yourself

Here we go:
– I have taught the dog how to eat politely off a fork (but never at the table)
– I am equally wary of both the dentist and the hairdresser for both have my head in their hands
– I have enough needlepoint wool to open a store (it’s a long story – if you are interested, leave me a comment)
– I would gladly wear a white t-shirt and jeans daily BUT
– don’t ask me to give up stylish shoes
– I still dance around the living room when no one is home
– I have Christmas tree OCD, meaning that there is only my way to trim it so just sit back and watch, thank you…

Remember those elves from earlier on, well they are still working to rule so the 5 nominees are:

The Bookshelf Gargoyle
Hope* the happy hugger
West Seventh Freelance
Animalcouriers
Vastly Curious

Well, it looks as though we have a nice start to the season where the unexpected brings a smile and reminds us that the best gifts don’t always come in boxes.

May your days be merry and bright…