Lemonade Award

I've won the lemonade stand award from SquirrelQueen on her blog The Road To Here! Thanks SquirrelQueen, not only is she my friend, she is very creative (check out the name!) and she takes beautiful photos, sometimes of mundane things that she makes simply gorgeous.

The way I understand it this award is for those who make lemonade when life hands them lemons, this idea pleases me greatly. Digressing a little bit here I'm a half empty glass type of person, if you knew me in person you would say I was bubbly, I'm not sure I like that word? But that's what people say, I cultivate this because often things do turn out for the best. Even when things happen that don't look like blessings they are blessings in disguise. I can't tell you how many major accidents I've been right ahead of because I had a nagging feeling to get going or how many times I or loved ones have been delayed and thus possibly avoided a catastrophe. It's hard to remember sometimes when life is handing you lemons but things do have a way of working out and handing you new possibilities and opportunities in the process. The two biggest examples that come to me immediately I will tell now, you can't stop me. Or you can skip to my nominees if you want.

My oldest daughter always wanted a career in business, and her dream was to work in New York City, in the WTC exactly. She was starting college in 1993 (stop doing math I was a YOUNG mother!), injured her eye @ her job, had to quit college, met and eventually married a local boy (which she said she'd never live in the country or have ANYTHING to do with farming or outdoors?). Now she's a school nurse with four children partly because of one accident that was a catastrophe @ the time and turned out to be a huge blessing. The second example happened in 2000 or 1999, my husband had trucks, many trucks, due to not being able to find drivers, fuel and prices going up eventually we only had two. This seemed like a decline but when my father fell and broke his hip in January of 2000 I was able to stay @ home and take care of my father for most of the year which was a blessing (we did have to put him in the nursing home permanently in November of 2000 and he passed away in January of 2001 but he had many other complications, diabetes, crippled, and Alzheimer's). If we had had a big business @ the time I would have never have been able to care for him or even arrange for his care for the time I did. I'm blabbering on here but I will always be so grateful to my husband for his patience and understanding during that time. I will never forget the phone call when I told my husband that the doctor said my father had Alzheimer's and would need 24/7 care from now on. I asked my husband what we were going to DO and he instantly replied I guess we'll have to move in with your father and you'll have to take care of him. I'd been traveling with my husband before that so it was a big change much less living with another person, especially one who has Alzheimer's etc.


The basic guidelines are:

1) Put the award logo on your blog.

2) Nominate at least 10 bloggers (more or less, whatever number is good for you), that have a positive attitude.

3) Be sure to list and link your nominees within your post.

4) Let them know they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.

I'm sorry I'm not going to do 10 bloggers. In the interest of my dentists appointment, the dirty clothes waiting to go in the washer, the clean clothes waiting to be folded, the dishwasher, the lawn, ...... well you get the idea. I give the award to those below but also to all of my followers. If you don't know how to go to their blogs just click on their picture to the right here under followers and it expand and give you a list of their blogs, you may have to scroll a bit. I've found many interesting blogs that way, maybe that's why the laundry isn't done and the lawn isn't mowed? LOL

So here are my nominees:

Squirrel Queen and her blog Through Squirrel Eyes
MzzLily and her blog becoming an author...my journey
chicamom85 and her blog Sassy Sasha The Lovable Shih Tzu
AL and her blog Burnt Chicken Republic
Crystal Jigsaw and her blog Crystal Jigsaw
Rae and her blog Weather Vane
Checkers and his blog Checkers The Peek A Poo although I suspect with Checkers and Sasha's blog they have some help with the typing as they don't have thumbs exactly?

Once again, thank you Squirrel Queen, I am honored.