1st Road Trip of 2013

This past weekend OG and I took a little road trip out west for our district's Fine Arts Festival.  (Because we live WAY out in the country, round trip total was 824 miles).  It was exceptionally nice to spend some "mother/daughter" time together.  We did a little shopping, too much eating and she ministered beautifully.  Here's a few photos from the weekend:

OG eagerly awaiting her scheduled time slot.

OG was blessed to be personally acquainted with the sound tech, Mr.N.
 We hosted him and his family last fall while they visited our church.

Here she is accompanying herself on the acoustic guitar while
singing Third Day's "Love Song".  She was the only female
vocalist from the Jr. or Sr. division  who accompanied herself.
The judges commented on how much they LOVED that! 

Her scores were much better than last year.  She was upgraded
from "good" to "excellent".  Next year she hopes to close the
4 point gap to achieve "superior with invitation", which would
earn her a spot in the Nationals.

As always, the drive out west is beautiful.

An Announcment ...

On Sunday, August 29, 2010, our daughter, OG, was graduated and "Crowned" as an "Honor Star" from the Missionnettes Stars Program.

"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding: That ye may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing; being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." Colossians 1:9-12 (KJV)

We are proud of her accomplishments and look forward to her continued growth in the Lord.

Romans 8:28

(photo courtsey of www.photobucket.com)
Hey Y'all!

I am SOOO excited ... Last week I clicked in over at Mrs. M's blog, Frugal Home Living,(http://www.frugalhomeliving.blogspot.com/), to find she was holding a give-a-way for a gift certificate to CSN on-line stores. Since Hurricane Alex was making its way toward the S.W. Texas coastline, she shared her frightening childhood memories of going through Hurricane Alicia. She asked her readers to, in turn, share their own storm memories as part of her give-a-way competition.
I never expected to win when I shared my own terrifying memories of Hurricane Alicia - (isn't amazing how bloggers can live so close to each other, or find out they grew up near each other, and yet, most have never met in real life?).
I have won very few competitions in my life, so I never expected my storm experience to even put me in the running for a win. But, you know, God's Word tells us in Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." (KJV)
Thank you Mrs. M for selecting me! I feel so very honored.

I'd Like to Thank ...

My dear friend, Mrs. M, over at Evening Shade and Morning Latte (http://frugalhomeliving.blogspot.com/) has awarded me with a "Love" Award. I hope you all will pop over and visit her blog. She always has uplifting posts AND wonderful printable recipes.

Description of the Love Award: "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find & be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated."

The rules of this award: Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to 8 bloggers that then need to choose 8 bloggers of their own to pass the award to. Include the following text depicting the award..."Each of the following ladies, I simply love. They each have faced their own challenges in their lives & the way they encapsulate their experiences endears them greatly to my heart."

Mrs. G @ Dancing Among Yahweh's Infinite Love, (http://dancingamonginfiniteloveyahwehs.blogspot.com/)

Ginger @ Ginger's Place, (http://gingphill.blogspot.com/)

The other Mrs. B @ Homekeepers Journey, (http://homekeepersjourney.blogspot.com/)

Kay @ The Rustic Cottage, (http://therusticcottage.blogspot.com/)

Sandra @ Diary of a Stay at Home Mom (http://familycorner.blogspot.com/)

Crunchy Christian Mom @ A Home Grown Life (http://crunchychristianmom.blogspot.com/)

Mrs. Hester @ Forever Student (http://amy-celeste.blogspot.com/)

Sarah @ As Lillies Sewing (http://www.asliliessewing.blogspot.com/)

Mrs. M, thank you!

I'd Like To Thank ...

The other Mrs. B, over at A Home Keepers Journey (http://homekeepersjourney.blogspot.com/) has passed the Marie Antoinette Award to me. This award is passed to those who are brave enough to be transparent in blog land. Thank you, Mrs. B. Now, I am to pass this award on to seven others.

Mrs. G @ Dancing Among Infinite Love, Yahweh's, (http://dancingamonginfiniteloveyahwehs.blogspot.com/)

Patty @ The Morning Ramble, (http://morningramble.blogspot.com/)

Jewels @ Eyes of Wonder,
(http://eyesofwonder.typepad.com/my_weblog/)

Civilla @ Civilla's Cyber Cafe, (http://civillascybercafe.blogspot.com/)

Nicole @ Heart 4 My Home,
(http://heart4myhome.blogspot.com/)

Jamie @ Homeschooling Baptist Brood, (http://www.thestroupefamily.blogspot.com/)

Kay @ The Rustic Cottage, (http://therusticcottage.blogspot.com/)

If you decide to visit the lovely ladies, I hope you enjoy their company as much as I do.

About My Friends

My dear sweet friend over at Heart 4 My Home (http://heart4myhome.blogspot.com/) has awarded me with another blogging award - A Friendship Award! This is a wonderful blessing to my heart. A few questions come with this award, so here goes ...

1. Do you have the same friends since childhood?

No. Not one. There was a time in my life when this answer would have made me very sad. However, as they say, hindsight is 20/20. I am now able to look back and see where God has brought me from. He placed my feet upon a different path. He has and is leading me closer to Him.

2. What do you value most about your friends?

First and foremost I value their prayers. I have come to understand Roman 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." When my friends pray for me and my family, I know that I have advocates petitioning the throne the God with me. I will be able to see the blessing of God's hand directing all things in my life.

3. Are your friends your sounding board?

I hate to admit this, but yes, sometimes they are. For sometime now I have been working on leaving a prayer request just that, a prayer request. It is my desire to continue growing in the Lord and learning to lean on Him. The Bible is a life manual. The answers to all our questions and quandaries are right there in God's Word. If I don't like the answers He gives or I find myself with a different opinion than He, that is a cue that my heart has been lead astray and I am in need of repenting.

4. What is your favorite activity to share with your friends?

Fun get-togethers that include cooking, eating, and fellowship. Sometimes we get together and go camping. When we do this, I love our Sunday morning worship time. Worshiping the Lord in His beautiful creation is really special to me.

As always with blogging awards, it is customary to pass the award on to others who are special.

Sarah @ As Lillies Sewing (http://www.asliliessewing.blogspot.com/). Sarah is a beautiful young lady whose heart's desire is to follow the Lord. She is a terrific friend and mentor to many. Her blog has been a wonderful blessing and ministry to my very own little lady - OG.

Jewels @ Eyes of Wonder (http://eyesofwonder.typepad.com/my_weblog/). Her posts are inspiring and absolutely poetic. The Lord has blessed her with the most amazing gift of writing. Visits to her site are always a blessing to my heart.

Jamie @ Homeschooling Baptist Brood (http://www.thestroupefamily.blogspot.com/). This lovely young lady really has a heart for training her young family up in the Lord. It is such a blessing to see her growing into a Titus 2 lady.

Nicole @ Heart 4 My Home (http://heart4myhome.blogspot.com/). She has become a terrific friend. I look forward to our friendship growing and I thank the Lord that He brought her into my life.

And The Winner Is ...

Who me? An award? Thank you, thank you, thank you to my friend Nicole over at Heart4MyHome, http://heart4myhome.blogspot.com/ . I never even dreamed I would be selected by anyone for an award, this is amazing! Again, thank you Nicole, you are so very kind. Now, so this award can continue to pass on through blog land, I'd like to recognize the following:

Tami @ Joyful Noise, http://my-joyfulnoise.blogspot.com/ ,for the beautiful photos & absolute peace that flows over me whenever I have a chance to stop by her blog for a visit.

Olivia @ Heart of a Southerner, http://heartofhannah.blogspot.com/ ,for the wonderful history lessons she posts on her site. This young home school graduate is a history buff and has a knack for searching out the truths in history, even if they are facts we all don't necessarily like or agree with, and sharing them with the rest of the world. Keep up the good work Olivia.

Kay @ The Rustic Cottage, http://therusticcottage.blogspot.com/ ,for her generosity. She frequently gives away bars of home crafted soap. Thank you Kay for always looking for ways to bless others.

Marcia @ E-Homebody, http://www.ehomebody.blogspot.com/ ,for her thought provoking essays. I just love reading material that gets my mind to thinking.

Nicole @ Heart4MyHome, http://heart4myhome.blogspot.com/ ,(yes, I know she's the one who selected me but I just can't help sending another award back out to her) for all her friendship, prayers and encouragement. For many years I could not understand how it was possible to have a friend one had never met face to face. But that was before I became friends with Nicole. Even though we only know each other through cyber world, I've somehow connected with her and genuinely consider her one of my friends. Nicole, thank you for all the support you've so generously given to me during the past year.


Rules:

1. Select five (5) other recipients for this award. You may select them for creativity, design, content or contributions to the blogging community & they can be in any language.


2. Name each nominee and link to his/her blog.


3. Show the award and include the name and link to his/her blog of whomever presented you with this award.


4. Link to the Arte y Pico blog so everyone knows the origin of this award.


5. Post these rules.

Congratulations to you all! You guys have been such an inspiration to me.