Honest Scrap Award

Edited by author: For those that were not included in my list of seven, I would like for all of you to have this that is on my blog list, for you all deserve this. I hate leaving people out. I love you all and hope you realize this. I don't like to seem like I'm showing favortism. It's a hard call to make. That's why from now on, I'm not following the rules. It hurts others and I'm not that kind of person, although apparently some think otherwise. ;) But that's okay. I take comfort in knowing My Father knows my heart and He is the one I have to answer to.

Matthew 7:1
1 "Do not judge, so that you won't be judged. 2 For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it iwll be measured to you. 3 Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye but don't notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and look, there's a log in your eye? 5 Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. 6 Don't give me what is holy to dogs to toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them with their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces."

So for those that felt judged, I apologize as that is never my intention. Those that know me, know that. I never meant to hurt anyone. God Bless!

I've received this award from a beautiful woman, friend, and sister at Off the Beaten Trek. She is a wonderful individual whom I admire. She has such a wonderful love for God. She's a loving person who leads a very interesting life. She offers herself to helping others. She is such an inspiration with a big heart. I'm so thankful for having been led to her blog and having the chance to get to know her. If you haven't visited her blog yet, please do so by clicking here. You won't be disappointed. Instead, you will be greatly blessed! I also love how she addresses everyone as sister or brother. How wonderful is that. After all, we are all brothers and sisters. Thank you RCUBE's for your kindness. I'm so glad to know you.

In accepting this award, I need to do the following:

1) Say thanks and give a link to the presenter of the award.

2) Share "ten honest things" about myself.

3) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.

4) Tell those 7 people that they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving it.

Now I must share "ten honest things" about myself.

1) I have the most wonderful God led man for a husband. I'm so blessed that God answered my prayers and led hubby to Him. We had a really rocky rough 23 years of marriage, not all bad mind you. But once He gave himself and I became reborn, wow! Life is sooooo good. Thank You Father God!

2) I'm a 49 year old grandmother to seven beautiful grand kids, ages 1 year old boy, the 24 of June, a 5 year old grand daughter, a 4 1/2 year old grandson, 2-7 year old grand daughters, an 8 year old grandson, and a 9 1/2 year old grandson. They are the joys of my life. I've always loved children. It's so great to watch them grow, learn, and laugh! I will never understand how people can mistreat children. I also have a daughter who has five of those children, and a son who has the other two. Hubby got his girl to name after a song so he could sing to her, and I got my little boy. But yes, we both wanted one of each, it made a perfect family for us. I even had a vision of our son before he was born, and he ended up looking just like that vision! Oh and he was born Christmas Eve! How cool is that.

3) I have a wonderful mother and father who were great examples in my life. Mom had some problems and still does, but you know, she can't help it, and I forgive her whole heartedly. Dad is a hard working man still even though his body says enough. Always willing to help others out, which I admire and try to follow in his footsteps. They had us three girls. Poor dad, he always wanted a boy, but we tried are best to be the son he always wanted, and still be daddy's little girls. :) What a great learning experience and examples we grew up with! Thank you Father.

4) I am a lover of the great outdoors. I love to snowmobile, cross country ski (can't down hill to save my life), ice skate (always wanted to be an Olympic figure skater (but can not roller skate for nothing), swimming, biking, hiking, fishing and camping. Oh yeah, gardening which I still do. I so miss living in the country either on a lake or on a farm. I love horses and miss having them to care for and ride. I also miss having a dog. I can't remember ever not having one growing up. At least we have a cat. She's such a sweetheart. Would also love to have some more cockatiels, or an African Gray, or a Parrot. They are so much fun! And believe it or not, I even miss mucking the barns! Yup, you heard right. Who knows perhaps if I had kept with that style of life, my bod wouldn't be in the condition it is now. ha ha, I've always been heavy except while in the military.

5) Speaking of which, there's another something to write about. I only served three years and hated to get out, but since hubby and I were expecting (I was the pregnant one, not him ;)) and were both in the fire department, we really didn't have a choice but to have me get out. At the time, the fire chief would not let us work the same shift, nor one of us work an eight hour shift, which would have meant seeing one another only 1-2 days every two weeks. I'm sorry, but that is now way to raise a family.

6) I've worked many types of jobs. I started out in a hardware store at the age of 13 working for my parents. I loved it. I learned a lot there. They eventually turned it into a ceramic shop where my grandmother and mom taught ceramics. We done our own mold pouring and firing. I remember making many trips with mom to pick out some molds. It was fun. Dad even built mom a table with a drain for pouring the ceramics. I then moved to being a waitress/cook helper at a local cafe. That was the best experience I ever had. My boss was awesome, but unfortunately I never told him that. :( Then came the military in November 78 the year I graduated high school. Then full time mom and home day care, then a supervisor at a day care center, then an air craft cleaning manager, then a cook in the school districts cafeteria's, then a supervisor/shift leader at a restaurant on our last base, then home day care again. I can not complain about any of my work experience. I've met some wonderful people over the years.

7) Being a fire fighter was the last thing I thought I would do, but absolutely loved it. I always wanted to do something where I would be helping people. The funny thing is, my goals were to be a veterinarian, or a social worker, working with troubled kids. I'm an animal lover, and a love children as mentioned earlier. I never did go to college until 3 years ago. I took on-line classes through the University of Phoenix which had Axia On-line College courses. I wish I had done it sooner, but am grateful for the experience regardless. I was amazed at the amount of people waiting until they were older. That was a relief. This is where I gained my desire to write a couple of books. I had started them, but found life way too busy to do it. At least not yet. Time will tell.

8) Another love is the ocean life. I've "always" been enthralled with aquatic life. Dolphins are my main love, but all of it is just intriguing. Of course there are those few things that makes me squeamish, such as sea snakes, yikes! Please Lord, let me never have a run in with one of them, and then the water spiders. Eels would be a bit creepy too. Working in Sea World would be a dream come true. I also love the otters, sea lions, especially the pups, and the whales. A zoo would be another dream come true. Especially working with babies.

9) Speaking of spiders, I have a fear of them ever since being bitten and finding out I'm allergic to them. I had a reaction to one just like a person would have to a recluse bite. Why is it, when someone has a phobia of something, they always seem to find you? Gardening all these years, I have never had a spider get on me. This year, auuggghhhh, they are crazy! I even had one get on me coming inside the house the other day. It was one I'd never seen before. I've gotten better about them though. I know they do a lot of good. I used to pick them up and let them crawl on me as a kid. Yeah, pretty wild huh?

10) One other fascination I have, photography. I can't wait to be able to get another good camera to start snapping photos of the birds of prey, area birds, and scenery. There is something about the birds of prey that I am just captivated by. They are so graceful. Thank you Lord with providing an abundance of them here of many types. I'll never forget driving home along a field one day and looked up and wondered what in the world was in the sky. Here is was a hawk carrying a huge and I mean huge snake. It's amazing how they can catch and carry something that huge. That's when I became thankful that we do not live on a farm around here. Back in MN where I grew up my whole childhood, we didn't have any that we had to be concerned about. I take that back we had moccasins which I never saw.

Okay, sorry, I know I can be a bit chatty, okay, very chatty. So there you have it. I should have been a boy. ;)

Now the hard part, picking only 7 blogs to honor. I would choose you all, but...I will be a good girl and follow the rules. So here are the seven I would like to honor.

1) Tami at Diary of a Mad Woman

2) Heather at Simply Heather

3) Valerie Lynn at Simply 4 God

4) Denise at Shorty Bears Place and Free to Be Me

5) Kim at Homesteaders Heart

6) Alleluiabelle at Humble as I Go

7) Sarah at God's Not Finished With Us Yet

Believe me, there was many more I would have loved to add here. You all touch me in one way or another and I love you all! Be blessed today and always.