The Blue Sky Tag // Joke Competition

Good morning, friends! (Or good afternoon, or good evening, if where you live it right now happens to be a time other than morning.)

I was tagged by Hanne for the Blue Sky Tag. Yay! Thank you, Hanne!

Blogger Recognition Award

Well I have now been tagged in the same tag a grand total of twice. :O This tag really is making the rounds of the blogosphere!

I was tagged by Lexi (Times and Seasons of a Beautiful Life) and Paige (Paige's Pages). Go check out the blogs of these lovely ladies! :)

In between my answers to the requirements, I'm going to be inserting some photos of my siblings playing on the trampoline. Because trampolines are awesome.

The Tag Rules (because all blog tags have rules, right?!)
❤ Thank the blogger who nominated you. THANKS LEXI AND PAIGE!!!!
❤ Tell a little bit about how you started blogging.
❤ Give two pieces of advice for new bloggers.
❤ Nominate 15 other bloggers.

How my little blog started:
So I had some friends who blogged. (Their blogs are here, here, here, and here, if you're interested!) After reading/stalking their blogs for a while, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a go (I'm never one to miss out on fun for long...). I created my blog in January 2013 which means next January is my four year blogiversary! I've never stopped blogging for long. The longest break was, I think, the three week break when I went to China last year.

If you want to find out more about how my blog began and why it is still continuing, feel free to have a read here.

Advice for new bloggers #1:

Don't try to make your blog into something that you are not. Let it reflect you. Let it reflect your personality, your life. Don't try and copy other people's blogs because your blog should be a reflection on you, not on other people! :)

Sure, allow other people and their blogs to influence you. But stay true to yourself.

If you try to make your blog something that you are not, it will feel forced. You will rob yourself of much of the joy in blogging!

Don't let other people tell you how you should blog. Listen to them politely and weigh up what they are saying. If it's helpful, keep it. If not, continue to do you.

Advice for new bloggers #2:

Interact with other bloggers! :)

This is super important. If you just write a blog but don't bother about interacting with commenters, commenting on other people's blogs and finding new blogs, you'll be living in a pretty stagnant corner of the blogging world. Besides, meeting new people is a good way to get more followers yourself. Plenty of people will follow you back if you start interacting with them.

Finding other awesome blogs is super easy. Just go to a random blog (like mine - it's easy because you're already here! :) ) and dive down the rabbit hole! Go through the list of followers or read the post/page comments and click on the blogger's names. Read their blogs and find their followers and commenters and continue the process until you find a (or several!) blog you're interested in.

When you find a new blog you like, comment on their 'about' page or one of their recent posts and introduce yourself. Follow their blog and tell them you have. Everyone is thrilled when more people start following and commenting. You make someone else thrilled and you've found a new person who will potentially start reading your blog, too. Everyone wins!

Nominations

Well actually I'm not going to nominate anyone. I feel like most of my bloggy friends who would do it have already been tagged.

Unless you want to do it... in which case GO FOR IT! And in that case.....

Hope you guys are having a nice life! ❤

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Music Tag

The lovely Jessica from Apples of Gold has tagged me in a very exciting tag: The Music Tag! Wahoo! *throws confetti and gold balloons*

'By the Book' tag

Emily from A Purpose and a Promise tagged me in the By the Book tag. Thanks, Emily! This looks fun.

Text Tag

Before we begin with the original post, I just wanted to say, praise the Lord for scheduled posts! Life has been crazy hectic this week. My Grandad passed away on Sunday (26th) so we went down to Invercargill for the funeral. Grandad had been very unwell for quite a while(it didn't help that my Grandma -his wife- passed away a few months ago). Those of you who knew, we greatly appreciate all the prayers and love and support you have shown to us. You are amazing.

Blessings to you all. Now on to the scheduled post.

 

Thank you Hannah from Completely For Him for tagging me!

//Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to them.
//Answer the original 6 text-themed questions.
//Add a typography/word related question for those you tagged to answer.
//Tag 6+ bloggers
//Include these rules in your post.

1. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet?
Probably B. I mean, it is the first letter of my name... and it's the first letter of the word Blessed, which not only makes me think of my blog but also makes me remember how ridiculously blessed I am! :) It's the first letter of Beautiful (which makes it beautiful) and Buns (not cinnamon buns but buns in general are pretty good) and Butterflies and Beaches and Blueberries..... I could go on and on!

2. What are three words that you love?
Cellar/seller - a sing-songy word that sounds nice

People - I love people

Celebrations - Celebrations are amazing! Also it is a nice word.

3. What are three words that you hate?
====I don't hate any words. I just dislike some words.====
Moist - uggggh, just the sound of it!
Lugubrious - umm no thanks :P
Fester - reminds me of untreated wounds and the word itself is just not good

4. If you could create a word, what would it be, and what would it describe?
I've created several words over the years. One I created a while ago is 'greepy' - a mixture of creepy and glum and gloomy, I guess. Mostly greepy. It describes dark, morbid, slightly sinister situations.

5. What are your three favorite punctuation marks?
The exclamation mark - something is funny or exciting!

The comma - it means your thought isn't finished yet, it doesn't indicate finality and an ending.

The hashtag - I don't know if that counts as punctuation but can we just agree that #hashtagsareawesome

6. What are your three favorite fonts?

Hannah's bonus question: What is your favorite quote?
Aaaargh, I have way too many favourite quotes. The two I have on my Facebook page under 'favourite quotes' are the following. I like them because they remind me to be positive. I also really like the CS Lewis quote and the AW Tozer quote from my most recent Awkward and Awesome post.

"The glass is half full and the other half was delicious."

“Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?'
'Supposing it didn't,' said Pooh after careful thought.

My bonus question: What is your favourite girls name? What is your favourite boys name?

I am tagging the following bloggers who I think might be interested in taking part in this tag. If you're not interested, that's quite cool, too. :) 

Mic from Mic's Room

Clare from Clare's Spot

Emily from A Purpose and a Promise

Paige from Paige's Pages

Ashley from Precious Moments

Katie from Concealed Foundation

Kiley from Country Gurl

...and if you like words, text, letters or this tag looks a little bit appealing, I tag you!

Infinity Dream Award

Sometimes I get tagged in a blog award or tag and I'm like.. hmm... those are interesting questions and the tag looks interesting... so I take part. This situation is one of those that I have just described for you. I was recently tagged by Hannah for the Infinity Dream Award! Thank you so much Hannah for tagging me! :) Here it is-

                 

                      

Rules
1. Thank the blogger who tagged you.
2. Tell us 11 facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions given to you.
4. Tag 11 bloggers and give them 11 new questions to answer.


Let us begin! Here are the 11 facts about myself -

1. I played the harp for a few years
2. My favourite quote/saying would have to be "The glass is half full and the other half was delicious".
3. I've been in a car accident once - when we were in China, on a Chinese motorway, we clipped the edge of our vehicle (smashed the side mirror) on another vehicle and then sat outside a roadside service thing for ages waiting for police to take photos etc. While we were on our way to catch a plane.
4. My favourite letter of the alphabet is B (Any guesses why that is?)
5. When I was younger I memorised the entire patriotic American poem 'Paul Revere's Ride' just for fun
6. I went geocaching for the first time on Saturday afternoon and it was awesome
7. The best thing that happened to me this week would probably be my journaling Bible arriving. Yay!!
8. A random memory - I have no idea how old I was turning, but we were at Willowbank (a wildlife park) to celebrate my birthday, and my brother Ben (probably around 2 years old I think) fell into a swamp/pond thing. I remember Daddy rushing in to get him out and how Mum hadn't seen it but heard the splash and thought a duck had dived in. Definitely not a good birthday after Ben fell in.
9. If I could go back in time, I would want to go back to Bible times and hear Jesus's words myself!
10. My birthday is coming up
11. Eating chocolate, being with people and listening to happy music cheers me up.


Here are the 11 questions Hannah asked:

1. What is your favorite blog?
My top favourite would probably be A Lovely Calling. I also enjoy reading Fresh Modesty and a variety of other blogs. A current favourite is Clare's Spot. :) (Shout out to my bloggy friends!)

2. What is the biggest thing you've learned from blogging?
Blogging has taught me the importance of laying out my thoughts in a succinct, concise and interesting manner. It's a totally different kind of writing to most things I've done before. 

3. How many siblings do you have?
9, will be 10 around the end of August!

4. Favorite author?
God. I mean, he did write the Bible, so.... yeah.

5. What is a movie that has greatly impacted you?
I haven't seen many movies, to be very honest. War Room impacted me because it made me realise how much prayer can do! Prayer is an incredible weapon.

6. What is a book that has greatly impacted you? (other than the Bible!:)
I read To Kill A Mockingbird for the first time last week. It. Was. Awesome. Such a different book - I learnt so much about society and even history! Totally recommended. A great book.

7. What is one of your most prized possessions?
My teddy bear, Theodore. 

8. What is one of your best memories?
I remember Daddy praying with us before bed every night and then giving us 'fall-ons' - it sounds terrible but it was the best thing ever! He would stand at the end of our bed and then fall on to us in a variety of ways. We had the Thunderbird fall-on, the rocket fall-on (can you tell Dad and my brothers made up some of these?!) and everyone's most hated/most loved one; the caterpillar fall-on. 

9. Your best writing advice?
Just keep at it.

10. What is the title of a book your currently working on? (tell a little about it)
Sorry to spoil the party but I'm not working on a book! I've never written a book and I don't plan to in the near future... I'm currently drawing a colouring book for Lydia, does that count?

11. What is your favorite Bible character other than Jesus? :)
Hmm, good question! I really admire Abraham's faith and how God honoured him for it. I love the stories of Esther and Ruth. But my top favourite would be David, I think. How he obeyed God's call as a shepherd boy and ended up becoming King over all Israel. And did some pretty cool stuff in the middle of it. I also really love his heart of love for the Lord as expressed throughout some of the Psalms. 



I tag-
And now, for those I tag? I am not tagging 11 bloggers - but if you're reading this and you want to take part, you're officially tagged! :)


If you want to do the tag, please answer these 11 questions....

1. Would you rather have legs as long as your fingers or fingers as long as your legs?
2. What is your biggest fear?
3. Have you kept a New Year's resolution? If so, what was it?
4. What is a random memory from your childhood?
5. Have you ever pranked someone or had someone prank you? What happened?
6. What was your first thought when you woke up this morning?
7. If you had two hours left on earth what would you do?
8. What's something you never leave home without?
9. What was your first job?
10. What superpower would you most like to have?
11. What are you terrible at but love to do anyway?


And that's pretty much it, I think! :)
Any guesses why my favourite letter is B?

'Get to know me' Tag!

Hey everyone! Well, we've moved, and I'm so excited to show you our new house and tell you all about it... but that will have to wait because life is CRAZY right now! :) Sometime. Within the next month or so. I promise.

In the meantime, Katie from Concealed Foundation tagged me in the Get To Know Me tag. Thanks, Katie! :)

I often don't do tags when I get tagged.... partly busyness, other things to post, life in general... the other part whether the tag catches my fancy or not! Today I thought this looked like a fun tag and I needed to post something, so, here goes!

Now it begins…

Vital Stats
Name:
 Bonnie

Nicknames:
Bons, Bonsaroozles (don't ask me where that came from), Bonnn-eeeee (okay that last one is not really a nickname)

Place of Birth:
Christchurch, New Zealand

Firsts
Best Friend:
 My big sister Abigail who was definitely my first best friend.

Award:
I won a Challenge Cup in Girl's Brigade when I was younger. I'm not sure if that was my first award... but I was thrilled about it. :) It was the only cup awarded at that year's prizegiving if I remember correctly!

Sport:
Ballet (does that count), or netball. We did athletics at an athletics club for a while too. Also I did tennis when I was young. I'm not sure which was first!

Real Holiday:
Hmmmmm...... not sure.

Concert:
Going to see Andre Rieu performing with his orchestra!

Favorites
Film:
The Lassie film is such a classic that I enjoyed. And I love The Sound of Music. Of course, the movies by the Kendrick brothers are always awesome too! I really enjoyed watching the new Star Wars (The Force Awakens) movie when it was released recently.

TV Shows:
We don't watch TV shows generally.... we watched the new version of Thunderbirds every week for a while but that's finished now.

Color:
Sunshine yellow!
Navy blue
The colours in the sunsets and sunrises
Rose pink
Burgundy
Pale greens and blues
.....okay I just really love lots of colours
Song:
I do love “Praise You In This Storm” by Casting Crowns. Also there's a really cool song Radio Rhema plays sometimes.... I forget the name and the artist but it's amazing. Lol that's helpful.

Restaurant:
the Joyful Restaurant! It's a Chinese restaurant with such. Good. Food.

Books:
At the moment I'm enjoying reading a series of novels written by Jennifer Chiaverini. I think the series is titled Elm Creek Quilts. They're all about a group of quilters. I'm not a quilter (I can mend things neatly, use a sewing machine and knit but quilting's another kettle of fish!) I'm enjoying reading the novels and learning lots of American history and quilting terminology as well as being fascinated by the interesting storylines.

Currently
Feeling:
 Quite tired.

Single or Taken:
 Single

Eating:
 Drinking hot plum juice... mmmm

Wearing:
 A green shirt, black cardigan and denim shorts

Watching:
 Jana eating her breakfast in front of me

Future
Want Children:
Yes!

Want to Get Married:
 Before having children :P

Careers in Mind:
 Robot, tightrope walker, Annoyer of Flies, professional chocolate taster... I have some very random careers in my mind. Oh wait were they supposed to be careers I have in mind for myself??

Where You Want To Live:
 Earth.

Do You Believe In
God:
Absolutely!

Miracles:
Yes!

Love At First Sight:
 Not sure.

Ghosts:
 Nope.

Heaven:
 Yes!!! I'm going there one day!!

Hell:
 Yes. Heaven and hell are real and I'm so grateful that God's given us a way to reach Heaven's perfection.

Kissing On The First Date:
 I was like, "What shall I say for this one?" and Danella sitting next to me was like, "Get rid of it and no  one will notice" Haha :P

Yourself:
 I believe I exist, but I don't believe that man is the center of everything. I believe God created us in His image.


I tag..... nobody. Unless you want to do it, in which case leave your answers in the comments or do a blog post. :)
Hope you enjoyed finding out a bit more about me!

I've. Been. Tagged.

Johnny, Danella and Ben jumping into Lake Kaniere

Good morning, friends!

I was surprised to find out that I had been tagged in the Liebster award by Mic from Mic's Room. But... I haven't done a tag for a while and tags are fun.... so... here we go!

~Rules~
1) Link back to the person who tagged you
2) Answer all 11 questions
3) Tag 11 bloggers who have less than a thousand readers
4) Ask them 11 questions
5) Let them know you've tagged them through social media

~The questions I must answer are as follows ~

1. Best Chapter in a book you've ever read?

Hmmm.... this is a very good question. I always like the chapter in the Anne of Green Gables book (I forget which book it is) where Anne realises she really does love Gilbert and they end up together. *yay for happy endings* It might not be the BEST chapter I've ever read but I do like it rather a lot.

2. A Book your most proud of (if not an author, a piece of artwork)?

A book I am most proud of. I'm assuming this is meaning some form of writing of my own...? I haven't written any books but I quite like some of my poems. Most of my favourite ones I've posted on this blog. 

3. A Book You Can Read Over and Over?

The Narnia stories. They never get old. I just love the allegory. Also I really enjoy re-reading the Hobbit.

4. Favorite Vintage Item

Vintage item?! I'm not one for purchasing vintage items, although I do often admire them. (They often cost quite a lot of money :P). My favourite vintage item is probably my little KJV New Testament. It's seriously ancient. Not sure how old or if it qualifies as 'vintage' but there you go.

5. The best Mom & Pop Store Near You

I'll be honest, I didn't actually know what a Mom and Pop store was until I googled it just now. Friendly Mr Google reckons a Mom and Pop store is "A colloquial term for a small, independent, family-owned business. Unlike franchises and large corporations, which have multiple operations in various locations, mom and pop shops usually have a single location that often occupies a physically small space." You know what? I don't think we have any of those near us. :/ I feel like we're missing out, now.

6. A Movie and Book You Like That is Not Well Known

Well it's not a movie (that I know of) but a great book is Hind's Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. Maybe that is quite well known. I don't know. Do you know of it?

7. Your Absolute Favorite Time Era

I quite like right now. Because I'm livin' in it.

8. What is Your Favorite Old Movie &/or TV Show?

Thunderbirds are GO! My brothers are mad on Thunderbirds shows... (they originally came out when my Dad was a boy). I quite like them because I've seen them all in the course of the boys watching them, haha. They are quite good. Currently they're showing a new version of Thunderbirds on TV but animated characters aren't nearly as good as the old puppet version!

9. A Matter Current America is Dealing With That Makes You Indignant

The matter that makes me indignant: toying with the idea of electing Mr Donald Trump.... I don't know much about American politics but I do know that Mr Trump would not be my choice of a President. Not that I get to choose.

10. Your Dream house would consist of...?

I really rather like older houses. Painted white (this one is not a deal breaker). With lots of roses and beautiful flowers everywhere. I do love beautiful flowers. I think a house with a kitchen facing the driveway/road so you can see (when in the kitchen) if someone is coming to the door would be good. And I have a thing for interesting letterboxes. I really want a quirky letterbox. Yes, that's my dream house. I don't mind about most of the other stuff. Just the letterbox, flowers and kitchen facing the right way will keep me happy.

11. Favorite Disney Character &/or Princess?
My favourite Disney character and/or princess is Anna from Frozen. For several reasons. 1: I can relate to her in a few random ways. 2: I haven't actually watched many Disney movies so I don't have many options. 3: I genuinely like her character.

And those are my answers!

Now I'm supposed to nominate 11 bloggers and inform them of their tag. I'm not even sure I know 11 bloggers who would be interested in doing the tag, but hey, let's have a go.

1. Shendl from Through My Eyes
2. Lexi from Times and Seasons of a Beautiful Life
3. Christine from Green Gables of Avonlea
4. Timothy from Tim's Blog
5. Sarah from Trusting in the Lord
6. Ashley from Precious Moments
7. Lauren from Pretty Things and Polka Dots
8. Paige from Paige's Pages
9. Hannah, Anna and Emma from the Three Musketeers
10. Matthew from Rising Dawn
11. Anyone reading this who would like to do it!

Hey, ten out of eleven isn't too bad. Struggling a bit there for that many! :D Hopefully you tagged folks don't mind too much.
I suppose I'd better write you a list of questions, then. Here goes.

1. What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
2. If someone asked you to give them a random piece of advice, what advice would you give them?
3. Who are some famous people (currently alive) that you would like to meet someday?
4. Do you like to plan things out in detail or be spontaneous?
5. What is your favourite joke?
6. Who or what in your life has influenced you the most?
7. Do you like spicy food?
8. If you could try out any  job for a day, which job would you pick?
9. If you could learn one random skill, which skill would it be?
10. What is the biggest personal change you have ever made?
11. If someone were to make a movie about your life so far, what would that movie be called?

Thanks for reading! Have a great day. :) And thank you once again for tagging me, Mic!