Happy 101 Award!!

THANK YOU to my sweet friend Dianna for blessing me w/the Happy 101 Award!! What a dear friend she is. As she said on her blog, you would think we were related b/c of all the shared interests that have! One of these days I'm going to HAVE to go to West Virginia. I hear it's 'almost Heaven'! '-)

Now...as part of receiving this award, I need to share w/you 10 Things that Make Me Happy, so here we go...

1) My precious husband. What a gift from God he is. He has worked so hard this long, hard year (since his lay off) to keep our heads above water. I love his laugh, I love his beautiful eyes & love his sweet kisses. I love that HE loves the Lord. And I love to hear him sing.

2) My DD#1. My wonderful young woman. She has such a great sense of humor & always brings a smile to my face. She is so creative & would be an incredible writer...if she had the time. She is often the subject of deep prayer lately, as she works 2 jobs, has moved in w/my mom who is not the most pleasant of people (she moved there thinking to help us after DH's lay off) & my mom also has some dementia problems & she is trying to enjoy the fun social life that every young woman wishes to have.

3) My DD#2. My other wonderful young woman. She is giving & self-sacrificing almost to a fault. She also sings like an angel. She works hard at her job to help out w/bills & everyone at her workplace loves her. No surprise to me. ;-)

4) I love to be w/my family & friends enjoying each other & laughing our heads off.

5) I enjoy riding horses. Sadly, I don't get to do it as much as I used to - mostly b/c as we have aged, my family who had horses have either passed away or has sold them. As Ronald Reagan said, "There's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse." Women like them, too.

6) As I drive throughout our rural county I count it a gift from the Lord to see a Red-tailed Hawk flying above or sitting in a tree, on a fence or on a telephone wire. I always say a little "thanks You, Lord" in my head. It's my like my little personal gift from Him.

7) Living in a rural area makes me happy. For now, we live in a little village of a town...but we are mere yards from the 'city' limits & farms. We are so close that deer come up to the road in the huge front yard of our across-the-road neighbors & they even cross the road from time-to-time in the early morning or late evening. We have coyotes that ramble through our yard at night & howl from the pond across the road. Who needs the city?

8) Having so many things that belonged to my grandparents makes me very happy. I'm a sentimental sucker at heart. I have things like: aprons, dishes, end tables, picture paintings, a rocker, favorite hats, tools, even slingshots!

9) I have, & wear, my parents' original wedding rings. My daddy's is so big that I can only wear it behind my engagement ring so that it doesn't slip off of my finger; I've worn it since the day of his funeral almost 12 years ago...he wore it for just days shy of 51 years. I also wear my mom's original wedding set on my right hand. It's like having a little bit of them w/me all the time.

10) What makes me most happy is that I serve a LIVING and RISEN SAVIOR!! I serve GOD'S 1 & only Son, Who loved me so much that He left the humanly unthinkable treasures of Heaven to come to earth & endure the humility of this life, & then to be stripped, beaten, spit at, have His hair & beard pulled out, have a 'crown' of huge thorns smashed into His dear head & be crucified on a terrible cross FOR ME! Then...BEYOND HAPPINESS...is that He rose from His tomb, conquering death, went back to God's side & is preparing a place just for ME! THAT'S happiness!

Now...I have the pleasure of telling you about a few blogs that bless me...

~Connie is a local gal whose friendship I have come to treasure. She is a fellow 'retired' homeschool mom from our little village. She's a dear.

~Nanny Dearest is all the way out in California. She even has a 2nd blog. We have become such good friends. Always so encouraging & such a prayer warrior! And...I LOVE her blog background...it's 1 of my favies! lol

~Fairmaiden is also in California & lives at The Sea Cottage. Her blog is simply & completely be-a-u-ti-ful! It is a treat for the eyes & soul.

~Julie is a new bloggy friend of mine. The comments she leaves on my blog bless my heart. Thank you, Julie. She has just announced that she is taking a little blog break, but you can still stop over & be blessed by her back-posts.

~Amy is a wealth of knowledge! I enjoy her blog so much & learn something everytime I'm there. Homesteading in the modern era, for sure.

Thank you, again, my Dear Dianna for blessing me w/this award & allowing me to bless others in return.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim<><