Award time

I was blessed with 2 awards this week. The first one is the "Queen of all things Awe-summ" award. It came from my friend Kim, over at Scattered Stones.
Now I am supposed to list 7 things that make me awe-summ. This is the hard part, but here's my list:
1) I'm a child of The King. I think that's pretty awesome!
2) I have an awesome family!
3) I love my job and the people I take care of
4) I love to have fun!
5) I have a good sense of humor
6) I try to keep a positive attitude
7) I've got great blogging friends!
Thanks Kim!

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Next is this cool award I got from Kelly at My Voice, My View. This award wants me to list the achievements of my blog. Well - through it I re-connected with Ginger, who I went to school with. I've made friends from all over the world and gotten to know some people that I knew in real life even better.
Thanks Kelly!

Of course, I am now supposed to pass these on. I am not good at that part! I can never pick who to pass these on to, so I'm just going to do my usual - if you are reading this, consider them passed on to you!

Awards

I got this cute award from Brooke. It's the You make my Heart Smile award. Brooke does make me smile. She hasn't been married for too long and I enjoy reading about her life as a newlywed, making the right financial decisions and the never ending battle of losing weight. (Even though she is fine at her current weight!)

The Golden Heart award comes from Kelly of Amazing Salvation. I've enjoyed following Kelly and the changes in her life following her doing the 40 Day Love Dare. She has 2 daughters and writes about the things we all go through as Mom's and wives.

Thanks to both Brooke and Kelly for these awards. I appreciate you thinking of me and want to pass them on to any of you who regularly visit me here - you know who you are!

Award

I received this award from Mary of Mary's Writing Nook. This award is to thank people for leaving comments.
"They are beautiful people who practice blogging etiquette by visiting or visiting back, and leaving nice comments. Their observations are apt and helpful. It's a pleasure to have them as commenters on my posts...."

I am to pass this one on to 5 others. I have a widget in my side bar that tells who my top commenters are so I'm passing it to the top 5. Thanks for your comments!
Kim from Scattered Stones
September Mom from My Voice, My View
Kayren from Everythings Coming Up Daisies

Kim from Just a Southern Girl
Cheryl from Cherdecor

Award

Ana from Justana for passed this award on to me. It's called the outstanding bloggery award and I am passing it to anyone who is reading this. Thanks, Ana for thinking of me!

Awards and other fun things!

I've had a few nice things come my way and I need to acknowledge them!
Isn't this the cutest award? This award is for blogs that "show kindness and sweetness in their entries" and it was given to me by Jennifer of Zaankali's Adventures, Kim of Scattered Stones and Melissa of Melissa's World. Thanks to all of you! I know all three of these ladies in real life as well as the blogging world and can tell you that they are kind and sweet in real life too! I'm not a rule follower as far as passing on awards. It's too hard to pick some out. You are all kind and sweet so anyone reading this may grab this award!
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This little button was made for me by Demara of Demara blog. She is really good on the computer and is always changing her layout and doing fun things, that I am hopeless at. She made this button for me because I was first to read and comment on one of her posts. Thanks Demara!
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Last but not least was a package I received in the mail this week. It came all the way from Portugal! Lara of Prossigo para o alvo sent it to me along with a cute hand made card. The design comes from a famous Portuguese tile. She also invited Bob and I to visit Portugal and stay with them. Thanks so much, Lara! I really appreciate the watch and your friendship! We don't have any plans for traveling that far yet, but if we do I'll let you know. If you come to the US, you may stay with us.

Award

Thanks to Angie of "Tails" of Groomer Ang for passing this nice award on to me!
This award has a few rules that go with it.
First I have to list 5 addictions:

1. Chocolate - it is one of my favorite things.
2. Candles - I have candles burning frequently when I am home. I love the nice smells!
3. Survivor and Lost - They are my two favorite tv shows.
4. Nintendo DS - I love to play Sudoku , Brain age and a few other games on it. If I am sitting watching tv, you will also see me playing a game.
5. My computer - I spend a lot of time here and it really is addicting.

Now I am supposed to pass this on to 5 people, but I hate trying to choose 5, so I'm passing on to anyone who reads this.
Thanks again, Angie for giving this one to me.

Award

I received this sweet award from Mariel of Growing in Godliness. Thanks Mariel - You are a great bloggy friend!
This is an award to thank those bloggers that bless you. I'm supposed to pick 7 blogs to pass this on to, but there are so many wonderful bloggers on my list that I just can't do it. So - you know who you are. If you are my blogging friend you can grab this one. I appreciate each one of you who take the time to stop here and read my rambling thoughts!

Award

I got this Blogging friends forever award from my friend Ginger. She is a great example of the blessing that blogging can be. Ginger is someone who graduated from high school with me. (Of course, if you saw her now you would think she was much younger than me!) Anyway - imagine my surprise when I was looking at comments on another blog - Short Stop, and I saw a comment from Ginger. How nice to reconnect with an old friend! Since then she has even had the privilege of meeting my two crazy sisters.
I have so enjoyed meeting people through blogging and also reading the blogs of those I already know. I have many family members with blogs and quite a few who are from my church that also have a blog. I've met people from all over the world - Canada, Australia, Japan and Portugal. I have gotten to know bloggers from many different states. I've learned from so many people, prayed for others and been prayed for myself, laughed and cried too. You are all a blessing to me and I can't begin to pick just a few of you. If you consider yourself one of my blogging friends, pick this award up. And - thanks Ginger. You are a great friend, both on and off line!

Award

I got this award from Mary of Mary's Treasured Memories. Isn't it cute? Thanks, Mary for sharing it with me! I'd like to pass it on to everyone on my blog roll on the side. If I didn't love your blogs, you wouldn't be there!

Award

I have to thank my friend Kat from JustaBeachKat for passing on this Kreativ Blogger award to me. There are some rules that go with this award. I have to list 6 things that make me happy so here they are:

1. My family
2. The beauty I see in nature
3. My updated kitchen
4. good weather
5. a day off
6. Praise time at church

Now I'm supposed to pass this on to 6 people and this is the hard part, because so many of you are creative! I'm listing people that I remember posting about creative things they've done. Here's my list:
1. Jennifer from Zaankali's Adventures
2. Cheryl from Cherdecor
3. Sandra from Diary of a SAHM
4. Mary from Mary's Writing Nook
5. Perri from My Life in Bits and Pieces
6. Leslie from The Wright Girls

That's my 6! Now you can all pass it on!

Award!

My friend Sharon, from Quiet Reflections has passed on this Friendship award. I am so thankful for the friends I have met online, that I would have never known without blogging. You make me laugh, cry, pray with me, share recipes, share inspirational thoughts and so much more!
I have a hard time choosing just a few of you to pass it too, so I'm passing it on to all of you regular readers. Your friendship means a lot to me. Sharon - thanks so much for sharing this with me!

I love you this much!

My friend Shelly from Dance like Nobody's Watching gave me this great award last week. Isn't it a cute one? I've known Shelly for quite a few years and always enjoy spending time with her. She goes to my church and just today was hired to work where I do. I'm looking forward to it - she's as fun in real life as she is on her blog! Thanks and I love you too, Shelly!
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I am going to pass this one on to my blogging family. I really enjoy blogging and quite a few of my family members do too.
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My husband Bob, at By His Hands
My daughter Laura, at a guy, a girl and a Sofie
My daughter Heather, at Heather's Ramblings
My son Andy, at Agile, Mobile, Hostile
My sister Terri at Terri and her talk
My sister Cheri, at Just another Day in Paradise
My new sister Dena, at Growing Up Girlie
My niece Alecia, at Mis Viajes
I love you all - thanks for sharing your lives through your blogs!

Award time

This is the "You make my day award" and here's what it's about:

"The rules for the “You Make My Day” award are to re-present it to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blog land. Let them know through email or by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times, and if you do, consider yourself really, really loved. So to pass it on and keep the love going."

This award was given to me by Karen, Heather, Tammy, Diane, Julie, Melissa, and Brenda. Thanks to each of you. I hope you all know that you make my day too. I love all of your blogs and enjoy each post!

I am going to pass this on to:

Renee from 2 Peas in a Pod

Rebekah from Diagonally parked in a Parallel Universe

Sandra from Diary of a SAHM

Megan from Fried Okra

Jennifer from Gathering Grace

Sarah from Short Stop

Jennifer from Meditations and Musings

Sarah from The Best Days of my Life

Sharon from Quiet Reflections

Melody from Pennies in my Pocket

Thanks ladies - you each have such different blogs, but I so enjoy each one. It's such a joy to get to know you all - you make my day!

Award

Renee, from 2 Peas in a Pod has passed this award on to me. Thanks Renee - You deserve it right back! It was created by Maria from Free to Fly and this is what she says about it.

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I have wanted to be able to make an award that I could share
with some of those blogs that consistently
make me laugh, make me think,
and inspire me to grow
and to reach.
The types of blogs that do this for me have a few things in common.
Like a butterfly becomes beautiful,
by living a quiet life, hidden for a season,
while beauty develops on the inside.
That same butterfly has to go through a season of struggle
before it is Free to Fly!
Once it IS Free to Fly,
that butterfly NOW has a beauty we all are blessed to see.
Everywhere the butterfly goes,
it spreads pollen and makes it possible for flowers to bloom
and fruit to be developed.
You could say it leaves a trail of life in its wake!
What a beautiful thought!
Butterflies don't go around trying to be beautiful.
They don't say "hey, look at me".
They just ARE, they just DO, they just LIVE.
All that time spent hidden in a cocoon,
was not wasted.
The time and effort spent struggling to get out of the cocoon
made the butterfly strong and ABLE to fly!
I have been blessed to find many women through blogging,
who have allowed the struggles of a hidden life,
serving in ways that are often unseen and seemingly inconsequential
(judging from their lack of entourage, paparazzi, and assistants!
That IS what our culture uses as the standard for recognizing importance, right?)
to make them strong, make them able to find the humor,
able to see the big picture and to find the purpose
in the everyday matters of investing in the lives around us.
Their ability to focus on the things that REALLY matter,
and to allow the struggles of life to strengthen them,
leaves everyone they come in contact with a deposit of "pollen".
A little dose of the grace that is unique to them,
which adds wisdom, humor, truth
and just a little whiff
of the fragrance of Christ that is unique to them!
They are some wives or mothers, grandmothers, daughters, and nieces.
They fulfill all sorts of roles in and outside the home.
In their church and outside their church.
The world is a more beautiful and abundant place
because of the daily choices they make.
There are two scriptures for this - they work together:
"He has made everything beautiful in its time.
He also has planted eternity in men's hearts and minds
[a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages
which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy],
yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."
Ecclesiastes 3:11
&
John 10:10
"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have and enjoy life,
and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."

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The worst thing about getting awards is passing them on! I always have such a hard time knowing who to pass them on to. I'm supposed to pass this one on to 5 people though, so here they are:

Kim from Scattered Stones

Cheryl from Cherdecor

Joanne from One so Blessed

Melissa from Mel's World

Chelle' from The World of Chelle'

You all touch me through your blogs and I see you all living beautiful lives, from the inside out.

Bloggers of the World

Karen in New Zealand has given me this award called "Bloggers of the World". Thanks Karen - I really appreciate it. I love the way blogging allows us to get to know each other and be friends with people who we would have never met without our blogs!

For more about this award, go here.

I would like to pass this on to some of my blogging friends who live far away from me. Some may already have it but you are getting it again!

First I'll pass it back to Karen in New Zeeland

Bonnie in Australia

Jennifer in Japan

Ally in Spain

Saija in Canada

Mary in Canada

Sarah in California

What a week

It's been a crazy week for me. Things have been tough at work. We have had about 5 new admissions, which is a lot in a short time. An admission means a lot of work. You wouldn't believe the amount of paperwork required just to get someone admitted and more is required over the next few days. It's also hard because it doesn't give me a chance to get to know the person very well before another someone else comes. Worse than admissions though, is that some of our old friends not doing well. One of my favorite men has been declining over the last few months and will probably not live much longer. This resident is well loved by all the staff and they are all having a hard time. Then when I came in on Thursday I was told that another resident had a stroke the night before. She was someone who loved to talk to us and would always ask me how she could pray for me. She still knew me when I saw her, but could hardly talk. Her condition has declined since then and it doesn't look like she will live long either. I have this weekend off, so I went to see them both before I left. The woman who had the stroke held my hand and was able to get out a few words, which were "I'll see you in Heaven". As you can imagine, that about did me in. I then went to see my other friend and said good bye to him and his daughter, wondering if this would be my last good bye to him. I left work with red eyes and a lump in my throat. They have both lived good, long lives and are ready to go. I also know where they both will be going and I will see them there, but it sure is hard to say good bye here.

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I did have a nice thing happen today. I was given an award! Karen, from Karen's Ramblings gave me the "Spread the Love" award. I think Karen gets more awards than anyone! Of course, she deserves them, so I am honored that she passed this to me.

Here is what the maker of this award says:

"I have met so many lovely and very talented ladies here in Blogdom, what more can I do or say to express my humbled heart to each, than to give all my dearest readers and friends a special award filled with love. So, spread the love dear ones, spread the love to those you love."

Thanks so much Karen! I am going to pass this to everyone on my blog roll. If I didn't love your blogs, you wouldn't be listed!

The Daily Dose

Nise' from Thus Far The Lord Has Helped Me has surprised me with this award. It is the daily dose award and this is what the Xandra, creator of the award says about it:

"So here's to all the blogs that you've discovered that you can't possibly live without. They make you laugh, cry, think and feel connected every time you read a post. They give you a thrill as you see them loading into your browser and you get an equally satisfying thrill when you see that they have commented on your blog."
Thanks so much Nise', it's an honor to receive this.
Now comes the hard part - passing it on. I have quite a few blogs that are must reads and it's hard to pick a few, but I decided to pick some that I haven't given awards to in the past. So - here are a few blogs that I love to see posts on and am equally thrilled to see a comment from.
Cherdecor - Cheryl is one of my newest blogging friends and I can tell that I would love her as much in person as I do on her blog.
One so Blessed - Joanne's honest posts about her life as a wife and Mom, and her striving to follow God touch me every time.
Karen's Ramblings - I've been reading Karen's blog for a while now and am often touched by her insight and evangelistic spirit.
A Mom's Life - Beth's blog is another one that is quite new to me, but I love her funny stories about her kids and the little insights she shares with us.
To all of my blogging friends - thanks for being part of my daily dose. Thanks for your funny, inspiring, day to day posts. I've been blessed to get to know so many of you!

The Colors of Friendship Award

Karen, from Karen's Ramblings has blessed me with another award. This is the Colors of Friendship award and this is what the originator of the award said about it:

I want to nominate my following blogfriends for the Colors of Friendship Award. They color my life with the beautiful hues of friendship. Although we come from different backgrounds and cultures we share the same spirit of friendship.

The bloggers I am passing this to, don't necessarily have different cultures, but they all live in different countries and I would have never known them without blogging. Yet - I now "visit" them daily and consider them friends!

I have to start with Karen and pass this back to her. She is from New Zealand. My other nominees are:
Bonnie - Australia
Jennifer - Japan
Saija - Canada

Thanks to each of you for being my blogging friend!

Taking care of business

The lovely Karen from Karen's Ramblings has blessed me with the Friendly Site Award. Thanks Karen, for passing this on. I have found that most bloggers are pretty friendly so it would be hard to pick out only a few to pass this on to. Therefore, I am going to take my sister Terri's idea and pass it to everyone on my blog list. If you blog is listed, I think you have a friendly blog and I enjoy visiting you there, so grab this award and paste it in your sidebar. You all deserve it!

Another note regarding Karen - she is having giveaway that will end on Friday the 9th. She is giving away the book - "Strengthen yourself in the Lord". To sign up visit her here.

Great Blogging Friends!

Karen, from Karens Ramblings has blessed me with another award. This is the Blog Friend Forever Award and this is the description of the award:

"Presented to awesome blog owners who keep their readers excited about their posts. Their blog posts are interesting (NOT spammy) and worth reading and keep their subscribers looking forward to each and every post."

I really don't think I measure up to this description, but I truly appreciate Karen's generosity in passing it along. It really made me think though, about how much I have enjoyed meeting people through blogging. There is a group of people from my church who have blogs and I feel I have gotten to know them better through this. Julie, Brenda, Jennifer, Melissa, Kim, Dawn, Diane, Tammy, Carl, Brandon, Jason - this means you! There are friends like Nancy who I know so well, but just love to see what she will put on her blog next. Of course I have to mention my family - I never know what they might say! So Terri, Cheri, Laura, Heather - this is for you. I have also gotten to know and become friends with people who I would never have met if I didn't have a blog. People like Megan who have given me computer advice and travel tips. There are Karen, Bonnie, and Jennifer who live so far away but feel like good neighbors. I would love to meet each of them in person! There is Dena who gave me her cell number and helped us find a tourist attraction in her area. (And we were even able to meet her). Through Dena, I met her friends Leslie and Leigh Ann, who were so welcoming. There is Renee who passes on ideas about carving magazines for Bob and sends me sweet e-mails. I also love to hear from Rebekah and enjoy her stories about her kids and job. Last but not least, there is Ginger who actually graduated from high school with me and we were able to reconnect through her blog. That is quite a list and it just shows what can happen when you blog. You are all great and I consider you all my blogging friends, so claim your award!

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On the subject of blogging friends, I have to thank Megan from Fried Okra who informed me I won a $20 gift card to wherever I wanted. I seem to have won a contest just by leaving a comment! How exciting is that? So thanks Megan - I'll enjoy it!