My First Award!

Ok, I have to admit I squealed when I saw the comment on my blog telling me I had won an award. Since I have admitted that... I also must admit that my squeal freaked my poor husband out! So needless to say, I am super excited to have received my first award from Deirdra over at A Storybook World. Thank you so much!

G is for Giveaway

I have joined the A to Z blogging challenge. During the month of April I will write a post each day with the exception of Sundays and these posts will correspond with each letter of the Alphabet. You can join by following the link above.

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I have slowly watched my followers grow from zero to 30. As a lover of giveaways I have wanted to host one myself for quite a while. So today I am announcing that once I reach 40 followers (please tell your friends) I will plan a giveaway to scoot up to 50. Once I hit 50, the giveaway will close and a winner will be chosen! 

 

What will the gift be? Well, I have some yarn and other miscellaneous items I plan to give away. So spread the word and lets get to 40 followers!

F is for Family

I have joined the A to Z blogging challenge. During the month of April I will write a post each day with the exception of Sundays and these posts will correspond with each letter of the Alphabet. You can join by following the link above.



  I am going to make these posts a mix of things but my hope is that they will all have a common thread... God.

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I shared a little about my family on my "D is for Dad" post. I prefer not to say that I come from a broken home because even though my mom left us our home wasn't broke. My dad did everything within his power to care for us and I don't feel that I missed out on anything even without my mom there. My dad remarried in 1996. My step mom is a wonderful woman. I do not call her by her name, she is my mom. She had 5 children and we became a family... her 5 kids and my dad's 4 kids; 9 kids total sharing one bathroom. My mom has not remarried but she did have a child when I was almost 15 so that gives me 9 siblings total. 

I am almost 27 and all of my siblings are grown and on their own except for Jacob who is 12. I moved away from home when I was 19 and got married. Jeff and I have been together ever since. I miss seeing my family grow and change. I have 5 nephews I haven't met and a niece on the way. I have a sister in law, a brother's girlfriend and a sister's boyfriend I haven't met. I look forward to meeting them on my visit in May. 

When Jeff and got married I married into a wonderful family. Jeff's parents had been married for just about 30 years at the time. His parents loved me like I was their daughter.

I have to say God surely blessed me with two wonderful families. 

 

E is for Exercise

I have joined the A to Z blogging challenge. During the month of April I will write a post each day with the exception of Sundays and these posts will correspond with each letter of the Alphabet. You can join by following the link above.



  I am going to make these posts a mix of things but my hope is that they will all have a common thread... God.

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In January 2010 I made the decision to start exercising. Sure, I was playing on my wii and doing what I kept trying to convince myself was exercise but I never saw an improvement in my personal fitness. I joined Curves in January 2010 and worked out at least three times a week until I made the decision to leave in February 2011. I learned to exercise right and found that even though I was gaining weight each week... I was actually feeling better and more fit. I was able to hike down to a waterfall last summer. That was something I have wanted to do for years but was never fit enough.  

 

When I made the decision to leave Curves in February I purchased a membership to the fitness center at our local community center. I also purchased a membership to be able to take all the classes I want there with actual trainers. 

 

The first few weeks were murderous.  I was sore about every day but I knew I had to keep going. I have lost a small amount of weight... .6 pounds to be exact. I have gained and lost, gained and lost. I missed work outs last week for a whole week since I was sick in bed. I walked a mile yesterday and went to an abs and arms class this morning. I hope I hurt tomorrow!

 

I enjoy the days when I just walk because I put my ear buds in and listen to KLOVE. I spend this time worshiping God and praying. This helps me start my days right. 

D is for Dad

I have joined the A to Z blogging challenge. During the month of April I will write a post each day with the exception of Sundays and these posts will correspond with each letter of the Alphabet. You can join by following the link above.



  I am going to make these posts a mix of things but my hope is that they will all have a common thread... God.

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I had a hard time deciding yesterday what my "D" post would be and honestly, this idea didn't hit me until I was just about to drift off to sleep last night. I've talked about my dad before... told you about how I was Daddy's Little Girl growing up and how we have to make him special food now that he is sick. Today I want to tell you a little more about what makes this man the best Dad... in my opinion.

 

As I get older I remember less and less about things I did when I was a kid... I couldn't sit here and tell you about activities I participated in or about family holidays. However, sometimes a memory will just pop up in my mind and make me smile. One of my favorites being the day my brother, James, was born back in May 1990. I was in Kindergarten and my sister and I were in a school assembly/concert dancing with umbrellas and singing. I remember looking out to the audience and seeing my dad and older brother. Dad kept motioning with his arms trying to tell us that James was born. Try picturing a grown man sitting in the gym of a school swinging his arms around like he is cradling a baby in them and then pointing at my older brother. Being 6 years old I obviously was confused as to how my mom had a baby Buddy (my brother's name). 

 

When I was in first grade I had an accident on my bicycle... I tumbled over the handle bars and landed on my chin. I went to the emergency room and got 5 stitches. My Dad loved to tease me that I couldn't eat soup anymore because it would leak out of the hole in my chin and then he would put the back of his hand up to his chin and wiggle his fingers to make it look like noodles hanging out. This teasing always made me cry but I find it pretty entertaining now. 

 

My mom left us when I was in 4th grade. Their divorce was finalized when I was in 5th grade and my Dad won custody. I remember the struggles he had trying to support 4 children on his own... but he made it work. I remember one Christmas Eve he woke us three older children up and showed us the pile of gifts under the tree. He asked us if it was enough... it was more than enough. My dad was always honest about our situation and he made sure the kids were taken care of first. He was my protector when things went crazy on visitation with Mom and I learned to be the protector during those times when I was older. 

 

He is an amazing encourager. My dad is the reason I went to college... the reason I worked so hard to graduate from High School on time. He taught me values that didn't catch on until I was married and trying to build a life of my own with my husband. 

 

He is one of my best friends... someone I can tell everything to. He calls me Gabby because I talk a lot. But he loves it... and so do I! I am so thankful that God saw fit to bless me with the dad I received. 

 

 

C is Crochet

I have joined the A to Z blogging challenge. During the month of April I will write a post each day with the exception of Sundays and these posts will correspond with each letter of the Alphabet. You can join by following the link above.



  I am going to make these posts a mix of things but my hope is that they will all have a common thread... God.

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My step-mom taught me to crochet when I was 14. My first finished project was a hideous blanket for my new baby brother. Looking back I see this blanket as my first scrap blanket since it was made from several colors of yarn from a shimmery blue variegated, brown, green and other colors. It was worked in the round and the corners were bad... the center pouched out. I am sure my mom has the blanket in storage somewhere. I would like to get a picture of it someday. 

 

Obviously, my crochet skills have gotten better over the last thirteen years... especially in the last two years. I really enjoy this craft. It relaxes me and allows me to be creative in so many ways. My family lives 2000 miles from me in Washington state. I have three sisters, three brothers, a sister in law, a (soon to be) brother in law, a brother's girlfriend, a sisters boyfriend, four nephews, a niece on the way, a dad, a mom and a step-mom that I send Christmas gifts to each year. I find the most cost effective and easy gifts to send are home made. 

 

I started a new Christmas tradition for myself two years ago when I stopped at Walgreens and saw an "Angel Tree" of sorts that provides gifts for senior citizens. The first year I made a pink black and white granny square lap blanket. I loved this blanket and I still think about Lois (the recipient) frequently.  Last year I donated two blankets for Dora and Linda. I have posts somewhere for them... one is here and one showing the half way done blanket is here. Currently I have four blankets in progress for this charity. 

 

I believe that God gives his people gifts. Gifts to use to glorify Him. These gifts may be teaching, the ability to comfort, the ability to provide etc. Over the last couple years I honestly believe that God gave me the ability to crochet so I could honor and glorify him with that talent. I pray for the recipients of my blankets as I work them and I provide them a note letting them know the gifts are made with love and prayer. I love my charity projects, they teach me patience and prayer. 

 

 

B is for Books

I have joined the A to Z blogging challenge. During the month of April I will write a post each day with the exception of Sundays and these posts will correspond with each letter of the Alphabet. You can join by following the link above.



  I am going to make these posts a mix of things but my hope is that they will all have a common thread... God.

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I have always had a love for these stories and words within their bindings. They take me to places and teach me things I never knew. My tastes in books or rather the theme of books I read has changed in the last seven years. When I was a teen I was really into V.C. Andrews. My mom seemed to have all her books and I really enjoyed the new books that were coming out as they seemed to be written for the younger crowd. These books are not something I would read today. 

 

While my husband tends to shy away from fiction books I practically feed on them. I discovered my favorite Author a good 5 or 6 years ago when I was looking for something to read while we were waiting on Firestone to replace the tires on our truck. Karen Kingsbury is an amazing and inspirational Christian Fiction writer. My first Kingsbury books were the three books in the "Forever Faithful" series. These books touched me in a way any other book had done. Karen's books helped me learn more about my God and the grace he has given me. 

 

Back when I was a housewife I enjoyed visiting the library. I read several books a month and sometimes two a day. I read almost 100 books in a year. I don't read as much now as I would like because I do spend most of my free time with my yarn and hooks. 

 

My most favorite books are the Chronicles of Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. I have loved these since I was a child and my husband gifted me the full set for our first anniversary. I could read those books over and over and find something new each time I read them. I have also enjoyed the movies. 

 

I apologize if this post is not as interesting as the others. I have had books on my mind all day. I went to Mardels and purchased 7 new books for my collection and finally... after more than a year of living here... unpacked my books I had in the garage and placed them on the bookshelf. I love my books.