Happy 101 Award from Karen at Ancestor Soup

Karen, at Ancestor Soup, surprised me this morning as she left a comment on my previous post about my Grandma Margheim's chocolate cake recipe. In her comment, she revealed that she was awarding me the "Happy 101" award.

It's my turn to say "Thank you, Karen!" and to carry out the responsibilities that come with this award, namely (1) list 10 things that make me happy and (2) list 10 blogs to whom I want to pass on this award.

This is the easy part: 10 Things That Make Me Happy

1. Time spent with my son Matt and his family, wife Lucja and daughters Kindall, Taylor and Alyssa

2. Quiet evenings at home with my dear husband, Jamie

3. Good conversations with my dad, Ernie Margheim

4. Free time from work when I can spend doing my family history research

5. Quiet hours early in a day when I can read a good book or magazine article, while my brain and eyes are fresh

6. Emails from friends and family members that really say something and are not just "forwards"

7. Snail mail that brings me genealogy information, like vital records or connections with relatives

8. Glorious Sundays in Church when I really feel the presence of the Holy Spirit

9. Warm blankets at bedtime in the winter

10. Noodles like my Grandma used to make.

While it's hard to limit this to only 10, I want to present this award to the following bloggers because I enjoy their blogs, follow them regularly, and they take the time to share their comments on my blogs:

Heritage Happens
Looking4Ancestors
Blanton Family Roots and Branches
Taylorstales-Genealogy
Claudia's Thoughts
A Year of Happy
Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay
Genealogy and Me
Beyond the Diapers and Spills
Stories of My Ancestors

I encourage everyone to visit, read, follow, and support these wonderful bloggers. Leave your comments if you have any thoughts after reading a story. Your comments are what let us know you've stopped by and that our stories have touched you in some way.

Puckerbrush Blog Award for Excellence

Everything I need to know about blogging I learned from Thomas MacEntee, my Mentor at Facebook Bootcamp for Genea-Bloggers. And today I learned that there's no end to his giving. I was one of those chosen by him to receive "The Janice Brown Puckerbrush Blog Award for Excellence".

I borrow his explanation of the award, its origin, and purpose: The award was created in honor of genealogy blogger Janice Brown by Terry Thornton, author of "Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi", who explained that "Janice told us all about the word 'puckerbrush' in an article she posted August 27, 2007 at "Cow Hampshire". Terry elaborated a bit further in a comment: 'On any land allowed to go fallow and left untended, a wild assortment of wild plants grow – in some areas, this wild growth results in such a thicket of plants that it is almost impossible to push your way through the growth.So it is with the growth of blogs --- so many that it is impossible to read them all. But in the puckerbrush eventually a few plants/trees become dominant and influence all who view them through the thick surrounding puckerbrush.And it is those outstanding blogs whose influence spreads beyond just the surrounding rabble of puckerbrush that I'm honoring.' Terry issued this challenge: Henceforth these awards will be called the Janice Brown Puckerbrush Blog Award for Excellence. All blog authors are hereby challenged to name the ten blogs which have influenced their writing the most and list them as a tribute to Janice --- the Janice Brown Puckerbrush Blog Awards for Excellence.

I'm deeply humbled and honored that Thomas thought of me as a recipient when awarding this to the 10 bloggers who have influenced him in some way. My blog is not instructional, not educational, nor professional. I share bits and pieces of my discoveries, my family treasures, and impressions as I journey down this path of discovery into the lives of those in my family who have gone before me and left their legacy to me. My life has been so richly blessed along the way by literally hundreds of others who have generously helped, shared, taught, encouraged, and instructed me. Last Fall (Sept. 2008) when I impulsively created my blog, I was hungry for help, for instruction and encouragement. I found all that when I discovered Thomas MacEntee on Facebook and learned of his BOOTCAMP! It's true that everything I learned about blogging, I learned from Thomas. Thank you very much, Thomas!

Now for the privilege of passing this on to 10 bloggers who have influenced me, whose blogs I read faithfully and diligently and by whom I've been taught, inspired or simply delighted along the way.

1. Lorine at Olive Tree Genealogy Blog

2. Delia at Delia's Genealogy Blog

3. Terry at Desktop Genealogist Unplugged

4. Harriett at Genealogy Fun

5. Judith at Genealogy Traces

6. Gini at Ginisology

7. Kate at Genealogy Bug

8. Pam at Taylorstales-Genealogy

9. Cheryl at Heritage Happens

10. Greta at Greta's Genealogy Bog

Each of these women have supported me and helped me to feel that what I've posted has been worthwhile. I'm anxious to pass this award on to each of these friends and then see who they, in turn, will honor.

My "Friendly Blogger Award"

On her Genealogy Fun blog, Harriet awarded me the "Friendly Blogger Award". Thank you Harriet! I'm so happy to be part of the wonderful Genea-Blogger community, not only for the awesome information that is shared, but for the friendships and comraderie (did I spell that right?) that we get from each other.

I want to share this now with these 6 Friendly Bloggers (7 blogs) and encourage them to pass it on to their 7 choices (and give them the news in a "Comment" on their blog):

My cousin Kate Keller at Genealogy Bug and Genealogical Treasures (if you have 2 blogs, you get 2 awards!)

My dear friend Judy McCormick at Against the Grain

My fellow Colorado enthusiast Gayle Gresham at Colorado Reflections

My church friend (who helped me get started blogging) Tren Hopkins at Chasing Tadpoles

My blogging friend Diana Ritchie at Random Relatives

My blogging friend Gini Webb at Ginisology

'One Lovely Blog Award' is Mine

I've had the most amazing day and it was topped off as I received this beautiful award from my geneablogging friend Diana Ritchie at Random Relatives. My favorite color is (obviously) pink and I have a tea cup collection (that I inherited from my mother-in-law). And my favorite flower is the Rose! I think this Award was custom designed to suit my tastes! Thank you, Diana.

I'm short on time this evening so I'm going to pass this award on to one more lovely blog: 'Tennessee Memories' by Judith Richards Shubert. I love the mood it puts me in even as the page loads on my computer.

Thanks to Wendy, JoLyn, and Colleen for the Kreativ Blogger Award

I was thrilled to read this morning that Wendy Littrell at All My Branches Genealogy awarded me, among many others, the Kreativ Blogger Award. I admit it--it gave me a nice feeling! I've only been blogging 5 months and I spend very little time on the posts I put on Grace and Glory. Not because I'm lazy or nonchalant, but because my life is very hectic right now. I want to be a good blogger. I try to be good at anything I do. But the time contraints hinder that effort. I'm just delighted that people want to read what I post! It amazes me.

Wendy also granted this award to my Dad, Ernie Margheim who authors "Ernie's Journeys". I'm going to post the award to his blog in his absence. But his current hospitalization is going to prevent either of us from spending the necessary time to review the other award winners so we can determine who has yet to be honored with this award. There are so many authors who are deserving. In fact, I think anyone who goes to the work and devotes the time to share their genealogy-related information with us in a blog deserves to be awarded!

The geneablogging community is like nothing I've experienced before! Dad and I are both so proud to be part of it. It's wonderful to share with others who show such caring for their families, their histories, their stories, their colorful lives. My own immediate family members aren't interested in my blog, nor in my ancestors, my photographs, my stories. But others who participate in this wonderful ancestral research understand and care, and they show it!

Wendy started out my day by presenting this award to me, and JoLyn Day ended it by offering it to me also on her terrific blog The Mount Timpanogos Graveyard Rabbit. And I just learned that the wonderful Colleen Johnson at CMJ Office also nominated me. Honestly, I'm overwhelmed! Thank you very much, my dear friends, Wendy, JoLyn, and Colleen! I must add that it's the perfect color for the sidebar of my blog. Has anyone noticed that I like the pink and green color combination? LOL.