I've Received The "Stylish Blog" Award! Thank You!

I received this award about a week and a half ago, and I forgot to post it, and then I scheduled it to go on today, and was sick and didn't remember I'd scheduled it, so I only have 5 of the 15 people to pass it on to, (and I forgot to contact them) and this post is a little bit of a mess today, like me. I'm still feeling sick.  I hope to get back to Food Friday by next week and posting recipes for you all to enjoy.
Thanks, everybody, so much for your patience!


And Thank you to Mystiqua for this beautiful award! 

Please visit her blog and check it out: Pursuit of Titus 2.

Rules for accepting this award are:
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pay it forward to 15 (or however many you want) recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their Blog Award!

7 things about myself: 

*I wrote this awhile ago, and it is admittedly eclectic of a list of things about me, though all true--these are not things I tell people the first time we meet, but if you knew me for a long time, you would probably know some of these things.

1.  I am a stay-at-home-mom, with 2 grown children who we Homeschooled; I had difficulty becoming pregnant, and thought I was pregnant many times before, after 7 1/2 years, I finally conceived my son--I don't know if I miscarried more than once--but I did find out for sure that I was pregnant (and then miscarried a child) between my two children.  I'm grateful for all my children and look forward to meeting them in heaven.

2.  I surrendered my life to the Lord at the age of 19, and met my husband when I was 20--he was 27.

3.  I love to sing and have sung solos since I was about 8 years old, and also duets and in trios, and enjoyed being in the choir in high school.

4.  One of my life goals is to become published.  I would love to write encouraging magazine articles for publication.

5.  I love decorating my own home--and color--and my favorite style is French Country  (though you may not be able to tell:)

6.  I am very emotional and dramatic and I used to be a great teaser.  I am sorry to say also that before I was saved, I was a big flirt.

7.  God is absolutely capable of saving anyone, and changing their life forever, as my life testifies.  My life prayer is that my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, and on through the generations until the Lord returns, will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and bear fruit a thousand-fold.

I am passing this award on to these 5 deserving bloggers:

Servant, Wife, Mother
Sharon Sharing God
The Bailey Homestead
We Have an Anchor
Ponder The Path of Thy Feet

An Award!

I got an award!  Well, I have a confession...um...I got it six months ago.  I am so embarrassed.  Has this ever happened to anyone else?  You know how I was telling you I've been really forgetting a lot lately? Well, this is just one more evidence, but one from 6 months ago! Tonight I was doing some "housekeeping" of my email inbox, deleting messages, and there was an email from 6 months ago telling me I had been given an award! I checked my blog, and it wasn't there. I know that I meant to place it on my blog, but if I don't do it right away...well, what I've always told my kids is true:  do it right away and then you won't forget! Well, I didn't follow my own good advice, and I FORGOT!  Oh, wow.  And it was given to me by someone very special:  Jami over at Intentionally Living!  Please go visit her--she's just started an Etsy shop!  Everything is so cute, headbands, and necklaces that can also serve as belts, and collections...!

Jami is one of the blessings I received from the Lord when I started blogging: a wonderful new friend! I have met so many of you, and I feel richly blessed.  Blogging is an incredible...well... it's like a hug through the computer, it's like lunch with a good friend, it's like getting lost in a good book, it's like finding a great deal on something you were planning to buy anyway, it's like a deep work of the Lord in your heart, it's like hearing God say "I love you"...it's like some of these things all of the time, and all of these things some of the time. Thank you all; I am grateful for every one of you!  (Remember that if you have something you'd like me to pray for specifically, you can just let me know, ok?  Click on "contact" up on the linkbar, if you would rather just have me see it, or you can also leave me a comment--then others can be praying, too.) I love all of you and am so grateful for this way of connecting with you!

And Jami, thank you for the wonderful award (very belatedly--I'm sorry)! (And you were so sweet to never even mention that I'd forgotten.)

I am sharing the "One Lovely Blog Award" with these 15 7 people--if I try to do another 8, it may take me another 6 months to get it posted--who I have "recently discovered" (which is the condition of the award)!

So, without further adieu, and in no particular order, here they are:  check out these blogs, and you may find yourself a new friend, too!

1. Sharon Sharing God (Sharon is a new friend who has written some wise and inspiring posts and is such an encourager with her comments!)
2. Saved By Love Creations (Johnnie makes incredibly beautiful jewelry)
3. By Grace Alone (Jessica has been on bedrest and finally reached week 34! Yay, Jessica! She has such a sweet spirit through it all, and how fun is this, she lives in my city!)
4. Ink Dots (Dorothy is a delightful new Aussie friend and has a gift for writing with a way of weaving a spiritual message into an everyday post.)
5. Too Many Heartbeats (Teresa is bedridden with POTS--don't know what that is? go over and visit her, she also educates on the subject.  She also has a wonderful attitude, and will encourage you.)
6. Christian Mommy Writer (A military wife, with a toddler, who is a great writer--read her terrific tips in an article at Faith Deployed on "Keeping the Spice in Your Marriage During a Deployment", advice which can easily be adapted for us non-military wives.)
7. His Flower Kingdom (Lena takes the most gorgeous photos of flowers! She also has a wonderful post called "Marriage Trouble"--no, don't worry, it's not what you think.  Excellent and wise advice for all of us as wives!)

Thankful For A Wonderful Award: "A Blog With Substance"

I received this award last week, and due to a very busy week, I haven't been able to pass it on, so I decided to at least acknowledge that I received it, because I am so very honored to receive "A Blog With Substance" award, from Jennifer at A Mother of Action.

Jennifer, Thank you so much!

I really do pray that what I place before your eyes is substantive and worth giving up one of your most precious commodities: your precious time!

Right now, I will only complete the first of the three requirements, and that is to "thank the blogger who awarded it to you"!

The Complete Award Rules are:

•Thank the blogger who awarded it to you.

•Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using ten (10) words.

•Pass it on to 10 other blogs which you feel have real substance.

Thank you again, Jennifer! As to my philosophy, motivation and experience...using 10 words!!  It's almost impossible for me to say Hello in less than 10 words, much less summarize my whole philosophy, motivation and experience!!  But I will come back later and try.

Now, I want to leave you with the most substantive words I can, from God's Word:

"For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all

in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

And this I pray, that your love may abound

yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment:

That ye may approve things that are excellent:

that ye may be sincere and without offense

till the day of Christ;

Being filled with the fruits of righteousness,

which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."

Philippians 1:8-11

May you all have a blessed Lord's Day, and a Happy 4th of July!

Two Wonderful Awards!

I won two beautiful awards from Kel at Between The Lines!

Thanks, Kelly! I am thrilled!!

The Rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.

2. Share 10 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award along to 10 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!

4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

Ten Things about Me:

 1.  I love watching clouds.

 2.  My memory is very bad, (it used to be fantastic, especially for numbers) but now it's very, very short (partly due to chemo).

 3.  I hate making bag lunches.

 4.  I am chronically 3-5 minutes late. I set my watch ahead 5 minutes to compensate for this.

 5.  I could watch the Weather Channel for hours, but don't have a TV.

 6.  I am very detailed, love words, and was once a spelling bee champion for our school district--in other words, I love to edit writing.

 7.  Flying in any type of airplane is a thrill to me. (The smallest so far is a 4-seater.)

 8.  I've been on 3 missions trips to Mexico.

 9.  I love Historical Fiction.

10. I try to read through the Bible every year.

Ten Blogs Who Deserve These Awards:

1. Raising Arrows

2. The Stay-at-Home Missionary

3. Reflections in the Window

4. Nostalgic Marveling

5. The Ready Writer

6. TiffanyClarice Photography

7. Writing for Christ

8. We Have An Anchor

9. Our Homeschool Journey

10.La Bella Vita!

Try out these well-deserving blogs!
Thank you so much for these great awards!!

Awards: The Sunshine Award! and My Friends Who Truly Deserve It!

I don't know what to say.  God's timing is nothing short of, well, there's no word for it.

I just received this wonderful award, which I so don't deserve, especially right now.

You see, receiving this award practically collided headlong into my having to ask forgiveness from someone for an extremely thoughtless comment that I left last week. 

I pray that this award will remind me of what I should be aiming to become.

Thank you so much, Kela at Pursuing What Is Excellent!  Thank you for the award, and for being an example of what it symbolizes! Blessings on you!

This was a very hard decision, and there were more I wanted to give the award to, but here are the wonderful ladies I am passing on this award to: 

After this is passed on to YOU… Here’s how it works:

1. Put the logo on your blog and/or within your post.
2. Pass the award on to twelve bloggers.
3. Link to the nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and the link to the person from whom you received this award.

Each one of you is a total ray of sunshine to me--Love you, and God Bless You!

Jami at Intentionally Living...My Faith, My Love, My Life

Alyssa at Days to Remember 

Denise at Shortybear's Place

(Go down to the bottom of the page, turn off the music, and then watch Denise's video--you will be blessed.)

Kylie at Our Worldwide Classroom

Nancie at More Than Conquerors

Ria at Life as a Wife

Celina at La Esposa del Pastor...yo?

Amy at Raising Arrows

Nicole at Mama to 3 Blessings/Our Homeschool Blog

Lisa at Extravagant Grace

Kelly at Wisdom Begun

I have received two other awards in the last couple of months, and I apologize that I never got them passed on and posted!  I'll try to get them up here by the weekend. Thank you so much for thinking of me!

Awards! Thank you, thank you!

Awards!

Thank you to "Katherine Sophia" at Seek Him First for giving me the "Princess Award" and Nancie at More Than Conquerors for giving me the "More Than Conquerors Award"!  I love awards and these are significant because they represent to me what I am in Christ: as His daughter, I am a child of the King = a Princess; and, through Christ (alone), we are More Than Conquerors.

It's Thankful Thursday and I am thankful to you both for these wonderful awards and reminders of who we are in Christ!  If you would like to share what you are thankful for, please visit Lynn's site, "Spiritually Unequal Marriage" to participate. (Thanks again, Lynn, for hosting this month!)

First, the terms of the "Princess Award":  I hope this will help you get to know me better?! Secondly, I hope you will go to this link,  More Than Conquerors to visit an amazing lady, and check out her gorgeous photography and freebies, but most of all, to meet Nancie and read her story (thanks again, Nancie)!

Princess Award:

1. Thank the person that gave it to you:

Thank you so much "Katherine Sophia" at Seek Him First!  I love it!

2. Name an author you love: 
Elisabeth Elliot

3. Name an author you hate:
I try not to read authors I hate, but I would have to say I get infuriated every time that I have *attempted* to read The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.  (The why of which is for another post and another day:)

4. The book you love:
Oh, soooo many, how does one choose??  Let's see...well, any book that has changed my life, so, all of the Isabella Alden books! (Oh, I guess I should have listed her as a favorite author, too!)  And In His Steps has been so influential in my Christian life.  Those are the "classics."  I have new favorites every time I read a really great book which God uses to change me. 

5. What always moves you, or what makes you feel excited?

Oh, my.....Well, I get excited when people "become on fire" about the Lord (especially if I have had any part in that) and when they become passionate about their life with Him and serving Him and living for Him and telling others about Him.  (I also get excited when spring finally comes after a loooong winter:) And I get really excited when I hear that two people who I've been praying for and I *KNOW* would be perfect together figure it out and start courting!! (Ok, I'm a matchmaker at heart.)

I get really moved and always cry and can hardly get through it whenever I pray out loud for the salvation of my family.

6. Something I hate:
My mother always taught me not to "hate" because she said it was too strong a word:)  But, I *hate* when people ignore me when I'm speaking to them (alright, especially my "children"), and I *hate* being falsely accused...   (Does anyone else see a pride problem here?) .....

7. Give the award to 7 blogs.
So, I award the following sites the "Princess Award" (drumroll please), to be given to some of my favorite blogs which exemplify and lift up our Heavenly Father--the King--the most, to me (not listed in any particular order):
Berean Wife www.bereanwife.net
Lisa at Extravagant Grace www.extravagantgrace.net

Amy at Raising Arrows www.raisingarrows.net

Amy at Pressing Toward the Goal www.rejoicinginthelord.blogspot.com

Alyssa at Days to Remember www.vindaystoremember.blogspot.com

Ana at Everything Good www.lovingeverythinggood.blogspot.com
Nancie at More Than Conquerors www.lifewithbipolardisorder.blogspot.com

Blessings on you all!