On this Valentines Day, I pray that all of you will experience at least one person telling or showing you how truly special you are. Some people think it’s just a ‘Hallmark Holiday’, but it’s really a wonderful opportunity to spread the love we have for God, and for each other.
Which reminds me; I need to remember to thank God for all his love for me. He is always thinking of me. I hope to praise him a just a little bit more today.
A few weeks ago, Patty at Reasons for Chocolate (isn’t that a wonderful name for a blog??) made me feel special. She nominated me for the Sunshine Award. I was so surprised and humbled by her nomination. Thank you so much for my early Valentines gift!
Part of accepting the award is to list ‘ten things about me’. I assume they are supposed to be interesting, but let’s remember who we are dealing with here.
I’ll do my best.
1) I am in therapy for my shoulders; I have had therapy on my knees. I use orthotics in my shoes. I am a skeletal disaster.
2) I attended an all-girls high school and an all-girls college. I cruised to my college classes in jean overalls and a bandana tied kerchief style on my head. This was the unofficial uniform of our school, and I loved it.
3) About twice a year, I have to sleep just about all day. My body just says: “Thank you, I’m done now.” It never fails to amaze my husband. Well, if you have to be tired, might as well sleep like a champ.
4) Quick side note to Maxwell House. Thank you for Cafe Vienna. I LOVE that stuff!
5) I was a swimmer and diver, starting at the age of five. I swam in college too. I used to do a reverse dive…until some helpful person said “Wow, it looks like your head is so close to the board!” R.I.P. reverse dive.
6) My wine of choice is pinot noir. But anything, other than chardonnay? That’s ok too.
7) The thought of an egg and pepper sandwich nauseated me. Until I tried one. Thank you, Italian husband.
8) As both of my children and husband know, I am a grammar fiend. God forbid you end a sentence in a preposition around me. Some of my proudest moments as a Mom include the times my children have corrected me.
9) You know how a dog makes circles for a while before lying down? That’s me trying to force myself in that chair to write.
10) I have the best ever blog-friends. BEST EVER.
Phew! Made it.
Part of the award is nominating fellow bloggers who “positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.” I can honestly say that is every single one of you. You all never fail to inspire me.
So in the spirit of love on Valentine’s Day, please accept my nomination. Here are the guidelines:
The Rules:
1. Use the award logo in your post.
2. Link to whoever nominated you.
3. Tell us 10 pieces of information about yourself.
4. Nominate fellow bloggers who “positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”.
5. Leave a comment on the nominees’ blogs to tell them of the award.
Happy Valentines Day to everyone, and happy nomination too! Your blog-friendship has made me one happy blogger. You show me your love for the Father and for each other every day. I am truly blessed.
I’d also like to thank Jennifer at The Deliberate Mom for including me in her list of 14 blogs she loves to follow! We’ve known each other for a while, and I always enjoy reading about her family, faith and craft ideas. She never fails to encourage me!
Would you be a sweetheart and ‘like’ my Facebook page?
Congratulations on the award – it’s perfect for you! The sleeping thing is crazy
I must say, there are days I think I could do it too!
Hi Mari! Thank you, I appreciate your kind comment! You are such an encourager. I love that about you
Yeah, that sleep thing is pretty random. It started in college. Maybe I don’t do stress well? Not sure. But I sure can sleep. I wonder if America’s Got Talent has a category for that?
Happy Valentines Day to you my friend!
Ceil
You are well deserving of this award, Ceil.
Your spirit of love and friendship is evident in all your writings and in your kind comments.
I wish you a blessed and happy Valentine’s Day.
Love you, friend….
Jackie
Hi Jackie! I wish you a happy Valentine’s day too! Will you see your little boy? I hope you get lots of hugs and kisses and book-reading time
Thank you for your supportive comments about the writing here. I really appreciate that. It’s so fun to have a blog-relationship with people like you. You always lift me up, and give me something to think about…when I’m not snatching your videos of course!
Have a blessed day this special Friday,
Ceil
Congrats, Ceil! No one deserves a sunshine award more than you! Your positive upbeat words always put a smile on my face. Blessings on your weekend and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hi Pam! I’m so happy that I ‘put a smile’ on your face
How cool is that? Thank you for your always supportive and encouraging presence here. It’s always great to see your smiling face!
I hope you have a blessed Valentine’s Day, with lots of expressions of love from your husband and congregation.
So happy to be connected through our blogs!
Ceil
Sure, you might be a skeletal disaster, but you’re a fabulous friend! I sure wish you lived nearby.
Just yesterday I was thinking of writing a post about my favorite blogging people and you were right in there, my dear.
But I hesitate to do these kinds of things ’cause inevitably someone feels excluded, they feel invisible, it feels like being chosen last for the team way back in the day and kinda like you just don’t fit in.
And since I’ve been there way too often, I’ll just let you know right here. OK?
Happy Valentine’s Day, my dear!
;-}
Hi Linda! I wish you lived next door too, wouldn’t that be fun? We could take computer breaks together
I completely understand why you wouldn’t do a post and then feel you would hurt someone. That would be awful. (But I am still happy I’d make your list…is that bad?)
I hope you are having a good Valentines Day my friend. Know that I am so happy to be your blog-friend. Aren’t we blessed???
Blessings and hugs
Ceil
Congratulations on your nomination, Ceil! I wholeheartedly agree that you deserve it. Why? Because coming to your blog truly is like receiving a bit of sunshine! It truly is for me…seeing your smiling face and your ability to write your thoughts out would make anyone feel special. Happy Valentine’s Day to you as well!
Hi Dianna! Oh my, thank you so much for your lovely comment! It’s like a Valentine’s Day gift to me. I am so blessed to have you as a blog-friend. The way you listen to the Lord, and live to support others on their journeys is so inspiring. Your visits always make me happy.
I hope you find your blog-break to be a time of rest and listening. Certainly the Lord has a lot to tell you. He knows you will be there to hear.
Happy Valentine’s Day my friend. You made my day
Ceil
HAPPY HAPPY VALENTINES Day dear friend!! Loved, loved your answers..thank you for being an inspiration..thank you for your blog. Blessings
Hi Linda! I’m so glad you liked my little pieces of info. Goodness knows I am one boring gal, it’s hard to think of interesting things to say. I hope you will consider taking the nomination? I’d love to see what you would do with the ‘ten things.’ It would be fun!
Thank you for your kind comments about the blog. It’s so overwhelming to think that I could inspire anyone…that’s a dream come true. Thank you, thank you, thank you for telling me that. It’s the best Valentine ever
Hope you have had a blessed day. Enjoy your evening!
Ceil
Congrats! You deserve it. I really enjoyed learning new facts about you! I would drive you nuts since at times I end sentences with a preposition. However, I DO NOT say, “Want to come with?” I can’t stand that statement. I always want to say, “With whom?” Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hi Dionne! Oh thank you so much, I’m not sure I deserve it, but it sure is fun. I have to thank Patty for that.
You wouldn’t drive me nuts…I have a husband who specializes in prepositions. I have been correcting him for over 30 years. It’s not helping. He just smiles at me. God bless him! I’d drive a lesser man insane.
I know what you mean about one thing that drives you nuts. I’d ask the same question. Actually, I probably did
Hope you had a great Valentine’s Day party with your boys!
Ceil
Congratulations on your award. I enjoyed reading the list about you!
Hi Lauren! Thank you for visiting today. And for your ‘like’ on Facebook too. I really appreciate your support
For some reason, I go to your website and I don’t always get the updated blog posts. Please forgive me for not coming more often, it’s just that I don’t see them. Weird. But I saw yours today, so I hope that’s all cleared up!
Happy Valentines Day! Your presence here makes my day. Thank you
Ceil
The Sunshine Award could have been created for you, Ceil.
I smiled at the grammar thing. I’m a bit of a grammar fiend myself, although I’ve gotten a bit careless about it in recent years. I’ll have to be on my toes when leaving comments here in the future.
Hi Linda! Awww, what a sweet thing to say. Thank you Linda
Yeah, I’m pretty bad. But maybe I should go into a recovery program? I have to start letting up on my poor husband. He ends sentences in prepositions all the time. ALL the time. Correcting him has been futile, so don’t worry. I don’t care how you comment, as long as you do!
I want to stay connected for a long time. I enjoy your photos and stories of your travels. I live a little through your adventures! My life is so boring, I’ll just have to borrow yours on occasion. Hope you don’t mind?
Happy Valentines Day!
Ceil
I gave up trying to correct my husband long ago. Some of his expressions are just too funny to change.
And, really, I’m pretty tolerant of most grammatical errors by others, although I do have a few grammatical pet peeves that get to me occasionally.
You’re always welcome to travel “with” us.
Yay!!!
Oh no, oh no, OH NO!!!! You are a grammar fiend!! Now I shall have to take serious precautions when writing you *wink-wink*
Your post was fabulous, Ceil! I thoroughly enjoyed reading more about you and your cute sense of humor. I love that you were a swimmer, so was I
Although you have me beat with the reverse dive…never tried that one nor will I ever.
Oh, and the sleeping like a champ idea – I SO agree with you! Love ya, friend, and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hi Stephanie! Oh my, there is no way that I am correcting your grammar dear. I’ll sit on my hands until the feeling passes! Lol!
I’m so glad that you liked the post. It was fun to write, although I was a big desperate for something to write about…my life is rather dull. So cool that you were a swimmer too! What stroke did you do? When I was younger, I swam short distance butterfly and backstroke.
In college, it was butterfly and middle/long distance freestyle. I wish I was in shape like that now!
Happy Valentines Day to you my friend. We’ve been connected for a long time, and I really appreciate your blog-friendship. I hope your boys will make you feel as special as you truly are today
Ceil
It was fun to learn a little bit more about you Ceil! Happy Valentines Day!
Hi Natalie! Thank you for your visit today, it’s so nice to see you! Glad you liked the post, it was fun to write.
Happy Valentines Day to you my friend! I hope the Lord shows you how much he loves you
Ceil
I love the reminder to love God and each other!
Thank you for visiting and commenting on my guest-post at His Loving Embrace.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hi Joe! It was a pleasure to meet you today at Mia’s blog. Thank you for your interesting post.
It was so nice of you to visit here! Thank you so much. I hope you had a great Valentine’s Day
Have a great evening and restful night,
Ceil
What a fun post, Ceil, and you deserve all kinds of awards, especially anything as cheery as sunshine. I so enjoyed discovering random things about you. Loved #5. As for #8, I have some good news for you. Many years ago, my editor at The Dallas Morning News assured me it is perfectly OK and now acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition. It seems that particular old-school grammar rule no longer applies, so I, graciously, took his word for it, although I still steer clear of the “at” word at the end of a sentence; that’s just icky. So …. you can relax and end a sentence with a preposition now and then, my friend. It’s really OK. I promise.
Hi Dayle! Thanks for telling me which ones you liked. That was fun for me! Nothing like someone sharing their thoughts that completely fuel your fears… Oh well. Who needs a reverse dive anyway?
I did read about the usage of prepositions. Would you believe I kept that information from my husband? Then he found out about it himself. Ooops! But I know that you are right, it is ok at times. But for some reason, it still sounds ‘icky’ to me.
But this is my problem, and I should stop making it everyone else’s I guess. I’ll just go into my grammar closet and be a fiend in there
But if you say it’ll be ok, it will be. Thanks for talking me off that ledge Dayle. And how fun to write for a newspaper? I bet you have all kinds of stories from those times…
I know your husband made it a lovely day for you. Enjoy! And I hope your heart will heal soon.
Ceil
Happy Valentines Day, love you.
Hi Denise! What a sweet message. I really appreciate your faithful blog-friendship, and love too.
I hope you have a wonderful day, my friend. And I pray that God will show you how much you are loved by him
Blessings and a hug too!
Ceil
Happy Valentine’s Day and congratulations!!
I love that you are a grammar fiend!! I don’t always use proper grammar, but I do try, and grammar fiends run in my family. My mother was so proud the day that I came home and told her that I corrected my second grade teacher on the use of “lay and lie.” lol!!
Hi Anne! Finally, another grammar-lover! You know, my Mom would always correct me in the lay/lie thing. She would say “Ceil, chickens lay eggs.” I still don’t know what that means! LOL!! (I desperately need you Anne…)
I’m proud of you too, I love that story about your second grade teacher. I’m sure that was a day she’d never forget! Thanks for sharing that story, it made me laugh
And thank you for your presence on the Facebook page. I am so grateful for you.
Hope your day is full of suckers, sticky kisses and home-made cards right from the heart,
Ceil
Dear Ceil
Oh, you truly are a ray of sunshine, well-deserving of this award. Congratulations. It is nice to learn a bit more about the lady behind the beautiful smile! I am also a grammar freak, although my home language is Afrikaans and not English.
Blessings XX
Mia
Hi Mia! Thank you for your kind words! They mean a lot to me. It was so kind of you to make me happy today
I enjoyed meeting Joe today, thank you for his guest post! I hope this doesn’t mean that you are struggling with physical problems? I’m going to think that you are enjoying a little time off.
I am always happy to meet another grammar freak. But Afrikaans? You’ve got me there! How wonderful to know several languages. I’m sure that language is just beautiful too. Was it your first speech as a child?
Have a wonderful evening and peaceful night. Thank you for making my Valentines Day so special!
Ceil
Congratulations sweet friend…you certainly deserve the honor! You are always so encouraging and uplifting. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hi Debby! Thank you so much, I don’t know if I deserve it, but it was fun to write about. I’m so glad that I encourage you. It’s just amazing to think that anything I write can help someone, or make them happy. I guess that’s really all of our goal as bloggers.
You are always so generous with me, and thank you for your support on the Facebook page too. I just love seeing you here, and on FB as well. I’m so glad that we are connected.
Have a good evening and a peaceful night my friend,
Ceil
sweet..I love swimming too Ceil
happy valentines day (:)
Hi Patty! Thank you, and swimming was such a fun sport for me. It kept me in shape, and I was always busy on weekends, because that’s when the meets were.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you my friend
Ceil
It was fun to find out more about you. I agree, you have a fun and inspirational blog! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hi Deb! Thank you for your kind comment about the blog. I’m glad its inspirational, but I’m really happy it’s fun too. People like you make it that way!
Happy Valentines Day to you too. I hope you are enjoying the weather, and have a great evening
Ceil
Hi Ceil, it’s always nice to learn something new about other bloggers. I was blessed today to get a special message or two for Valentine’s Day. I hope you had a great one too and I hope the shoulder therapy helps you immensely. Blessings.
Hi Joyful! I’m so happy that you were celebrated today. You deserve it! We are so blessed to have good friends and family around us. I hope I never take mine for granted.
Thanks for the wishes on the shoulder therapy too. My PT said my range of motion has improved 10 degrees. Not sure what that means overall, but at least I’m improving
Have a peaceful night. I’m so glad we are connected through our blogs!
Ceil
Ceil, we have SO much in common! What a great list and a neat way to get to know you even better
I love Maxwell House and you just introduced me to something new! Thank you…I think. I hope I don’t drink more coffee because of it
So glad you played along. Have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Sunday!
Hi Patty! I hope you don’t end up being mad at me. That Cafe Vienna is so addicting! I hold myself to two cups a day. And that’s hard!
I had so much fun with this list Patty. Thank you for nominating me. It really was an honor, and I hope you know how much I appreciated reading that you had named me too. Aren’t we so blessed to know each other through our blogs? God is so good.
Hope you had a great Valentines celebration
Ceil
Hi Friend, Congratulations on receiving the Sunshine award. The name suits you:) I enjoyed learning ten things about you. I apologize for my poor grammar. Reading my blog must be like hearing chalk scrape across a chalk board for you. Sorry
Hi Dee! I am really starting to regret letting my grammar thing out of the bag… I only torture family members and myself when I write. Really! I love your blog and your photos. I’ve never even noticed your grammar. Please don’t take this the wrong way. I can’t help it. I blame my mother (don’t we all??). She passed it down to me!
Thank you for your good wishes on the award. It was fun to find ten things about me that wouldn’t put people to sleep. I’m glad you were here to read it!
Hope you had a wonderful day, filled with evidence of God’s love for you
Ceil
Hi Ceil,
And to have a good heart for sleep is also a fine quality – our body is amazingly cleverly designed, as it says “Stop and rest”!
I loved to read all the things about you … My scelet is also a thing of it’s own, It is so good that there is therapy available
And about swimming – that is a great hobby … do you still swimm every now and then? I try to swim once a week, in the weekends … That is a way of exercise that is good and gentle to the muscles as well …
Happy weekend to you, my friend!
Nina
Hi Nina! How nice to see you!
No, I really don’t swim anymore. I did swim for exercise a few years ago, but it’s a funny thing. I don’t like it anymore. Maybe I just got burnt out on it.
I’m glad you enjoy it though
I hope you had a good Valentines Day, and enjoyed the love of family and friends.
Blessings to you (and happy Olympic watching!),
Ceil
I enjoyed learning more about you in this post. And I liked your Facebook page. You are a sunshine so you deserve the award. May we continue to shine His light in this world.
Blessings and love,
Debbie
Hi Debbie! It’s so nice to see your smiling face today!
Thank you for joining me on the FB page! I really appreciate the support. And it will be fun to be connected in a new way too!
Thank you for your kind words about the award. It was an honor to be nominated. And I join you in your prayer that we will all be lights for each other. That’s beautiful. Thank you.
Have a great Saturday
Ceil
Congratulations on your award. You are always kind to me when you comment on one of my blog postings,
Hi Cecelia! Thank you for your supportive words on the award.
You are such a faithful blog friend, I really appreciate your presence here. I sure hope I am kind to you! I never want to be anything but that
Hope you are having a good weekend my friend!
Ceil
Congratulations on the Sunshine Award, you truly deserve it and I hope your day was full of love, joy accompanied with plenty of fun.
I’ve just had my morning coffee and now I fancy that egg sandwich you mentioned in number 7. I wish I hadn’t seen it because I’ve got no bread.
As for the grammar in number 8, I’m terrible. Have to keep forcing myself not to write like I speak. Anyway, that bread issue is driving me mad.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Hi RPD! Happy Sunday to you, and it’s always a pleasure to see you on the weekend
Oh boy. That is sad. No bread huh? That happens rarely at our house because I love my carbs. Maybe tomorrow you can grab some?
You write very well, and always have interesting topics. I have a hard time believing that you struggle with grammar. But if you do, let me tell you, you have overcome it!
Have a restful day. Are you watching the Olympics?
Ceil
Hi Ceil,
I had someone nominate me for a similar thing but I did not know how to follow up properly. However, I did not mind as I am no good at getting too deep into some things on blogs. I just love sharing and interacting.
God bless and – well done!
Hi Brenda! Thank you! And congratulations on your own nomination too. Just being nominated really is fun, isn’t it?
I always enjoy finding out a little bit more about bloggers, so I was happy to oblige. But I can understand your reluctance to do it. That’s ok, I love your sharing and interacting
Happy Sunday to you my friend,
Ceil
Dear Ceil
You are one of the kindest people I have met in Blogland and you so deserve the award.
It was so nice to get to know you through this post.
Many thanks for all your kindness towards me, I appreciate it so much.
Have a wonderful and blessed Sunday
Margie
xx
Hi Margie! Thank you so much for your lovely words, I really appreciate them. And I appreciate you too. I hope our blog-friendship will continue on for a long, long time. I’m glad you got to know me a little better through this post too!
I am praying for you, and hope your tests will reveal what is causing you so much trouble.
Hoping today is a good day for you my friend,
Ceil
How interesting, Ceil! It’s always fun to learn a bit about those we meet only in Blogsphere. And now you have me craving a pepper and egg sandwich.
Hi Pam! I’m glad you liked the post, I always enjoy reading more about other bloggers too.
I KNOW! Aren’t those darn things good? Like I needed another thing to like to eat
Hope you are having a restful weekend my friend,
Ceil
Congratulations on your well-deserved award, and thanks for sharing those interesting facts about yourself! Happy belated Valentine’s Day, and may you and yours be blessed continually by His infinite love.
God bless,
Laurie.
Hi Laurie! Thank you for your lovely comment about the award. It was fun to come up with a couple of things to share.
That prayer for me is beautiful.
God bless you too my friend,
Ceil
I never end a sentence a preposition with.
It is acceptable to occasionally split a hair but not an infinitive. Grandma and speeling are very importent.
Congratulations on your award Ceil. Very well deserved.
God bless you and yours.
Hi Victor! Thanks for coming over! But support is what you are for.
Have you been watching the Olympics? So many of the athletes come from behind! Well, I’m sure they know where they are going to.
Thank you for your kinds words, seriously.
Have a good evening my friend
Ceil
PS That was FUN!!
Ceil, I absolutely loved reading your 10 things. You are hilarious! Also, I wanted to thank you for the kind Valentine’s Day message you left on my blog. I’m so glad to have you as a blog friend. Your award is well deserved!
Hi Marilyn! Thank you for appreciating my sense of humor, I think sometimes it has to grow on a person. You are a quick study!
I know I have told you this, but I am really glad to have gotten connected with you too. I think it was through a blog-hop? Anyway, it’s been just great. God is good
Ceil
Congratulations Ceil. So awesome to learn all these extra little bits about you! Thanks for the mention too – you mean so very much to me.
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
Hi Jennifer! I’m glad you enjoyed reading some of my boring life!
Of course I would mention you, you made my day! You mean so much to me too my friend. We have been blog-friends for a long time. And your encouragement is always so appreciated. Let’s made sure we are always around for each other, ok?
Blessings!
Ceil