You Make My Day Blog Awards

The The Nisbett Family chose my blog as one of their five favorite blogs, honoring it with a "You Make My Day Award." Thank you, Nisbetts! Your blog is one of my favorites as well!

I'm supposed to pass this award on to five other blogs. The hard part is deciding which five to single out....

One of my very favorites is the Young Ladies Christian Fellowship Blog... by Gretchen (Glaser) Acheson, Natalie (Nyquist) Klein, and Lanier Ivester. They post frequently (almost every day) and their posts are nearly always inspiring, convicting, or just plain great reading! I subscribed to Gretchen's "YLCF" magazine as a teenager, and though I've never met her, I love her outlook on life! I met Natalie (then Nyquist) a few years ago when we spent the week together with 10 girls in a hotel suite, preparing for Crystal (Smisor) Paine's wedding. Natalie's writings (ever since the very first letter she penned to "HopeChest" magazine have always been honest, endearing, and incredibly Christ-centered. She has inspired me in so many ways over the years as I have seen her willing to settle for nothing less than God's best for her life.

Speaking of where I met Natalie, Crystal Paine has another popular blog Biblical Womanhood that I really enjoy. When Crystal used to publish "Polished Cornerstones," it focused more on topics relevant to single girls. Since becoming a wife and mother, her blog's focus is more about homemaking, organizing, thriftiness and motherhood - but it's chock-full of insight that's relevant to anyone. She also posts on a near-daily basis.

Abigail Paul, A Source of Joy Blog, has been a good friend of mine since.... I don't know when. A long time ago, when we were about 11 or 12? Our families met at another homeschooling family's house while the Pauls were spending a few days in Missouri. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but Abigail and I became pen pals, and I have found her to be a dear and faithful kindred spirit ever since! Somehow, over the past decade and a half or so we've managed to see each other almost yearly in spite of living in different states! These days, I rarely have the time to sit down and write a good old-fashioned letter to her, but we keep up with each other's lives in part through our blogs and through our many other friends who know both of us! Abigail also still publishes her magazine, "Hidden Wisdom" (we were fellow editors for years) which our whole family enjoys.

Our Rowe cousins have recently started a new blog, Rambling Rowes, that contains frequent updates about the life of their big family. They started by chronicling their trip out west in May. My hope is that they will see how fun blogging is and continue with frequent posts and pictures about their life!

I have lots of favorites in the midwifery/medical blog world. However, since some of them are rather graphic (both descriptions/content and photos!) and I try to keep this blog family-friendly for the many young readers that I have, I'll refrain from linking my favorites here. But Citizens for Midwifery has a great new blog that is constantly updated with news and research from the world of birth. Best of all, my friend, Molly Remer, is the author/editor!