I have mentioned my friend, Christy, a few times. When we first moved to the Abbey Farm, we met and became immediate friends. She has a large family and homeschools her children. She and her family live on Providence Hill Farm and they raise chickens, goats, pigs, dogs, cats, and the occasional stray or injured wild animal. She is an amazing person and I'm blessed to know her. She is wise and capable, Godly and loving. She recently started a blog called Artisan Farmstead Living. It is fascinating. It has just begun to tap her knowledge of so many arts and skills.

     Christy recently was given "The Stylish Blogger" award by another blogger. When received, you are to post seven things that you haven't posted before about yourself, and pass the award on to 15 other bloggers. Christy has passed this award on to The Abbey Farm and I am honored. Those to whom I pass the award are all much farther along than I. I hope they are touched, at least. New to the blogging world I'm blown away by the numbers of bloggers, their writing abilites, their experiences. I first heard of blogging when a friend of ours in a big "Think Tank" in DC started one a few years ago. Then I saw the "Julie and Julia" movie. I was intrigued. But until I started this and surfed around, I did not know how big the blogging world was.

     I'm probably more an open book than most, but here goes:

1) It's probably no surprise that I loved the show, "The Walton's" when it first came out. But I also loved it when it was syndicated for reruns, and then when it came out on DVD...

2) My favorite activity as a kid, besides anything with horses, was swimming in the Gunpowder River. There was a huge rock we dove off of that we called the "Petrified Tree" because it had markings like the bark of a tree.

3) The Gunpowder also lent itself to great "Floatdowns." We would drive a few miles north, and with tractor innertubes floatdown the river to a spot closer to home.

4) When I was ten I asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life. I may not have always lived up to His standards but I love Him dearly and will persevere to do just that.

5) My first pony's name was Misty. She was two and had not been broken and so I trained her myself the summer after sixth grade.

6) I've had an ACL repair from years of misdiagnosed injuries including tripping while backing up for a flyball, playing on the Hereford Bulls Varsity Softball team. I stepped into an unfilled soccer goal hole. And then jumping down from a post and rail fence, and finally, skiing on a Double Black Diamond run when Susanna was only seven weeks old (nuts!).

7) I am a Registered Nurse and it will always be a part of my identity. I will work again outside of the home...one day.

     Right now, my focus is this big, beautiful family, and where God has put us.

God bless you!

Suzy,

The Abbey Farm

I will add to this list as I become more blogger-savvy, but here are my favorite sites to check out, and who I feel deserve the award. I'm sure they don't need me plugging them, they may be way to busy to even notice. I began this blog for family and friends, and that circle of friends has gained a new layer of inspiring e-friends. I am thankful for them.

http://smittenkitchen.com/
http://thepioneerwoman.com/
http://freedomismychoice.blogspot.com/
http://irishcatholichumanist.blogspot.com/
http://www.mothersruleoflife.com/
http://testosterhome.net/
http://www.patheos.com/community/theanchoress
http://www.102030go.com/
http://littlestayathomemomma.blogspot.com/
http://www.bigredkitchen.com/
http://artisanfarmsteadliving.blogspot.com/
www.planningwithkids.com