1. I am a Christian who continues to struggle with a 'past' but marches onward to know God better.
2. I am married to a wonderfully sweet man, it'll be 19 years in May!
3. We have 5 sons, the oldest being 32, so if you're doing the math in your head right now you're confused. We are a blended family, two sons are his from a previous marriage, two sons are mine from a previous marriage and then we have one of our own! They are ages 32, 31, 29,29,16.
4. Despite the series the 'Brady Bunch' I can tell you that a blended family was not always easy but has proven to be our greatest source of joy.
5. I was a single parent for ten years before Bill and I were married so my sons and I have a very special bond.
6. I consider myself to be a 'Jack of all Trades' as I worked many jobs during those ten years. I painted landscapes in a huge warehouse, went to school at night and got a certificate in floral design. Worked for a florist and returned to school to get my dental radiologist's license and then went to work for a dental practice. I continued to study and went to work as a dental technician and bookkeeper in a dental laboratory, where I met my husband. Night jobs during this time included, selling christmas trees & designing wreaths for sale, selling and caring for plants in a greenhouse and cleaning office space at night.
7. Since the age of nine my dream was to be an 'Artist' and I even went to art school for one year at 'Moore College of Art' in Philadelphia. Life happened and I never got to realize my dream, that is until a few years ago. I decide to use my art skills and donate my work to help our church Youth Group raise money for mission trips.
8. I am an adult leader in our Youth Group and have worked with Jr. & Sr. High students. We have done mission work in Kalamazoo, MI , Richmond,VA, New Haven, CT, on The Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Idaho and locally. I enjoy spending time with these amazing young people and while my role is to teach them God's Word I find that they often teach me so much more.
9. My hobbies include, gardening, cooking, cross stitch, sewing and quilting.
10. One of my favorite places in the world is our weekend cabin getaway in central PA. It is situated in the middle of Bald Eagle State Forest and I am blessed to see God's glory in nature when we're there.
Well that was probably much more than you ever wanted to know about me but this award is about 'honest blogging'. I am sure that all of you are honest in your writing but I believe this award is to go to those of you who open your closet doors a little wider and let the skeletons out! For sharing your heartfelt words and putting yourself out there with your blogs I award the 'Honest Scrap Award' (in no particular order) to the following bloggers:
PJ of 'Seens From the Backs of My Eyelids' http://www.thebacksofmyeyelids.blogspot.com/
Jane of 'The Painted House' http://www.paintedhouse52.blogspot.com/
Rachel of 'Rachel Cox Designs' http://www.rachelcox.blogspot.com/
Lulu of 'Normal is a Cycle on a Washing Machine' http://www.serendipitylulu.blogspot.com/
Sara of 'Mama Craft' http://www.mama-craft.blogspot.com/
Katherine of 'Just a Girl' http://www.katherineq.blogspot.com/
Karen of 'Journey to Spirit Through Art & Creativity' http://www.deldino.blogspot.com/
Chrissie of 'In His Grace' http://www.chrissiegrace.blogspot.com/
Renee of 'Circling My Head' http://www.circlingmyhead.blogspot.com/
Marie of 'A Year From Oak Cottage' http://www.ayearfromoakcottage.blogspot.com/
There are so many of you who have touched me, made my heart skip a beat, and caused me to pause & ponder...you are all Honest scrap Award worthy!
congratulations on your award, sweet diva!! i loved reading all about you!! i was a single parent for a while, too......i understand the bond with your children that you're referring to! i hope that you and your "brady bunch" have a very blessed thanksgiving!!! hugs, xoxo
ReplyDeleteDiva I am happy to know all of these things about you. Your wonderful.
ReplyDeleteLove Renee xoxo
Diva, this is fantastic!!! My second Honest Scrap! And I never knew we had so much in common. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're so sweet to share about yourself like this and I admire anyone who survived being a single parent.
Thanks for the award!
Thank you so much for the award! I realize how much we have in common after reading your list. As you know, we have a blended family now too. I think my kids and I got used to being only three and then my husband was added in to the mix. It has certainly been very challenging but worth it. I also did a very brief stint with a dentist and I love my art as well. And God? Well, I'm walking my path with Him too. Some days I really feel his presence and other days I struggle. But without faith, I've no clue about where I'd be ;))
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks Diva, I am honored! And congratulations for receiving the award yourself.
ReplyDeleteI will pass it on to 10 others after the holiday next week.. I am so excited, I have never received and award before, thank you for the award and your honesty on your blog.
Diva, congrats on your award! I have loved getting to know you better, espcially the artist bit! Oh how I would love to see some of your work! I bet it's fabulous and would put mine to shame! Thanks so much for including me in your list of award recipients! I am honored and humbled to be in such good company! xxoo
ReplyDeleteI loved reading all those interesting little tidbits!!! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Hugs, ;)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Diva! Did you at least put some whipped cream on your humble pie?! Loved your meme because it helped me learn more about you. Your history is both fascinating and amazing. When do I get to see some of your artwork? You must know by now what a HUGE fan I am of things people create themselves!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the award! I'm truly honored. Historically, I don't meme (is that a verb?) for awards because each item listed on a meme is a potential blog post and I post daily - which is a challenge. For you I shall try...the operative word being 'try'.... ;)
These are wonderful things about you. I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteKaren
Its always nice to learn more about a fellow blogger. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteHow nice to get to know you a little better. And thank you for passing the award to me. :) Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the award... and thanks very much for passing it on to me. Really interesting to read all these things.
ReplyDelete