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time to relax
Now that graduation and all of the parties are done, we have some time to relax. We, as a family, plan on doing absolutely nothing for the next two days, except maybe watching a few movies and gorging ourselves on left-over brisket and other goodies. We’re all exhausted, but we’re happy. And we’ve had a great time just sitting around relaxing since our open house ended.
graduation day
Well, today’s the big day. Patrick will graduate from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts this afternoon at 2:00pm. The guest speaker will be Arkasnas Governor Mike Beebe.
Ariel and a few of her family members, as well as our “framily” the Arkanbloggers, will join us for barbecued brisket sandwichs and a cook-out at our house after graduation. Roger’s mom and step-dad are in town, and of course Jacob and Ashley are here as well. It should be a fun evening.
Tomorrow we’ll all head to church in the morning, then come home and prepare for a graduation Open House. I have no idea how many people will come for that ~ I usually get responses like, “Oh, that’s right, you live all the way out in ……….” Really, we only live about 20 minutes from where we go to church, but for some reason people seem to have it stuck in their heads that where we live is out in the boonies. But we’ll see. Even if no one else shows up, I know the Arkanbloggers will be here ~ they’re enough to make it a party! LOL
Patrick bought Ariel a bike helmet as her graduation present. Isn’t that a funny gift? His thought process was, “Well, she’s going to be riding her bike to work all summer. I want her to be safe.” So, it’s a rather thoughtful gift.
He also bought her a little promise ring. It’s very pretty ~ white gold with a small diamond. He took a picture of it:
They have been wearing sterling silver bands that have “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved it mine ” written in Hebrew on them. Patrick gave it to her for Christmas in 2006 right when they first started dating. It was his way of telling her that their relationship was based on God’s principles of courtship, and that they would be waiting, remaining pure, until they get married.
Patrick and Ariel will be attending different colleges, so I think Patrick wanted to reassure Ariel that their relationship is important to him, no matter how far apart their schools are. And honestly, they’re not that far apart. Ariel will be about 45 minutes away from where we live; Patrick will be about 4 hours from our house. He will be able to come home on long weekends. And Ariel’s dad is going to move to Fayetteville, where Patrick will be going to school, so I imagine Ariel will be going there fairly often as well. There will be plenty of opportunities for them to see each other. And they talk on the phone, e.v.e.r.y. s.i.n.g.l.e. e.v.e.n.i.n.g as it is ~ I’m pretty sure that’s not going to change.
While the house is still quiet this morning, I’m going to go enjoy some blueberry coffee cake with my chai tea, and try to just enjoy and relax in the quiet. It won’t be that way for very long, with people getting up and making preparations for today and tomorrow!
mother’s day recap
For Mother’s Day, my family took me shopping and out for lunch, then gave me the rest of the day to do whatever I wanted to do. I spent most of the day in my craft room playing with my new sewing machine and all of the sewing tools I received as gifts. I started making burp cloths and cloth wipes for Attison. I’m still learning how to sew a straight line, but I’m having fun learning.
A picture of some of my Mother’s Day loot:
By far my favorite tools are the Gingher rotary cutter, self-healing cutting mat, and the Omni Edge ruler/cutting guide.
And, as promised to Lynette (Jacob’s mom), a picture of Ashley and Jacob from lunch that day:
(I believe I mentioned earlier that my camera was acting wonky that weekend. I hope I can figure out what the problem is before Patrick’s graduation!)
excellent blog award
Kristine at MamaArcher’s Blog has graciously passed the Excellent Blog Award to A Joyful Heart. Thank you, Kristine!
The rules read: By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to 10 more people whose blogs you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want but please award at least 10. Thank you out there for having such great blogs and being such great friends! You deserve this! Feel free to award people who have already been awarded…
There are so many wonderful, excellent blogs out there ~ I have about 45 blogs in my Bloglines reader that I read at least once a day ~ and that’s only the blog I read everyday! There are many, many more I visit when I’m able. Choosing 10 to pass this encouragement along to isn’t easy ~ I could select more than 10, but I don’t want to totally flood the blogosphere with all my picks, either!
Taking into account the blogs I read that already have this particular badge has helped narrow things down just a bit. So, here are the blogs I would like to pass the encouragement along to:
Mama Bug’s Mountain View Christian Academy
If you would like to display this badge on your blog and have the opportunity to recognize other blogs you think are excellent, then I pass this award on to you, too. Feel free to click on the graphic at the top of the post, then right click on the graphic in the new window. Save it to your computer, upload it to your blog, and pass the love around! 
blog friend forever
Tamara at Training Hearts has blessed me with the Blog Friend Forever badge. I am honored to be able to pass this badge along to other bloggers!
I have searched and searched, but I can’t find any official “rules” for this badge. That’s ok ~ because here’s what I would much rather do: everyone who reads my blog is welcome to this badge. Just click on the image of the badge at the top of this post ~ the image will pull up in another window. Then you can right click on it and save it to your computer! (It finally dawned on me how to put a picture on my blog that I WANT people to be able to copy to their computers even though I have the No Right Click code.)
I really do hope you will take the badge and put it on your blog. You’re welcome to link back to my blog, or not ~ it’s totally up to you. The badge is just my way of saying, “Thanks for reading my blog!”
mathetes award
Recently, my friend De’Etta notified me that she had passed this badge along to me. I’m always hesitant to publicize when badges are passed along to me, since receiving these “awards” is not the purpose behind my blogging. It’s very humbling that someone, anyone, feels this blog should be recognized as anything more than perfectly ordinary (and possibly a bit boring!). However, as I often remind my friends, God loves to give us special blessings, and it would be disobedient of us to shun what He delights in giving us (sound familiar, D?) But please allow me to say that if there is anything good or worthwhile contained in this blog, it is purely God, and I am humbled that He would see fit to work through me.
Dan King, originator of the Mathetes Award, writes:
Mathetes is the Greek word for disciple, and the role of the disciple (per the Great Commission) it to make more disciples. I’d like to take the opportunity to award five other bloggers with this award and badge for acting in the role of a disciple of Christ. These five all share the message in their own creative ways, and I admire them all for what they do.
In the spirit of this award, the rules are simple. Winners of this award must pick five other “disciples” to pass it on to. As you pass it on, I just ask that you mention and provide links for (1)this post as the originator of the award (Dan King of management by God), (2) the person that awarded it to you, and then (3) name and sites of the five that you believe are fulfilling the role of a disciple of Christ. If you know of other deserving recipients of this award, and would like to start a new string, then please post a link to where you’ve started in in the comments to this post. I would love for many deserving bloggers to be blessed with this recognition.
The hardest part about these awards is deciding who to pass them along to next. There are so many bloggers out there who write God-honoring blogs ~ paring the choices down to 5 has been difficult. As I have asked the Lord’s guidance in this task, I have felt led to bless these bloggers with this badge:
Meredith at Life at 7000 Feet
Heather at Spirittibee
Amy at In Pursuit of Proverbs 31
Bev at Scratchin’ the Surface
Christian Homekeeper (Bev) at Christian Homekeeper
christian internet code of ethics
| As a Christian who is active on the internet, I hold myself to certain standards of conduct. They are:
Christian Internet Code of Ethics
Christian Internet Code of Ethics home page. |
pass the button
Don’t forget to sign up in the Pass the Button Giveaway. Tamara has some really great prizes ~ and there are LOTS of things you could win! Sign up line is Saturday, August 25.
nice matters
Daisy at A Daisy a Day has sweetly given me the Nice Matters Award. I wish I knew who to give credit to for originally starting the Nice Matters Award, but alas, I don’t. Nonetheless, thank you to both Daisy and the Nice Matters Award creator!
This award is for those bloggers who are nice people, good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also, for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you’ve been awarded please pass it on to seven others who you feel are deserving of this award.
I would like to pass this award on to:
Bev at Scratchin’ the Surface ~ Bev and I recently struck up a fun camaraderie of commenting on each other’s blogs and emailing back and forth. I’ve joked about moving in with her (if she only knew how serious I really am!) ~ read a couple of her posts and you’ll know why I’m movin’ in!
De’Etta at Choosing Joy ~ De’Etta is an actual IRL friend, and a very NICE person. She has a heart for mentoring other women and more patience than any saint I’ve ever heard of.
Meredith at Life at 7000 Feet ~ Mere is another blogger who I have recently emailed and done the comments thing with. Lovely lady ~ I’m quite jealous that she live in Colorado! She and her family are heading out to go camping this weekend, so this award will be a nice surprise for her when she gets back. 
Randi at i have to say… ~ I recently ordered some items from Randi’s online store/business. Not only did she get my special order items done quickly, she even gift wrapped them for me (she knew they are a present for a friend’s birthday)! By the way, the items I ordered are absolutely beautiful!
At this point, I would like to follow a trend I’ve seen while cruising other blogs that have been given the Nice Matters Award ~ I would like for everyone who has left a nice comment here on my blog to have this award. I know, I know ~ that’s more than my allotted 7 bloggers to give this to, but that’s ok. Because this “award” is all about being nice ~ isn’t giving it to as many people as possible simply the “nice” thing to do?
inspirational blogger
Thanks go to my friend De’Etta for passing the Inspirational Blogger Award to me. I’m humbled that anyone would find anything inspirational about my blog ~ it’s definitely not me but the Holy Spirit! The funny thing is, I’m usually inspired by something De’Etta has posted! LOL
Now I have the pleasure of passing along the Writer’s Reviews Blogger Awards to 5 blogs/bloggers of my choosing (click here to see “the official rules”). This is not an easy task! There are so many inspirational, courageous, charity, thoughtful and/or creative bloggers out there. It’s hard to believe these “awards” have only been in existence since July 4, 2007 ~ I think at least half of the blogs I read on a regular basis have been given these awards already!
1. Meredith at Life at 7000 Feet ~ a mountain girl with altitude : I came across Meredith’s blog by way of another blog. I immediately realized that Meredith and I have quite a bit in common. I emailed her, and we’ve been email pals ever since. She pops in on my blog occasionally, and I pop in on hers too. I have learned about her and her family by way of her blog. Meredith’s fun outlook on life and her willingness to be real on her blog, warts and all, consistently inspire me and cause me to re-examine my relationship with the Lord (not to mention the fact that I’m just plain jealous that she gets to live in Colorado!).
2. Tamara at Training Hearts ~ Tamara could easily be awarded both the Inspirational Blogger Award and the Courageous Blogger Award; I’ll let her choose which one she would like to display on her blog. Tamara’s sweet spirit, love for the Lord, love for her family, her heart for homeschooling and her desire to share her talents are so evident within her blog design and her posts. Tamara has faced great pain in her personal life; she’s not afraid to share what she has learned by way of her suffering, and she offers solace and hope to others who experience similar pain.
3. Alycia at Where My Treasures Are ~ Alycia’s blog is another one I found through a link on someone else’s blog. As a sister military wife, I understand well the lifestyle Alycia and her family are currently living. I remember vividly what it was like to have a husband who was away from home frequently while our children were little. Alycia is also a sister in Christ and a sister homeschooler. Alycia’s faith is unmistakable ~ and I think she handles homeschooling small children while hubby’s TDY better than I ever did!
4. Angela at The Potter’s Hand ~ Whenever I need a chuckle, I can count on Angela’s blog to provide it. The really great thing about Angela’s blog is that while she never fails to pick me up, she consistently points me back to the Lord. She writes about homeschooling, coffee, her relationships with others, decorating, coffee, being thrifty, studying God’s Word, and did I mention coffee? (BTW Angela, I’m with ya on not being too happy with Starbucks lately!)
5. Joy at Joy in the Journey ~ Joy currently lives in Indonesia with her husband and children. She and her family are missionaries there. Joy has an incredibly sweet spirit that shines through in all of her posts. She has an amazing heart for God, and she so desires to serve Him by ministering to His people. She relates well with those who read her blog, whether she knows them personally or not. I have been so blessed just from reading her posts and observing her desire to care for others and spread the Gospel.
I encourage you to read all of the above-mentioned blogs. There are so many more that I could list ~ and I’ve only touched on ONE of the Writer’s Reviews Blog Awards! If I listed all of the blogs that came to mind under each of the headings, I’d be sitting at my desk writing for at least the rest of the day.
Thanks again, De’Etta, for thinking of me. And thank you to Christy, creator of the Writer’s Reviews Blog Awards, for the chance to recognize bloggers who make the blogosphere a better place.