A FUNNY Thing

You know yesterday I was just thinking to myslef that I hadnt gotten any awards in such a long time. How about you? They use to fly around bloggy world like nobody's business and you just couldnt find time to post them all. Then when you did get the time you had so many to talk about it was exhausting, and trying to figure out who gave them too you was a task in itself. Sound familiar?

Well just as I was thinking that maybe they were still out there but I just wasnt getting any love, I get an email that there are two waiting for me at a friends blog! Made my day I tell you. It made my day. They are still out there and it is still very nice to get them.

I got the Adorable Blog Award which I have received a few times before, but none the less it is still extremely special to be thought of again.



Then I also got the Uplifting Blogger Award which really means allot to me because I try to keep The Fort as uplifting as possible.



They were both recieved from my good friend Angela at Mom's Fortress of Solitude. If you havent been to her blog you should check it out.

So here we go with the award hand out! I will not be able to send out email for all of these so I hope you see that you got it! These awards are going to all of those who are in my bloglist as well as all of you whom I have asked if I can put you there. Some arent there yet as I havent had the chance to do it yet. You know who you are. This includes all of my fellow Blog Frog Community Leaders. It also includes all of those whose blogs I follow as I find them very uplifting and adorable. I wouldnt follow otherwise.



Speaking of The Blog Frog. If you arent using the Blog Frog to improve the traffic on your site you should. It increases your traffic and for all of the communties you join your blog link will apprear on their site each time you visit. The Blog Frog is also new and improved so its much more user friendly! So get to Blog Frog hoppin now! The first step is joining my community in the right sidebar by making a link to The Fort in your blog and then registering your blog in my community. Just click "Become a Fort Soldier" at the bottom of the Blog Frog widget. You will then be a member of this community where you can communicate with fellow bloggers. Also feel free to become a follower of The Fort on Twitter if you use it!

If you have any additional questions on how The Blog Frog can hop your blog to the top just email me. :)

Love and Prayers,

Giveaway and Awards

My good friend Cari at Beauty and the Little Beast (A.K.A. Two Under Two Whew!) is having a great giveaway for a basket full of goodies all made in Seattle. It has a value of over $70 but she keeps adding to it as she finds things so who knows what its worth now.



Cari has been a very faithful friend of The Fort and I am happy to share her blog with you. Please stop in and visit her and let her know that you are also a friend of The Fort.

I also wanted to thank Carey @ Life in the Carpool Lane for this awesome award she gave me for her Earth week that she recently did. Its a Mother Earth award for doing things to help keep our planet green. Thanks so much Carey, I love your blog as well as all you are doing for our planet.



Then I also received the Queen of all things Awe-Summ award. This award was given to me from my friend Melissa @ The Erickson Looney Bin. Now I am for sure no Queen, but I will take an Awesome award any day. So I'm just going to visualize it as a King of all things Awesome. Ok? You don't mind right?



Anyway so I'm suppose to list 7 reasons why I'm Awesome. I'm opting to skip that part just as Mimi did. Then I am suppose to give this award to 7 people whom I think are also awesome. Weeeeell that's impossible since I know WAAAAY more than 7 people who are awesome. So here is how its gonna go. If you are a follower of The Fort then you are FOR SURE very Awesome! So anyone listed in our followers at the top consider this YOUR award. You are SO awesome and we are so honored to call you our friends. Please accept this award and display it proudly.

Reminders:

Make sure you join in the fun with Vlogemotions again this Thursday. The first week was a HUGE success and it is only going to become more fun as more people play!

If you would like your blog to be seen here, just add a link to The Fort on your blog and add yourself as a follower on the Blog Frog widget in the right sidebar. This will give you exposure here at The Fort, as well as give us the oppotunity to get to know you better.


Love and Prayers,

For All You Brave Vloggers Out There!

I appreciate all of you who have participated in the inaugural post of Vlogemotions. I know it took allot of courage for many of you to step out of your comfort zone to do this. Hopefully you have seen what fun it really is and will continue to participate. I know as the word gets out this amazingly fun carnival will spread like wildfire. So get the word out and post your vlog so you can be entered into the video camera giveaway!

For all of those who have participated I want to give you an award for your courage in doing so. Please feel free to grab the code for this award from the left sidebar and display it proudly on your site as you deserve it!

The Mr. Linky will be up all week until next Thursday when we will explore a entirely new set of Vlogemotions. So get in on the inaugural week while you can so you can be entered to win the camera!

Big time thanks go out to Lee @ Perpetual Burn for the design of this great award. Make sure you go by and see her Vlogemotion and tell her thanks for designing your AWESOME award! She also does blog design.

Happy Vlogging!


Love and Prayers,

Loyal Commenter

My good bloggy friend Jo @ Life's Perfect Picture's bestowed upon me the award of Loyal Commenter. To me being a commenter has always been very important. I just wish I had more time to visit all the blogs I would like more often.

So if you are new to blogging make sure you leave as many comments on those blogs you read as possible. It is very encouraging to those you visit and they will appreciate your effort more than you will know. Who knows maybe you will be the next to get this prestigious award?

It is with great pleasure that I pass this award on to some people who have become great friends. Great friends they have become through loyal commenting, occasional emails, and most importantly consistent support. I must also add that if had not given me this award she would have made this list. For those of you who have already received this award, it wouldn't too much surprise me. In no particular order they are:

Mimi @ He and Me + 3

Courtney @ Courtney and the Boys

April @ Straight from the Heart

Melissa @ Home is Where Your Story Begins

Jennifer @ Rundpinne

Elizabeth @ A Nut in a Nutshell

Lolli @ Life is Sweet

Jill @ Sneaky Momma

Michele @ Out of the Rut

Wibeche and Rune @ Beautiful Days

Melissa @ Melissa's Heart and Home

Liz @ My Crazy Life with 4 Boys


There are so many others who I honestly don't have time to mention here, so please know that if you are a loyal commenter here at Fort Thompson you too are loved and appreciated.


Love and Prayers,

Award Me?

Over the past several months I have had the honor and privilege of getting two know two of the nicest people you could ever meet. They have been some of the most faithful followers I have, and seem to leave a comment on every post I write.

Today they gave me two awards. Please know that these aren't just any old list your seven things and pass it on to 7 people awards either. No, these are awards that they just made up on their own out of the goodness of their hearts to give to some of the bloggers that they consider good friends. To me this is saying something, and for it I am honored.

So please make sure that if you haven't already (and I know many of you have), get over to Beautiful Days and give them some love. Tell them you were sent by Fort Thompson.

They live in Norway and are two of the best people I know. Most of you know them as Wib and Rune. I know them as my dear friends.

So here's to you my Norway blogging buds, may God bless your Beautiful Days as you have blessed many of mine......Thank you so much!!

Love and Prayers,

Get Cha Some!

Thanks to my good friend Jo over @ Life's Perfect Picture's, I have received the Kreative Blogger award. This award is given to those who have shown great creativity in their blog design. I must name 7 things that I love and pass it on to 7 bloggers so, here goes!

7 things I love:

1. My God.

2. My Wife.

3. My Children.

4. My Parents.

5. My Friends (all of you).

6. Playing Golf.

7. Oops left this one off origingally. Thanks to you who spotted it and brought it to my attention. I love watching my daughter play Wii fit as it makes me laugh.



I also received the Ain't Life Grand award from Jo. I am to list five things that make my life grand so here they are.

1. My life is grand because I am.

2. My life is grand because of my faith.

3. My life is grand whenever I laugh.

4. My life is grand when I'm with my kids.

5. My life is Always grand because of my wife.


I don't want anyone to be left out on these awards. If you are a Fort Thompson Prayer Soldier and you visit often this award is for you. Please take it and let others know that you got it here!

And if you havent registered for the giveaway, scroll down the page and get registered! There will be a new giveaway on Monday!!!

Love and Prayers,

And The Winner Is.........

I know I have let these awards get somewhat backed up, and to those of you whom gave them to me my apologies. I had to try really hard to remember who gave them to me. If I miss someone please let me know.

The first award is for showing a great attitude/gratitude toward others. This is an award I have been hoping that I would receive, so I am very grateful now that I have it. It was given to me by Ogladi at Margarita On The Rocks Lots of Salt, so make sure you go by and show her some love.

I would like to give this award to the following blogs in no particular order:

Lee @ Perpetual Burn

Angie @ Seven Clown Circus

Hollie @ The Drama Mama

Keri @ Tyler and Ava's World

Also given to me by Jo at Life's Perfect Picture's is the Life is Grand Award which I must list 5 reasons why my life is grand. As well as the This Blog Practices TLC award. Thanks again Jo, your the best! Make sure you go visit Jo also and show her some love as well.

1. Life is grand because I know Im going to Heaven.

2. Life is grand because God gave me the most wonderful lady in the world to call me wife, and yes I am honored.

3. Life is grand because I have the too best reasons anyone could ever want to be called Dad. Their names are Taylor and Will, and I love them with all my heart.

4. Life is grand because God blessed me with the two best parents anyone could EVER have. I love both of them more than anything, and would do anything for them.

5. My life is grand because now I get to pass these awards on to someone else!

It goes to the following:

Jacquie @ The Middle of Eleven

Amy @ The Arthur Clan

Heather @ The Extraordinary Ordinary

Lyndsay @ The Miller Experience

Jill @ Sneaky Momma

Wibeche @ Beautiful Days


I would also like the above people that received the Grand Award to also receive the TLC award below.




I have also received the Your a Jewel in His Crown award and The Faithful Servant award from Michelle at Circle of Life and Wibeche at Beautiful Days. She is in Norway and has quickly become one of The Forts favorite blogging friends. So stop by and tell her Fort Thompson sent ya!




These two awards go to the following in no particular order:

Christie @ A Sassy Mommas Chatter

Elizabeth @ A Nut in a Nutshell

MckMama @ My Charming Kids

Angie @ Bring the Rain

Kameron @ A Wrinkle in Time

Lisa @ Abiding There

Hollie @ All Things in Moddy

Amy @ Chapters

Keli @ Dream Imagine Live

Lisa @ Rude Manor

The last award I need to give out I received from my friend Carey at Life in the Carpool Lane. So make sure you go by and show her some comment love. Tell her Tim sent ya from The Fort!



"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find friends and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships will be propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly- written text into the body of their award."

So my eight for this award are as follows in no particular order:

Lisa @ Rude Manor

Stephanie @ My Loves Forever

Kayla @ Head Over Heels

Jaysi @ In Bird's Nest

Daphine @ Just Stuff

Jennifer @ Rundpinne

Ogladi @ Margarita/on the Rocks/Lots of Salt

Michele @ Out of the Rut

Thanks again to all of those who has given me these awards!

NO-WAY!

I have received an Award from Wibeche at Beautiful Days. The cool thing about this award is that it came to me all the way from NOWAY!! (Norway)


It is a very special award in that it is given to those who have extended you a helping hand, as well as those who are newer bloggers, for you to give some encouragement. The only thing I dislike about these awards is that I cant give them to the amount of fellow bloggers that deserve them. I will stick to the rules though.


Here are the rules: Select 10 bloggers: 5 you consider your blogging Helping Hand, then "Pay it Forward" by extending your "Helping Hand" to 5 additional new bloggers, in support and encouragement for their efforts.

In passing on the Emblem, each recipient must provide the name of blog, or blog author with a link for others to visit. Each recipient must show the Emblem, and put the name and link to the blog that has given it to her or him. Link the Emblem to this post: The Emblem of the Helping Hand so that others will know it origin and impetus.

If you have not already done so, show your recipients some love by adding them to your blog roll or in any other way to further let them know that their blog voice is important to you and being heard.

Add your name to The Helping Hand meme at my new blog entitled The Emblem of the Helping Hand and don't forget to leave a comment as a permanent record of all Helping Hand recipients.




So here are my recipients, I chose not to categorize them in this manner because they are all equally important.



Jennifer aka MckMama @ My Charming Kids

Angie @ Davisix

Elizabeth @ A Nut in a Nutshell

Jill @ Scary Mommy

Michelle @ Circle of Life

Stephanie @ My Loves Forever

Elyse @ Following Him

Nikki @ Life as We Know It

Melissa @ Melissa's Heart and Home

Hollie @ The Drama Mama

And The Winner Is.........

As some of you may know, I'm not big on announcing awards even though I enjoy getting them. I am however HUGE on recognizing others, especially those who I have become good friends as they follow Fort Thompson on a regular basis never failing to leave a comment.

Speaking of comments, please do think of leaving a comment to any post on any blog you read. We can all use the encouragement.

So on to the awards!

This first award I received from April at Say it on a Sign, and then a few days later got the same award from Christie at A Sassy Mommas Chatter, so I wanted to mention and thank them both.

Second Award - Honest Scrap
This award is given to those who have the ability to be brutally honest no matter what the case.

So here are the five people that I would like to pass Both of these awards on to.

1. Mimi @ He & Me + 3

2. Hollie @ All Things in Moddy

3. Angie @ Seven Clown Circus

4. Amy @ Living Locurto

5. Angie @ The Arthur Clan