Melissa has given me the Arte y Pico Award!  The award is dedicated to those who "nourish and enrich the spirit of creativity."  Melissa honored me as a "teaching artist".  :o)  Thank you , Melissa!!  If you've never visited her blog, you simply must.  She is a very creative and gifted homeschooler who will inspire you often!

I'm supposed to pass the award on to five others who I find creative and inspiring.   I read so many blogs that inspire me often!  Here are just a few of those....

Barb at Harmony Art Mom - I learn wonderful things and get new ideas from her **constantly**.  Seriously, I have no idea where so many great ideas come from!

Candace at His Mercy is New - Her house and school projects have spurred me into action on many occasions lately!

Dawn at My4Sweetums - She's a master at hands-on learning with her children.  I've followed her lead often!

Jimmie at One Child Policy Homeschool - Her creativity amazes me!  From teaching her daughter to developing wonderful tutorials, this gal's super-dee-duper.

Nora at Living By Faith in Kentucky  - This real-life friend of mine is one of the most creative organizers I've ever met.  She hasn't shared much of her organizing wisdom (yet, I hope) on her blog, but she's a whiz at it!

I was only allowed five.  So many more of you are awesome and creative and inspiring!

Natural Paths has so sweetly passed this award on to me!  Isn't it pretty?  And what a nice words!  I have such a hard time passing awards on because I never want to offend anyone.  SO MANY blogs make my day!  Here are just a sampling of the great blogs I read that I'd like to pass this award on to.

Bright Star Christian Homeschool

By Faith in Kentucky

By Sun and Candlelight

The Heart of Harmony

The King's Creation

One Child Policy Homeschool

Our Homeschool and Other Such Happenings

Under His Construction

By the way, I finally got around to passing on the E is for Excellent Award.  Scroll down to see.

Thank you NaturalPaths and Lynn and Nancy for passing this award on to me!  I'm in a bit of a hurry right now, so I'll have to pass it on a little later. 

Later is finally here.  :)

The Educational Life

Our Homeschool Expedition

My Blessings From Above

The Mind of Stacy

In the Potter's Hand

Also, I was tagged by SchoolinRhome and Christin for the book tag.  I'm supposed to pick up the nearest book and open it to page 123.  Ha!!  I'm sitting in a huge pile of books and NONE of them have 123 pages!  What's that say about me?  I LOVE children's books!!

Nikki has tagged me with the Seven Weird Things About You tag.  Here goes (whether you're ready or not!)

1.  I don't like to wear shoes.  I'd rather be barefoot - even in winter!

2.  Even though I'd rather be barefoot, I don't like feet!  Baby feet, yes.  Anyone older than, say, two or three, yuck!

3.  I can't stand to be too hot or cold.  Unfortunately, I get really cranky if things get too hot or cold.

4.  Speaking of cranky, I get cranky when I'm hungry, too.  Yes, my poor husband.  He sweetly calls me "sensitive".  I know deep down he's thinking,  "This girls is nuts!"

5.  I can't stand to touch dry things.  The unfinished bottoms of pottery or chalk are examples.  I also don't like dry things in my mouth - dry chicken or lima beans, for instance.

6.  I think I must be OCD sometimes.  I find myself counting the yellow stripes in the middle of a two lane road when I'm bored.  Or counting trees or houses.  Yes, that's really sad, I know.

7.  Maybe this is weird, maybe not - but I LOVE teaching.  I mean REALLY love it.  Give me an attentive (or not) audience and I will teach 'till time's up.  (Ask the co-op moms.  I try to stop by 2:30, really I do!)

Thank you Nancy and SchoolinRhome!!  You are both wonderful blog friends.  :)  I will pass the award on to...

Melissa

Sandy

Dawn

Oh, there are so many other bloggy friends, I just hate not giving one to everybody.  Any of my blogging friends are welcome to take this award and say I gave it to you!!  ;)

Thank you Sandy  and Lynn for the Spirit of Christmas Award!  I just love Christmas and can't believe there's an award out there for sharing the Christmas spirit.  :o)  I think I'll pass this one on to a couple of people who have given me some Christmas inspiration this year.

Nancy

JoAnn

Wow!  I am incredibly honored and, to be honest, a bit flabbergasted.  My blog has been nominated in four Homeschool Blog Award categories!! 

Thank you so much to my nominators, who ever you are!!!!!! 

The voting doesn't begin until December 3rd, but you can go here to see the nominees and begin thinking about who you might vote for in each category.

I noticed many of my nominations made it into the finals.  Good luck to you all!!

Many blessings to my blogging friends!!

Thank you to NaturalPaths for passing on this award to me!  If you enjoy animals and nature, head on over to her blog!!

I've decided to pass this award on to some of my newer blogging friends.  Each one of them is very thoughtful and leave encouraging comments.  Thank you for being great blogging friends!

SchoolinRhome

SimpleFolkSchoolhouse

MountainTopPraise

Sandpiper

My4SweetUms  (Not a new friend, but very encouraging!)

Sandy and Ruth have both blessed me with the "You Make Me Smile Award".    They've made me smile, too!!  Thank you, ladies!

This is what the person that created this award says about it:  "The thing that I love most about blogging is that I learn so much about a person just by reading their blog. I have met MANY wonderful people with wonderful stories to tell,and I am grateful every day for each person that I have the pleasure of crossing paths in life with.I wanted to create something special for the top ten people who have inspired me through their blogging; the stories they tell, and the lives that they lead with grace and dignity. I visit their blogs for inspiration and encouragement. Please grab your badge and wear it(with a smile) proudly, and pass it on because you inspire and encourage me, thank you."

I'd like to pass the award on to.....(insert drum roll here)

Melissa - a real-life friend who always makes me smile, whether I want to or not.  She's the one I call on those days when smiling is hard.  She's a wonderful friend and a great encourager.  Reading her blog should make you smile, too!

Nancy - another real-life friend who makes me smile with all the sweet things she does for me.  Her computer expertise makes me smile, too.  She's the one who helps me figure out everything I need to know or want to know about the technical side of blogging! 

HomeschoolingMommaOf4 - makes me smile because of all the great ideas I find on her blog.  I appreciate all the time she puts into sharing her ideas and unit research.  You can tell she makes her children smile, too, with all the fun things she does with them.

Michele  - because of how many times she's said sweet things about my blog.  Her blog is a treasure with all sorts of ideas, pictures and inspiration.  Her smile comes through in her writings which makes her blog a very friendly place to be.

Dawn - because of all the practical ideas she's given me through her writings, pictures and tutorials.  I smile everytime I see her blog highlighted in my Bloglines account.  I open her blog with great anticipation of what treasure might await me!

As usual, I could give this award to so many more.  If I'm your "friend", you've made me smile!  Feel free to take the award and say, "Cindy gave it to me!"

Kim from In The Potter's Hand has so sweetly passed the Nice Matters Award to me!  Thank you, Kim!!  She was well-deserving of the award, too!

Here's a description of the award criteria:

"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world.”

I'm passing the award on to the blogs below.  Let me tell you, I always have such a hard time narrowing my choices down!  In fact, a few of my choices had already received the award, so I just passed them by.  Then, there are the many other blogs that are deserving!!  I think all my blogging friends are nice!  :)  (You realize I have yet to pass on the Blogger Reflection Award for the same reasons.  Oh, so many good blogs, so few awards to pass around!)

Bright Star Christian Homeschool

Nancy's Nook

My Blessings From Above

Our Homeschooling Expedition

Camelot Homestead Academy

(Why, oh, why am I struggling with spacing again??)

Michele has given me the Blogger Reflection Award.  What an honor!  Thank you, Michelle.  After reading about what this award is supposed to mean, it made me feel very special to think that someone appreciates my blog that much. 

Go here to find out about the award.

I'm supposed to bestow this award on five other bloggers that "have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, and have been a Godly example to you. Five Bloggers who when you reflect on them you get a sense of pride and joy... of knowing them and being blessed by them."  Boy, oh, boy - choosing is going to be hard!  In fact, I'm going to take some time to think.  I'll post my five soon.

***************************

Theresa and JoAnn and Lynn have each tagged me for Eight Random Facts About Myself.  I won't bore you with 24 facts - just eight!

1.  I love canning and freezing things from my garden.

2.  I love to play card and board games.  Dutch Blitz and Yahtzee are the current house favorites.

3.  I watched Jane Eyre for the first time last night and loved it.

4.  I love to walk and do aerobics, but haven't had much time for either since Eli was born.

5.  I love eating, don't mind cooking too much, but  very much dislike cleaning the kitchen.

6.  I apparently thrive on having many projects going at once.

7.  I would love to have a day all to myself.  (Nursing babies don't allow for much alone time for Mommy.)

8.  My favorite fast food is Chik-Fil-A.  Since my town doesn't have one, I'm making due with the 99 cent chicken sandwich from Wendy's.

I know I didn't completely follow the rules with this tag.  Sorry.  A busy momma often cuts corners, right?  All of my friends who have yet to be tagged for 8 random facts, consider yourself tagged from me.  :o)  

Ha!  Me, a rockin' girl??  Even in high school I could be found listening to Kenny Rogers and Barry Manilow or the 50's and 60's music that played on the oldies station.  Rockin'?  My friends didn't think so!  

Even so, I'm excited that Mikki thinks my blog is rockin'!  I try, you know!  

Now I get to pass the award on.  Hmmm....It's a hard call.  I'm only going to choose three since typing time is at a premium these days.  So, three blogs were I continually go to get great ideas.................

LindaFay of Higher Up and Further In has a wonderful blog full of Charlotte Mason-type information and ideas.  I subscribe to her via Bloglines and have many of her posts saved.

Our Homeschooling Expedition  has many very good ideas for unit studies with lots of links attached.  I also have several of her posts saved at Bloglines.

Lynn of Eclectic Education comes up with some awesome unit study resources.  Search her site for many topics with links, links and more links. 

Oh, okay, one more.   Jaminacema is a storehouse of information!  She loves lapbooking and generally having fun with her children.  I love her ideas!

Seriously, I could go on and on.  I've found so many great blogs that I can't possibly name them all.  I will promise to pass along their really great ideas from now on, though.   

I've been tagged by Michelle.  I'm supposed to tell what I'm currently reading.  I love to read, so this has been a fun tag to think about!

Pocketful of Pinecones by Karen Andreola that Lisa from the Five In A Row message boards blessed me with.  Thank you Lisa!!  I'm almost finished with it.

Get Out of That Pit by Beth Moore -  Well I haven't actually started it yet, but it's sitting on my bedstand. 

Beyond Survival by Diana Waring -  This is a great book about making homeschooling a joyous and confident journey.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine - of course!

A couple of older issues of Teach Magazine that my friend Tracie loaned me.

Homeschool catalogs from Timberdoodle and Veritas Press

And I'm just getting ready to get back into a Bible study using the book and guide for The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace.  This is a very good study.  I just keep getting sidetracked with other Bible studies that come along through church.  Maybe we need to just do this one at church so I can get all the way through it!

Seven Things You Might Not Know About Me

I got tagged for the first time! (Thanks Michele.) Here's how it works: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to tag two others and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1.  I had the opportunity to work on an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition house last spring.  It rained in torrents the whole week, but my husband and I had a blast anyway.  Our children were very bummed that you had to be over 16 (or maybe 18) to work, but were excited to see their Mom and Dad on tv in spite of themselves! 

I helped in the woodworking tent.  It was interesting to watch the volunteers and their hired woodworkers do most of the work and then see the actors come in to film, acting like they had done most of the work.  Hmmph, was my first reaction, but I suppose they're hired more for their looks and tv personalities than the hard labor.  Plus, they had to film and reshoot each thing three or more times, so that left very little time to do the work.  Steve did some carpentry work on the front of the house.  He also got to pull Ty out of a big mud pit on camera.  Oh, we had so much fun that day!  The house has served the family well, too.  They were very much deserving of their new home.

2.  Along the lines of stardom.... :), Our family really enjoyed watching "America's Got Talent" last year.  We were rooting for the clogging group called All That because one of the boys is from our town.  They ended up coming in second.  Anyway, not long after the show ended, All That came to a local high school for a free performance.  My children loved getting to see them in person.  Just in case you're wondering, they were all very kind.  They brought a picture for every child and took the time to sign every picture for the kids.  I guess that's not really a fact about me, but I secretly had fun watching them, too!

3.  I love organizing! Whether it’s homeschool materials, VBS, a ladies retreat or my weekly menus, I love organizing! (That’s something that’s been hard to do since Eli has come along. Martha Stewart would be highly disappointed in me right now!)

4.  I’ve taken a tour of the soon to be completed Creation Museum in Northern KY. (Answers In Genesis) It’s going to be AWESOME!  It opens at the end of May and is a MUST DO trip.  Bring people who need to be saved - it's that good!

5.  I graduated college from Eastern KY University, where I met my sweetie, and earned a bachelor's degree in education.  I taught 1st-4th grades (different years) in a public school for five years.  During that time, I earned a master's degree from Georgetown College (because they made me.)  My teaching license is now expired and I would have to take about 30 MORE hours of graduate level classes if I ever wanted to teach in the public schools again.  I'm very happy teaching just where I am, thank you very much.

6.  I once foolishly said I never wanted to have children.  Thank the Lord He forgives us for being foolish!  

7.  I would love to open my own craftsy sort of shop.  Why don't I?  First, I'm not that kind of risk taker.  Second, I'm not really that crafty!!

There you have it.  I've decided to tag two of my real-life blogging friends.  Kim and Nancy 

I get to be the Tip Of The Day writer for HomeschoolBlogger for the month of May!

Be sure to check The Front Porch each day.    I may be posting the tips here, too, simply because I won't have time to post any other blogs here!

 

I've been nominated for two Homeschool Blog Awards!  The first is for Best Crafts, Plans and Projects and the second is for Best Homeschool Mom.

If you would like to vote for my blog, just click on the awards boxes above.  The top box will take you to the Best Crafts, Plans and Projects voting page.  The bottom box will take you to the Best Homeschool Mom page.  Click in the circle by my blog name "On Our Journey Westward" and click the VOTE box.

Thank you for voting!!  Thank you, Nancy, for the nominations! 

Voting ends this Friday, I think!