I've neglected to post some things from friends for a while.  I'm really bad about remembering to come back and do these. 

Jennifer at ZephaniahWay  honored me with the Arte y Pico award. Its creator says this award is “dedicated to many who nourish and enrich the spirit and creativity.”  How wonderful to be seen that way by someone.  Thank you.

Rules:
1) You have to pick 5 blogs that you copnsider deserve this award, creativity, design, interesting material, and also contrubuites to the blogger community, no matter of language.
2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
3) Each award-winning, has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog thathas given her or him the ward itself.
4) Award-winning and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y pico"blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5) To show these rules.

My daughter, Ashley, also gave me this award~

I am so thankful for my daughter's friendship and the Godly young woman and nurturer she is. 

Lori tagged me forever ago to list 3 of my favorite things. 

1.  Snuggling with my girls, and having really good talks and giggles with them.

2.  Going on get-aways with my husband.

3.  Quiet time with the Lord, and time alone in the house to recharge.

Marissa and Daniella started their horseback riding lessons Friday and had a blast.  Marissa got in the car, and in a voice that sounded almost like she might blow up : ) , said, "THAT WAS AWESOME!" 

Saturday we drove to my parents' house to pick up Ashley, and we got to visit with them and Briana for several hours. 

Does anyone have any idea what kind of snake this is?

This is closer of the pattern

It gives me a sick feeling just seeing the photo of it!!  Ugh.  He was in our backyard a few weeks ago.  When we first moved here, all we ever saw were black snakes.  Then for many years, since we've had cats, it's been a rare occasion to see one.  Now we've seen two weird ones in the last month.  One was today, but it got away when the girls came running in shrieking. 

Please pray for the toddler son of my friend Denise.  He was admitted into the hospital with his asthma, but had not been responding well to treatments. 

Tisha

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Okay~ a book meme is supposed to be a simple thing, right?  Pick up the book nearest you, and turn to a certain page.  The problem is there is a stack of books to the left of the computer, a stack of books to the right of the computer, and 2 books in the floor next to the computer.  I can't figure out which one is closest.   No, really.  This is messing me up!  Then, even if I can figure out which one is closer, none of them are mine!  I am feeling a desperate need for a week on the beach with my husband!  : )  I told my girls tonight that I am totally and completely tired of thinking.  And, I am.  All day I have been avoiding it as much as possible.  Now, which book?  The ones to the left are all computery types of books~boring.  So, I'm going to go for the ones to the right, mostly because they are easier to reach than bending down on the floor.  Am I totally pathetic, or what? 

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 I've about given up hope (although, I am still praying) that we will ever see any real snowflakes again here in our little hollow in East Tennessee.  Not any that stick and accumulate at any rate.  But, one day I came in from shopping and my creative, industrious husband of patience had helped Marissa and Daniella make this-

 Isn't that so cool?  It's made out of computer paper.  It's really pretty (and big), and I still have it hanging. 

Ashley tagged me forever ago, and like the great mommy I am, I'm finally remembering to do it!  Also, my new friend, Julie, tagged me to list 6 unimportant things about me, and I think this tag definitely has that covered!! 

8 Things I am passionate about...
1. God and growing in Him
2.  my family
3. adoption
4  sponsoring poor children through Compassion International and Orbit Ministries
5  helping people through Samaritan's Purse or Orbit Ministries
6. going to the gulf coast
7. U.S. traveling
8. Chocolate

8 Things I say often...

1.  Marissa!
2.  Daniella!
3. Smoky!  (hold out the "o" sound, and say it in a sweet mushie voice in order to make him hush (He's an AFrican grey parrot)
4.  "clean up this junk; up where it goes, not piled somewhere, or stuck in a corner"
5.  Have you brushed your teeth?
6.  Somebody let the dog in.
7.  I love you.
8.  Please be kind to each other, and act like you like each other.

8 Things I've read recently...
1. Echo in the Darkness (current read)
2. A Voice in the Wind (#1 in this series)
3. a chapter in Isaiah
4.  2 chapters in 1 Timothy
5.  blogs
6.  WORLD magazine
7.  Bible story books nightly to Daniella
8. Because of Winn Dixie to Marissa and Daniella

8 Things I want to do before I die...
1. Have a much deeper relationship with my Lord
2. See my children grown and married
3.  Be a grandma
4. cultivate *close* friendships
5. be a better hostess
6. travel all over the country
7. be more motivated and organized
8. scrapbook 

8 Things I can listen to over & over again & probably have...
1. Not much, and I don't listen to music too awful much
2.  I like praise songs
3.  some classical
4.  a couple of old timey gospel cd's I have
5.
6.
7.
8.

8 Things that attract me to my friends...
I'm just keeping Ashley's list.  It about covers it.
1. Someone who is real
2. Someone I can be real with
3. Similar beliefs / convictions
4. Godliness
5. Encouraging
6. Fun - can be silly together
7. Someone I can talk to easily about whatever
8. A few similar interests

8 Things I learned this year...
1. I really CAN keep my mouth shut, AND stay in the same room if I put my mind to it. 
2. some history about the fall of Jerusalem and about Rome
3. that it's really awesome when God is speaking so clearly to you and your husband on the same issues
4. I could list a lot of things I "learned" from the Lord, but they would be mostly "reminders"
5. That children can learn to spell really great if you give them time and don't force spelling lists on them-they learn because that's what children do if they are reading and engaged in life
6. That I can cook 7 nights in a row without breaking out in hives
7. To be less fretfull, and wait in peace
8. some information about my grandfathers and what they did in WWII

8 Random facts about me....
1. I get spooked at night by myself, especially if I have to spend the night without James here
2. I love raw brocolli and spinach, but will not eat it cooked.
3. Chocolate is my greatest downfall
4. I like to dance with my children
5. I am a terrible housekeeper
6. but, at the same time I am a perfectionist-just not with my dust
7. I have one sister, and no aunts or uncles
8. I was terrified God was going to give us a boy, and now I wish we had one

Another thing that happened long ago that I neglected was to thank Heidi for this award-not that I could ever keep up with blogging on a daily basis.  But's it's nice to know someone would care enough to come by daily!  

 Hugs to all,
Letitia

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October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Casio is putting on the pink.  5 Minutes for Mom is giving away this  Casio Pink EX-Z75 digital camera .  It's specially bundled with a camera case with pink stitching and a pink ribbon-clad lanyard to show support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF). 

They’ve taken their pink EX-Z75, a 7.2 megapixel digital camera which is part of Casio’s highly-regarded zoom line of EXILIM cameras, and are offering it with this special camera case and pink-ribbon lanyard for the month of October.

My grandmother is a breast cancer survivor! 

Go to 5minutesformom, and enter.

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In light of my HICK post, I thought I should take this test.  It gauges how you say things, and tells you what areas of the country that pronunciation is common to.  It was pretty fun.  Now, I know you're all anxiously awaiting the results.....

 "87% Dixie.  Do you still use Confederate money?"

  A great shock, I know.   Several of my answers said, "common to the southeast".  Only two said really deep south!  Just for the record, for my family, Dixie, the confederacy, or being a "rebel" does not mean being supportive of slavery.  The name of the test really has nothing to do with the test and should be changed.

After my recent post about being a hick--and this really cracked me up-- "anonymous" advised me that I should "embrace my hickness".  Hmmm... what do you all think?   I for one, think I can be a real Southern Belle without being a hick/redneck as "anon" suggested would make me happier. 

(HA!  As I proofread this, I noticed in that last paragraph, I used the words "you all" instead of "y'all".  Maybe all of my northern blogger friends are converting me!!  Actually, I tend to talk much more southern than I write.  And, yes, I proofread my posts.  I told you I was a language freak.) 

Okay, while we are on the subject--the word Y'ALL.  Everyone spells it ya'll, and I used to, too.  But, correct me if I'm wrong, if y'all is short for you all, then wouldn't the apostrophe go between the 'y' and the 'a'?  Really, this is important to the southern grammar.  I feel it my duty to take it upon myself to teach my southern friends the proper use. 

I got a new avatar yesterday.  I've got to update my info, too.  On June 29th, we celebrated our 22nd anniversary.  We were out of town, so it passed without getting due mention here.  Be sure and read the post just before this one to meet some really neat bloggers.

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My friend, Heidi, blessed me with the Blogger Reflection Award.  My first award!  Thanks Heidi!!

You can click on the icon to see how the award started and what it means.

The same week my friend, Denise, gave me the Rockin' Girl Blogger Award. 

Much more than putting an icon on my sidebar could ever mean, were the words that these ladies blessed me with in giving these awards.  I was very humbled, and yet, their words gave me a lift and a smile, and heart's blessing.  Both of these ladies are ones that I would LOVE to meet in person one day, and somehow feel like maybe that will happen--especially as much as my family likes to travel.  Both ladies are fellow adoptive moms. 

Heidi has a fun blog with lots of cool reviews and snapshots of her sweet little ones.  Her oldest daughter is growing up before my eyes.  She is a beautiful, sweet girl.  I know this because she is a friend of my older girls, and they both tell me how sweet she is.  Heidi is a sweet friend, great mom, and someone I know I can relate to. 

Denise is a mom with her hands full !!  She is a huge example of sacrifice and love.  She has 3 precious little ones, and her blog is full of their antics and challenges.  Her kids have some of the best quotes ever!  I am always blessed when I read her blog.

I am suppose to pass this award on to others.  The funny thing is that they are 2 of the ones I would have picked.  So, even though I am mentioning others here, both of you ladies consider yourselves receipients of the award once again.  Also, before I name anyone, remember I have 2 awards to pass on, so don't analyze why I mentioned you for one instead of the other. 

I would like to give the Blogger Reflection Award to:

Maria--Not sure if Maria does awards!, but I give this one to her because of her so apparent love for the Lord and her family.  Everything Maria blogs about reflects the goodness in things and people.  If your children are ever frustrating you or life is frustrating you, visit Maria, and she will remind you of the preciousness in those things.  You'll want to hug your family after you've signed off.

Juliet-  I don't know Juliet quite as well, but I have the same sense when I visit her blog.  She loves the Lord, her husband, and children.  She and her husband lead a marriage group in their home, and you can just tell how much she loves him, and how she wants to pass on the gift of a Godly marriage to other couples.  She has 3 princesses (with beautiful names), and a prince on the way.  I am so excited for her. 

Ashley- She's already received this award, and she is my daughter, but I have to mention her.  Her blog is also an encouragement to me, and reflects the love she has for the Lord.  Her desire is to be used by Him in whatever situation, but He seems to have especially blessed her in mentoring younger girls, whether through being a counselor, in missions, her blog, wherever He puts her. 

Briana-also my daughter.  Briana's blog is an account of the (many) things going on in her life.  If you look closely, though, you will see a young lady who is a blessing, sweet spirit, and is enjoying to the fullest the life God has blessed her with.  As she participates in recitals, camps, musicals, etc., she is a young lady who is known to be set apart.  She knows the God given boundaries in her life, and she will not cross them.  She is not tempted (at least rarely) by being a part of the crowd or by making sure she's not left out of something.  She knows who she is (a daughter of the King), and knows what she wants, and is not afraid to do the things that requires. 

OKAY-now on to the Rockin' Girl Blogger Award:

Nancy-  I just love to visit her blog.  She's fun, she shares neato things, funny things, and I always love to read about her chickens! (As a chicken mama wannabe, here.)  She also blesses me in my inbox weekly through the homeschool minute.  I enjoy gleaning tidbits from her homeschooling.  I wish she'd just go ahead and write me a book about her daily life! 

Betsy- is a sweet friend, whom I've had the pleasure of meeting.  She even cat-sat for me.  I don't hear from her too much these days (hint), but I always enjoy her company, even online.  She also puts a ton of work into our Tennessee Homeschool Nations blog.  You can also ask her about all of her cool science experiments!!  She's a great mom!

June-Another great friend that I was able to meet in person this past Feb. as we traveled through her state.  She has a houseful of sweet girls.  She was one of my very first blogger friends, and I enjoy her blog, reading about her family adventures, and trying not to envy her for living in Florida! 

Nancy-different Nancy.  This one is a great encouragement to me in our relaxed style of homeschooling.  She has such talented children, too.  Their family lives life on purpose, makes the most of learning and opportunities, and doesn't give in to the pressures of learning in a box. 

There are others I would add to this list, but time is prohibitive.  I have some great friends here, and those that I haven't mentioned and visit regularly are just as important in other ways.   Thank you all for being blessings in my life.

If you don't know any of these ladies, stop by and be blessed!

Letitia

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I grew up in East Central Mississippi in a town of about 40,000.  We considered ourselves "city people".  : )  I can still remember well, the phrase used every Saturday...."Country done come to town."  That meant all the people from the surrounding counties---very small towns and "country folk"---had come into town to shop.  Well, dignified city dweller that I was (smirk), and having had such a grand education in the public school system, I was quite particular about grammar as a child and teen.  I would even correct my parents grammar (I'm sure they LOVED that!) 

Imagine my utter horror last week, when I heard myself say, "Were you walking around by......y'allsselves.    Y'allsselves??????   Okay.  Just to clarify, if you live in the south the word "y'all" IS proper grammar.....but y'allsselves?????

We've lived in Tennessee now for 17 1/2 years, and "mountain locals" have a vanacular all their own.  (Except I don't think I've ever heard any of them say y'allsselves!)  They don't even say "y'all".  They say "you'en" or "yewns".  The last 10 years or so, my husband has been a contractor, and....well, let's just say that his subs don't treasure grammar the way I do.  So, some of that tends to seep into our language over time.  It has really become my pet peeve.  In other words, it's driving me crazy.  Here are a couple of the things I hear coming out of some of the mouths around here---and yes, sometimes mine.

Fer-  "We went fer a look." 
wudja- "Wudja do that fer?"
dudn't- "That dudn't look right."
whatn't-  "That whatn't right."

Those are a few that immediately come to mind, although there are more.

Okay, while we're on the subject, I have a question.  How on earth do you live in the south and teach phonics???  I mean the word is "dawg", not "dog".  And, any true southerner knows you say "git" , not "get".  Do any of you know how stupid we sound to ourselves and to our children when we try to pronounce some of these words phonetically? 

I've come to one very important conclusion.  Whoever came up with phonics did not live in the south.  In the meantime, this weekend, git your children out to play with their dawgs, and hope you moms git some time to y'allsselves!

Letitia

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My friend, Momof5littlewomen , had this map on her blog, and I think I saw it on someone else's, and thought it was fun.  We like to travel, but a lot of times we just go to the same states over and over.  I couldn't begin to tell you how many times I've been to Florida!  Our next "great adventure", we hope, will be out west. 

You can create your own map at http://douweosinga.com/projects/visitedstates.

So, where have *you* been?

Letitia

P.S.  Ashley is coming home today.  YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I am supposed to post 6 new things about myself.  I'm not sure if I know 6 new things about myself!  Let's see...

1.  I grew up in Mississippi.  We moved to Tennessee 16 years ago. 

2.  I have one sister who lives on the opposite side of Tenn.  Come to think of it, most things about us are opposite!  : )

3.  When we went to Guatemala to adopt our 2 girls are the only 2 times I have ever been on an airplane. 

4.  I like to visit new places.  The last new place we went was a trip to Philadelphia, P.A. and Cape May, N.J.  I also like to revisit places, especially the beach.  I love to camp (in our pop-up, complete with toilet and shower--I've grown too old for tents and bathhouses in the middle of the night!)  I, especially like to camp in state parks in the off time when the campgrounds are almost empty. 

5.  I like to read, and when I'm in a good book, I usually end up neglecting everything else.

6.  When I was much younger, I spent a lot of time hiking, backpacking, river canoeing (even canoed over a small waterfall), waterskiing, etc.  Now, I'm much more into walks, sitting on the dock or beach looking at the water, collecting seashells, leisurely bike rides, and sitting by the campfire. 

So there are 6 very random things about myself.  Odd what pops into your mind when you're trying to come up with these things.  The 7th one I thought of was how much I hate mud.  Go figure!

Have a blessed day. 

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