Truly Honored

I am in blog-induced shock right now.

I never thought that 4 years after beginning my blog journey that I would be receiving an award. Really! Let me just explain how naive I am was (as a blogger). I had NO idea there were awards. In fact, when I first saw one after the Ultimate Blog Party 2010 I was downright confused. I kept coming across blogs where the authors had received various awards. The more blogs I read, the more I realized that this was a fairly common occurrence. I remember when I realized what it was all about thinking "That's pretty cool! But it will never be me." I'll admit it-I was a little envious of all these bloggers receiving various awards. But ultimately, as my blog has and will forever be about ME (the world DOES revolve around me doesn't it?) and expressing myself, awards aren't something I am seeking or writing for. THAT BEING SAID, I am THRILLED that someone felt that I my little blog was worthy of anything! It was such a great surprise and really made my day!

So Tylaine at JUST ME, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! What a blessing it was to me to receive this award. You have been one of my favorite readers with your sweet comments and encouragement and I am glad that I stumbled upon your blog! It's real, down-to-earth and I think I like it so much because you remind me of me. :-) I did mention my delusion that the world revolves around me right?

Now, on to the award!

The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogging world.”

Of course, awards come with rules…
1. Put the logo on your blog and/or within your post.
2. Pass the award on to twelve bloggers.
3. Link to the nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and the link to the person from whom you received this award

So, without further delay, here are my choices for this award, along with my reasons for choosing them.

1. Braley Mama - Your kids are incredibly adorable and I love all the pictures and the way you simply capture your life with both words and photos. Plus we're twins and all so I have to like you!

2. Call Me Laura Jane - I love the way you write. Your son, while super cute is HUGE! My back hurts just looking at him! Your pictures and stories make me laugh. And your honesty when you struggle as a mother reminds me that I am not alone!

3. With Thankful Hearts - Your posts are encouraging to me as a woman of God and I look forward to continue to learn from you.

4. I Am Gluten Free - Because I am attempting to live a life yeast-free (or as I recently admitted it is *mostly* yeast-free as you can see here), I love the recipes on here and the format of the blog. While I haven't had a chance to make any of these great recipes yet, I have a LOT of recipes saved so that I can try them!

5. Bailey's Little Bites - This blog is written by a friend I go to church with who is designing her own felt food for children. It's all just so adorable and a great, SAFE product for your little ones! I actually have a giveaway going on where you can win $10 to her Etsy store. You can learn more about that here: Bailey's Little Bites GIVEAWAY.

6. Walk a Mile - I love this blog for many reason but I am most inspired by the Random Acts of Kindess (ROAK) that you are participating in. What a great way to share the love of Christ with someone or just show people that not everyone out there is a selfish jerk!

7. Hallee The Homemaker - You have some great giveaways and I learned today through your 'vlog' how to fold a fitted sheet. I am 31 years old and this is the first time folding a fitted sheet has made sense to me. **Mom, I apologize if you showed me this and I never learned!**

8. Kludgy Mom - When I read your post A Call For The End To Buying Other Kids Birthday Presents, I just thought it was hilarious and reminded me of how sarcastically I think about certain things. I promptly made my husband read it and then shared it on Facebook! And I must LOVE it if I posted it on Facebook!

9. Letter To Little Ones - I LOVE your Friday Confessionals! You make me smile.

10. Yeast Free Living - I am not sure if you participate in these things within the blogging community, but when I first went 'yeast-free' I found your blog and read it religiously! You have great advice and recipes for anyone trying to rid their body of Candida and so you make my list because you inspire me to keep trying.

11. Glamazon Mormon Mom - I LOVE this blog! Your Friday Confessional is incredibly fun and your own confessions are just hilarious! You are real and honest in your other posts and I just love that.

12. Mommy Moment - This isn't just about being a mommy. There are some amazing tutorials here on how to add enhancements to a blog and I am so glad I found your blog.

There are others I would have liked to have given this award to, so if you aren't on this list, it's really just because I have discovered about 50 new blogs in the last month and I had a really hard time picking 12!