In my last post I received a comment telling me I had been nominated for the Versatile Blog Award. Being new to blogland I had never heard of anything like it. Me? Award? No WAY! lol.. I checked it out and it is more of a blogger to blogger kind of thing. A way to get to know the other bloggers and share with your readers (no matter how few that may be) a little about yourself as well as introduce them to the blogs you read regularly that inspire you. You are to nominate those 15 blogs for this award. Kind or like a chain letter thing but without the "if you do not send this out you are either not a true christian or you will be struck with bad luck for X number of years" you know the ones I mean. It isn't like that. It is more of a get to know other bloggers and let them know that you appreciate the time they spend and information they share. Some of the bloggers on here are just so amazing aren't they? I mean Super bloggers! I cannot imagine ever reaching that level, but I am glad to have discovered this outlet of creativity as well as being able to share with others the things I find. I have these "Super bloggers" to thank for teaching me all I have learned in sewing and crafting. http://www.thestonybrookhouse.com is the one that nominated me for this award. I will be thanking her on her blog. You should go check it out. It is a really cute blog! The hardest part of this award for me is to limit it to only 15 blogs. So many of them have been an inspiration to me.
The 15 blogs/bloggers I discovered recently (since I am so new to blogland pretty much all of them are recent) that I wish to nominate are as follows. Many I am sure already have receive this nomination but this is more about sharing than anything else right? Some are new bloggers and some are Super bloggers and in between the two. I wanted to take this opportunity to show the blogs that really help inspire us. They are just incredible blogs! I also wanted to include the blogger that nominated me. However, that would make it all pretty redundant wouldn't it? Regardless, you must check out these blogs if you haven't already. Many I am sure are too busy to follow through with this. However, that is again not what I wanted to do with this. It is more of my own way of saying "hey, you inspire me and make me want to create! Thank you so much for all the time you spend on blogging and sharing your knowledge with us". That and to let anyone that reads my blog know you have GOT to check these sites out!
Judy @ gracioussouthernliving
Staci @ Craftifyit
Ellen @ thelongthread.com
Maryann @ domestically-speaking.com
Alisha @ snugasabugbaby
Johnny @ savedbylovecreations
Becky @ infarrantly creative
Whitney & Ashley @ shanty-2-chic.com - these sisters have been completely responsible for so many things I do, including the need to now purchase my very own power tools! yep, that is right. I even have my own compound sliding miter saw, all because of this very blog!
Pamela @ pbjstories.com - another fantastic blog that you must read if you haven't already
Gail @ cantstopmakingthings.com
Diane @ inmyownstyle.com
Ada @ adasinteriordesign.com
As I said, please go and check them out! You will waste at least a couple of days just going through them all and thinking to yourself "man, I have to make that!" or "I have always wanted to make one of those!". Well worth your time reading! Mr Nana isn't all that thrilled with my discovery. I have tripled my crafting allowance. But he is really tickled that I felt the need to include the purchase of power tools in that allowance. Oh and that I am willing to share!
The final part of this nomination requires I tell 7 things about myself.
1. I discovered my creative side only recently. I am disabled and not sure if it was more that I simply never had time to feel creative or the need to rediscover myself after my life changed so drastically. Regardless of the reason, I am thrilled with the final result. I found a quote recently. I don't know the author, but I love the sentiment. It says "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, she became a butterfly". It really fits me. I may have lost many things because of Lupus. I have also found many. Love of my family and how truly loyal they are as well as the feeling of not battling this alone. As well as discovering a side of myself that had been dormant for so long. A creative and artistic side that I know was there, but because of the need to be rush through life, it was stifled. Not any longer.
2. I have 5 children and 3 grandchildren. All of which I adore obviously. Not only that but I am so proud of them. My oldest daughter is the best mother I have ever known. I see her and I am filled with such pride in her. When I see her with my grand daughter and see just the incredible woman she is, it is then that I know that I must have done something very very right raising her. I mean I cannot take total credit. She is the person she is. But lets face it, if I had been a lousy mom I could have screwed it up. It is nice to see your children grown and know all those things you were working so hard to instill in them took. It makes it all worth it.
Me and my oldest daughter at her high school graduation
My daughter and my oldest grandchild Avery..She is the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on. She is my doodlebug. Once not long ago she came to spend the night. We played as we always do. Then as we were laying down to sleep she turned to me and said "Nana, you have not called me doodlebug all day!". It was then I realized how much my pet name for her meant to her. I have never made that mistake again.
3. I live in Mesquite TX. It is a suburb of Dallas. Lived here almost all my life. I love it here and love Dallas. I did move away once but hated it. Came home as soon as I could!
4. I am a strange mixture of Irish and Choctaw. My grandfather always told me it meant I liked to drink but couldn't hold my liquor! lol.. He was joking of course. This was from a devout Southern Baptist man that never drank a drop in his life! I am not a drinker either. Not because of any deep religious beliefs but more the fact that I just never liked the taste of it. Even as a teen when my friends would do the normal rebellious thing and get some alcohol. I never drank. I tried it of course but hated it. As I got older I drank only when I went out to a club. Then it was more to loosen up and because of being so thirsty when dancing.
5. I am a devout Christian. This is something my mother is so pleased about. When I was really sick and things were really not looking good for a while her biggest fear was not only my life but my afterlife. I knew this and more than anything wanted to offer her the comfort she needed. I know that the hardest part about dying is not the person that dies, but those they leave behind. So it worried me that she was so upset over my lack of faith. However, I also felt strongly that I couldn't be a hypocrite and proclaim faith I simply didn't feel. I tried. Lord knows I tried. I prayed 3 times a day begging to be shown the way. Nothing. Then one day it was there. I felt it as strongly as I know my own name. That day after church I felt it so strongly I cried. I called my sister and she took me to the pastor and I was saved. He has been in my heart each day since and has gotten me through some very very hard times. My mother is also happy I found my way. As much as I would love to say I found it for her. I didn't. He found me.
6. Because a picture can say a thousand words, I am including a few of my own home pictures. Some of my kiddos are a bit camera shy so I don't have any of them. Then I have some that take pictures daily and I have tons of those. I am just sharing a few of what I have.
We must have the bluebonnet pictures taken each and every year.
Isnt this just beautiful.
My oldest daughter and I at her High School Graduation.
Avery Pooh Cheesin'
My youngest daughter and her baby Maci
Another that I love.
I love this picture of my granddaughter Avery. One of my absolute favorites
This is my second oldest daughter competing in the Miss Teen Texas USA
My youngest daughter and Avery playing around.
My mother and my oldest grand daughter Avery
Me, my senior year.
My Second oldest daughter Ryan at the Miss Teen Dallas I think? She won so many it is really hard to remember.
This is me at 15 mos.
My Wedding day
My daughters were requested to hand out the Country Swing Music Awards 4 years in a row.
My daughter, her fiance (wedding in a few months in Gulf Shore Alabama) and Avery
Avery and I
7. I love crafting, sewing, woodworking, DIY anything, burlap! Quilting and pretty much anything creative. I have taught myself to sew, quilt and teaching myself woodworking. I have learned so much this past year and am learning more each day. I have one child still at home. He is 12 and pretty much lives to play video games. He is still his mom's boy though. I am aware each day that our time is limited and I never take one day for granted. I try to live this way with all of my family. I hate the reason I feel this way. However, I have to appreciate that fact that it has opened my eyes to see that each day is to be appreciated and loved. That life is short and speeds by in the blink of an eye. One day you are changing diapers and the next you are attending their graduation or wedding. I live each day in the hope that that day I made sure my family knew they were loved deeply by me. So when I am no longer here to tell them, they will feel it in their hearts and it will comfort them each day.
That is all.. Hope it wasn't too long of a post. I will get back to posting more creative projects. I am working on a few. I actually made some but didn't remember the cardinal rule of blogging and get some pics! Oh well I have so many more to do I am sure I can make it up to you somehow!
Till next time, I hope you have a great day!
Erin
aka Nanasrcool
Here are the rules for the Versatile Blog Award:
- Thank the person who gave you this award.
- Include a link to their blog.
- Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.
- Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.
- Tell 7 things about yourself.
- In the same post, include this set of rules.
- Inform each nominated blogger of their nomination by posting a comment on each of their blogs
