An Award & An Announcement

Hi there, y’all!

‘Tis myself . . . yes, I’m back from the dead. 😉

Let’s just say that a whole lot of life transpired between January and July. Mid July. That’s a bit scary realizing that we’re half-way through 2020 already!

In this post, I’ll be tackling two things . . . namely, an Award and an Announcement.

Sooo . . . first off!

THE AWESOME BLOGGER AWARD

I was nominated for this award by Abby, who has a lovely blog called Photos by Abby Rose. I encourage you, if you’ve not already, to go and check it out. 🙂 Thanks so much for giving me an excuse to pause my life and blog a bit, Abby!

(And btw, she came up with some very FUN questions. I can’t wait to get to the meat of this section ❤ )

The Rules:

1. Thank the person who who nominated you.
2. Credit the creator (Maggie @ Dreaming of Guatemala)
3. Answer the Questions you were asked.
4. Nominate at least five bloggers and inform them of their nomination.
5. Give them ten new questions to answer.

. . . Questions, Questions, and More Questions . . .

~ Coffee, Tea, or Neither? ~

What a great question! Allow me to astound you coffee – lovers by admitting that, yes, I don’t like coffee, and that yes, I do love tea. (No offense — my sister is an avid coffee-consumer and my mother enjoys it as well 😉 ) I especially enjoy bold, zesty flavors (try Celestial’s Apple Cinnamon and you’ll see what I mean ❤ ).

~ What’s Your Favorite Color? ~

Undoubtedly blue. My absolute favorite shade is aquamarine. True, rich, soothing . . . I loved the color even before I knew it was my birthstone!

~ What Place In the World is Your Favorite? ~

Oh my goodness . . . this is way too tough 😉 I think . . . I would have to go with either one of my grandparents’ homes. The memories, the fellowship, the uniqueness of each house . . . all the little quirks and happy childhood days spent there that are so endearing. I truly feel like I have three *homes* ❤

~ If Animals Could Talk, What Animal Would Be the Most Annoying? ~

This is Narnia come to life!! Wow. Out of all the critters and creepies out there among God’s gorgeous creation, I’d have to say that snakes would probably be the most annoying. I can imagine them speaking with a harsh “s-s-s-s-sh-sh-sh” sound that would probably get very grating over a period of time (haha) ❤

~ What Is The Highlight or Most Anticipated Thing During Your Year? ~

Hmmm. Most highly anticipated thing. I’d have to say the coming of spring/summer, or getting together with family during the winter months ❤ Of course birthdays are always a highlight, as every year my family sufficiently “wows” me with creative ways to express their love 🙂 (We normally don’t have huge birthday celebrations with tons of people outside the family, but the pizazz at home is perfect ❤ ❤ I wouldn’t wish it any other way!)

~ If You Had Enough Money That You Never Needed to Work Again, What Would You Do With Your Time? ~

Ohhh . . . never had to go to work again (hehe). That’d be the day ❤ Well, I know for certain that I’d definitely be in the Word, churning out homemade products to sell online, writing and illustrating books regularly, singing in my family’s Scripture – singing ministry, and trying to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And gardening. Always gardening 😉 (We’ve been blessed with quite a crop of cucumbers this summer! ❤ )

~ Who Has Been the Biggest Example in Your Life? Why? ~

Wow — what a poignant and challenging question. There are so many godly individuals whom I respect and admire that it’d likely take more than a dozen blog posts to adequately cover just how profoundly they have affected not only my life, but others’ lives as well. For now, I’ll have to say that Lord has been the biggest influence in my life. He has manifested Himself, His love, and direction through so many vibrant people before and during my existence — through my Mom, my Dad, my grandparents, my church family; through accounts of missionaries, through friends . . . . He’s teaching me every single day how to delight in Him more. How to yield. How to trust. I’m far from having everything down, but He’s never left me on my own. I treasure that.

~ Do You Have A Hobby? ~

Yes! I do. ❤ I write (when I have time) . . . and I also paint and draw. Recently the Lord has opened up some pretty neat opportunities to further utilize my artistic skills for Him, and boy howdy, has it been a ride. I’m sincerely looking forward to whatever else He has in store for me to invest in within that area.

~ What’s Your Favorite Dessert? ~

We somehow seem to always have room for dessert . . . even in a blog post! 😉 I dearly love snacking on our homemade gluten – free chocolate buttermilk muffins with a nice glop of peanut butter ❤ That one never gets old.

~ What’s Your Favorite Random Quote? ~

I’ll try to get as random as I can 😉 I think this quote by C. S. Lewis fairly sums up the meaning and joy of the christian’s life:

Look for yourself and you will find loneliness and despair. But look for Christ and you will find Him and everything else.”

~ C. S. Lewis

Those were phenomenal queries, Abby, and I was so privileged to get to answer them! Thank you once again ❤

. . . Nominations, Nominations, & More Nominations . . .

Drumroll . . . my nominations are:

• Allison from A Farm Girl’s Life
• Kate from Once Upon An Ordinary
• Madi from Adventure In The Air
• Amanda Joy from Amanda Joy Writes
• Amie from Amie Anne

. . . Here Are My Queries . . .

1. Which season do you prefer, and Why?
2. What is something that the Lord has helped you through thus far during 2020?
3. Which do you enjoy viewing more — sunrises or sunsets?
4. Do you have a favorite author (of a book)?
5. What’s a Scripture you hope to memorize in 2020?
6. What’s one of your craziest quirks?
7. What 3 words describe you the best?
8. If the Lord grants us ten more years, where do you see yourself then? What will you have accomplished?
9. What tradition does your family have that is special or meaningful to you?
10. If you were a color, what shade would you be and Why?

That sums up the Awesome Blogger Award ❤

. . . And as for the Announcement . . .

Firstly, I redesigned An Unfinished Story ❤

It isn’t quite “finished” though, but for now it’ll suffice.

Secondly, I’m working hard & heavy toward releasing a Civil War coloring book which will hopefully be available soon. This has been a dream and a work-in-progress for over a year now, and the light at the end of the tunnel is just beginning to glimmer ❤ I’ll be sharing more about it in some future posts.

And thirdly, the Lord opened up an opportunity for me to illustrate a children’s book this past spring! I thoroughly relished the challenge and was busy painting and sketching away for around three months . . . and it was quite a whirlwind! Although the book is currently not available for sale (as it was more of a donation – project), it could be in the future ❤ Anyhow, I’m hoping that the Lord will allow me to do more of that kind of work. Talk about fun & meaningful!

Well, that fairly wraps up this post. Again, I apologize for the looong absence . . . flu, school, projects, and COVID – 19 quarantine have all contributed to an incredibly crazy start to 2020! ❤ 😉

Looking forward to sharing more soon!

~ Callie ~