Many Thanks and 10 things

Most of you know sweet Denise from Shortybear’s Place. She always has a word of encouragement for her many followers and is relentless is passing along a blessing.

Denise shared one such blessing with me in the form of this:

Thank you, Denise!

Now I am supposed to list 10 things I love and share this award with 10 other bloggers.

I love:

1. the Lord
2. my family
3. my church
4. my dog
5. blogging
6. reading
7. writing
8. music
9. fruit
10. surprises

Now for the sharing:

1. Bobbi
2. Laurie
3. Lavonda
4. LeAnn
5. Melanie @ Stepping Closer
6. Michele
7. Melissa
8. Jerri
9. Nel
10. Sandy

Some of these ladies are old friends, but a few I have just recently met...do yourself a favor...VISIT THEM...you will be glad you did!

And the blessings just keep coming...

Imagine my surprise when dear Michelle at Joyful Journey shared this with me:

Thank you, Michelle!

Michelle is a very creative lady and is involved with many ministries for the Lord. Please visit her at any one of her 3 blogs to be blessed.

Now I am to pass this award on to 12 bloggers who I find show positivity and creativity.

1. Cheri
2. Jan
3. JBR
4. Joan
5. Kim
6. Leslie
7. Lynda
8. Melanie @ Closet Full of Critters
9. Nikki
10. One Heart
11. Tammy @ Finally Free
12. Tammy @ Not Mine But God’s Story

Some of these ladies I have followed from my beginning blogging days, but most of them are new blogging buddies...please visit any of them that you are not familiar with for encouragement and inspiration...

Auf Wiedersehen!

I am going on a little trip...

Not really, just downstairs...to the office

I’ve packed my bags...

Not quite, but I am trying to unpack some things...

I will be gone for a while...

Not for long, but a bit...

I promise to write...

Uhhh, probably not...

Faithful readers, I just wanted to let you know of my brief hiatus from blogging that starts NOW.

Like most of you, I am spinning one plate too many at the moment and before it breaks...I will lay it down on the table...

The Facebook plate has already been stacked in the corner since way before Christmas...but I REALLY LOVE blogging...so I am tenderly placing that plate into a heavily cushioned box for safe keeping...because I WILL spin it again...soon...

But for now, business obligations, family matters, and spiritual renewal are the only plates I have in the air...they require total concentration and absolute consecration in order to spin in the way they are each made to spin...

I will miss visiting each of you, but I’LL BE BACK...

In the meantime, I would like to introduce you to a relative newcomer to blogging...and a relative...to me!

My cousin Melanie has never experienced a loss for words since the day she was born...and why she waited so long to blog, I will never know...but if you pay her a visit, I guarantee she will have something to share that will bless your heart...so go now and introduce yourself to Mel at Closet Full of Critters.

So, see you later...I will be praying for all of you and hope you will remember me and my family in your prayers.

Every time I think of you,

I give thanks to my God.

Philippians 1:3 NLT

Belated Blessings to Share

Is anyone else behind on anything?

If you are NOT, please click the contact button on the bottom right corner of my header and contact me immediately! I am in desperate need of advice...

Some very sweet blogging ladies have shared some of their awards and although I have thanked each one personally, I have not gotten around to posting the pictures...or sharing my blessings...

Christy Rose at The Secret Life of an American Wife and Mom has shared two awards...

Friendship hits the spot award

You add sunshine to my day

Melissa at Melissa’s Merry Mayhem and Madison at Fight of Your Life have both shared...

Honest Scrap

Christy, Melissa, and Madison are all wonderful sisters in the Lord...they each have different stories to tell that will bless your heart. Encouragement, honesty, inspiration, hope, humor, and heartfelt emotion are shared through these women’s blogs, and I encourage you to visit each one if you have not already.

Blessings from friends are always fun to share, but I am always indecisive when it comes to choosing a limited number of blogs in which to pass the awards. So...rule breaker that I am...if you follow my blog, or just stop by to visit, please feel free to share in these blessings...

One stipulation of the Honest Scrap that I have done before is to list 10 things about yourself that others may find interesting. So...rule breaker that I am...please find 10 8 ok 6 trivial weird interesting things about me...

1. I FORGOT my first blogiversary...October 26th was the day and I had thought about it the week before...mentioned the fact to my son who promptly said, “Ohhhh, are you taking your blog out to eat for your anniversary?”...but I was out of town, so no anniversary post...
2. I could live in a library and be happy...
3. Before I had grandkids, I did not believe I could ever love any other children as much as my own...
4. In cold weather, I love hot tea during the day and hot chocolate right before bed...
5. I can not seem to keep my tiny laundry room organized to save my life...
6. During times when I am low, or discouraged, or just plain worn out, my God always...through one venue or another...speaks to me and reminds me I am HIS and everything is under control...and then confirms it by a second or third outpouring of the same WORD through another source...it never ceases to amaze me!

Now I am caught up...on one thing at least....

Thanks again to all my blogland friends...you bless me more than you will ever know!

In a Nutshell, or Not

Have you ever really looked inside a nut shell? Not much room in there...so space is a premium. Whether a tiny chestnut, or a big Brazil nut, the inside quarters are tiny and a lot of stuff just won’t fit in there...

Having wasted the first paragraph of this post on that great bit of stupidity insight, I want to thank my blogfriends that emailed to check on me during my writing hiatus. I am so touched when ladies I have only met online, show concern and compassion towards me and my life.

Gosh...how sweet...

But isn't that just the way all this works? In our preferred social network, we meet others that...

May or may not have some of the same interests as we do...

May or may not share the exact same beliefs we do but are committed to the same Biblical truths...

May or may not be someone we would just sit and chat with if we went through their town...

But the fact remains, we visit with each other often, read “about me”, “who am I” and older posts to learn more, and develop relationships that turn into friendships that evolve into sisterships (is that a word?...spellcheck suggested sisters hips...LOL)

We care about one another, laugh or groan (yes, Marsha, I do) at the jokes, rejoice with good news, grieve with bad news, and pray for each other always....

Just like family...

Only this family is not related by the type O positive or B negative flowing through our veins, but related by the blood of Jesus Christ...part of the greatest family of all...the family of God...

So this post is not what I intended to write tonight. This nutshell was supposed to hold cute snippets of the things that have been happening the last few weeks that have made the posts here infrequent.

But I am afraid if I start sharing now, my nutshell would turn into a...blimp maybe?

And I know you don’t have time for that, so I will share this little nutshell today and another little nutshell in a day or two about my time away.

Keep blogging, sisters...you never know just how much the words you share may mean to another person...and how much you are loved!

Thankful Thursday - Friends

Please visit Grace Alone for more Thankful Thursday thoughts....

A Sister in Need…

Noreen over at Life Blessings has posted a "Call to Prayer" for a sister in need of a healing touch. Linny at A Place Called Simplicity has asked for a day of united prayer and fasting for sister Cindy at Faithful Promises.

Please visit their blogs to read the inspiring stories about these women of God. Please consider joining us this

Monday the 27^th

for a special prayer and a time of fasting to lift up the needs of this Christian woman who desperately needs a divine touch for her body.

Friday Funnies

Service for One

On Sunday, the new young pastor arrived at church and found only an old farmer had shown up.

After waiting a while, the disappointed the pastor remarked to the old farmer, "Well, it appears no one else is coming, so we should probably cancel service today."

The farmer, dressed in his Sunday best, looked at the young preacher and said, "Well pastor, I don't know much 'bout preachin', but I do know something bout farmin' and if I went out in the field and found only one cow, I'd still feed 'em."

This excited the young preacher who preached for the next 45 minutes a fierce fire and brimstone sermon. Afterwards the pastor asked the old farmer what he thought.

The old farmer remarked, "Well pastor, I don't know much bout preachin', but I do know somethin' 'bout farmin' and if I went out in the field and found only one cow, I wouldn't give 'em the whole bale."

From Crosswalk.com


I would like to thank Alisa from Faith Imagined for sharing a blog award with me with these instructions:

Write 10 honest things about yourself...

Share with 7 other blogs that you admire...

So here goes:

1. I love being a Mom and a Nanna
   
2. I think M & M's are the perfect candy
   
3. My perfect day alone would be with a good book, a cozy chair, and shaved ice to crunch
   
4. My perfect day with family is having the whole crew over for a big meal around the table and then watching the kids (of all ages) play around
   
5. I used to judge people and their circumstances way too harshly until I had to walk a mile in someone else's shoes
   
6. I love taking/looking at/organizing/creating special projects with/ pictures
   
7. I miss my Grandparents and think of things every day I wish I had told them
   
8. I regret not listening closer to the Lord earlier in my life
   
9. Violin music is one of my favorites and I wish I could play one
   
10. I wish I were more organized
    

That was easy...

The hard part is choosing just 7 blogs I admire cause there are bunches of them!

So here are 7 of a group of many:

called-2-worship

Thought, Ponderings, Musings

Samaritan Women

Sisters of Faith

God Speaks Today

Life Blessings

Not Mine But God's Story

100th Post Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Carrie at Thoughts, Ponderings, Musings...! She won the 100th post giveaway and now is the proud owner of the cute little basket. This girl has won so many contests and prizes this past year that it is really amazing. Please visit her blog to read some delightful stories about some of the more exciting prizes she has won plus her insight on a wide range of topics. While you are there, check out the cuties on her header...

I would like to say "Thank You" to everyone that left a comment and /or shared a testimony for my 100^th post giveaway. You are all just so very sweet and even though most of us have never met, I consider each of you a friend and sista and would love to one day hug your necks!

One of these friends is Andrea at A Parson's Wife who has graciously passed on an award she was given. This award says:

"The Uplifting Blogger Award goes to fellow bloggers who visit frequently and raise my spirits with their kind words of encouragement, their beautiful images and their wonderful outlook on life. They make blogging a positive experience and continue to make my life richer."

Since everyone that visits and those that leave comments always encourage and uplift me, it would be impossible to select just a few to share this award.


So to all the ladies that:

Love life and all it has to offer,

Enjoy encouraging and helping others,

Create beautiful blogs that extend "welcome" like an old friend,

And make me thankful for a computer with an internet connection,

Please, please, please take this lovely picture for your blog and know that I love you all as dear sisters in Christ! I can honestly say my life has been blessed beyond measure by the words I have read on your blogs, the prayers that have been shared, and the knowledge that God is soooo good...because He lead me to YOU!

100th Post

Well, I made it to my 100^th post! I never dreamed when I started this blog that I would meet so many wonderful ladies that would inspire and encourage me with their faith and love. Thank you Carrie, for suggesting I start this as "therapy" because I have learned so many things during this journey. Most of all, I thank the Lord for speaking to me through His Word, His Spirit, and through life's occurrences in order to open my eyes to things I needed to know, be reminded of, or share with someone else.

For this mini milestone in my journey through blog land, I would like to honor the faithful readers who take the time to visit me and share their thoughts. So in lieu of trying to list 100 things you really don't care to know about me, in exactly 100 hours from the posting time of 12: oo pm May 29^th 2009, one of my dear sisters will receive this:


This resin basket is approximately 8 x 5 x 6.

These are the rules:

To Enter: Leave a comment on this post.

For EXTRA ENTRIES: You can earn one extra entry for each of the following:

1. Subscribe to my blog feed.
   
2. Put my button on your sidebar.
   
3. Leave a separate comment sharing how God has helped you "Live well, Love much, and Laugh often."
   

The ending date and time is Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 4:00:00 PM. I will use www.Random.org to generate the winning number and announce the winner on June 3rd.

The Little Things

I love the little things...you know, the little things in life that make people feel loved and appreciated...like a hug, a phone call, a card, a note in a lunchbox, a message on a mirror, or a whispered "I love you".

These little things are not...

expensive...

time consuming...

or earth shattering...

But to someone that needs them, these little things can bring...

comfort...

strength...

and peace...

They may even change someone's life...you just never know how God's plans work sometimes other than that they work for our GOOD!!

One day a few weeks ago, I was having a time, as the saying goes. Well laid plans did not happen, disappointments did, and I was having a mild pity party.

After a trip to the mailbox, I sat in my office chair and started sorting through bills and circulars. At the bottom of the stack was a little envelope addressed to me with a return address from one of my dear blogging sisters.

I cried/wept/sobbed.

And that was before I even opened it!

I knew when I slid my finger under the flap, pulled the card out, and read the note inside, the Lord would speak through this lady's script. She didn't write much inside, just a little, but it was what I needed at that moment.

She also gave me a scripture reference to look up.

Isaiah 41:13.

When I read these words, I cried/wept/sobbed again and thanked the Lord for bringing this dear sister into my life. After immediately sending her a thank you email, she responded and said she was surprised I had received the card so soon, because it usually took several days for mail to reach here.

I was not surprised, but thankful for this little thing.

But there is more...

After drying my eyes and straightening my back, I wrote the scripture on a little note card and placed it in my pocket so I could refer back to it throughout what would become a very long day. Unbeknown to me at the time, my God had even greater plans for that little note card. This wasn't a "one shot" little blessing, but a "pass it around" BIG blessing.

Enter a distraught soul...crying in despair...hungry for just the right words at that exact moment...and the card was in my pocket...such a little thing...but Someone said to share that card and the right words came at the right time again...

The scripture was read silently and then spoken aloud... and God's presence was right there...comforting, strengthening, and enveloping two spirits...one broken and one rejoicing for His Spirit was evident and in control!

Such a little thing...that meant so much!

Passing it on....

One of the blogs I enjoy reading is GOD is our First Love. Hon has written some very interesting posts and she has a very joyful signature at the end of each one that includes the acronym P.U.S.H. This stands for Pray Until Something Happens. I love that! Too often, we tend to slack off praying about a certain need if it seems nothing is moving, but we only see the temporal things...not the eternal results. So I have been reflecting on Hon's P.U.S.H. motto for a while now to remind me to never give up and to always have hope.

Hon has graciously named Hallelujah Anyhow in a long list of blogs that she would like to pass on two awards. Here are the rules:• Copy the badge and put the logo on your blog sidebar or post.• Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!• Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.•Share the love and link to this this post and to the person you received your award from.•Come back and comment here so that your link could be added to the master list of awardees.
History of the Uber Award: Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who; inspire you, make you smile and laugh, gives amazing information, a great read, have an amazing design and any other reasons you can think of that makes them UBER amazing!

I have a slight dilemma in following the rules to the letter for these awards. I consider all my blog friends to be "Kreative" and "Uber Amazing". So to anyone who visits here, please feel free to copy these awards and post them on your blogs because you are all so deserving of them. Many blessings to you all (or ya'll as we say in the south). I love all my blogging sisters!

Someone is Praying

I am so thankful for the prayers that were said for me by family and friends during the seasons in my life when I was not serving the Lord. I am thankful for those prayers that are being whispered now concerning strength for trials, comfort for heartaches,and blessings along life's way. Whatever would we do without interceding prayers...where would we be? What about those who have no one praying on their behalf...that feel totally alone and in despair?

Someone Is Praying For You

author: Linda M. Oliver

Somewhere someone's praying

Down upon their knees,

Lifting you before the Throne

With love and gentle pleas.

Asking God to give you strength

To face another day,

And when the night is darkest

Shine light upon your way.

Somewhere someone's kneeling

To whisper your name in prayer,

Knowing that you need to feel

God's love and tender care.

They intercede on your behalf

Because they love you so,

Knowing that you have a need

To their Father they will go.

They pray when you're not able

To speak a single word,

What peace there is in knowing

Their prayers will be heard.

They lay you on the altar

As they kneel there at His feet,

Giving all your cares to Him

There at the mercy seat.

Our God is always listening

To every earnest prayer,

When we look to Him for help

The answer is always there.

It's such a comfort to know

That someone prays for you,

Placed within His loving hands

Those prayers will see you through.

As you kneel before the Father

Thank Him for those who care,

When you bow before the mercy seat

Whisper their name in prayer.

Are you a Prayer Warrior??

Praying earnestly to the

Rock of our salvation,

Anticipating answers that

Yield

Eternal

Results, and

Without fail

Always

Remembering to

Raise our voices in

Intercession on behalf of

Others to our Blessed

Redeemer!

"The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer,

but unoffered prayer."

F.B. Meyer

Friendship Award

Andrea at A Parson's Wife has graciously passed on a friendship award to me and seven other blog ladies. I am honored and humbled by this gift and truly treasure the wonderful women of the Word that I have met via blogland. If you have never visited Andrea, please stop by and stay a while. You will leave feeling encouraged, inspired, and abundantly fed from God's Word. Thank you, Andrea!

Now I pass this award to eight other sisters who continually bless me with their words. Ladies, please feel free to paste the award on your site if you choose to do so, and include this text that is passed on with the award...

"These blogs are exceedingly charming and the kind of bloggers that aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of the 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".

In alphabetical order:

1. Angie at The Knightly News and Sisters of Faith – you always write just what I need to read at just the right time!
   
2. Bethany at Living, Learning, Laughing, Loving – you always give a wonderful perspective to everyday life!
   
3. Carolyn at Moms United Prayer for Unsaved Family – you always give encouragement and hope that blesses me!
   
4. Carrie at Thoughts, Ponderings, and Musings – you always surprise me with wit, inspiration, and insight!
   
5. Denise at Samaritan Women – you always share deep thoughts to ponder and everyday events to make me smile!
   
6. Julie at Jewelz Sightings – you always write awe-inspiring analogies that share the love of our Heavenly Father!
   
7. Lisa at Blessed With Grace – you always offer something new and refreshing that brightens my day!
   
8. Sharon Lynne at California Breeze – you always share a mother's joys and sorrows that I can relate to with my heart!
   

The Parable of the Mouse

A mouse looked through the crack
in the wall to see the farmer and
his wife open a package.

What food might this contain ?
The mouse wondered - - -

He was devastated to discover it
was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard,
the mouse proclaimed the warning:

'There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!'

The chicken clucked and scratched,
raised her head and said,

'Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern
to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.'

The mouse turned
to the pig and told him,

'There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!'

The pig sympathized, but said, 'I am
so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there
is nothing I can do about it but pray.
Be assured you are in my prayers.'

The mouse turned to the cow and said

'There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!'

The cow said, 'Wow, Mr. Mouse.
I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose.'

So, the mouse returned to
the house, head down and dejected,
to face the farmer's mousetrap . . alone.

That very night a sound was heard
through out the house -- like the sound of a
mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see
what was caught. In the darkness,
she did not see it was a venomous
snake whose tail the trap had caught.
The snake bit the farmer's wife.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital,and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever
with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer
took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued,
so friends and neighbors came to
sit with her around the clock.
To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died.
So many people came for her funeral,
the farmer had the cow slaughtered to
provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from
his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone
is facing a problem and think it
doesn't concern you, remember ----

when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.
We are all involved in this journey called life.
We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

REMEMBER.

EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY;

OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

(Thanks to my Dad for passing along this story)

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 NLT

One Lovely Blog Award

This weekend, my daughter-in-law received a well deserved award for “Thoughts, Ponderings, and Musings” entitled “One Lovely Blog Award”. She totally deserves this because her blogs are delightful to read and she constantly keeps them up dated and looking fantastic. Can you tell I am proud of her?


She thoughtfully decided to pass this award on to five blogging friends with “lovely thoughts to share with the world” (her words). So she chose me as one of the five and I feel totally unworthy of this because I am terrible at updating and go days without posting. My hopes and prayers are that even with infrequent posting and an amateur page layout, the thoughts I have shared might possibly help someone else...cause we ALL need help and support, right?


So thank you, Carrie! I appreciate your thoughtfulness and in turn will pass this award along to several blog friends that are very deserving and blow me away with their insight on things. I follow their blogs and am always blessed by the way the Lord uses them to speak to others.

They are:

Carolyn at Moms United in Prayer for Unsaved Family

Julie at Jewelz Sightings

Angie at THE KNIGHTLY NEWS and Sisters of Faith

Diane at Partners in Prayer for our Prodigals

PJ at What the Welch’s are Up To….

Graceland Book Club

My dear daughter-in-law Carrie invited me to a Book Club study group at her church tonight. She is leading the discussions and guiding the study group with Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. Carrie did a wonderful job tonight and I was so very proud of her!

This topic is very relevant in this day and time with Christian women trying to do it all and be everything to everyone and still be able to serve our Lord. We all need balance in our lives. I am looking forward to learning much from this book and enjoying the fellowship and experiencing the kindred spirit with this group of sisters in Christ.