an award.

oh my.  

I received two awards, in just a couple of days apart.  The same award, given by two different bloggers : Mary at The Tulip Patch and Sandy at Sunflowerz Crochet.  You ladies make me feel so special!  Thank you for your kindness.

In turn I am to tell you a few tidbits about me ...

1.  I grind my own wheat and bake bread a couple times a week for my family.  It is not odd to see us waiting by the oven with knife and butter in hand.  ha ha ha

2.  I am in the process of joining my local volunteer fire department.  Even just today (Sunday) we fought a fire that claimed 15 acres ... RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME.  Unfortunately, my only job was hauling the hose.  The only thing dirty on me was my hands.  I did run a lot however.  Directing engines and forestry coming in.  We were all very concerned about the homes that the flames were so close to.  Talk about getting to know your neighbors ... real fast!  Living in the country puts several acres between houses (and we were the outsiders-most people around here are born and raised here with several generations behind them who had done just the same).  I just have to say this and then will close this tidbit out ... I love where I live.  Seriously, I have doubted our move from "the city" to "the country" a few times, but not after today!  I felt proud amongst these guys!

3.  We eat pizza EVERY SINGLE FRIDAY NIGHT.  Not kidding you!  We have done this for more years than I can count.  :o)  We also watch either a movie we have (love love love netflicks) or a show we recorded on our dvr.  Typically that means The Mentalist.

4.  I love the Lord with all of my heart and being!!  He is my rock and my true love!  Truly, it is an indescribable passion.

5.  I love to laugh.  I laugh a lot!  I am a "glass is half full" kind of girl.  :o)  And when life throws a curve ball at me, I really try to hold fast to the fact that the Lord has already traveled this path, and knows what lingers around each corner, so tread lightly, hold His hand tightly and soldier on.  :o)  Don't let the situation steal your joy!  It is not worth it!!

Ok ... now for sharing the love.  I am to choose several other bloggers to do the same thing I just did and pass that on ... and so on.  But I just love each of you so dearly, I can't choose just a few.

So rather than choosing a few ... I am passing this award on to each and every follower who so kindly visits, leaves sweet messages and have become my "real" friends.  You are the dearest and I am just so blessed to have you in my life.  Your laughs and encouragement and sweet words are tucked deep with in my heart!!!

liebster = love.

flattered indeed.

Mary, one of my favorite bloggers, awarded me with the liebster award, which in German means ... love.  And in turn I am awarding three bloggers with less than 300 followers, the very same.  love.  lots of love.

Please take a few moments to drop by each one and discover their tremendous talents, their wit, and their sweet kindness that I consider myself fortunate to know.

1.  Jenn at Life in Bonetown  You just have to see her darling aprons and children's clothing.  Too cute!!  And what a wonderful person to get to know!
2.  Mary at The Tulip Patch Beautiful quilts!  My very favorite is the houndstooth!!  Keep your eyes open around here, it will be one of my next creations.  Annnddd ... she has been featured on Moda Bake Shop.
3.  Renee at Sewn With Grace who happens to be one of my dearest of friends.  She is just as darling as can be and the sweetest of friends, that anyone could ever dream of having!!  I just adore her beautiful spirit and creations.  I have no doubt, that you will too!

Each nominee will now in turn, choose three of their own favorite bloggers with less than 300 followers, and award them with some love!

in a nut shell

While I was away for those few days ... some special events took place around here ... which by the way, were once again, reason to pause and thank the Lord for my sweet blogging friends, who I have grown to love as friends.

Tina at Rubies Place awarded me with the Happy 101 Award! Thank you Tina!


In addition to this special award a very sweet package arrived! I am absolutely smitten with Australian stitching crafts and have scoured the internet to find where I can purchase them.

You can imagine how excited I was to open my lovely package and see the Australian Homespun magazine! Seriously. I danced for joy!! I turned each page one-at-a-time!! It sits on the top of my little magazine basket, and I look inside every time I sit near.

And as much as I fell in love with my new magazine, something else caught my eye ... that truly ... melted my heart! A sweet little note from Tina's beautiful little girls.

Thank you so much Tina. From the bottom of my heart. I love my magazine, and can hardly wait to watch the dvd that arrived with it. Please hug your sweet little girls for me. I adore my little card and plan to have it out where I can see it always.

Give-A-Way Winner & Award

I first would like to say "Thank You" to Ginger at Embrace Life! for such a nice award. I am so glad to have recently met Ginger. Please drop by her blog for a moment and say hello.


The "Friends Award" recognizes that:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming.
These kind bloggers aim to find friends
and be friends. They are not interested
in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that
when the ribbons of these prizes are cut,
even more friendships will be propagated.
Please give more attention to these writers.
Deliver this award to eight more and include
this cleverly written text into the body of
the award."

Typically, this is the moment I would list some of my friends in blogland and pass this sweet award along. The only thing is ... I can't seem to choose just 8! I have been so fortunate to have met some of the nicest ladies recently that it would be hard to choose between them. So if you are reading my blog today, please take a moment to receive this award, from me to you! :o) Your friendships, new and old, have been such a blessing to me!

NOW FOR THE WINNER!

(COMPLIMENTS OF RANDOM.ORG AND MY SON PRESSING
THE BUTTON ON MY MOUSE-THANKS A TON NATHAN!)

THE WINNER IS ...



MARTHA AT SO LOVELY CREATIONS

CONGRATULATIONS MARTHA!!

runner complete & an award

I was able to purchase the toile fabric from Hobby Lobby. I have left over fabric from this little project & I can't wait to find a place for it! Not enough for a lamp shade make over (sniff) but maybe enough for a pillow!

And, yes, you are seeing this picture correctly ... there are still no knobs of my dresser make over. I just can not seem to find what I am looking for. I want a glass knob, not plastic and I don't want to pay $100.00 to put what I am needing on the dresser. It sort of negates the whole reason behind refurbishing an old dresser ... that I only paid $40.00 for, and that included a gigantic solid mirror that came with it!



I received a sweet award from Renee at Cottage Lifestyle and wanted to say thank you! Please be sure and drop by her pretty home for a visit!

And for the rules ...

What the Award is About...
"This Blog invests and believes the Proximity- nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming...these kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self- aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!"

What you have to do...
Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

This award is being passed on to...

1. Brooke at Quilty Chick
2. Liz at Mabel's House
3. Hayley at The Handmade Housewife
4. Angie at The Happy Homebody
5. Quiche Me, I'm Yours at Sugar and Spice ~ Three Times as Nice
6. Kim at Seasons of My Heart
7. Sarah Mae at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee
8. Jenni at Nest To Keep

How did I miss this?

Ms. Angie over at The Happy Homebody posted this sweet award on November 3rd and somehow I did not see it. There is not an image per say but the comments are sweet! The award reads ...

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

Here are my eight bloggers that I would love to pass along the award to:

Hayley at The Handmade Housewife

Brooke at Quilty Chick

Ruby Red Slippers at Lions, Tigers, and Boys, Oh My!

Jenni at Nest To Keep

New Every Morning

Jennifer at Smelling Coffee

Quiche Me, I'm Yours! at Sugar and Spice~Three Times as Nice!

Katie at Blessed By 3 Miracles

**Each one of these ladies have enriched my life this year and I want to thank them for their kindness and friendships.**

I am jumping back in!

Again, I just have to say thank you to those who prayed and are praying for my family. God is so good!! Which really goes with out saying, but I just had to say it!!

While I was away,
I was graciously given an award and I wanted to acknowledge
Ms. Jenni at Nest To Keep and say Thank You!
You blessed my heart by sending this award to me!
Especially with all that has been taking place.

I would like to pass this award along to a few of my very favorite blogs that I read every day!
Each one of these ladies brings a different element to blogland and I am so thankful to have found them!

1. Quilty Chick
Oh my goodness ... she makes me laugh!

2. New Every Morning
She keeps me real and causes me to ponder areas of my life ... what a blessing!

3. The Handmade Housewife
Hayley feels like an old friend ... someone who you can fall easily into conversation with. Oh so talented as well!!

4. Sugar And Spice ~ Three Times As Nice
She is new to blogging ... she has a lovely family. I would love to have her as my neighbor!

I have several blogs (listed on my side bar) that I read daily, but was not sure how many awards I could send out for this! I would hand them all a bouquet of awards if I could!! :o)

Thank You Hayley!

Hayley at The Handmade Housewife blessed me with a sweet award! Thank you Hayley!

What an honor to receive this award from someone as talented as Hayley!! I am hoping that some of her creativity will rub off on me! Hayley has the cutest key chains on her Etsy page, sews beautifully (you HAVE to see her placemat pillows), makes darling tassels, and also is re-doing a dresser (which I can not wait to see). Not to mention, on a bigger scale, Hayley did a whole room make-over! It turned out super!!

I am to list 6 things that make me happy ... here they are ...

1. pumpkin spice latte from Starbuck's in the fall
2. pizza/movie night with my family
3. crunchy peanut butter & apricot jelly sandwiches
4. decorating my home
5. having special dates with either my husband, my daughter, or my son
6. pleasant smelling candles, burning

Now I am to list 6 of my favorite crafting bloggers ... they are in no particular order ... each one is such a precious blog that I try to daily keep up with

1. Bonnie at Calamity Jane's Cottage
2. Angie at The Happy Homebody
3. Ruby Red Slippers
4. Jenni at Nest To Keep
5. New Every Morning
6. Notes From A Cottage Industry

a little catching up

I am doing a little catching up this morning. I have not had a chance to read the blogs that I follow. Nor have I had an opportunity to post. Several things have kept me preoccupied.

For starters ... last week I went back to work, very part time. It has been 16 years that I have been out of the work force and needless to say, I am needing quite a bit of a learning curve. Oy!
My "line of work" that I was trained in and accustom to, many years ago, was in large corporate offices. One of which was the location of the company's home office. The other was an international insurance agency. I am now employed by a smaller, family owned and run business. I have a lot to learn! Or should I say re-learn. Big city vs. small town has quite a range of differences. The way I see it though, this is all good. I love the challenge and am blessed to work with some real nice people!! My title "Administrative Assistant."

Next ... painting that dresser. Not so good. I painted the body of the dresser (two coats mind you) only to find out that I was using the wrong type of paint ... I suppose that learning curve weaves through many areas of my life huh? The dresser will need to be stripped and redone. Not what I had in mind. I may just take it into town and see if I can sell it! I would be out $20.00 but the option of loosing more time on this project ... well ... is not an option.

Lesson learned on the dresser ... don't paint with latex! Enamel is the one to use. For that matter, keep latex and enamel miles apart when you store it ... that way, no accidental paint jobs.


Okie dokie ... last week I received an award and I am so delighted!!! It is the Smile Award!! How precious is that? Ruby Red Slippers graciously passed this award along to me and ... well ... it made me SMILE!! Thank you so much Ruby Red Slippers, for the award!

I just love visiting Ruby Red Slippers! She is so sincere in her blogging and has a deep love for her family! She has a beautiful & welcoming home. I am so glad to have found her ... she has enriched my life (see this post)!

I had to "SMILE" when I read the rules for accepting this award. One of the requirements is that I make mistakes. Oh boy, that defines the last week of my life. Of course, you already read about my painting mishap, but there is one more and I am a bit limited to what I can divulge, but I will say this, it involved my new job. It was a bit of a doosie! To the point that it caused me to question whether or not working outside of the home was in my (and my new employer's) best interest. So ... I guess I qualify in accepting this award on behalf of my less than perfect last week ... smile!!

It is a challenge for me to pass along the award though. Not for the positive listings, I am blessed to know many ladies who qualify in those ... it is the mistake qualification that I am not finding in others. Seriously. I would really love to pass this along, but the blogs I read seem to be quite perfect! Mary Poppins perfect! Hmm ... I'm in a bit of a quandary.

With any Blog Award, it is important to pass the gift along. (With a few rules, of course!)
Here are the characteristics of the Smile Award:

1. You must display a cheerful attitude.
2. You must show love to others.
3. You must make mistakes.
4. You must learn from others.
5. You must be a positive contributor to blogging.
6. You must love life.
7. You must love kids.

Here are the rules for the Smile Award:

1. You must link back to the award creator.
2. You must post the rules if you are a recipient.
3. You must choose 5 people to pass the award to.
4. You must fit the characteristics of the award.
5. You must post the characteristics of the recipient of the award.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank the giver of the award.

a smidge of this and a smidge of that

Yesterday, I was given the good advice of placing a birdhouse on the top of my pillar (Thank you Angie at The Happy Homebody!). So I shopped my home and voila ... my rustic birdhouse that a local gentleman built, is sitting on top of my pillar. As you can see, Easter is making himself comfortable on the window ledge, since his beloved pillar is now accessorized! (He has already tried twice to get up there, even knocking the birdhouse off!)

Last night, my husband gifted me with this ... my first fall scented candle for the year! I had not burned this particular Yankee scent in the past and he knew I was wanting to try it out. Oh, I am so glad I did! This will be a fall favorite of mine for a long time. I tend to be sensitive to smells and this one is heavenly!! Thank you honey!!

A heartfelt Thank You to Jenni at Nest to Keep, for such a sweet award! I am truly touched! Nest to Keep is a darling blog that is full of delicious recipes, adorable crafts, fantastic pictures of their family, and places they go. You'll not want to leave when you visit with her! Not to mention she is from the North West Coast ~ and being a "N. CA Girl" transplant to the South, I am getting a taste of home when I go to her blog!

Now to share some blogging love! The very first blog I check daily is The Happy Homebody! I have to pass this along to Angie and just say, not only is her home lovely, her decorating assistance is priceless ... she will need to start charging me for the questions I am asking her regarding how she covered a lamp shade, what to position on my pillar ... smile!! I love her blog!

I am speechless ... truly. I am humbled and honored by such recognition. Thank you Jen for passing along this award to me. I have thoroughly enjoyed daily reading Jen's blog
"Balancing Beauty and Bedlam". Jen is able to embrace the joys of life in both beauty and bedlam ... she has the precious heart of a mom ... and she treasures every moment in life, as an opportunity for celebration. I have caught myself saying, "Choose joy" due to her example of doing just that! The Lord has been gracious to me in allowing our paths to cross in this season of life. (I did not know what bedlam meant until I met Jen! It has become a household word!)


Ok ... now it is my turn to share some love! Smile! Gosh, there are so many blogs out there that are jewels to me! I have listed a few on my own blog, as places that I enjoy visiting, but there are two that stand out above the rest. I believe that the Lord gives to His children, what they need, when they need it! That philosophy is my leaping off mark for making my decision on passing along this award to these two individuals. Many of you may already know them ... I would just like to take a moment to share with you how they have personally touched my life.


The first person that I would like to share this award with is Nicole at Crafting Happens. Nicole has to be one of the kindest ladies that I have met in blogland. She instantly extended her hand of friendship to me. Nicole is incredibly talented and crafty! She creates the most beautiful paper crafts I have seen! I have been so blessed getting to know her and our friendship is an answer to my prayers.


The second person that I would like to share this award with is Laura at Lallee's Cottage. When I open the Lallee's Cottage blog, it has become a family affair. My children, husband, and I stop what we are doing to look at her photographs. She has the talent to capture the subject beautifully, plus the knowledge to impart an explanation as to what they are about. Knitting it all to God's beautiful creation. On top of that, she makes the most lovely crocheted items. (There is a special place in my heart for well crocheted items that I will one day blog about.)


Please take a moment to visit these two blogs. They are both kind and hospitable ladies. Once you visit with them, you will not want to leave.