Fashionably Modest Patterns

I'm Moving - HappyYoungWife.blogspot.com

2010-08-30T11:32:00.006-05:00

It's official! I have a new blog address!

When I first started a blog, I was thinking mainly to use it to promote sales and new products at Fashionably Modest Patterns. I soon discovered though, how much I loved blogging and my blog quickly turned into something totally different than I had expected. I love posting pictures. I love posting updates on our life. And I love posting about what God is teaching me as I journey through this thing called life.

After much prayer and advice from my wonderful husband, I have decided to move my blog to HappyYoungWife.blogspot.com. This new "home" will give me the freedom to post all about my life and things I am learning on the journey.**

I will still be doing the weekly Page from My Journal series every week. I also will be starting the weekly polls back up (yay!), although I'm considering changing them to "bi-monthly" polls instead of weekly polls. And I have a whole lot more planned as time goes on as well.

I love my faithful readers - those of you that have been reading here from the beginning (almost a year) and those of you who are brand new followers - and so I'm hoping this transition won't throw you off. :)

I'm having a celebration giveaway all this week over on my new blog, HappyYoungWife.blogspot.com, so come on over and enter for a chance to win a $35 gift certificate!

Click here to hop on over to my new blog, HappyYoungWife.blogspot.com.

**My old blog will still be up and running with a post every great once in a while to inform you about sales or events at Fashionably Modest Patterns.

Winner of Our Sale Giveaway

2010-08-30T09:49:00.002-05:00

I'm sorry I'm just now getting the winner of our Sale Giveaway posted. We had my two nieces staying with us this weekend which kept me quite busy. :)

The random winner (picked using random.org) is:

Patchwork Jen

Congratulations, Jen! You should have received an email from me with further information.

Thanks to all who entered and helped pass the word along about our sale. Stay tuned for some exciting news (and another giveaway) that should be coming today or tomorrow!

He Cares for Me

2010-08-27T16:07:00.008-05:00

Earlier this week I was struggling. Struggling with fear. Fear about the future.

I’m not going to lie. Sometimes I find it difficult to be content with my circumstances…

I grew up never having to think twice about whether or not I’d have food for dinner. Now I pinch pennies and live on a $25-a-week grocery budget.

I grew up in a huge house, on over 50 acres of land, out in the beautiful country. Now I live in a tiny apartment, where we have difficulty finding a parking spot, and I hear sirens, cars and people all day long.

I grew up never worrying about having access to a car. Now I’ve had to learn how to get by with one car for the two of us. (Except for the weeks my Dad graciously allows me to “borrow” a car…)

I grew up being able to go shopping wherever I wanted and buy whatever clothes I needed. Now I have slowly learned that new clothes aren’t a necessity; hand-me-downs from my sisters can be beautiful; and shopping the clearance racks at the end of summer can lend a whole new wardrobe for only a few dollars.

I grew up never thinking about how much gasoline my car used when I drove over 30 minutes to go somewhere. Now I try and stretch a gallon of gasoline in our car as far as it will go.

Don’t get me wrong. I love being married. I love my life. I love seeing how far we can stretch a dollar.

But sometimes I struggle with great fear about the future. Will I live like this for the rest of my life? Am I always going to have to pinch pennies and live on a very tight budget?

It’s so easy for me to look around at so many other people I know and wish I could be in their shoes. But you know what, when I really think about it, I realize that I don’t want that.

Because I’ve never known and experienced God like I have in the year I’ve been married. Knowing that ultimately it is only by God’s care and love that we live from month to month gives me a reason to pray like I’ve never prayed before. It seems that every time I begin to doubt and fear, God gives me an overwhelming sense of His love and care for us and I am ashamed that I ever doubted Him.

That happened again this week. Some unexpected expenses had come up, my husband’s car quit working, and I was feeling so claustrophobic in our tiny one-bedroom home. I began to worry again. From past experiences, I’ve learned that the best thing is just to take it to the Lord. So that’s what I did.

A simple prayer of asking God to provide for our needs. To watch over us and care for us.

God never lets me down. He always surrounds me with peace and comfort and reminds me of all the times He’s provided in unexpected ways. That alone is enough.

But this week, it seemed that God poured buckets and buckets of love upon me. “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on his children.” (Ps. 103:13) Again and again, I felt His whisper in my ear, “This is for you, My child. I love you. I will never leave you. I’ll always take care of you.”

We sold Joe’s car that the car shop said was hopeless (for $50 more than the amount for which I was specifically praying).

God provided 9 lbs of frozen chicken breasts for a little over $15 (and it was the brand I like to buy).

I happened to stop in at Target today and saw that a skirt I had been eyeing for weeks was amazingly on clearance plus I had a coupon (who ever heard of coupons for skirts – well, God gave me one!).

God unexpectedly provided a way to earn extra income this week.

The weather turned beautiful this week…in fact, it was my favorite type of weather: 70’s, sunny, and slightly breezy.

God used several people to be a huge encouragement to me this week.

And the list goes on and on…really, it does!

I am so thankful to be God’s child. My Father owns the entire world and everything in it, so why should I ever doubt that He can and will take care of me?

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills
The wealth in every mine,
He owns the rivers and the rocks and rills,
The sun and stars that shine,
Wonderful riches more than tongue can tell
He is my Father so they’re mine as well.
He owns the cattle on a thousand hills
I know that He will care for me.

How Great Is Our God!

2010-08-25T21:17:00.002-05:00

"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in." (Isaiah 40:22)

Fashionably Modest Patterns - HUGE End of Summer Sale & Giveaway!

2010-08-24T11:37:00.009-05:00

I know I haven't posted much about Fashionably Modest Patterns as this blog has turned more into a personal blog than a business blog. But, I did want to let you know that we are having a HUGE End of Summer Sale this week over at Fashionably Modest Patterns! You won't want to miss out on these great prices on ALL our patterns and books...

Our Modest Swimwear patterns are on sale at the lowest price you will ever see them! Prices start at only $6.97. This is a great time to buy a pattern as most fabric stores are having great sales on their swimwear fabric as well. Then spend some time this winter sewing up a couple of new swimsuits so you'll be ready to hit the water next summer!
All of our skirt patterns are also on sale. Our Simple Skirt pattern (which includes directions for three different options of skirts) is only $6.97! This happens a favorite among our customers as it is a super easy design and can quickly be made in just an afternoon
.On top of those great deals, our Classy Flared Pullover Blouse pattern is also priced at only $6.97! And be sure to check out the great prices on all our apron patterns, dress patterns and our other skirt patterns.

Our "I Can Sew" series e-books and booklets are a part of the sale as well. We have lowered the price on our e-book package to only $4.47 (normally priced at $10.97)! This is a HUGE savings and it includes all three levels of the "I Can Sew" e-books. And if you homeschool, this might just be the perfect thing for your daughter this school year for a home economics course.

The End of Summer Sale starts today and will end this Friday evening, August 27, 2010.

Of course, I saved the best news for last! Post about this sale on your blog, facebook, or twitter anytime before this Friday, and you'll be entered to win a pattern of your choice from our store. Yes, that's right, one free pattern sent straight to your home! If you post about the sale, be sure and leave me a comment on this post and include your email address and link to your post (if you can). Please note: This contest/giveaway will end Thursday evening at 11:59PM CST and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter.

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-08-24T11:25:00.007-05:00

Hi there, Internet! It's me, Sarah-Anne, but some people call me SA, and since you readers are my friends too, you can call me either one. I'm a 15 year old Christian home-schooled sophomore, living in a small town where borrowing a cup of sugar is no small feat; you have to walk across a field or two to get to the neighbor's house! My family is made up of two loving, and hilarious parents, Mama and Dad, along with a equally hilarious little brother, Clark (11). Not a day goes by that we don't tell each other what so-and-so said, then laugh so hard we cry, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

8:20am: After dozing for twenty minutes, I roll over, grab my Bible out of the my nightstand drawer and start digging into the Word. I love to have my quiet time with God early in the morning because I feel that it shows I put Him first in my life. I'm reading Acts & Psalms in preparation for my Bible studies I'm going to this fall.

8:50am: With a refreshing time in the Word finished, it's off to shower and get ready for the day. Showering in the morning gives me a chance to get up and going without having to talk to anybody. As you can tell, I'm not a morning person but more of a night owl.

9:15am: Out of the shower. Since I'm dressed and my makeup is on, I'm off to greet my family and find some food to stop the rumbles in my stomach.

9:45am: A breakfast of cereal and a quick check of my school email, along with my Gmail one, have improved my outlook on the day, so I decide to start school, which is no small task. I have 8 subjects this year, so I can't afford to fall behind, thus the fact I'm doing school before Sept.

12:45pm: Three subjects (Bible, Geometry & Latin) are under my belt, so I'm off to hang out with my cousin, Sam, who has stopped by to visit for awhile before heading back to her house. She and I both go to the same college, although she's a full time student while I'm just a high-schooler taking free, online classes and earning credit hours.

1:15pm: Sam runs me into our little town to pick up lunch for me and Mama from Subway. We come home to find the house all locked up and no house key to get in! Insert crazy laughter on my part while trying to climb in the garage window and get a ladder for whatever reason. Sam's the cool one, calling Mama to tell her we're locked out. She suggests we try a credit card to pick the lock and it (thankfully!) works, but not before the flies attack my sandwich. As soon as we get in the house, though, some people who are buying our old piano knock on the door. Busy, busy day for me.

2:50pm: Since the buyers of the piano and Sam have left, it's back to school for me. Thankfully, I save the reading for last, so I don't feel pressured to hurry through anything.

4:30pm: I'm finally done with school for the day! It's time to do some chores, like putting on a load or two of laundry. We're also working in the yard this afternoon, prepping for the company we have coming tomorrow afternoon, so I put on my yard work clothes in preparation for taking my turn on the riding mower. I also get on the computer for a quick check of my blog/blogging friends before I start my work.

4:50pm: It's still not quite time for my shift, so I start one of the many loads of laundry and help with the supper prep for Mama.

5:25pm: With the supper preparation done, a load of laundry switched out and sheets hung up on the clothesline outside, it's finally my turn on the mower.

6:20pm: Ahhh, air conditioning never felt so good. Long grass + a strong breeze = one very dirty girl, so I hop into the shower for the second time of the day. Such is the life of a country girl! :)

6:50pm: I feel so much more refreshed after a nice, cool shower, so I take the opportunity to write in my journal(s) while the house is quiet. I recently started to write in a journal, and keep up with them/write in them everyday, and I often wonder why I didn't make an effort to work on writing and sticking with it.

7:00pm: Dinner's ready, so I put away the journal's and head downstairs to grab some chow and eat with the family!

7:30pm: Dinner is over and since everyone helped clean up the kitchen instead of just me and Clark, the kitchen's already clean also. On it's on to my favorite time of the day: Blogging! I seriously love to spend my evening writing emails, chatting with my friends on GChat, working on Scrapblog, and writing out blog posts for the week.

8:15pm: A quick break from my precious blogging time to work on a assignment for my college classes with Mama...

9:45pm: Wow, that took longer than anyone expected, but I'm glad to have it out of the way and not have to worry about it over the weekend. Although it look longer than I wanted the assignment to, I still am able to upload pictures and publish a post for the day.

10:15pm: After a quick few minutes playing around and working on my blog button, it's time for my bedtime routine. Brushing my teeth, grabbing a book to read and saying goodnight to the guys is all in the cards, and I kiss Mama goodnight, heading off to read for awhile.

11:00pm: It's lights out for me! I usually don't go to bed this late, but since it's the weekend, it's justifiable, right? :) I fall asleep thinking about sleeping in and the fun plans I have for the weekend.

Is this something you would like to be a part of? I'd love to hear from you. We are in need of people who are willing to chronicle a day in their life to post on this blog. If you are interested, please email me: modestpatterns @ sbcglobal.net (remove spaces)

Today...

2010-08-18T10:42:00.004-05:00

I have a lot to do. Yesterday was my birthday, so I took a break from everything and spent an entire day doing fun things. Girly things. Aside from one 5-minute time to look up directions to a hair salon, I didn't get on my computer once. Nor did I do any cleaning or picking up of my house.

So today, I have a lot to do. And I don't know about you, but days like this are the kind of days I seem to get nothing done. You see, I have little "problem". And it goes like this: I start one project (like cleaning the bathroom), and before I finish it, I get thinking about how the trashes need to be emptied. Before I know it, I'm in the process of emptying the trashes. While emptying the trashes, I remember that I have to water my plants outside before it gets too hot. So I leave the trash where I am, grab a water pitcher and head outside. While I'm out watering the plants, I see the porch hasn't been swept in a while and begin working on that... And on and on the day goes.

At the end of the day, I seem to have accomplished nothing because, while I was working the entire day, not many jobs actually got completed.

But there's a solution to my problem. And on busy days like today, when it seems there are an endless amount of jobs needing to be taken care of, I resort to my list.

My trusty To Do List. Because if I can actually see in writing what needs to be done, and know that when the job is completed I can cross it off my list, then I'm much more motivated to stick with one job until it's finished.

So today, I'm sticking to my To Do List.

What about you? Do you make a list? What is on your to-do list this week?

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-08-18T10:01:00.007-05:00

(I apologize for posting this late - yesterday was my birthday so I took a break from computer work. Thank you all for your patience with me!)

Sarah "Taleia" Landmann is a 23 year old daughter and older sister to five, enjoying her years of singleness in preparing to be a helpmeet and mother. After being homeschooled her whole life, she earned a degree in English from the College of Southern Maryland, and enjoys teaching English and literature classes to homeschoolers, as well as schooling her youngest three siblings. Currently Sarah is a full-time nanny (and loving every minute of it!) and continues to indulge her love of words. She blogs about her life at www.taleia.blogspot.com.

5:51 AM - My alarm goes off. I hit snooze once but, sadly, eventually I have to get up. :) I'm not much of a morning person - left to my own devices, I tend to be a night owl - and I've been staying up late all weekend using my night-time creative juices to get different projects done, so my schedule is completely upside down. Oh, well! I get up and get dressed (I always lay out an outfit the night before to streamline my morning routine), pack my purse for the day, and head out to work by 6:30am.

7:00 AM - I arrive at my Uncle Chris and Aunt Natalie's house. My aunt went back to work in January and I became a full-time nanny to my cousin, Abigail. I love it! I can honestly say that I've loved every day of my job since I started! Abigail and I are "best buddies" - I even miss her on weekends!

Today Abigail is still sleeping when I arrive, so her daddy hangs around to get her dressed and say goodbye. After we wave goodbye, I feed Abby a breakfast of yogurt, granola, and milk, then we read books on the sofa. Abby loves Dr. Seuss; some of our favorites are "One Fish, Two Fish," "The Cat In The Hat," and "There's A Wocket In My Pocket." In fact, I've memorized "One Fish, Two Fish" from repeated readings! :)

Over the next couple of hours we play with Play-Doh, color, watch "Pooh Bear's Grand Adventure," and play with her toys.

9:00 AM - I load Abby into the car and we drive over to my house.

Several years ago, my sister Maggie (then 14) developed some problems with her arms/hands, which eventually grew so bad that she was unable to use her arms/hands for more than a year for even simple tasks (writing, cutting food, etc). Praise the Lord, after six years of different therapies and treatments she is making improvements - I especially love that she is able to play the piano a little, as she was an accomplished musician before her injuries! However, for several years most of my mom's time was spend taking Maggie to doctor's appointments, therapy sessions, etc, so last year I took over the homeschooling of twins Elizabeth and Allen (now 14). This year, I'll be schooling Ruth (1 year old) as well!

Today is the first day back to school for us. Abby and I arrive around 9:30 am to a kitchen filled with smoke and burnt toast - oops! :) Apparently our toaster has given up the ghost! We unplug it and take it outside to the porch to cool off.

Everyone is still getting their day started when we arrive (hence the burnt toast), so we hang out while everyone finishes eating breakfast, getting dressed, etc. My sister Anna (17) plays downstairs with Abby while I go upstairs to print out today's lesson plans, then around 10:00 am Allen and Elizabeth and I assemble at the kitchen table to start school (Ruth is at a doctor's appointment with my parents in Annapolis, several hours away). Since today is our first day, we spend some time going over the expectations for the year (neatness counts, read the instructions before beginning, show your work, etc) and choosing our first literature book (they both decide on Huckleberry Finn, to my great delight!).

Today we do language arts, math, science, history/geography, and literature. The twins are very independent and have learned to work really well on their own (which is awesome since I'm only at the house a few mornings a week, at best), so after getting them started, I color with Abby in a toddler workbook, play some more Play-Doh, and then she and I go upstairs to hang out with Maggie (20) in her room. We tickle on her bed, feed Maggie's fish, Boeing, and set up an air mattress in my room (I'm hoping the softer surface will help my poor bad back).
1:00 PM - Maggie has a therapy appointment in town, so Abigail and I take her to lunch before dropping her off. We have an incredible Asian cafe in town called Teariffic that has a great dim sum menu and fresh fruit-flavored green tea (Maggie's favorite is the strawberry, and mine is kiwi!). We share our food (and our tea!) with Abby, who also loves Teariffic. :)

2:00 PM - After dropping Maggie off in town, Abigail and I head home - someone needs a nap! After a change of clothes and diaper and some snuggles, Abigail falls asleep in her crib and I have some quiet time to myself. I check my email, and exchange text messages with a young lady in our church who is helping me direct the church's teen drama program for the summer. We decide to get together tomorrow afternoon to work on some costumes and props, and make a list of materials we'll need.

3:45 PM - Chris gets home early, which is a nice surprise! I drive to an out-of-town friend's house to feed her dogs; Anna drops Maggie off there, and we go put gas in the car and get smoothies from Starbucks on our way home.

4:45 PM - We arrive at home. I get changed and jump on the computer to read blogs, check my email again, and write this account of my day. :)

5:30 PM - I head downstairs where dinner - steak, onions, and peppers over rice - is ready. My family almost always sits down together to eat dinner, but tonight several members of my family aren't feeling well, so only my dad, Allen, Ruth, and I sit down together to eat. I enjoy getting to talk with my dad since he's been in California on a business trip for the last two weeks, and the week before that I was in Alabama for a week with my best friend.

After dinner I go back to my room. I try to make up my bed and discover that none of the sheets from my old mattress will fit my new air mattress - they're both queen-size, but I guess air mattresses are a little wider at the sides. I finally get it made up and test it out for awhile. :) I'm wishing I'd gotten some coffee earlier! While I'm relaxing, I spend some time trading text messages with my best friend, who lives in Alabama, and in February gave birth to the most beautiful baby boy in the world! It's tough being so far away, especially during this exciting time in her life, but I'm so thankful for emails, text messages, and Facebook that helps us stay connected!

7:00 PM - I get up after awhile and take some bags of clothes downstairs to take to the thrift store tomorrow. While I'm downstairs I see my overstuffed purse and spread out on the mudroom floor for awhile with my Fuze, listening to music and cleaning out my purse. While I'm there, I figure I might as well clean out my make-up case, too. :)

I relax on my bed and do devotions now that I'm fully awake. :) I'm working through a book called "Looking Inward" that I received at my church's ladies conference. It examines the lives of many biblical women and their character traits or flaws.

8:00 PM - I get up to get ready for bed. After a shower and some PJ's, I' watch the second half of a movie I started last night and was too sleepy to finish. By 9:00 PM, I'm dreaming. :)

A Week at the Lake

2010-08-16T21:59:00.001-05:00

Last week, we enjoyed a wonderful vacation with my entire family. Every year, my family travels to Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas and spends a week skiing, tubing, snorkeling, swimming, jumping off cliffs, talking and laughing, and lots more. This year, we included in a couple of trips to the bowling alley, as well as a couple of trips to the ice cream shop in town.

No, this jeep doesn't belong to me or anyone in my family, but it made a great subject. :) Not to mention the fact that I absolutely love jeeps.

A highlight of the week for me - All 4 of us sisters attempting hang on to the ski ropes (on our swimming mats) while Dad pulled us in the boat. We love being crazy together! (Thanks to my hubby for the picture!)


The view from our cabin (and yes the boat in the picture happens to be family skiing). I was having a terrible time with my camera fogging up because it was so humid there. Nevertheless, I finally got this picture. :)

As of today, all of the laundry has finally been washed and put away, the suitcases are back in the closet, and the house is clean (well, picked up at least). Even though I haven't been home much at all since we arrived home from the vacation, I'm grateful for the 15-minute-slot today in which I was able to finish cleaning everything up. It's amazing what you can get accomplished in 15 minutes if you know that's all you have. And it's also an amazing feeling to bring your husband home to a clean house and hear him say how much it blessed him. (We are back to one car right now, which means I have been taking Joe into work - and picking him up from work - several days a week.)

After being away for a week, then coming home and being gone some more, then working and running errands all day, plus driving across town 4 times today, I'm just plain worn out. In fact, I've done some pretty ridiculous things today because I'm so tired (including getting all twisted up in my computer cords while trying to answer the phone...).

So I'm hoping for some good sleep tonight as the daily cycle will start again. Tomorrow morning.

And by the way, there are some exciting changes coming to my blog in the very near future! So stay tuned; you won't want to miss them.

Let Your Light Shine

2010-08-10T12:17:00.000-05:00

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matt. 5:14-16

I’ve been meditating on these verses the past couple of days. Specifically in ways of how I can be a light that is shining brightly. You see, I’m just a wife. My job is all via the Internet so I work from home. The people I spend most my time with are my family and my husband.

I’ve been pondering how this could apply to a person like me. Can those of us that aren’t rubbing shoulders with lost people every day still find ways to be a brightly shining light?

Actually, yes! I believe that God not only desires us to be a light to those who don’t know Him, but also to those who do. There are hundreds of little (and big!) opportunities God gives us each and every day.

In fact, I think the biggest opportunity comes the second we wake up. The attitude I demonstrate will instantly build my husband up or tear him down. A sweet smile to a sleepy child (or husband!) can be a way to light up their day. A word of encouragement or blessing as my husband leaves for work is a way I can shine.

If you are alert to God’s promptings, you will see many little ways each day in which you can be a light. You hear about a friend who is hurting…write them a small note to let them know you’re praying. A new neighbor moves into your neighborhood…bake a batch of cookies for them. Your husband seems tired from work…spend time rubbing his shoulders. Make something a little extra special for dinner. Read a book to your child. Ask a family member how you can be praying for them today.

There are so many ways we can be a light to those we around and show God’s love to them. It reminds me of a song my Mom used to sing to me when I was little:

Jesus bids us shine

With a pure, clear light,

Like a little candle

Burning in the night.

In this world of darkness

So let us shine—

You in your small corner,

And I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine,

First of all for Him;

Well He sees and knows it,

If our light grows dim.

He looks down from Heaven

To see us shine—

You in your small corner,

And I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine,

Then, for all around;

Many kinds of darkness

In the world are found—

Sin and want and sorrow;

So we must shine—

You in your small corner,

And I in mine.

Is your light shining brightly today?

Anniversary Trip

2010-08-04T22:48:00.000-05:00

Our destination was a quaint little Swedish town

I ended up being super sick (not too surprising as I was really sick our entire honeymoon as well!) with a fever, cold chills, headache, sore throat, and the sniffles so we didn't do much "exploring" of the little town. We did eat our cake and watch the wedding video, though, along with doing a lot of talking and reminiscing.

Our beautiful cake topper -- a year later -- and it really did still taste yummy. :)

We spent Sunday morning driving to Coronado Heights. The view was spectacular! There is something beautiful about flat open plains.

Enjoying the view - you could see for miles

Another view of Coronado Heights

A year of marriage and more in love than ever!

It was a lovely vacation (even though I was sick). I love spending time with my husband.

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-08-03T12:05:00.007-05:00

Jessica has been married for almost five years to her wonderful husband. She has 3 little ones, Jack who is newly 3, Anna who will be 2 at the end of the month, and Lily who is almost 6 months. She is blessed to be a stay at home mom. In her spare time she blogs at Ramblings of A Mommy-SAHM about her life, managing her littles, and what God is teaching her.

I want to say that my day began at 6:30am, but I suppose technically last Tuesday my day began in the wee hours of the morning, around 2 o'clock. Such is life with a nursing infant, though!

2:00am - Lily wakes up, wanting to eat. I feed her as quickly as I can(even though I don't really have any control over that!) and put her back to bed.

5:30am - Lily is awake again. She is going through a phase where she consistently wakes up at 5:30am. I feed her, lay her back down, and debate whether or not I should go back to bed or not since my alarm is set to go off in less than a half hour. I opt to go back to bed, hoping I won't be too tired to get up.

6:30am - My alarm goes off and I get up. I don't always want to get up before everyone else, but it's the only way to ensure that I get to spend time with the Lord. I am currently going through Proverbs. After I fix my cup of coffee and get a bowl of oatmeal, I sit down to do my Bible study. Today I am on chapter 28, and the verse I spend the most time meditating on says, "Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered." I spend some time praying over this verse, and ask God to help Erik and I make wise decisions that will glorify Him, and not to be hasty and do what we think is right, but to seek the Lord.

8:00-9:00am - I take a quick shower, feed Lily, and get Jack and Anna up to start the day. Jack goes potty, and then I feed them breakfast. Cheerios, bananas, and yogurt is the breakfast of choice around here. Jack practically thinks it's a special treat. He even goes as far as calling yogurt ice cream. Whatever he wants to think, I guess.

During this time my husband, Erik, also gets up. He is in his last year of college right now, and today he doesn't have to be at school. He is taking online classes this summer to save gas, and is helping people get yard work done over the summer. The kids always get so excited when their daddy comes downstairs in the morning. Today Anna applauds when she first sees him.

9:00am -12:00pm - Mornings at my house are pretty crazy. There is always house work that needs done, and the children are almost constantly needing something. If it's a day where errands need ran, mornings are even more hectic. Today is no exception. I get the kids dressed, Erik has to leave to help some people, and I try to start a load of laundry. Lily goes down for her morning nap, and Jack, Anna, and I read a couple of books and look at letters on Starfall. As we are doing this I am trying really hard not to stress too much that the house is a mess and desperately needs cleaned. It's a constant battle for me to sit and enjoy my children, and not make housework my first priority. I, of course, do housework while they are awake it's just hard for me to find a balance. I'm always reminding myself that time is short, and they won't be little forever!

As with most days, there is always times of training going on at my house. At one point Jack was trying to take a toy away from Anna, and I had to have a talk with him. Though, I must admit it is very hard to keep a straight face disciplining when you say, "Tell Anna that you're sorry for being selfish." And Jack says,"Anna, I'm sorry for being shell fish."

After awhile, we go outside and play. It is miserably hot, but the kids don't seem to mind. Erik calls to let me know he is heading home for lunch, so I bring everyone inside to start preparing lunch.

12:00-1:00pm - I fix the kids peanut butter and jelly, and give them some grapes and strawberries for lunch. I fix Erik some Eggs and toast, and then it's time to feed Lily. Generally, I don't eat lunch with the kids because it seems every time I sit down someone needs something! Usually I just wait until they go down for their nap, and I enjoy a quiet lunch. While they are eating we go through our memory verse, which is Colossians 3:20. That says, "Children obey your parents in all things for this pleasing to the Lord." Hmm, can't imagine why we'd be teaching them that verse!

Since Erik is home, I'm able to run to the store to pick up some milk. It's Anna's turn to come with me this time, so we enjoy some time alone. Erik and I try really hard to give one on one time to each child. When we get home, it's time for Erik to run back out and time for the children to take naps. They usually go down really well, which is such a blessing!

1:00-3:00pm - I eat some lunch finally, and read a couple of blogs. I'm really tired today so I take a little nap, and then try to work up some energy to exercise. I still have about 12 more pounds of baby weight that I need to lose, so I try to exercise and eat healthy.

3:00-4:00pm - I run/ walk on the treadmill for awhile, and then eat a small snack. Finally I tackle some housework. Tuesday night is the night my husband and some of his friends get together for a Bible study, so I focus on getting our front room deep cleaned.

4:00-5:00pm - Erik is home by now, and we sit and talk for awhile. Lily is awake too, so we play, and enjoy her sweet personality.

5:00-6:00pm - It's Vacation Bible School week at church, so Erik has to run up and help with the music for an hour. Jack and Anna are awake by now, and it's time for me to make dinner. I decide to make chicken enchiladas. While I boil the chicken, the kids and I ice some leftover cupcakes from Jack's third birthday. During the time I make dinner, the kids are always running around and sometimes getting into things they shouldn't be. Today I have them sit at the table to color and look at books. Jack could color all day long if I let him. Anna isn't as excited about having to sit down after a long nap, but she finally settles down and enjoys looking at pictures of Courdroy and Curious George.

6:00-8:00pm - Erik is home, and we sit down and have dinner. Anna eats all her dinner quickly and Jack picks at the chicken. We try to pick our battles when it comes to food, so we don't make Jack eat the chicken, he just isn't allowed to have desert.

After, dinner I clean up the dishes and Erik takes the kids outside. After awhile I join them. Before long it's time to go inside and get ready for bed. We give them their baths, brush their teeth(which can be a big battle!), and tuck them in. Bed time is also Bible time with Daddy. He reads to them from our Jesus Storybook Bible and prays with them before saying goodnight.

8:00-11:00pm - Erik's Bible study group comes over, and I head to our bedroom. Tuesday nights while they have their small group is usually a good time for me to write on my blog or read. Tonight I decide to listen to a sermon by Mark Driscoll on the book of Ruth. I also read some blogs and check my email. Around 10:30 I feed Lily and Erik comes upstairs. We talk about the day, and discuss the book we are both reading, Radical by David Platt. It is a very interesting book and we are enjoying some really good discussion as a result! We turn out the light a little after eleven and I go straight to sleep.

One Year Ago...

2010-07-31T13:44:00.010-05:00

...I married my best friend! In some ways I can't believe it's already been a year and in other ways, I can't believe it has only been a year. :)

I'm so thankful to God for giving me such an amazing husband one year ago. This past year has truly been a wonderful joy-filled experience.I never could have dreamed a year ago how fulfilling marriage would be. How it would be possible to fall deeper in love with my husband day after day after day.

This past year has had it's times of joys, times of sorrows, times of laughter, times of need, times of surprises, and times of sickness and health. But it's been one amazing year.

On our honeymoon in Colorado Springs

And I am more head-over-heels in love with my husband today than I ever thought possible! My love and admiration for him only keeps growing.

And now I'm off to go celebrate with my hubby. I'm kind of anxious to find out if the top of our cake from a year ago (that's been in the freezer) still tastes any good. :)

I love you, Joe!

I'm Back!

2010-07-30T15:54:00.005-05:00

Wow! I didn't mean for my "week-long break" to turn into a 3-week long break! How did that happen? Maybe it's because there's been heaps of laundry to wash, no food in our house to eat, letters to write, phone calls to answer, a rehearsal dinner to decorate and serve, weddings to attend, and getting sick on top of all that.

In fact, this post will be quick as we have a wedding to attend this evening...in like one hour (and I'm not even ready!).

I had an amazing time with my sister and her family in Michigan! We did so many fun things in that one week besides just talking and catching up. :) I enjoyed every minute there and can't wait to see them again in less than a week at our annual "family" vacation at the lake.

Thanks for putting up with my random, sporadic blogging! I promise I'll try and do better this next week. Until then, if you like to crochet, knit, paint, quilt, weave, etc., check out this link for hundreds of free (yes, FREE) craft patterns.

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-07-27T11:15:00.009-05:00

Tiffany is the oldest of two children, a 2007 homeschool graduate, and now a twenty-year-old college graduate as of May 2010. She majored in English literature and has a passion for reading, writing, and discovering God's plan for beautiful womanhood. For over a year she has been blogging at True Femininity, which chronicles all the little things in her life as she journeys towards true femininity, such as her favorite interests: homemaking, cooking, fashion, frugal living, homeschooling, and theology.

8:25am--I'm awakened by a phone call from a friend. I drowsily chat for five minutes, and then immediately get out of bed because there is much to be done today!

8:30am--I grab my Bible and head downstairs to where it's cooler, so I can curl up and read for a while. I'm currently reading Judges, Proverbs, and Mark. Getting to read the Word and pray in the morning is so important in starting off the day right.

9:00am--After finishing my Bible reading, I pick up another book that I've been reading the past week: "The Doula Book." Doulas are trained labor companions that are there to provide both emotional and physical support to women giving birth, and I am just beginning to tackle the required reading list in the process of becoming a certified doula.

9:30am--I get dressed and do my hair for the day. I'm excited to be wearing my favorite dress--a bright red, retro 1950s housewife dress--and I put my hair in an old-fashioned updo. I love wearing older style dresses, and sometimes I wonder why I wasn't born sixty years ago!

10:00am--I call and set up an interview with a potential employer. I've been searching for jobs for well over a month now, and this will only be my second interview. Nevertheless, I am thankful that God has answered my prayers and that I'm at least getting an interview!

10:10am--I go outside to help my father with the gardening. My dad loves gardening and its been part of my brother's and my routine to help him with the garden every Saturday for as long as I can remember. I help out by watering and fertilizing the plants every week. This year, our backyard is looking especially green (for California, at least), because it hasn't been excessively hot yet!

11:55am--Dad helps me screw on my alumni license plate cover on my car. I can't believe I've graduated from college!

12:00pm--After two hours working outside, I come inside and eat lunch with my dad, and we play a game of cribbage.

12:45pm--I set my camera up and take some picture examples of modest dress for feelinfeminine.com. This is by far my favorite:

1:30pm--I set to work learning how to create my own blogroll. When it comes to working with HTML, google is my best friend! I'm not at all a tech-savy person, but with google's help, I can almost do anything.

3:30pm--The blogroll is up and running and I'm happy that I was able to conquer all the problems that presented themselves!

4:30pm--I begin making pizza dough by hand. I'm trying out a new gluten-free recipe, but once I taste it, I decide that food has gluten in it for a reason...

6:00pm--After dinner with my family, I play another game of cribbage with my dad, and we watch AFV with the rest of the family afterwards.

7:00pm--I open up my mail and find some printed pictures from graduation. It's so hard to believe it's almost been a month already.
8:00pm--I join my brother in doing an excercise program that he's been doing recently. Ever since I got home from college, he's been doing an awesome job of motivating me to push myself to workout.

9:00pm--I go upstairs to my room and answer emails from blog readers while listening to two sermons: "Obey the Master's Call" and "Praying in the Will of God."

10:30pm--I talk to some friends and then read Calvin's Institutes and a book about autism before going to sleep. Reading is the perfect way to slowly wind down from the day, and I think ending it with reflections on theology and the Lord makes for a peaceful night's rest!

Is this something you would like to be a part of? I'd love to hear from you. We are in need of people who are willing to chronicle a day in their life to post on this blog. If you are interested, please email me: modestpatterns @ sbcglobal.net (remove spaces)

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-07-20T18:01:00.005-05:00

Hello! My name is Jenna and I am 16 years old; a twin to the oldest of 8 children. I have 5 sisters and 2 brothers and we are all homeschooled by our two wonderful Christian parents! We reside on a small 3 1/2 acre farm where we have some goats, a cow, a horse, pigs, chickens, cats and a dog. I enjoy making dairy products (butter, kefir, cheese, buttermilk, yogurt etc.) from the milk that we get and learning more about agriculture! Some of my other interests include reading, sewing, cooking/baking, crocheting and herbs. I am a Christian and pray that the Lord will use me to further His Kingdom in all that I do - I am so thankful for His strength and saving grace!

6:45am - I woke up late. I seem to be doing that a lot lately, but instead of getting upset at myself, I am trying to remember that my body must need more rest than I'm allowing. Downstairs, I clean the milk equipment and prepare to go outside for chores.

7:00am - Barn chores! I milk the goats and take care of that, then head back to the barn to milk the cow. One of her quarters is hard so Josh makes a peppermint/garlic balm to put on her udder. We are done and all cleaned up by 8:45am, so I sit down to eat a quick breakfast of granola.

9:00am - I help get Anna, Natalie and Laura dressed and ready for the day. They are so cute and have been letting me get them dressed in some cute jumpers which I also think are adorable. :) Then we help Dad, Josh and Caleb get on the road to pick up a new-to-us refrigerator and dishwasher.

9:30am - After a week of letting the weeds take over the garden, I finally get out there and weed around my 30 plants of cucumbers!! I planted sooooo many of them because I plan on making some Lacto-Fermented pickles and preserving some sweet and dill pickles too. Yummy!

10:45am - I am out in the garden for over an hour and Grace kindly helps me give all the weeds to the hogs...they love them. :) Momma made some more granola and I help her finish it. I also start culturing some buttermilk.

11:00am - The Fair is coming up very quickly, so I start working on my hog notebook...I get 1/3 of it completed.

12:15pm - Laura needs some one-on-one attention, so I take a break and play with her for a little bit. We go to the barn to see the animals, read some books, and then I push her on the swing.

12:45pm - We eat lunch together - the boys are still gone so it was just us girls which made things a bit more quiet!

1:00pm - I take a quick shower to get all of the dirt from the garden off of me. After that, I run around the house tidying up the kitchen, dining room and living room.

1:45pm - Mom brings me into town for my weekly volunteer work at a local food pantry. It is run by a Christian couple and we pray and do devotions before we start. Yesterday we talked about forgiveness, which I was able to apply later that day (the Lord is so faithful to bring encouragement while I try to apply what I learn!!).

6:45pm - I come home from the food pantry exhausted. :) It was a good exhausted though, because I was able to serve about 100 families there and hopefully bless them and be a testimony while I was at it! Most of the time I was bagging everyone's groceries, although I did a little bit of stocking shelves and helping people through their shopping.

7:00pm - Barn chores again. Lucy's (the cow) udder is much better and everything goes smoothly.

8:30pm - I visit for a few minutes with a family who stopped in to get the Algebra book that we used last year and then I finish chores.

9:00pm - After washing a few milk supplies, I get ready for bed. Then I read Psalm 19 - I love the last verse (14) that says: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer." That is my prayer: that everything I say and think will be acceptable in my Saviour's sight. I know that whenever I am bossy to my younger sister(s) or get annoyed at my little brother it is not acceptable in His sight, but through the Lord's grace and help, I will say encouraging things to them instead!

Recent Photo Shoot Pictures

2010-07-12T19:25:00.018-05:00

I promised I would post more pictures of my photo shoot for the bachelorette party I did last week and here they are. Just a few of my favorites. :) If you'd like to see these in better quality, just click each picture and it will make them larger, and MUCH better quality. I am still trying to figure out how to post pictures with good quality in blogger. Maybe they're too big or something?

Matron of honor and bride and a fun pose!

Bride with new sister-in-law...this is one of my favorites.

Bridesmaid and bride (notice the old truck in the background...you'll see that one later)

Tree fun! I edited this one to look somewhat "funky"...on purpose, of course.

IN the fountain...yes, they wanted their photo to be IN the fountain. I told them I would do it, as long as I didn't have to be the one responsible when we got in trouble. :) We didn't, and it made for some great photos.

Okay, so this one might seem weird, but I love it. Totally a girl thing. And they went along with my crazy idea for a pose...even better than I had imagined it. :)

Bride with her new sister-in-law

"The old truck"....I was a little nervous the owner was going to appear, but he/she never did so we took advantage of it.

Shoes!

I shot this while they were all trying to figure out which foot to put forward for the picture. It's seriously cute.

I love how this one turned out. Bride is in the front.

The "album cover" photo...I told them all to pose like their favorite music artist and this is what it ended up looking like. Fun!

It had been a while since I had gotten to do a photo shoot of any kind (with people) so I thoroughly enjoyed doing this. What was more fun was the fact that I had great subjects to work with and who did everything I asked for and more. :) I forgot just how much I love being a "photographer".

In other news, I'm going to visit my sister this week so I don't plan on blogging until next week. And hopefully I'll have lots of pictures to share next week of my time with her and my adorable niece and nephew! :) Have a wonderful week!

Weekly Poll - July 9th

2010-07-09T20:04:00.005-05:00

Here are the results from last week's ice cream poll!

Which of the following is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Vanilla - 10%

Chocolate - 8%

Cookie Dough - 26%

Cookies 'n Creme - 16%

Mint Chocolate Chip - 31%

Strawberry - 3%

Butter Pecan - 5%

Anyone hungry for an ice cream cone??? :)

Now for our new weekly poll...
What is your favorite day of the week?

My favorite day is Friday. Why? Because I know that means I'll get to have my wonderful hubby all to myself for the next two days! I guess I like looking forward to something more than the actual thing. :) Friday means that I get to look forward to the next two days of Joe being home. Plus, Joe and I usually do something fun on Friday evenings which makes that day even more special. I love spending time with my husband! Plus, knowing that he doesn't have homework due or work the next day makes Friday evenings really nice and relaxing. (You guys should feel so loved, because I'm writing this on a Friday evening...of all times!)

So which day is your favorite, and why?

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Sneak Preview...

2010-07-09T10:26:00.006-05:00

Last night, I spend the evening doing a photo shoot with a bride and her bridesmaids as part of their bachelorette party. They were a great group of girls and made my job super easy. I'm planning on posting more pictures later (there ended up being over 300 pictures!), but I thought you all might like to see a "sneak preview". And since we're talking photography here, would anyone like to explain to me why in the world blogger downsizes my pictures so the quality looks really bad when I post them? I can't, for the life of me, figure out why so if anyone has tips for me, I'd love to hear them. :)

And the Winner Is...

2010-07-07T11:17:00.003-05:00

We've picked a random winner (using random.com) from our giveaway!

Maria Murillo (chaveli3@)

You should have received an email from me with further information.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-07-06T16:06:00.003-05:00

Hello! My name is Erin, and I’m getting married in a month to the man that I love, Christopher. I blog regularly at The Sliver Lining, and am a really happy person. I’m the most laid-back bride you’ll ever meet, because I have the best support system of friends and family helping me out. I chronicled a day that I spent running wedding errands with a good girlfriend, and hope you enjoy experiencing my day with me!

7:30am—I wake up; later than normal, but still early considering the really loud fireworks that kept me up past midnight last night.

8:30am—Time to get out of bed (it takes me a while to actually get up because I have to stretch before I get up due to my rheumatoid arthritis). First things first, coffee! I type up a quick blog for the group blog I write on, Fit by Twitter. Then I catch up on the blogs I read and draft one on my blog to complete later this week.

10:00am—Phone call from Sarah to confirm today’s plans. Wow, I wasted a lot of time doing nothing this morning!

10:10am—Time to get moving. I search the house for Mod Podge—but I fear it’s packed already! Note to self: pick some up while I’m out today. That’s the danger of coming up with a crafts project while getting ready to move. I spent the weekend packing a lot since I will be moving to the place Chris and I will share in just two weeks! After debating whether the project will work if I use a “craft-bond, acid-free” glue stick, I decide instead to just play with the layout, and wait on the Mod Podge to finish it up right, hopefully this evening.

10:25am—I'm back online searching for a quote about good music or something musical by someone famous as well as drinking another cup of coffee. I also eat a cup of cereal (as all my bowls are now packed!)—it’s much later than I normally get started, but I have a fun day planned and did work on the house packing all weekend.

10:45am—Now it's time to get ready for the day. I’m meeting Sarah at “lunchtime”—but does that mean 11:30, or 1:30? I better just get dressed and go head towards the shopping.

11:45am—After watering my herbs with a bucket of this weekend’s rainwater, I head to meet Sarah for shopping and lunch. Boy, did we get a lot of shopping done in a short time! I had to get some things for the wedding, and we spent time looking at clothes for her little boy, since he’ll be our ring bearer.

4:45pm—We stop for drinks and appetizers and to discuss wedding details. Seeing as this is not something I have a ton of experience with, Sarah is a HUGE help—reminding me things that I’ll need to bring to the wedding, who will do what for me, what time things will happen…

7:00pm—Dinner with Sarah is finished and I'm off to go do a few more errands on the way home. I stop by WalMart for the replacement Mod Podge! I also try to get some blue thread to fix a friend’s pair of pants, but this store doesn't have any thread.

7:30pm—I'm back home and now I get to finally work on my artsy fun stuff! I was really interested in how this project would work, because I’ve only done decoupaging a few times—but it’s turned out great so far.

8:30pm—I sit down to review Ephesians 4-6 before calling Chris to discuss it together. We’re working through the book of Ephesians together and this finishes off the book.

9:30pm—Time to shower and get the day off me. It was a really busy, but fun, day—and I’m definitely ready to go to bed. I do have to get up early again tomorrow for work, so I go to sleep shortly after my shower tonight—no staying up to read because I’m too plumb tired.

On Contentment

2010-07-03T20:02:00.004-05:00

My Mom loaned me a book a while back by Joni Eareckson Tada and Steven Estes called "When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty". It was only recently that I started reading it and so far, I am thoroughly enjoying it. The following is an excerpt from the chapter entitled "Gaining Contentment".

"When you realize you are among the least, the littlest, the last and the lost, God becomes everything. To be caught up in His superior happiness, is to see His love infused in and entertained around everything. Absolutely everything.
You find your heart drawn nearer to God by the smallest of enjoyments. 'When your husbands are at sea,' says Jeremiah Burroughs, 'and they send you a token of their love, it is worth more than forty times what you already have in your houses. Every good thing the people of God enjoy, they enjoy it...as a token of God's love...and this must needs be very sweet to them.'
To the contented person, the God-given token can be an hour of listening to Bach by the fireside. Sitting under a tree on a blustery day. Pulling over on the road to take in a kaleidoscope sunset. You find yourself peeling an onion only to stop and marvel at the beauty of its concentric rings, all perfect and delicate. You see a kitten wrestling with a sock and giggle over God's sense of humor. Our duties are sweet when seen as service to Him...When everything becomes a token of God's love, you feel as though you possess everything; yet you have nothing!"

Are you truly enjoying every good thing God has given to you? We are so undeserving and unworthy of even the smallest of His blessings. Take time to delight in each token of love God gives to you. Don't let even the smallest one go unnoticed. Each one is a special gift. Just for you. From the Creator of the Universe.

Fun with Photos

2010-07-03T19:25:00.005-05:00

I discovered a new photo editing program this week and am loving it. So today, I dug out some old photos and had fun messing around. Here's some edited pictures that bring back special memories of my time living in the Minnesota twin cities as a nanny.

Ahhh...the daily traffic there. I'm pretty sure I don't miss that, but it was a fun challenge learning to drive a 12 passenger van in this crazy traffic. This was a normal picture of traffic no matter what time of day you were driving.

Just in case you're wondering, I don't usually take pictures while I'm driving. At least...not too often. :) Actually, these were taken with my old camera which wasn't near as big as the nicer camera I now own. It was much easier to take a photo back then than it is now. :)

Two of the little girls in the family I nannied. I loved the fact that Minnesota had some sort of lake literally every place you went. We spent a lot of time swimming that summer. :)

Just because I'm curious, for you photographers out there, I'd love to know what photo editing program you use and why. Or do you even use an editing program? Am I just nuts in thinking that photographers edit most all their photos?

Strawberry Soup/Smoothie recipe

2010-07-02T16:25:00.006-05:00

What's more refreshing on a hot summer day than an ice-cold fruit smoothie?

I've been enjoying my blender this summer. A few days ago, I remembered a recipe for Strawberry Soup that I used to make for lunch on hot days. Once I had the thought in my head, I could almost taste it. I had to make that soup again.

So I pulled out my recipe and started dumping the ingredients into the blender. When it was finished, I took it outside. You can't drink an ice-cold smoothie and thoroughly enjoy it unless you're sitting outside in the hot sun, right?

Chilled Fruit Soup

1 bag frozen strawberries
1 tbsp. vanilla
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. yogurt
1/4 c. sour cream
whipped cream

Blend thawed strawberries in food processor or blender until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla and sour cream. Blend very well, then blend in yogurt. Serve in chilled compote dishes. Garnish with whipped cream and a slice of strawberry. Serves 6.

It is definitely a very refreshing treat on a hot summer day! (And a bit healthier than ice cream!)

Our Recent Visitor

2010-07-02T16:15:00.004-05:00

Last week we had a visitor. It wasn't your usual kind of visitor.

It was late in the evening. Our cat, Molly, was sitting in her usual spot by our patio door. (She sits there for a lot of the day. I think she's hoping something interesting will happen.)

All of a sudden, she started going crazy. Meowing, running around, scratching at the door, running to the front door and back, and meowing again. Joe decided to go see what the deal was and when he did, he discovered this.
It was a little "baby" opossum! I'd never seen one so tiny...it was almost cute. I grabbed my camera and got a bunch of pictures. It seemed to enjoy hiding in the corner by my ivy plant.

I got a good laugh over Molly's excitement. She has sat at that patio door ever since we got her, and finally, she actually got to see something exciting.

Weekly Poll - July 2nd

2010-07-02T15:51:00.003-05:00

Wow! Can you believe it's July already? This summer is flying by very quickly.

Here are the results from last week's poll:

Are you left handed or right handed?

Right handed - 76%

Left handed - 11%

I'm ambidextrous! - 12%

More of you all are ambidextrous than left handed? That is amazing! There really aren't that many left handed people reading my blog, I guess. :)

This week's poll is for those of you that love ice cream...Which of the following flavors of ice cream is your favorite - vanilla, chocolate, cookie dough, cookies 'n creme, mint chocolate chip, strawberry, or butter pecan?

Okay, so I know that's a lot of choices, but believe me, there are about 1 million flavors of ice cream out there. Seriously. Everything from plain vanilla to the weird red bean or taro (potato-like) ice cream flavors (I kid you not!). So I tried to stick with some of the basic flavors for this poll. :)

My favorite? I would have to choose cookies 'n creme, but butter pecan is a very, very close second. I married an ice cream lover, so we pretty much always have ice cream in the house. Talk about temptation! Gratefully, I'm a huge Breyers fan, and that happens to be one of the most expensive brands out there. Since we rarely buy this kind, the ice cream we do have is much less tempting. :)

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-06-29T09:40:00.003-05:00

Good morning! My name is Vanessa and I blog at Simple Bliss. I am 24 years old, married almost three years to my love, and home for the summer after my first year of teaching kindergarten special education (read more about this decision here). I started my summer with a list of over 100 things that I wanted to do and try; so while no day in my summer is typical, everyday is a busy adventure in keeping my home and making preparations to be able to continue serving my husband well when I go back to teaching in August.

6:30am - I wake up to my husband, Cole, turning his alarm clock off. Get up, throw on some shoes, and take our puppy, Isis, out to go to the bathroom. Then Cole and I check out emails.

6:45am - Cole hops in the shower and I pack his breakfast and lunch. As I do, I pray over his day and that God will bless him in his work. Then, I check our plants on the back deck for any produce that is ready to be harvested - I bring in six strawberries from our first year strawberry plants.

7:00am - Cole leaves for work. I feed Isis her breakfast, fill her water bowl, and feed the fish. I also put away dishes that were run in the dishwasher over night.

7:15am - Time for the part of the day that I appreciate, but dread - completing my workout - The 30 Day Shred. It's a great workout and it's made more enjoyable by the fact that can mute the tv and listen to encouraging music. Today it's music from Sandra McCracken and Bethany Dillon.

8:00am - Well, since I'm sweaty, I might as well wash the new dog kennel. We purchased this $180 kennel from another family for $20. But, since it was used, it was also dirty. It was hard work, but it came so clean. I head off to take a shower.

8:45am - Gather up all laundry, towels, and sheets to wash. It's looking like four loads of laundry today! Eek! I start a load of laundry and start wax to melting for a candle making project today.

9:00am - It's finally time to settle down for some breakfast. I put all of the ingredients for a green smoothie in my blender and start it to blending. While it is mixing, I clean up the materials from starting candles and tidy up the kitchen a bit.

9:30am - My smoothie is ready and I sit down to drink up a pint and take my cod liver oil while reading scripture. In the upcoming year (June-June in a teacher's world) I plan on really studying the passage of Proverbs 31:10-31. These verses are so packed with instruction and challenges for the Christian homemaker. I feel so challenged and so inspired every time I read these verses! I read the passage in five versions of the bible to glean as much meaning and context as possible. I also read from the Matthew Henry commentary.

10:00am - I wash my dishes, pull dinner meat to thaw, and get back to work. For the next two hours I complete a variety of tasks that need to be completed around the house: oil the wooden cutting boards, work on laundry, file paperwork, tidy the house, organize the freezer, take out the trash, add color and scent to the candles I am making, and make rose water. During this entire time, Isis sleeps; oh to be a dog!

12:00pm - I do a little bit of work on my blog. I finish preparing my blog post for the day and post it. I also add more blogs to my blogroll page as it's been a while since it has been updated and I have found some wonderful blogs in the meantime. I also schedule blog post topics for the next two days.

12:30pm - I get out the other pint of green smoothie that I made this morning to have for lunch. I take a break from busyness and movement to contemplate on the words of the hymns that I am listening to as I sip.

1:00pm - It's back to work, again! I make up a batch of Lazy Granola (yum!). Fold all of the laundry and put it away, and put the sheets back on the bed. The candles get wicks as they cool. I complete a rebate for my husband and get it put in the mail.

2:00pm - I call my mom to ask a quick question. One hour and lots of good stories and chatting later, it's back to work. I love talking with my mom!

3:00pm - Time to do some computer work. I worked on writing a menu plan for the next few weeks, sent an email to a friend, typed up some recipes, and read my blogs on google reader.

4:00pm - The candles are almost finished cooling and are beautiful! They are a gift to our moms so I am glad they turned out so well. I work on some small around the house projects that my husband requested that I work on today. I put away all clean dishes and cleaned the kitchen in preparation to make dinner.

5:00pm - Take Isis outside and start working on our dinner for the evening. Tonight we have beef goulash, marinated green beans, and some homemade ice cream. Cole gets home and we eat dinner together.

5:45pm - Dishes are washed and we have settled in for a little bit of relaxation time. Cole gets out his guitar and practices a new song "Swing Wide the Glimmering Gates" while I work on reading my current book: The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I simply enjoy reading these books!

6:45pm - Cole and I head to the library and on to a friend's house for our bible study.

7:00pm - Bible study starts. In the summer, we don't do an in-depth study as people are coming and going from trips. This week we spend concentrated time in prayer. The girls all group together and discuss current struggles/prayer needs and pray with each other. Upstairs, the husbands all do the same. When we have finished this activity, we head to Sonic for BOGO milkshakes and good fellowship with like-minded people in the beautiful evening air!

10:30pm - We leave bible study and drive back home. Cole plays a little bit more guitar, I start the dishwasher, and tidy up some craft supplies. Isis goes outside and then it's off to bed at 11:00pm.

Giveaway!

2010-06-28T12:55:00.005-05:00

It's been a while since I've done a giveaway, but I've just been waiting for the perfect opportunity and perfect thing to give away. :) So when CSN stores contacted me and kindly ask to do a giveaway here, I was really excited. CSN has numerous online stores that sell just about anything. From dining room furniture and home decorations (that phrase alone makes me super happy!), to shoes and purses....you name it, they have it!

One of my readers will win a $40 gift certificate to use in any one of their online stores! The best part is that a lot of items are priced under $40 so you can get something free. :) I don't know about you, but I'd love to win a $40 gift certificate. And I'm pretty sure I'd spend it on home decorations ... since I love making my little house a beautiful home.This giveaway is only open to US and Canadian readers (additional shipping charges or international fees may apply for certain items purchased)

To enter this giveaway for a $40 gift certificate to CSN stores, just leave a comment on this post with your name and contact information (comments without contact information will not be eligible).

For additional entries:

become a follower/subscriber of my blog
post about this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or twitter (each one counts as another entry)
grab my button (on the sidebar) and put it on your blog

(Be sure a leave a comment letting me know if you do any of the above.)

This giveaway will end next Tuesday, July 6, 2010 and the winner will be announced here the following day.

How Fast Can You Type?

2010-06-25T17:13:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy day here. Workout at our local gym this the morning (I started a daily routine this week and so far, am loving it!), back home to work for Money Saving Mom until lunchtime, a ruined lunch, discovering our washer flooded once again and cleaning that up, deep cleaning the refrigerator and freezer (yay! A huge sigh of relief...), doing about 5 loads of laundry, scrubbing the kitchen floor, deep cleaning the bathroom, giving Molly a bath, vacuuming the carpet and furniture, and now I'm in the process of making dinner!

So, I thought it would be good to post something fun. After all, it's Friday, my house is clean and I'm ready for a break from working.

I came across a typing test on another blog a couple of days ago. In case you didn't know, I love typing. When I was younger and I had to take a typing course in school, I couldn't wait for that part of the day. After I finished the course, I would still pull it out every once in a while just for fun. So you can imagine how excited I was to find this test.
90 words

Typing Speed Test

Just for fun, I'd love to know what each one of your scores are. Go type away, and then come back here and leave me a comment with your score.

Weekly Poll - June 25th

2010-06-25T16:08:00.013-05:00

The results from last week's poll are in!

Where do you fall in your family's birth order?

Firstborn - 51%

A middle child - 31%

Youngest - 12%

Only child - 6%

For some reason, I had a feeling that a lot of you were firstborns. :)

And now it's time for you to find out what the poll question is this week.
Are you right handed or left handed?

This time, I don't need to elaborate on my answer. I'm a right handed girl all the way! I do everything with my right hand and pretty much the only area in which my left hand excels is in piano playing. :) I'm serious when I say I can't do any normal activities with my left hand...brushing teeth, eating, writing, throwing a ball, etc. And you don't want to see me try either. :)

So what about you all? Left hand or right hand? Or do you happen to be one of those very talented ambidextrous persons?

The Spark of Love

2010-06-23T19:08:00.004-05:00

Did I ever mention how much I love being married? There's not a day that goes by in which I don't sigh and think to myself how much I love my husband. I adore him. God simply gave me the most wonderful man in the whole wide world.

The past few days I have been thinking a lot about marriage and how blessed I am. For some reason, a lot of couples seem to slowly lose their "spark of love" as the years go by. This is even expected by "the world". They say, "Oh, well you're young and 'in love'...just wait." I don't understand why "the spark of love" ever has to fade...or disappear for that matter. If we're taking the time to cultivate the spark, it won't fade or disappear but only grow bigger. I want to be the wife who is always waiting at the door with a sparkle in my eye to greet my husband when he arrives home. To be the wife who, though there are a million other things on my mind, eagerly sits down and spends quality time with my husband. To be the wife who loves to surprise my husband with a candle-lit dinner of his favorite meal. To be the couple who, for no reason other than love, kisses while waiting for the stoplight to turn green. To be the old and gray couple holding hands at the grocery store.

Besides my relationship with the Lord, marriage to my husband is to be my top priority in order that the spark of love never, ever grows dim.

Take time today to love.

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-06-22T09:44:00.008-05:00

Miranda is an 18-year-old daughter who loves her Lord Jesus Christ. She is currently studying to be a midwife and would like to be a missionary overseas. She enjoys sewing, writing, and playing piano. Miranda heads up a sewing and fabric business, Fine Linen Fabrics. She desires to become more like her Master every day and tell others of His love.

(Miranda graciously agreed to write up a day in her life even though they were on vacation. Thanks, Miranda!)

Wednesday at lunch found us munching McDonalds as we traveled on windy roads. After about 2 hours, we arrived at our destination: a small cabin located in the Allegheny National Forest. This was going to be fun! We settled into our quaint cabin. It was built in 1960 but friends of our had purchased it and added on a very nice addition. Complete with 4 bedrooms, indoor plumbing, and electricity, this was my kind of camping!

We spent Thursday checking out different sites and walking a few trails. It was nice to relax. We gave Dad an early Father’s Day gift--a personal eTrack GPS system.

I woke up around 6:30am on Friday. What a day of adventure this would be! Dad had talked about going fishing that morning and I wanted to go with him. I quickly woke up and prepared for the day. I started reading the book of Daniel. It is an encouragement to me that he was willing to do what he knew God wanted him to do even when he was alone.

By the time my three brothers were awake, Luke (13), Joshua (10), and Noah (7), it was almost an hour later. Dad decided that fishing wouldn’t be so great. He wanted to go hiking, which was what Joshua had begged to do.

Now it was my turn to beg. “Please, can I go with you? Please?” Dad looked at me as if I had three eyes. J He didn’t believe I was serious but he did let me go.

Dad, my brothers, and I piled into our van. Luke was enjoying the eTrack system. We drove a few miles down to Morrison Trailhead. I was really looking forward to this but wondered how I would feel at the end. I knew I could keep us as long as they didn’t start running.

The path started out very nice. It was wide and trimmed nicely. The further we walked, tho’, the more the trail became…..um……not like a trail anymore. At times, we weren’t even sure it was the trail--until we saw a nice white diamond.

After a good bit of time had passed, it didn’t seem like we were heading back. Luke had marked our van as our beginning point in the GPS, and it showed that we were quite far from the van. This trail was just not marked very well! And bears weren’t too far from my mind.

To make a 3 hour, 10 mile story short, we did arrive at our van. Exhausted and very thirsty. I did say that I wanted to shed some pounds on this trip…..

We made the short trip back to the cabin. Grace (6) and Hannah (4) welcomed us home. Mom and I made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We all packed some crackers and water bottles with them. And we all headed out again….this time to the Kinzua Dam. It was quite large! After visiting the visitor center, we went on another trail. It was only ¼ mile long. I could handle that!

We arrived at the cabin late afternoon. Mom had put bean soup and kielbasa in the crockpot that morning. I was thankful I didn’t have to cook! I felt buggy and tired. The soup was delicious. Mom made a fire and we all had s’mores. Delicious!!

I got a shower and decided to head to bed. I was exhausted! But what a wonderful day we had in the forest.

Is this something you would like to be a part of? I'd love to hear from you. We are in need of people who are willing to chronicle a day in their life to post on this blog. If you are interested, please email me: modestpatterns @ sbcglobal.net (remove spaces)

Weekly Poll - June 18th

2010-06-18T14:59:00.005-05:00

Wow. The results from last week's poll are truly amazing to me. It's almost fifty fifty!

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Early bird - 47%

Night Owl - 53%

I had no idea it would be so close. :)

Are you ready for a fun poll this week? It's time for me to get to find out just a little more about my blog readers!

Where do you fall in your family's birth order?

You know what they say...birth order plays a huge part in personality. So is it true?

I am a middle child. The very middle child in a family of seven children. I know what it's like to be the youngest (or at least be referred to as one of "the younger ones") and I know what it's like to be the oldest. I also know what it's like to be stuck in the middle - neither the oldest nor the youngest. I got the benefits of knowing what it was like to have an older sister, an older brother, a younger sister and a younger brother. Yep, girls, I've felt it all! :)

But, I loved being a middle child. It definitely has it's advantages, you know. You don't have to pave the way, but you don't have to be the "baby". :) I had siblings to look up to, as well as siblings who looked up to me.

Just for the fun of it, I looked up some interesting facts about birth order and personalities.

Firstborns - Energetic, Ambitious, Scholarly, & have a greater level of confidence (Did you know that over 1/2 of the US Presidents have been firstborns?)

Middle Child(ren) - Competitive, Attention Seekers, Stubborn, and love to stand out (Hmmm...no comment!)

Youngest - Risk takers, Sensitive, Creative, and would like to be the boss

Okay, so maybe those are totally off, but it is fun to think about it. :)

So what about you? Do you resemble any traits from the lists above?

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Planning A Wedding On A Small Budget - Part 2

2010-06-17T17:39:00.007-05:00

Continued from Part 1. You can read Part 1 of this series here.

5) Be creative! Just because someone else did something a certain way doesn't mean you have to. :) If you're not a very creative person, this is where the reading (#4) comes into play. And if you don't have time to get a few books to look through, ask other people (your mom, sisters, other brides, etc) for ideas.

If there is something you have your heart set on, but you know it's way too expensive, be creative and see if there is a way you can make it/do it yourself (or get someone else to do it). The year before my wedding, I attended a friend's wedding and she had the most beautiful white pillars lining the aisle and stage as decorations. I loved them! When it came time to plan our wedding, I knew it would be a dream come true to have white pillars at our wedding. But after calling numerous places, I realized that there was no way we could rent them without going over our budget. To make a long story short, after talking with a friend about ideas, he offered to make some for us, using some sort of long metal tube and cardboard boxes. I didn't care what they were made of as they turned out beautiful and exactly like I had dreamed. I'm pretty sure no one even knew the difference.

Our white pillars in the background (we also had some exactly like this at the reception behind the cake table)

6) Wait for sales. Don't go out and buy all your decorations as soon as you know the colors. Be patient and wait for sales. Hobby Lobby became my "friend" for the 4 months we were engaged. I literally shopped their sales and clearance racks 1-2 times every week. Hobby Lobby also puts out a 40% off coupon every other week which I used time and time again.

I also waited to see if our local fabric store would have a sale on the fabric I wanted for the bridesmaids dresses. Within a few weeks of waiting, the price came down to almost half of what it originally was. I was elated and of course bought the entire bulk plus more!

7) Have a cake reception vs. a sit down dinner reception. I know that for some of you, a cake and punch reception might just seem completely out of the question. But if you're trying to cut costs, this is a huge way to do it. A simple cake reception can still be elegant, too.

We got creative at our wedding and instead of doing just a cake reception, we added finger foods in with it. Our guests were served finger foods (fruit, cheeses, olives, assorted crackers, croissants, etc) while Joe and I finished up pictures outside. Then, after we made our appearance at the reception, our guests were served cake, punch and Hershey kisses (yes, we opted for something other than nuts!). It actually ended up being only a few hundred dollars for the finger foods and it was a great hit.

And while I'm on the topic of receptions, might I just add that having the reception at the same location as the wedding saves a whole lot of money as well. :)

8) Don't be afraid to ask for help. This is so important. There are tons of people out there that would love to help you out. Having your friends help saves you so much time AND money. Think of your acquaintances...do you know anyone who can make food, fix hair, apply make-up, help decorate, loan you items, play music, or arrange flowers? I'm almost positive you do. Ask for their help! If you don't think you can do that, at least ask for their advice.

I had some amazing people help out in preparation for and at our wedding. Making invitations, loaning us stuff for the wedding decorations, fixing hair the morning of the wedding, applying my make-up, providing music for the ceremony and on and on the list goes. I still don't even know all the people who ended up assisting in many small ways the day we got married.

9) Settle for less in some areas. Just like I encouraged you to pick what is important, I also think it is just as important to pick a few areas in which you can "settle for less". Things that aren't as important. For me, it was flowers. Flowers are beautiful, and I would have loved to have spent a lot more money on them, but I also knew that I would be just as happy if I didn't spend a whole lot. I think all in all, we spent just a little over $100 on flowers (that was from a flower shop). I asked my florist if my bridesmaids and I could just have simple bouquets of roses tied with ribbon. She ended up adding in a few other filler flowers that didn't cost anything and I loved the simplicity of the bouquets that day. We also bought corsages for the grandmas and that was it. At first a few people thought I was crazy for not buying boutonnieres for the guys, but I knew it wasn't necessary.

Another was invitations and programs...I loved the professionally made ones, but I figured I could copy some of those ideas pretty well. After going to several invitation stores and taking lots of pictures, I found one that I loved. Within a day, I had re-created it to just the way I wanted it to look for a lot less money. We used the same idea for the programs as well so that our programs matched the invitations.

One other way I saved a lot of money was buying my veil from Hobby Lobby (yes, you read that right!). When I started looking at veils I was horrified to see the prices ranged around $100. For a veil? When I spotted them at Hobby Lobby for under $20, I knew I had found "my" veil. I waited for the 40% coupon and bought the one with the frilly edges. My total was under $10 and no one had any idea. In fact, several people commented on how much they loved it. :)

10) Most importantly, remember that it isn't about the wedding. The wedding is just the celebration. It's your marriage that is the important thing. The uniting of two hearts and the covenanting before God and witnesses. When your focus is on building a godly foundation for a lifelong marriage, the wedding won't seem that important. All the "must-haves" will not seem such a big deal 10 years later. In fact, you'll probably have totally forgotten about them. :) So just remember to pray about everything and ask God for wisdom. Then sit back and let Him work - believe me, I have some pretty amazing stories of ways God worked during my wedding planning days!

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-06-15T19:27:00.008-05:00

My name is Emily and I am 16 years old. I am a Christian, homeschooler, sister, and stay at home daughter. I live in North Carolina with my two wonderful parents, my older sister, Katie (20), and my little brother, Andrew (12). One of my goals in life is to give glory to God by serving my family and living for Him every day. He is writing my story and I'm trying to follow His ways for my life. I’m using this time to grow in my walk with Him, serve my family, and learn to be a homemaker for my future spouse, if that is the Lord's will for me. I pray that I will encourage other young woman to serve the Lord and their families and that I will be a shining light in this dark world...You can check out my blog at Practically Pink.

8:15 am - I open my eyes to a bright and beautiful morning! What a lovely day to be alive! After a few minutes of lying in the bed and trying to actually get awake, I decide to get up; grab some clothes and head to the bathroom to change. I would stay in my room, but my older sister, Katie (20), is still sleeping. We went to bed late last night and we all need some more rest, so I let her sleep.

8:20 am - After getting dressed and putting my hair up for the day, I head to the kitchen to start on some breakfast. Daddy leaves for work now, so we say our goodbyes.

8:45 am - I sit down to eat a muffin and some fruit for breakfast.

9:15 am - I’ve finished cleaning up the kitchen and helping everyone else get something to eat, so I sit down to read my Bible and write in my prayer journal. I also help Katie clean up our room and make the bed.

9:45 am - I’ve finished my Bible reading. Today, I read in Psalms and Matthew. Now, it’s time to do a little exercise!10:15 am - After a good 15 minute workout, I start a load of clothes for Mom.

10:30 am - Time to start on a lesson in Algebra! I’m still working on math through the summer. It helps me not to forget the concepts and it’s also helping me to finish more.

11:45 am - Finished with math. Now, time to switch out some more laundry and fold a load with my little brother, Andrew (12).12:20 pm - Lunchtime! We have some leftover pasta and chicken from last night.

1:00 pm - After eating lunch and helping with the cleaning, I help my mom with a few projects around the house.

2:15 pm - Now, it’s time to go check on the laundry again. It’s almost finished!

2:30 pm - Katie and mom leave to go into town and run some errands. Andrew and I stay home and finish some things around the house. First, it’s time to do a quick “pick-up” around the house. Everything has a home and sometimes you just have to walk around the house and take those “things” back to where they belong. That’s one thing that I don’t care to have, a messy house. I think some of you would have to agree with me.

3:45 pm - The laundry is finished, the house is back in order, and the projects that mom needed help with are done. Now, Andrew is working on some drawing and I sit down to the computer and work on some posts for the upcoming week, moderate some comments, upload and edit some pictures and reply to a few emails. I also made a strawberry mango sorbet for a sweet treat. Yum!

4:30 pm - Mom and Katie just got back home. I just finished up what I was doing on the computer and I’m going to go load some dishes in the dishwasher. I also just got back from taking some pictures outside. It’s so nice out there today.5:15 pm - It’s time to start fixing some supper.

6:00 pm - Supper is ready! We’re having taco salad tonight. Yum!

7:15 pm - We’ve finished supper and cleaning up the kitchen. Now, since it’s so nice outside tonight, we’re going for a walk around the block in our neighborhood.

7:35 pm - It was a perfect summer evening to take a walk! Now, I’m going to take a shower.

8:15 pm - I’ve had my shower. I go into the family room and sit down to watch part of a movie with the rest of the family.

9:15 pm -Getting ready for bed… (brushing my teeth, washing my face, etc). After telling my family goodnight and getting a book, I head to my bed to read for a little while.

9:45 pm -I’m getting too tired to read anymore. Before slipping off into “Sleepyland” for the night, I think about my day and how great our God is…drifting off to some much needed sleep.

It's Raining!

2010-06-14T21:19:00.006-05:00

"Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm?" Job 38:25

We've been getting a lot of rain around here, but yesterday/last night was the most we've gotten in a really long time. In fact, it rained so much that the river by our house is the highest I've ever seen it. I wasn't able to get pictures taken until tonight so it has actually gone down a lot since this morning. But it is covering trees and the sidewalk that runs along it...not to mention, it is flowing super fast. Joe and I were wishing we had a canoe handy as it looks like it would be really fun to canoe. (I'd prefer to get a raft and go "river rafting", but he claims the canoe would be better.)

Tonight, it looks as though it's going to storm again. Hopefully this won't mean a flooded river. :)

And just for fun, here's a picture of yours truly with the love of my life that we took recently. I hope you all are having a good week and staying dry.

Weekly Poll - June 12th

2010-06-12T13:37:00.004-05:00

My apologies for not getting this posted yesterday. Joe started a new job this week as well as school, which means I haven't seen him much at all. So when he came home last night and wanted to go out for a date at Starbucks, I dropped everything. :)

The results from last week's poll are as follows:

Are you a shy or an outgoing person?

Shy - 57%

Outgoing - 43%

You all definitely answered as I expected. :) Wonder why that is...

Are you ready for this week's question?

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Growing up in a family of early birds, I quickly adapted and never, ever slept past 8am. Ever. Besides the fact that everyone else got up early, try as I might, I couldn't sleep in. I had some sort of internal clock that would always wake me up at the crack of dawn.

Well, then I got married. To a night owl. One of those night owls that couldn't remember ever going to bed before midnight.

Let's just say that trying to get any sleep those first few months of marriage was pretty tough. We'd stay up really late because of him, and wake up early because of me. Now we've found a sort of "happy medium" and we're both content (most the time).

So I guess, deep inside, I'm naturally an early bird but I've learned how to live life as a night owl as well. Which do I prefer? It's hard to tell as I think both have pros and cons. But for some reason, the day seems so much longer if you are an early bird.

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Planning A Wedding On A Small Budget - Part 1

2010-06-10T17:44:00.005-05:00

You asked for it - so here it is - tips for how to plan a wedding on a small budget. For those of you still looking forward to your wedding day, this is meant for you. Here are a few things we learned while planning our wedding.

Every girl dreams of her wedding day. And if you're anything like me, you were probably dreaming about and "planning" your wedding years before your parents even thought you were old enough for marriage. :) It's the biggest day of your life, so why wouldn't you start thinking about it at an early age? Some people want it simple, some want it elaborate. But everyone agrees it should be very, very special.

It all starts when a wonderful man comes along, swoops you off your feet, and asks you to be his wife. You love him so much that you exclaim "Yes", as that is what you want more than anything in the world. The day of engagement seems like a dream and your heart can't stop racing for excitement. But the next morning, you wake up and realize...you have a wedding to plan. Your wedding. And suddenly, there's no more dreaming.

It's planning time!

It doesn't take long for you to quickly discover that weddings are expensive. Really expensive. In fact, the average cost of a wedding today is over $20,000! That number does not include the rings or the honeymoon either. Even if you have a million dollars to spend, my theory is that you can pull off a really nice wedding for a lot less than the average. You don't have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars for your wedding day in order for it to be "special".

I had the advantage of being the fourth child in my family to get married. By the time it was my turn, I had learned a lot about weddings and how to cut costs. But there were still many things I didn't know (and prices on wedding items had also gone up quite a bit since my sisters' weddings) that I had to figure out along the way.

1) First off, make a budget and stick to it. This, by far, is the most important thing in my mind. Before you even think about anything else pertaining to your wedding, sit down with your fiance/parents (whoever is paying for the bulk of the wedding) and figure out a budget. The more detailed you can make it, the better. Stuff like shoes, jewelry, hair, etc. are little parts of the wedding, but the costs add up to a lot.

2) Decide what is most important to you. Besides the budget, this part of our wedding planning was one of the most helpful things. From the beginning, I knew that the photographer was going to be really important to me. I had seen so many weddings where the bride and groom tried to save money by hiring a cheap photographer and ended up with horrible pictures. I love pictures and knew that I wouldn't be satisfied if we skimped on that part of the wedding. I had specific things I wanted in a photographer and searched for a very long time before I found exactly what I was wanting for the price we had budgeted. Since we allotted more money in that area, it meant cutting back in another part that wasn't nearly as important.

Another important thing to me was my dress. At first, I felt some pressure to try and find something that was inexpensive. My oldest sister had purchased her gown from a clearance sale online for super cheap, and my other sister had worn my Mom's wedding dress. So when it came my turn, I just figured I would find something cheap. A few weeks after Joe and I were engaged, my Mom and I drove to a little town where we'd heard about a dress shop that had a huge clearance section in the basement. After some searching, I found a few dresses, tried them on and decided that one of them would work. It would need a lot of altering, but for $100, I couldn't complain.

It was just a few days after we purchased the dress that I started having doubts. A lot of them. I kept looking at pictures of the dress (I didn't have it since it was being altered) and wishing I wouldn't have purchased it. It wasn't what I had really wanted. To make a long story short, my parents graciously agreed to let me return the dress and my sweet Mom took care of it for me by calling the shop and getting everything settled. We ended up having to pay a small fee, but it was worth it. Weeks later, after many fruitless shopping trips and online searches, I finally found a dress that I fell in love with. It had a lace-up back (which was something I had dreamed of), beautiful lines of sparkle all down the dress (something else I had dreamed of) and it was on sale. It was perfect! Again, since I had spent a little more money for my dress, we cut back in another area that wasn't as important. Just as a side note, I can't speak highly enough of Beautifully Modest. They were amazing and my dress arrived within just a few days of ordering it.

One thing to keep in mind is that even though we technically "spent more" in certain areas, we actually were still not spending a whole lot. We knew the final amount we wanted spend on our wedding and were determined not to go over. So if the photographer cost $200 more than we had budgeted, we had to take that cost from something else (like invitations). And believe me, I had to search long and hard for a good photographer that was in our price range as we could have easily spent the entire wedding budget on pictures. :)

3) Don't be afraid to let people know you have a budget. It might sound intimidating, but it will either open a door wide or tightly close it. This was a great help to me when I talked with florists, dress shops, photographers, cake decorators, etc. You mention wedding and the prices skyrocket. But if you tell them up front that you have a tight budget and can only spend a certain amount of money, you will immediately know if they can help or not.

Be prepared to be looked down on. People don't seem to understand why you can't spend $2000 on a dress. Or why you can't afford a 5 tiered cake plus a "groom's cake". But don't let them talk you out of your budget. I remember my florist thinking I was crazy because of how little I wanted to spend on flowers. But when she realized I wasn't going to budge (and that I really didn't want a bunch of flowers), she ended up helping me by showing me which flowers were cheapest.

4) Read, read, read. Soon after we got engaged, my older sister started ordering wedding planning books for me from PaperBackSwap.com and before I knew it, I had about 20 books with lots and lots of helpful planning tips. These books included titles like Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000, Bridal Bargains, Secrets to Throwing a Fantastic Wedding on a Realistic Budget, and How to Have a Big Wedding on a Small Budget: Cut Your Wedding Costs by Half-- Or More and each one had wonderful ideas on how to save money . A lot of them even talked about saving money on your honeymoon. Although I didn't read every book word for word, what I did read was very helpful.

...To be continued. In the mean time, if you are married, I'd love to hear how you cut costs at your wedding. Or if you aren't married, leave me a comment telling me a way you think you could save money at your wedding.

In My Kitchen...

2010-06-08T19:19:00.007-05:00

Today I took the time to bake a few things. I thought you all might like to see a peek into my kitchen.

Master Baking Mix - I was going to make biscuits for dinner tonight, and while looking through recipes at my Mom's house earlier today, I came across an old recipe for a baking mix that I used to make years ago. I was so excited that I brought it home and made it. Since there is only two of us, I actually only made a fourth of the recipe. :) I'm looking forward to making up some yummy biscuits tonight and hopefully having extra mix to last for a couple more weeks.

When I was still living at home (and single), I used to make granola a lot. In fact, I even had my own special way of making it. Granola is one of my favorite breakfast foods and I've been wanting to make some for a while now. I happened to be going to my parent's house today, so I ask if I could make this at their house (since I only had about 2 of the ingredients!). So this afternoon, I baked up a big batch of granola at my parent's house (don't worry, I left half of it at home for my siblings). There's something special about waking up and eating a bowl of warm granola with milk. Mmmmm... I can hardly wait for breakfast.

My wonderful Joe has been super busy lately and I've hardly seen him. I wanted to do something extra special for dinner tonight so I decided to make a batch of Chocolate Chip cookies. In the process of mixing it up, I accidentally added too much butter so I ended up doubling the recipe. Of course, there's no way Joe and I can eat 3 dozen cookies, so I divided the dough into 3 sections and put two of them into freezer bags to freeze.

What's more inviting than hot, fresh-from-the-oven Chocolate Chip cookies with cold milk? Yummy!

How about you all? Have you been baking anything in your kitchen recently? I'd love to hear about it. And if you have time, leave me a comment with one of your favorite baking recipes.

Weekly Poll - June 4, 2010

2010-06-04T22:43:00.003-05:00

I've been super busy this weekend with the homeschool convention and also haven't had internet access. My sweet husband bought me an internet pass tonight so I could get some work done this evening. Even though I worked over 14 hours at the convention today (i.e. being on my feet all day, keeping the workshops running smoothly) and I'm ready to crash, I can't help but take advantage of my internet to post the weekly poll. :) (Don't you guys love me?!?)

Which of the following is your favorite summer activity?

Swimming - 45%

Camping - 9%

Gardening - 11%

Bicycling - 7%

Evening walks - 27%

And now for this week's poll question:
Are you a shy or an outgoing person?

Hmmmm....I would have to say, I'm more shy than I used to be. I used to be the type of girl who had a million friends and pen pals and thrived on meeting new people. Crowds were fun and I loved to be the "life of the party". As I've gown older, I've gotten more shy (or else my husband has greatly helped to balance me out!) and reserved, although I don't think I would still quite qualify for the "shy" category. Maybe I need to put an "in-between" option... :)

I'm really curious to see the results on this question, so go vote.

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Being Resourceful

2010-06-03T09:20:00.005-05:00

I hate seeing food go to waste. Being on a tight budget makes me cringe when I have to throw food away (which happens a lot). My husband is not a "left-over" type of guy, and I can't eat up the left-overs fast enough. So, I'm always looking for ways to be resourceful. Making smaller portions, making only a couple of things for dinner so we'll eat more of them, etc. I've also been known to re-heat the half-eaten pan of whatever we had 2 nights before and set it out for dinner as well (my hubby is so sweet not to complain about it either!).

Last night, I noticed that we had several leftover meals in our refrigerator. I had planned something else for dinner (and even bought ingredients), but I decided it was time to be resourceful and creative and see what I could do with the leftovers. Instead of just reheating them, I took note of what we had: 1 cooked hamburger patty, 1/4 deer roast meat, 1 cooked potato, 1/4 pan of Chicken and Rice casserole, and about 1/2 c. of leftover salad. Hmmmm....

Here's what I decided to make:

First I cut up the roast into tiny pieces and crumbled the hamburger in with it. We have a ton of barbecue sauce that I've gotten free with coupons recently, so I poured that in with the meat.
I also had purchased some buns (that were expiring) for just a few cents on Monday which I pulled out of the freezer. This along with the meat made a perfect recipe for Barbecue Beef Sandwiches.

Next, I took the potato (from the Deer Roast dinner) and cut it up into chunks, put it into a saucepan with a little oil and heated it. My mom used to make potatoes like this all the time when we were growing up and it's one of my favorite ways to use leftover potatoes. :)

Last of all, I added just enough lettuce to the "salad" leftovers to make enough salad for dinner.

And there you have it! Our brand new dinner made from leftovers. :) We used up several leftovers so now our refrigerator is cleaned out, I still have the ingredients for the dinner I didn't make which can be made another night, and as an added plus, Joe loved the dinner I made! Yay!

It does pay to be resourceful.

Some Days, I Wish I Was A Cat...

2010-06-03T09:09:00.006-05:00

This weekend is our annual homeschool convention. Joe and I are a part of the committee that puts everything together for the convention so this week has been super busy as we've been preparing. I always look forward to it each year, but the few days preceding the convention can be somewhat crazy and stressful. So I found it funny that yesterday, after a very long, hard day of work, I was going through my coupon box and pulling out all the expired coupons (it was actually part of "cleaning up the kitchen" which needed to be done), when Joe called me into the living room to see this:

You know...some days, it really would be nice to be a cat.

By the way...these were only half of the expired coupons I found in my coupon box! Eeek!

If This Doesn't Melt Your Heart....

2010-06-02T20:37:00.007-05:00

My little buddy (and nephew), Silas. On Memorial Day we had a cookout at my parent's house and Silas insisted on "walking" (on his knees) on the rocks in their driveway. He thought he was so big and kept looking at me a grinning. I was glad I had my camera handy to catch these super cute photos. Isn't he just the cutest little guy?!?

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-06-01T11:58:00.015-05:00

Hello! My name is Jenny, and I am a wife, and stay at home mother to 2 little ones. We are also in a very long process of adopting a little girl. You can read my blog here.

This is my 4-year-old son, William. He loves using the camera (and took the picture of me above!).

This is our little girl Elisabeth, and she’ll be 2 in July.

Everyday here is different because my husband works a lot of different shifts and has different days off every week. Today is a Tuesday, and he leaves for work around 6:30am.

After he leaves, I’m usually up by myself for a few hours to do devotions, a workout, and some reading or sewing. I had a quilt top that I made and loved but just could not seem to add the backing. Then I realized it didn’t want to be a quilt, it wanted to be a skirt. So I was happy to oblige! :)

Around 9 o clock the children wake up. After breakfast, first thing they want to do is water the plants and feed the goats. We’ve got several plants on the porch that are their little garden.

Then we walk out to check on the grapevine and feed our 3 little goats. We just got one this week, so she is still adjusting. Pictured below is our boy goat, Humphrey. The 2 girls, Clementine and Marie, are a little skiddish around the camera flash.

Grapevine

We finally come in around 11:30am and have some lunch. After that we sit down to do school. Today the kids do some paints, stamping, and coloring. Then I read them a stack of books and go over a few memory verses and their Catechism (we use the Truth and Grace Memory Books-very similar questions to the Westminster Catechism).

After I get everyone’s hands cleaned up, they lay down for a nap around 2:30pm. Then I race around getting as much as I can cleaned while they sleep! I do some laundry, the dishes, sweep, and give my grandmother a call while I do some basic picking up.

Around 5pm the children wake up, and everyone gets changed out of their pajamas and into some clothes. Then I get the kids a snack (they’re on a yogurt frenzy lately) while I start making dinner. Rob (my excellent husband) doesn’t get home until around 8pm so I get everything fixed and ready for a big Greek Chicken Salad with spinach and rice.

The kids play until about 7pm, when they are off to get their bubble baths for the night. I let them play in the tub for a while, and then get them sweet and dressed for 8 o’clock when Rob comes home. He tells us about his day, and we eat dinner.

Then we get the little ones all tucked in bed, and he and I talk about our days with each other, and discuss things that we need to have done the next day. By now it’s about 10pm and we settle in to bed and watch the “The Biggest Loser” while we get sleepy. Around 11:30pm we turn off the TV and go to sleep. So, that was a Tuesday in the life of me!

Weekly Poll - May 28th

2010-05-28T10:55:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm finally updating the "weekly" poll. Thank you all for your patience. The question you answered last time had to do with your least favorite household chore. :) And here are the results:

Which of the following household chores is your least favorite?

Cleaning/scrubbing toilets - 19 %

Mopping/scrubbing floors - 15%

Vacuuming - 4%

Washing/folding laundry - 7%

Cleaning out your refrigerator - 25%

Dusting - 11%

Washing/drying/putting away dishes - 11%

Something else which I'll write below - 9%

The consensus? Vacuuming is the best "chore"; cleaning out the refrigerator is the worst "chore". I have to agree 100% on that. Although I've always enjoyed doing laundry too...

This week, I'm thinking about summer. I just finished planting my garden yesterday...green beans, tomatoes, and green peppers. The lettuce is already coming up, but we've had sooo much rain that it seems to be ruining it. The cantaloupe plant is also poking it's way out of the ground.

This week has also been sunny and hot....which means the very first sunburn. Ouch!

And, our neighborhood pool opened up a few days ago so we've been enjoying the opportunity to finally swim again. I love swimming!

Summer is creeping up on us. You can feel it in the air. I'm super excited because I love summer activities!

So my question for you today is:

Which of the following is your favorite summer activity? Swimming (or another water sport), camping, gardening, bicycling, or evening walks?

Even though spring happens to be my favorite season, I like a lot of things about summer too. I love the things you do in summer...the juicy watermelon fresh from the garden, taking evening walks while listening to the cicadas sing (although in the country you hear frogs rather than cicadas), visits to the lake, and swimming! Yes, swimming is definitely my favorite summer activity.

My family has a tradition of going to Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas each summer. Now that over half the children are married, it is quite fun getting the entire family together. We stay in cabins on the lake, rent a boat and spend the week water-skiing, swimming (in the two pools there plus the lake!), snorkeling, tubing, and just having fun. It is a blast! And so when the first hot day of the year rolls around, I start getting really excited about our trip. Even though it still months away... This is probably my all-time favorite thing about summer. Really.

So what about you? Leave me a comment and tell me your favorite thing about summer. I'd love to hear about it.

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Little Blessings...

2010-05-27T21:57:00.009-05:00

Raindrops on the tree leaves

A game of Scrabble with my hubby

I love hanging out with my husband - we have such fun together!

Mini apple pies in milk...mmmm! (The picture doesn't do justice!)

Delicate raindrops (Yes, we had a storm this afternoon - can you tell?)

I finally got the wall above our bed decorated. Yay!

A drop of rain water caught in action

I'm Back!

2010-05-26T09:49:00.005-05:00

Beautiful clouds - turned into an oil painting with my editing program

Whew! The past week and a half has been one big whirlwind. We just returned home last night from a last-minute-trip with Joe's brother and sister-in-law. It was a wonderful time, but I forgot to bring my camera in the hustle and bustle of leaving (we packed and were out the door in 20 minutes!). Oh well.

But now I'm back! Those of you that placed orders while we were gone - I promise they will get shipped out soon. And I'm hoping to resume to a "normal" blogging routine (whatever that means!).

Why does the day after you get back from vacations always always have to be a super busy day? At least my house is clean (that's what happens when you arrive home from vacation and know you have company arriving at your door in less than 2 hours...).

Yep, life is crazy at times. But I'm thankful for the quiet peacefulness we find in God.

Questioning

2010-05-22T09:26:00.007-05:00

Does God really answer prayer? Does He really care about me?

The thoughts had been swirling in my head for several days. I'd been praying for weeks now, but silence seemed to be my only answer. Discouragement hung over my head.

What's wrong? Have You forgotten me?

I'd heard the whole "don't give up hope because God often works in the last split second" speech. And I clung to that. Surely God was just waiting until the very last minute so He could work His amazing supernatural power.

But the last second came and went. Still, there was nothing. All was silent. And I felt alone.

Disappointment overwhelmed me. I felt rejected, pushed away. Why?

"I trusted Him but He's not answering me. He doesn't care about me and I don't understand," I poured my heart out to my husband. "It doesn't work anymore."

The answer that came from his gentle, yet firm voice hit me like a brick on the head. "Maybe you're praying for the wrong thing. You're praying for what you want, your expectations. You expect God to fix your problems by giving you what you want, rather than what you need. Maybe you should start praying for contentment instead."

What? "Maybe you're praying for the wrong thing...you should start praying for contentment instead..." His words went round and round in my head.

Praying for the wrong thing? Is that even possible? I was sure that what I was asking for couldn't be wrong. Yet, was it? Did I truly desire God's will or was I just trying to push my way with Him?

The more I contemplated those words, the more I realized that they were true. God had heard my prayers. He did care. He knew all along what I wanted. But that wasn't what I needed.

Instead of giving me my way, He was lovingly giving me what I needed to make me more like Himself. He was gently molding my heart, continuing to create a thing of beauty in spite of my pleas to stop. Because He saw something I didn't.

"But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." (Isaiah 64:8)

He does love me. He loves me more than I can imagine. And that is why He said "no" to my way.

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-05-18T09:52:00.009-05:00

Trixie and her husband, George, enjoy the country life in the beautiful state of Michigan . They share their life with one incredibly spoiled beagle that makes life lots of fun. Trixie blogs at FarmHomeLife and WeightLossSurgeryBlog.

A Saturday in My Life...

Rise at 7am - Monday-Friday I usually get up at 5am, but since today is Saturday, I get to sleep in for 2 hours! I really enjoy that.

7:00-7:30am - Each morning I have a cup of tea and spend some time with the Lord. This usually involves prayer, reading the bible and sometimes just sitting quietly and enjoying His presence. If it’s warm outside I like to do this outdoors. Here in Michigan it’s still pretty chilly in the early morning so I settled for indoors today.

7:30-8:00am - After getting dressed and ready for the day, I eat a bit of yogurt and granola for breakfast.

7:30-9:30am - Saturday is usually chore and “get everything ready for next week” day around our house. This morning George and I talk about our plans for the day. While we watch the news ,I plan next week’s menu, make out the grocery list and write down things I would like to accomplish next week.

9:30-11:30am - Cleaning time. The first chore I do each Saturday is to strip the bed linens and wash those and then another load or two depending on what all is dirty. After the washer starts humming, I shake out all the throw rugs in the kitchen, laundry room and bathroom and sweep and wash the floors. Then I hang the first load of laundry on the line. I just love the smell of line dried clothes! After that I clean the bathroom.

11:30-1:30pm - It’s time to head into town to stop at the bank and get groceries. Today is a great shopping day, the store wasn’t busy like it usually is on a Saturday and there were lots of good deals to be had. After a couple of hours of this, I’m ready for the trip home and some lunch. We live out in the country, and it’s a beautiful drive to just about anywhere we go. I love looking at the scenery. I passed up several very interesting yard sales on the way home. With cold items in the car I don’t want to take any longer than necessary to get home.

1:30-2:30pm - We usually eat lunch later on Saturday and lunch is the biggest meal of our day. It all depends on if my hubby is at a good stopping place in what ever he is working on. I try to wait until he’s ready to eat, even if it’s a lot later than I’m used to. I grew up in a large family, and some of my favorite times were meal times when we were all gathered around the table chattering away. For the many years that I was single, fellowship over a meal was one of the things I missed the most, so it’s really important to me to eat with my husband whenever possible. While waiting for George I pull a couple buckets of weeds from our front flower beds and enjoy a glass of lemonade. Why is it that weeds grow twice as fast as the flowers?! We don’t have a lot of flowers in bloom yet, but our Jack in the Pulpit and Irises are up.

2:30-3:00pm - I fix Quick & Tasty Mexican Casserole for lunch.

3:00-3:30pm - We eat lunch.

3:30-3:45pm - We're finished with lunch and I spend time cleaning up from lunch.

3:45-4:45pm - Time for a nap! My husband and I are both nappers. Generally we always take a nap on the weekends. It’s so refreshing, plus it helps me with my morning person nature be able to stay up a bit later with my husband without totally zonking out at 9pm.

4:45 -5:00pm - Sitting outside in the lawn chairs, I enjoy a cup of tea.

5:00-8:00pm - After finishing the rest of the laundry, I iron it all. Then I call and visit with my mom and sister for about a half hour, clean the kitchen sink and empty the trashes; Monday is trash day. Next, I vacuum the living room and bedroom and “neaten” the place up

8:00-9:00pm - George was so kind to hand two new curtain rods for me in the bedroom. So out comes the ironing board again, I press 2 sets of navy blue curtains. I’m so excited to finally have a nice set of bedroom curtains after nearly 4 years in this house! I’m not what you would call decorating savvy, so we just have mostly plain jane things with no flair what-so-ever; these curtains are a real treat.

9:00-10:30pm - I wind down from the day by having a quick bite to eat, watching a little TV with George and reading a little bit. Some of my favorite magazines are the Country, Reminisce and Farm and Ranch Living from Riemann Publications. These magazines are so uplifting!

10:30-11:30pm - After praying and reading a chapter of the Bible, the lights are out.

Is this something you would like to be a part of? I'd love to hear from you. We are in need of people who are willing to chronicle a day in their life to post on this blog. If you are interested, please email me: modestpatterns @ sbcglobal.net (remove spaces)

Weekly Poll - May 14th

2010-05-14T09:56:00.005-05:00

And the results from last week's poll are in!

How many books on average do you read (and finish) per month?

I don't have time to read - 9%

1-2 book(s) - 38%

3-4 books - 22%

5-6 books - 19%

7 or more books - 4%

What I'd like to know is where those of you that read 7+ books each month find your books? I would think that you'd either run out of books to read after a while, or run out of money. :)

This week's poll comes just about the time every one is thinking about Spring cleaning. At least, I know I have been.

Which household chore is your least favorite?

In the past couple of weeks, I've deep cleaned and re-arranged our living room, bedroom, and dining room. I still have a few more things on my list I want to deep clean, but little by little, they're getting done. Cleaning things out, vacuuming the corners of the rooms, washing the curtains, and moving furniture is one of my all-time favorite "chores"! :)

But, scrubbing the bathroom floor...or cleaning out my refrigerator...that's another story. Yes, there are several chores I despise doing.

My all-time worst chore would have to be cleaning out refrigerators. I hate cleaning out refrigerators. And when I worked as a mother's helper my heart would literally sink when I saw that chore on my to-do list. Growing up, my mom was the queen of clean refrigerators and she had a perfect system down for cleaning our family's (I'm pretty sure she deep cleaned it just about every week!). But now I'm the "lady of the house", which means I'm the one who is supposed to clean the refrigerator. I've noticed the past several days that it really needs to be cleaned, but I keep putting it off. Again and again. I hate cleaning my refrigerator.

And since we're talking about chores and cleaning, I might as well tell you that my biggest cleaning pet peeve is dirty kitchen floors. You know the kind with crumbs and food galore. Where you don't even want to walk across them for fear of that crusty, pasty, dried-up food sticking to your feet. Even the thought makes me shiver! And horrors if you should happen to be barefoot... (Yes, I know those of you that have children are laughing at me...)

So what about you? Which of the following household chores is your least favorite?

Attention Photographers...

2010-05-13T16:18:00.008-05:00

I don't usually post deals on here, especially because there are a lot of other wonderful blogs out there that do that. But in my work for MoneySavingMom.com today, I kept coming across this amazing deal that I couldn't help but pass along to you all.

I happen to know that many of my readers are photographers (or aspiring to be a photographer), and being one myself, I know how much we photographers love photo editing programs. We drool over the expensive programs and save our pennies, hoping to someday cash them in for one of these amazing programs.

Well, if you're one of those photographers that loves Adobe Photoshop Elements, today is the day you've been waiting for. Eeek! I was super excited when I found out that today only, Amazon is selling Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 (the newest version) with shipping for only $54.99! But the good news is that there is a $20 rebate on top of this. So, if you buy it today for $54.99, print off the rebate (which is located right below the price) and send it in, you can ultimately get this program for only $34.99. Considering this program normally sells for $100, that one's amazing deal! Click here to read more about Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.

And if you're a member of Swagbucks and have been saving up your Amazon gift cards, you could actually get this for cheaper or even free! (If you don't know what Swagbucks is, it is basically a search engine - like google - that randomly rewards your searches with "swagbucks". You can trade these "swagbucks" in for all sorts of prizes like gift cards, electronics, music, books, movies, etc. The best part is that you can also invite your friends to join (like I'm doing right now!) and when they search and win "swagbucks", you win them too. :) I can't recommend Swagbucks enough. It has saved Joe and I tons of money and allowed us to purchase all sorts of things from Amazon that we wouldn't otherwise have been able to buy. You can sign up or read more about Swagbucks here.)

Okay, that was a long rabbit trail. :) Anyhow, I hope maybe some of you can take advantage of this Adobe Photoshop deal while it's still available.

Molly's Bag

2010-05-12T21:20:00.004-05:00

Several months ago, right after we had first gotten Molly, my Mom came over one evening. As usual, she came with her yellow bag stuffed full of coupons and books to share. Mom had hardly set her bag down before Molly came over to sniff it out (yes, she's much like a dog). After a few minutes of checking it out, her curiosity became even greater and she hopped into the bag.

We never saw her the rest of the evening. She wouldn't get out of the bag for anything. When it came time for Mom to go home, Molly still wouldn't get out of the bag, so Mom decided to leave it here for her.

Five months later, it's still one of her favorite places to sleep and play in. I took these pictures the other day and thought they were so cute I just had to post them.

In other news, it's been quite an interesting week here with spiders (don't ask because I don't want to be reminded), finals, late nights (because of finals), driving Joe's stick shift car all by myself all over town for the first time, and several severe storms - including a last-minute drive to my in-laws during a tornado a couple of days ago (which ended up being one of the scariest drives of my life). Yes, this week has been stressful to say the least.

But God is good and I'm am constantly reminded of that fact!

And I'm still alive (I seriously thought we were going to die during that drive to my in-laws). And I have a wonderful husband who makes life so much fun. And I have a cute little cat...well, she's cute most of the time.

I just heard a huge crack of thunder and was reminded that I better post this before we loose electricity from the storm. :)

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-05-11T10:12:00.007-05:00

My name is Catherine and I'm a 29 year old work at home wife. My husband and I do not currently have children. When I am not teaching online, I am blogging, reading, or caring for our home! Both my husband and I love to be at home. We are the ultimate homebodies! This is a day from a fairly typical Monday in my life in April.

5:20 AM- The sounds of the local news gently prod me from sleep. I lay and listen to the goings on in the world, alternately hopeful and worried as the stories fill my ears. Sometimes, my husband will comment, or tell me to turn it up as the radio is on my side of the bed.

5:30 AM- My husbands BEEP BEEP BEEP alarm goes off- time for him to get up! I lay in bed and read while he showers/shaves. When he goes to attend to our guinea pigs (he is in charge of feeding and cleaning the cage) I get up to make him breakfast.

5:50 AM- Eat breakfast with my husband. Today is is Coffee, homemade Egg McMuffins and blackberries. Talk with my husband, ask if he has any last minute things that he needs me to do during the day while he is at work.I also feed our beloved dog- Sarah The Wonder Dog! We got her from the Kansas Humane Society and just love her.
6:20 AM- The husband is gone for the day and I hop in the shower and get ready for work! I am blessed to work from home as an online teacher for a local college, so my commute is short.

6:45 AM- Throw a load of laundry in. I follow the Flylady saying- "A load a day keeps the chaos away!" Since it is just my husband and I, generally it is a load every few days rather than every day, but I check every day to see how full the hamper is.
7:00 AM- Sit in front of my computer to start some grading. April and May are very busy months for me as a teacher. All of the final projects are coming in, students are very eager to get their grades FAST so they know their report card grade! It is a lot of work, but I love it.

10:00 AM- My morning's school work is done, so I go about doing housework, grocery shopping, and other "musts" that need to get done during the day! Today I went to the library as well. If it were not for the library, I would go broke! When I get home, I check my personal e-mail and read blogs. I have not been good at blogging myself lately, but it's a busy time of year so I don't worry about it.

12:00 PM- Lunch time! Today it is leftover pot roast, broccoli, and a roll. I have the terrible habit of reading while eating when I am alone, but I love to read and this is one of the times during the day that I can do it! After I eat, I clean the kitchen from this morning and from my lunch. If the dishwasher is full, I run it. I also pull anything out of the freezer that I may need for dinner. Today I pull out some make ahead butterhorn rolls to bake fresh for dinner. At least once a week, I have lunch with a friend, but she was unavailable this month for our lunch. I sure miss her!

1:00 PM- Back to school work! In the afternoon, I focus on answering questions via e-mail and preparing the future lessons for the week. At this time of year, I also work on changes for next term's classes. Each semester I tweak my course.

2:30 PM- Exercise! I take the dog for a walk or do a Walking Away the Pounds video if the weather is bad. It has been very nice lately, so my dog has been enjoying many walks outside!

3:30 PM- I make coffee in preparation for my husband's arrival home from work. He loves a cup after work! When he arrives, we drink a cup and talk about our days. Today we headed out to the garden to plant some new veggies (zucchini and tomatoes) for our summer garden. We can't wait until we have fresh vegetables on our table from our very own garden!

4:30 PM- Time for Jeopardy! My husband loves Trivia and is quite good at it! Today I watch it with him, but if I still had school work to catch up on, I'll do it now.

5:00 PM- Start dinner- today it's marinated chicken with mushrooms, baked potatoes, and salad. We eat and talk about our days, about what needs to be done the next day, and about our upcoming travels. Feed the dog. While dinner cooks, my husband and I do Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred together. We're trying to get a bit more in shape! Sitting down for a job most of your day takes its toll on your body, we're sad to discover!

6:30 PM- I'm also taking classes! I sit down now and work on my class work while my husband studies for his class. My class is online, so I use this time to study, do any discussion boards that are required,etc.

7:00 PM- House time! We like to watch House each week together. It's a guilty pleasure!

8:00 PM- Make sure the kitchen is clean, put away any stuff left out, and wind down from the day. I love the Flylady routines and use this time to do my evening routine. I agree with Flylady- the evening routine is much more important than the morning routine!

9:00 PM- Into bed! We are early to bed, early to rise people! We usually read together for half an hour or so and talk about what we're reading.

9:45 PM- Lights out! Tomorrow is another day!

Our Love Story - Part 2

2010-05-08T10:20:00.011-05:00

Continued from Part 1. Read Part 1 of Our Love Story here.

Immediately after I arrived home, God began to open up a lot of new and incredible opportunities for me. It was exciting for me to watch and I was very much enjoying the path on which God was taking me. Then came time for our church’s annual Valentine’s banquet that I organize. During the planning, I mentioned to my parents which musicians I was thinking about having for the banquet. They brought up Joe’s name and recommended that I ask him to play guitar. He had played for several past banquets but considering God's recent working in my heart, this was not something I especially wanted to do and tried to convince them otherwise. A few days went by and my parents again came to me and suggested that I re-consider having Joe play. I reluctantly agreed on the condition that I wouldn't have to ask him or have any communication with Joe regarding it. Dad agreed to ask him and I thought that was the end of it. Little did I know, it was just the beginning.

Right before the banquet, Joe offered to come early to help us set up. Since there was a lot of work to do and my parents thought it was a wise idea to have help, we accepted his offer. Joe and I spent quite a bit of time together the day and a half preceding the banquet. (The theme for the banquet that year was gardens, so we brought in dirt, sand, loads of rocks, flowers, etc into the building and made 6-7 different themed gardens.) As we set up each garden, I quickly discovered how creative Joe was. It was amazing how well we seemed to work together. Joe was also very alert to my needs and often knew exactly what I was thinking before I even said it. This greatly surprised me.

After spending almost two days with Joe, I realized that I had seen a side of Joe that I didn’t know existed. It seemed like God had stepped in front of me and worked out the details to put Joe and me in that situation. But I didn't know why, especially because I had recently given everything up to God and come to a place of contentment and peace with my life. The next few weeks were filled with much praying and seeking the Lord.

Around this time, my brother underwent major jaw surgery. The recovery was long and painful for him and it was difficult to see him suffering. One day I was thinking about how discouraged he (my brother) seemed and I began praying that God would somehow encourage him. Suddenly, I found myself praying, “And Lord, if Joe is the one You have for me, prove it to me by having him write Nathaniel a note.” I was immediately horrified at myself! I never prayed things like that and I couldn’t believe what I had just asked for. As far as I knew, Joe did not enjoy writing notes and I only knew of one note he had written in the entire 6+ years I had known him. Truthfully, I was a little upset at myself for what I had just asked God for.

I totally forgot about this prayer request until a couple of days later when Mom mentioned to our family at lunch that Nathaniel had received several nice notes, including one from Joe's family. Immediately, it all came flooding back and my heart began to pound. I tried to play it cool as I asked to see it but my mind was racing. I couldn’t imagine that Joe would have written anything or even signed his name. Every note we had received from their family was always written by his mom and signed by his mom. With trembling hands, I opened the card. My heart went to my throat when I saw the perfectly neat handwriting on one side of the card, which I knew was Joe’s. Not only had he signed the note, he had written three sentences plus a verse. My first thought was, “What is God doing?” I was in complete awe and amazement. It took me several months before I shared this experience with anyone. Just three weeks later, I got an even bigger shock. I had just returned home the evening before from an 8-day trip to Kansas City and wasn’t suspecting anything. My Dad came to me and asked if we could talk in my parent's bedroom whenever I had time. Usually this meant I was in trouble, so immediately my mind started going over the last couple of weeks trying to figure out what I had done and what this "talk" was going to be about. I couldn’t really think of anything, but when he shut the door and I saw my Mom sitting there, I started to get really nervous. Oh boy!

Dad told me he had something serious to tell me (I kind of figured that!). He then proceeded by saying that Joe had expressed an interest in me. In fact, for the past several years he had repeatedly expressed an interest in me to his parents, but they had thought it best for him to wait until he was further along in school before approaching my Dad. With certain circumstances taking place, they had agreed that now was God's timing for Joe to express that interest to my parents and me.

I wish I could say I screamed or jumped up and down or threw my arms around my Dad or cried….or something. But I didn’t. In fact, I didn’t say anything. My Dad finally had to ask me what my thoughts were. I looked at him and said, “I don’t know.” After talking for a while, I told my parents that I thought I would like to get to know Joe on a deeper level. But I wanted to be sure this was God’s will. God had given me such a peace over the past few months and I didn’t want to just jump into this because it was a relationship, or it seemed like a good thing. The following evening, March 23, 2008, Joe came to our house and by the time he left, I felt confident that God was leading us into a relationship together.

One of the things I was very grateful for from the beginning of our courtship was the fact that we had already been friends for several years. We knew a lot about each other already, which made us feel at very much at ease in each others presence. Much of the first few weeks of our courtship was spent just reminiscing. It was amazing to me to find out from Joe that he had been very eager to pursue a relationship with me for several years, but had waited and trusted God for His perfect timing.
We had been courting for about 3 ½ months when I moved to Minnesota to nanny for some close friends who had been in a very serious car accident. It was very difficult to be separated from Joe, especially when we were used to seeing each other 2 times a week for the past six years. But we learned quite a bit about each other during that time that we wouldn’t have learned for a long time otherwise. Since our phone calls were very limited, we resorted to letter writing and emailing. God used this time in our relationship to draw our hearts closer and make us dependent upon Him. We were reunited in August and continued to make many wonderful memories during the fall months.

By the time winter arrived, it was getting harder and harder to stay content. We had been friends for 6 years and had been courting for almost a year. I wanted so badly to move forward in the relationship, but once again, God had brought me to the waiting trial. Joe still had a couple years of college left and our parents wanted him to be closer to the finish line before we started thinking about marriage. By the time January arrived, I was trying to make it through one day at a time. It was one of the hardest tests of my life up to that point. Each day I would pray for strength and stamina to make it through the day and God was always faithful. The verse I clung to was Ecclesiastes 3:11 which says, “He hath made everything beautiful in His time.” I knew that in God’s perfect time, He would give me the desire of my heart – marriage – and make our relationship a beautiful thing, but it was still such a struggle to stay content. Even though it was a difficult time for both Joe and me, we continued to laugh and make memories together and grew more in love with each other every day.

Our parents had told us that if several things fell in place, there was a slight chance that we could get married that summer but I tried not to get my hopes up. I continued to wait, pray, and trust God. One night, I got to the point of feeling like I could go on no longer. I poured out my heart to the Lord and asked Him to do a miracle and somehow allow Joe to propose within the next two weeks. God overwhelmed me with peace and, once again, gave me the courage to face the next day.

Just a few days later, God answered that prayer! Like usual, I was planning to go to Joe’s house on Friday afternoon. It seemed a little strange to me when he asked me to come at 10:00am instead of my usual time. I was a little scared my parents wouldn’t let me go that early, but they said nothing of it – which also seemed a little peculiar. But I didn’t really think much about it as I was just excited I would get to spend more time with Joe. :)

March 27, 2009 dawned a very cold and snowy day. When I arrived at his house that morning, Joe greeted me at the door by telling me that we had to go with his mom over to the church as his mom had to meet with his sister's wedding coordinator (his sister was getting married a week later to my brother - yes, that's an entire different story!). Joe and his mom were both apologizing for messing up our plans for the day, but I was like, “It’s fine.” Joe seemed so upset about going that I finally said, “Why don’t I just go with your mom and you can stay here.” But he immediately turned down that offer.

When we got to the church, Joe's mom headed off to the gym and Joe and I were left alone in the lobby. Joe suggested we go into the sanctuary and I thought it sounded like fun. The lights in the sanctuary were dimmed and there was beautiful music playing in the background, but I still didn’t clue in. Being the sentimental people that we are, Joe and I both began reminiscing about memories we had in that sanctuary. We ended up in the balcony where we sat down and began talking. I still suspected nothing.
We’d been talking for quite some time about our future when I heard one of my favorite songs begin playing. I immediately said, "I don't want to talk about our future anymore because it's just making me depressed. Let's talk about something else, ok?"

Before I knew what was happening, Joe got down on his knee and said, “Ok, then...Will you marry me?”

I was thinking, “What? I know you’re just trying to make me feel better and all, but this really isn’t a nice joke. I really don’t want you to ask me that until our engagement.” Yes, I was pretty dumb. But, I didn’t want to not reply. So I quietly and slowly replied, “Yeeeeeees.”

Without taking his eyes off of me, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen. My eyes about popped out! I looked at him with bewilderment and gasped, “Is this for real?!?” He got a huge smile and nodded. I immediately started crying. I couldn’t believe what was happening! I don’t think I have ever been so shocked in my entire life!

All of a sudden, a thought came to me. “Do my parents know about this?” I asked him. Again, he nodded. After I had composed myself somewhat, he gave me a beautiful rose exactly like the very first one he had given me. It was then that I realized that he was the one who had arranged for the lights to be dimmed and the music to be playing in the background. We stayed in the sanctuary for about an hour making phone calls to tell our exciting news after which he took me out for a romantic lunch at Olive Garden.
We kept asking each other, "Can you believe we’re getting married?” It was the most surreal feeling. After our lunch, we went back to the church to take a bunch of pictures.

Four months later on August 1st, we pledged our love and united in marriage before God and many witnesses. As I look back on the journey that God took us, it is a reminder to me that God’s plans are so much better than ours. He has truly given me so much more than I ever imagined. Every day I am amazed by how wonderful Joe is for me. There are so many qualities that he has that I wouldn’t have even ever thought to ask for. But God knew exactly what I needed and gave me everything I desired in a future spouse, plus more!

I want to encourage each of you to never, ever doubt that God is able and willing to do so much more than you could ever imagine. Jeremiah 32:27 says, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is anything too hard for Me?” Many of you are probably waiting. Waiting for wisdom, waiting to be done with school, waiting for a future spouse, waiting for direction for your life. I think the hardest trials always involve waiting. Don’t give up hope! God knows your needs and desires even better than you do and He will fulfill these in His perfect time.

Isaiah 30:18 says, “And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him.” So often I tend to think that if only I could do it my way, right now, it would be exactly perfect. But, time and time again, I see that waiting on God only brings better things. Things I could never, in my wildest imaginations, have dreamed of. God is able to do exceeding abundantly above ALL that we ask or even think!

I'm hoping in the near future to do a few posts about pulling off our wedding and honeymoon on a small budget, as well as more details and pictures of our wedding week and honeymoon. If there's anything you are interested in hearing about, leave me a comment (or email me) and I'll try to include that in the posts.

Page from My Journal series ...

2010-05-07T11:16:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to let you all know that our Page from My Journal series will be resuming again this next Tuesday. My apologies for not getting it posted the last two weeks. We still have a few more people lined up to do it, but we're quickly running out of volunteers. If you would like to participate in it, please email me at modestpatterns AT sbcglobal.net.

Thank you for your patience!

Weekly Poll - May 7th

2010-05-07T10:45:00.006-05:00

It's once again time for our weekly poll! Last week's question asked how many times a week you cooked a meal. Here are the results:

0-2 times - 13%

3-4 times - 24%

5-7 times - 29%

8+ times - 34%

Wow. Some of you seriously cook a lot. And if you are cooking that much for more than 2 people, I'm very impressed!

Recently, the topic of reading has been on my mind. Basically because I've had a couple of evenings this past week where I actually had time to curl up with a good book. :) And I enjoyed it. So, that's what this week's poll question is about:How many books on average do you read (and finish) per month?

I thought of a million questions I could ask regarding this subject. Do you enjoy reading? How many books do you own? What kind of books do you most enjoy reading? Who is one of your favorite authors? How often do you frequent the library/bookstore? I could go on with my questions...but I think you get the idea. :)

I love reading, but I haven't had much time for it lately. Part of my problem is that I start a book, get half-way through, and then get busy and never finish it. Or else when I pick it up again, I've forgotten the first half so I have to go back and re-read it.

The above picture seemed to describe my reading life quite well. I always have at least 5 books on my nightstand - most of them being ones I'm "currently reading" - so when I do get a chance to read, I never know which one to pick up. :) Does anyone else have that problem?

So to answer this week's question...it all depends. Some months I can read up to four books and other months I read zero books. Maybe someday, I'll be as ambitious as some people I know who have a plan for the entire year of what books they will read (and finish!).

If you get a chance, I'd love to hear your answers to my questions above in the comments section. And if you have a suggestion for a good book or author, definitely pass that along as well.

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

The Color Yellow

2010-05-03T18:43:00.014-05:00

It all started this morning when Joe walked into the kitchen, saw me, and exclaimed, "You look so pretty in that yellow shirt!"

Yellow. Definitely not my favorite color and something I usually never wear. So this got me thinking about the color yellow. For some reason, I decided to try and see how many yellow objects I could find in our home. The results were interesting...

A yellow cord

Yellow cheese

Joe's yellow remote control helicopter

Organic yellow macaroni and cheese for lunch - yummy!

A yellow sponge and dish soap

Yellow juice

Molly's yellow bag

A yellow leaf on my geranium plant

The Yellow pages phonebook

Over-ripe, but still yellow, bananas

Tired of yellow? :) Look around your house and see how many yellow things you can find. I was surprised at how many things I actually did come up with. Plus, it was a fun way to use my camera.

Our Love Story - Part 1

2010-05-01T13:48:00.005-05:00

For those of you that have been begging, I am finally getting around to posting our love story. Today marks our 9-monthiversary since our wedding - so I figured it was a very appropriate day to post the first part of this story.

The story starts over 8 years ago, when Joe's family began attending our church. Although I frequently spoke with Joe's sister, Ellen, I really didn’t know the rest of the family. They were just another family at church. That all changed a little over a year later.

In the spring of 2003, I worked as a hostess for our annual Homeschool Convention. As God had planned it, Joe and Ellen were volunteering as host and hostess that year as well. During the weekend, Joe and I were able to get to know each other somewhat and although most of the interactions between the two of us were just a sentence or two, an instant bond was formed.

Over the course of the next couple of years, I grew to respect and admire Joe. As a girl in my teens, I naturally took notice of guys. Joe seemed to stand out from the rest. I loved the fact that he was very mature, but full of fun as well. He seemed to have so many wonderful qualities that I took note of. Our friendship continued to grow as we shared many experiences together during our high school years including field trips, church events, a couple of church dramas, and a week-long music camp.

By the time my senior year rolled around, it had become evident to me that my friendship with Joe was no longer “just a friendship”. Joe was fast becoming one of my closest friends and I realized that I liked him more than just a brother in Christ. One of the hardest struggles was the fact that there was no indication from him as to whether or not he considered me more than just a friend. I tried to push away the feelings I had for him. I would give everything up to God and make a commitment that I wasn't going to talk to Joe for a certain amount of time. When the the time was up (if I even made it that long!), I would feel like I was dying inside and immediately go back to talking to Joe as much as I could get away with. This became a continuous cycle.

At the end of my senior year of high school, I gave a senior recital. Joe also gave a senior recital. We both seemed to find great support in talking about the struggles of preparing, practicing and memorizing pieces for our recitals. We also both ended up graduating in our church's homeschool graduation ceremony. And since the letters of our last names fell closest together, that meant we walked down the aisle right next to each other, sat together, stood next to each other in pictures, etc. It was such a wonderful day and I enjoyed every minute I got to spend with Joe.

After our graduation, the struggle with my love for Joe became much worse. I thought, “If these feelings are wrong, then why can’t I get them to go away? And if God is putting this attraction there, then why isn’t He doing something about this relationship?” I begin to feel like I couldn’t wait or go on any longer. I was so ready to begin a relationship with Joe. But nothing was happening. I remember telling a close friend who came to visit me that the only way my struggle could be fixed was if I moved away and went to another church. She wisely reminded me that running from my problems wasn't the answer.

During this time, God gave me some verses from Isaiah which were of great comfort.

“Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength…But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles: they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Is. 40:28-29,30)

I read these verses and realized that just when I thought I was completely out of strength, God would give me more strength - strength to keep waiting and to keep trusting in Him. Another verse that I claimed was Ecclesiastes 3:11a which says,

"He hath made everything beautiful in His time."

I knew that in God's time, He would make this whole situation a beautiful thing. Whether it never became anything more or whether it blossomed into courtship. Although it was not exactly what I would have asked for, it was encouraging to know that God would keep supplying my strength and stamina to keep on waiting for His will and timing for my life.

A couple of things happened in the summer of 2007 which led me to believe that Joe only thought of me only as a friend and nothing more. It seemed God was asking me to give up what I wanted and instead be willing to accept His will for my future. I went back and forth, not willing to completely accept God’s will for my life. There was always a little fear in my heart that caused me to doubt whether God could really give me more than what I could see right now. In my mind, I had the perfect story of how everything should be. I have a huge imagination (something most people don't know about me!) which led my mind on many paths of what my future could hold. What seemed so hard for me was the fact that if I really gave up these dreams, God's plan just might not be as good.

Early in January of 2008, Mom and I attended the Wilds music camp and while there, God convicted me of doubting that He was able to do far more than I could ever imagine, if only I gave my dreams up to Him. During that time away from everyone and everything, I was able to really think about my life and how wrong I had been in trying to control it. Who was I to think my ideas were better than God's? I completely gave all my dreams and hopes to God and re-devoted my life to serving and honoring Christ. My prayer was that I would be willing to accept with joy whatever He had for me - whether it included marriage or not.

God flooded my heart with a indescribable peace and gave me great joy, both of which were a total surprise to me. I came back home very excited and looking forward to seeing where God would lead me.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Our Love Story...

Weekly Poll - April 30th

2010-04-30T10:09:00.005-05:00

Last week's poll results ended up being pretty even among all our readers. I find that amazing! Isn't it so wonderful how God created us all different? For those of you that are wondering what personality type I am...I actually think I am closest to Choleric. Yep - that's right. Are you surprised?

Here are the results:

Sanguine - 21%

Choleric - 24%

Phlegmatic - 28%

Melancholic - 28%

And now for this week's poll question:How many times a week do you cook?

Considering there's only one woman/girl in my household, I think my answer to that question is pretty obvious. :) But we also go to at least one of our parent's house for dinner each week, so if I'm honest, I only cook about 5-6 meals a week. I have a fabulous husband who would be happy to each the same thing every night and doesn't need lots of side dishes or bread to go with it. So, basically, I'm a pretty spoiled wife. I can cook one meal, make a salad, and we'll eat that for two nights in a row. Ahhhh -- I'm so blessed!

So what about you? How many times a week do you cook?

Taking Time to Smell the Roses...

2010-04-26T16:05:00.006-05:00

I don't know about you, but I'm a "doer". My mind is constantly thinking about all the things on my "list" - my mental list - that need to be done. The floor needs to be swept, the dishes need to be put away, a note needs to be written, I need to finish reading that borrowed book, the cat needs a bath, the groceries needs to be purchased, a phone call needs to be made...and on and on the list goes. It never ends.

Consequently, I'm not one to just sit down, listen to the wind, and "smell the roses". I thrive on busyness and feel so accomplished when I can get things checked off my list. Those moments of quietness that I do experience (whether it's lying in bed before I fall asleep or spending time with someone) are rarely ever real moments of quietness. I simply can't enjoy "being still" because I'm thinking about all the one hundred and one things I should be doing.

Two weeks ago, my husband and I went on a 2-1/2 day camp-out with his family. It was my first time to be on a real camp-out. When we arrived, it started raining. It rained the entire time. For 2-1/2 days straight. Previous to the camp-out, we had made big plans of hiking, climbing rocks, spending time with everyone around the campfire late at night, taking lots of pictures, etc. But instead, we spent our time trying to stay warm by huddling under a canopy during the day and burying ourselves inside our sleeping bags at night. Everything was cold, wet and muddy.Near the end of the trip, I was feeling like the entire weekend had been a waste of time. We hadn't even gotten to spend much time with Joe's family as the rain never stopped. But as we headed for home, watching the cloud-covered mountains fade in the distance, my brother-in-law (who was riding with us) said something that really challenged me.

"When we hiked to the top of the mountain (in the rain) yesterday, I could have stood at the top and stared at the beauty around me for hours. I just like to soak it all in and meditate on God's creation."

I had been a part of that hike too. And yet the entire time I had only thought about how cold I was, how my cell phone didn't work, and how I just wanted to go home so I could take a warm shower and get the mud off of me.

My brother-in-law went on to say that he thought those people who can't stop and take time to really enjoy and soak in God's beautiful creation miss out on so much in life. Needless to say, that hit home for me.

Ever since then, I've been mulling over his comments. While I might think the mountains are pretty, or the flower in my garden is lovely, how often do I really stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God. (Job 37:14) Am I so busy (and enjoying the busyness) that I don't ever take time to soak up the works of my awesome God?In Psalm 46, God Himself commands His children to "Be still, and know that I am God." (vs 10) If I never take time to know God by experiencing and learning about His creation, I won't ever really know Him. There is so much we can learn from God when we study and enjoy the things He made. Listening to the trees rustle in the wind, hearing the birds sweetly sing, watching the brightly colored flowers grow in your garden, looking in awe at the majestic mountains, and enjoying the presence of your children/spouse.

So my challenge to you today...take time to smell the roses! Every single day.

Weekly Poll - April 23rd

2010-04-23T09:54:00.006-05:00

Last night, I was getting ready to post the weekly poll when my wonderful husband came home and told me that we were going to have a "date". He listed off a bunch of things we could do and left the decision up to me. He's so sweet! We ended up spending the evening reading the Bible together, reading/discussing a chapter in our Night Light: A Devotional for Couples book (I love this book!), painting my toe-nails and finger-nails (did I mention I have a wonderful husband??), and talking. Sometimes it's just fun to drop everything and take time to enjoy each others company. And that is where I'm so thankful for my husband, because I am not one to stop what I'm doing just to take time and "smell the roses". We definitely balance each other out in a very good way!

I was thoroughly impressed with how many of you keep journals and write in them regularly. It was definitely an inspiration - so thank you all!

Do you keep a journal/diary?

Yes - 75%

No - 25%

How often do you write in your journal?

Every day - 22%

Once a week - 38%

Once a month - 9%

Less than once a month - 31%

Remember how I mentioned above that my husband and I balance each other out because of our different personalities. Well, that just happens to be what this week's poll is about:

Which personality type are you?

I love studying about personality types, spiritual gifts, differences between men and women's behavior, etc. so this poll question is one I've been wanting to ask for a while. :) Some of you may not be familiar with the four personalities so I've listed some details about them below.

Sanguine: Social-type, enjoys fun things and events, easily makes new friends, the entertainment provider at group interactions, tendency to over-promise, has a hard time getting things done, thoughtful and sensitive

Choleric: ambitious, lots of energy, a doer, commander, strong, very decisive (and sometimes stubborn), confident

Phlegmatic: easy-going, laid back, self-content, consistent, observant, relaxed, likes a peaceful environment, affectionate, dependable

Melancholic: thinker, list-maker, highly creative, independent, often a perfectionist, can easily over-analyze, ponderer

While studying these personality types, I came across this easy simplification of each type: "A Choleric likes it 'my way', a Melancholy likes it 'the right way', a Sanguine likes it 'the fun way', and a Phlegmatic likes it 'the easy way' ."

Don't you think it's so wonderful that God gave each of us a different personality? He knew we needed order, creativity, relaxation and even a little fun! :) So, which personality type did God give you?

You're going to have to wait a week to find out which type yours truly is...because this week, I want you all to guess. :) Leave me a comment telling me what personality type you think I am (those of you that know me can help me out as I still am not 100% sure!).

And then go vote in our poll, telling me which personality type YOU possess.

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-04-20T11:21:00.010-05:00

I'm Kayla, a 19-year-old girl living at home, striving to glorify the Lord in everything I do, and fall more in love with Him each day. I’m the oldest of ten children and absolutely love living in a large family. In June of 2009, I graduated from high school after being homeschooled my whole life. I am currently a distance-learning student at Verity Institute, an accelerated college program, where I am majoring in English. This day in my life is about as “normal” as it gets around here.

8:22am – I open my eyes to a bright and sunny Wednesday morning. Looking at the verses I have posted on the bottom of my sister’s bed above me, I meditate on 1 Peter 3 for a few minutes while trying to fully wake up. I decide to get up, but can’t make the bed yet because my 2 ½- year-old sister, Charity, is still asleep. After pulling on my sneakers and putting my hair up, I start my workout routine (The 30-Day Shred) in our clothing room, where there’s a large, open floor area.

9:04am – Satisfied with a good workout, I head to the kitchen to start the morning pot of coffee. While in the kitchen, Charity comes walking in after waking up, so I talk and cuddle with her for a few minutes as well as change her diaper. Then I shower, dress, and get ready for my day.

9:40am – After making my bed and grabbing myself a cup of coffee, I sit down with my Bible for reading and prayer. I read some portions of 2 Samuel, John, and Proverbs. Sometime during my reading, Stephanie (17) notifies me that breakfast is ready. She made poached eggs on toast. Yum!

10:30am – I sit down to start studying my Social Sciences & History CLEP prep book. I’ve been studying the subject for a week and a half now and will be taking the test in two days. After just a few minutes, I’m called to Wisdom Search, our family devotion time. We usually have Wisdom Search earlier in the morning, but we’ve all had a late start today due to a late evening with company the night before.

11:10am – Today’s Wisdom Search, which consists of reading a chapter of Matthew and praying, concludes and Dad is off to work. I fix him his travel mug with coffee and we all say our goodbyes. Then, as the primary dishwasher in the family, I proceed to wash the breakfast dishes.

11:25am – Back to studying… I read several chapters of my textbook including one on sociology. The material is interesting, but not the most edifying since it’s from a secular viewpoint and I do my best to view the concepts through the lens of Scripture.

12:50pm – Time for a study break. Allison (15) has told me that she is finished writing her blog post for today’s verse in our Scripture memory challenge and would like me to read it. I get on the computer to read her post and publish it and then I check my e-mail and bloglines.

1:30pm – Lunchtime! We have leftovers to eat. After finishing and tidying up a bit, I read the mail which has just arrived and then get ready to go out.

2:00pm – Stephanie, Allison, and I are out running errands. We go to Ross to find some Hawaiian-looking outfits to wear to a party this weekend and some gifts for different friends, Goodwill to drop of a donation, Publix for some groceries Mom needed, and JoAnn’s for some craft supplies for different projects we’re working on.

5:00pm – We’re finally home. I unload and load the dishwasher again, wash the remaining dishes, tidy up the kitchen and surrounding areas, wrap up the gifts we’ve just purchased so they’re ready for the weekend, and write a note to a friend who just got married. Then I sit down to get some more studying in before dinner.

6:35pm – Time for dinner. Mom has made a delicious meal of ritzy chicken, squash, salad, and bread.

7:15pm – I take Stephanie over to the church we used to attend where she still volunteers at the library. This is a job I did until I passed the baton to her after starting college. I usually drop her off, but this time I decided to stay and visit the other librarians since I haven’t seen them in awhile. Tommy (7), Matthew & Mark (4), have also come along to read and play. After chatting with some people, I sit down to study a bit in between reading books to the boys.

8:25pm – Steph’s shift at the library is over, and it’s time to run just a few more errands. At Ross earlier in the day, I had accidentally purchased something in the wrong size, so I quickly exchanged the item for the right size. Our next stop is JoAnn’s (again) for a piece of fabric Mom needs.

9:15pm – We arrive home. After chatting with Mom, I wash the dinner dishes, take out my contacts, and get ready for bed. Then I fix myself a bowl of Neapolitan ice cream and sit down at the computer to unwind a bit, check e-mail, and schedule the next day’s blog post.

10:30pm – I go into the family room to find my family watching a movie and sit down to join them. While watching, I add the refill pages we purchased at the craft store to a scrapbook.

11:07pm – I’m in bed, meditating on the goodness of God, and drifting off to some much-needed sleep.

Weekly Poll - April 15th

2010-04-15T20:28:00.009-05:00

I was elated to see so many "kindred spirits" (yes, I'm an Anne of Green Gables lover) out there. Glad to know many of you all love flip flops as much as I do! Here are the results from last week's poll question:

How well do you like flip-flops?

I love them and can't wait to pull them out each summer. - 58%

I have a few pairs, but they're not my favorite shoe. - 12%

They're okay. I wear them once in a while. - 23%

You'll never see me wearing flip flops. Ever. - 6%

This next poll question is to inspire me. Well, at least I hope it does. :)

Do you keep a journal/diary?

You see, ever since I was old enough to write, I've kept a journal. Writing out what is happening in my life has always been very important to me. Being able to put on paper my thoughts and feelings is very helpful for me, especially when I'm discouraged or in a tough spot in life. And one of my favorite pastimes is to go back and read through my journals, seeing what God has done in my life, the answered prayers, and how many times He has brought me through trials. It is truly encouraging. Of course, my favorite journal entries are the ones about Joe -- long before I ever knew he was interested in me, I was writing about my interest in him. :)

But recently, as in the past several months, I have gotten so busy that I can't seem to find the time to write in my journal. And the longer it gets between entries, the longer I wait, because I know that there's going to be so many things to write about. Tonight I pulled out my journal. The last entry was back in December. For me, that's really sad. I used to journal at least once a week.

But I really want to become more faithful about writing on a regular basis, so I'm looking for some inspiration. I'd love to know how many of you keep a journal/diary. And if you do, how often you write in it. If you want to inspire me even more, leave me a comment telling me how you fit it in to your schedule. :)

And while I'm on the subject, I just have to show you my journal. It's the cutest journal ever (thanks to my brother for finding it for me)!And the back of it -- isn't this darling? :)

So, this week there's two polls. If you answer yes in the first poll, you get to vote in the second poll. :)

Of Kitchen Disasters...

2010-04-15T20:00:00.005-05:00

Joe had to be away this evening until late, so I decided to make use of the time by cooking.

I started out by mixing up a batch of Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes. These are one of my favorite pancake recipes and since I haven't had them for several months, I was excited to make them. I was also looking forward to using the griddle which my parents gave to me as a wedding gift. It's a really spiffy digital one -- and I just assumed the pancakes would cook at 425 degrees. That's the temperature they always cook at, right? (This was the first time I was using it for pancakes.) I dropped the batter onto the griddle and listened to it sizzle.

While those were cooking, I began peeling apples to make Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce. We had 3 apples that have been in our refrigerator for almost a month. Up until now, I just haven't taken the time to use them in cooking (they aren't the kind you eat by themselves!), but tonight was the perfect opportunity.

I was halfway through the second apple when I smelled something burning. Not cluing in to the smell, I just finished peeling the apple. But then I realized that the smell was getting really strong. Ahhh...my pancakes.

Quickly I grabbed my spatula and flipped the first one. Burnt. Usually, if the first one is burned, that means the last one isn't too bad. But as I flipped them one by one, I realized that they were all burnt. Every. Single. One. Black and crisp.

Of course, since there's only two of us, I had cut the recipe in half which meant that the eight that were burned were well over half the pancake batter. Oh well. You learn by mistake, right? I immediately turned the griddle down to 300 degrees and resumed peeling apples.Gratefully, the last few pancakes turned out okay. Probably because I was closely monitoring them this time.

By now, the apples were on the stove cooking and I was looking for something to eat for dinner. Burritos sounded good and I thought it would be fantastic to "grill" one on my griddle. I left a burrito on the griddle for a good 15 minutes while I consumed a salad. When it felt hot and crispy, I took it off and began to chow down. But it only took a few bites for me to realize that it was majorly undercooked. The cheese wasn't even melted. The beans were cold. But the outside was crispy. So I peeled off the outside layer and ate that, throwing the rest away.

Suddenly, a very familiar burnt smell reached my nose. The apples! But apples don't burn, right? Or do they?

I lifted the lid of the pot to discover black apples. Yes, black. I learn something new every day.

Needless to say, right then and there I gave up on any other cooking plans I had for tonight.

Isaiah 51:12-13

2010-04-14T20:48:00.004-05:00

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-04-13T12:20:00.007-05:00

My name is Rachel; I am 14 years old. I love Yeshua with all my heart and strive to please Him in every way possible. Even though I wish I had a big family with a lot of siblings, I instead have only one brother who is turning 17. (We may be able to foster a little girl though, which I am so excited about!) One day I hope to live on a farm with lots of children. I am not a city girl and never will be. I absolutely love dogs, especially Golden and Labrador Retrievers.:) And I try and live life to the fullest. You can check my blog out at Peculiar Treasures.

A Saturday in My Life

8:00am - Time to get up! After eating breakfast, I begin my morning routine of feeding the dogs and checking my e-mail.

Roxy

9:45am - I shower and get ready for the day.

10:20am - I'm ready for the day and I decide to finish watching a movie that I started last night.

11:40am - Time to practice piano! I only started about a month and a half ago so I'm not that good, but I love playing. :)

12:05pm - I'm hungry for lunch. Today I eat 2 vegetarian sausages and 2 rice cakes. I don't eat pork and regular sausage has pork in it, so I eat vegetarian ones instead. I am also allergic to gluten (which is in bread) so I can't eat bread. This is very hard for me because I love bread; but I will get such bad tummy cramps and constant stinging as a result if I eat it.

12:45pm - After checking my email again, I blog a bit.

1:15pm - My mom comes back from shopping and I look at what she bought. Today she just got things for her bed. After looking it over, I go back to the internet.

1:30pm - This afternoon, I'm going to a friend's house. So I begin getting ready.

1:40pm - Off to head to my friend's house. Today, we decide to dress up in olden day outfits and take pictures. We have a lot of fun! We also watch the movie, 'Fiddler on the Roof'. I absolutely love that movie and think it is so funny.

Talia and me

6:00pm - I'm back home. My mom has a bad headache and can't cook dinner tonight, so my parents and I hop in the car to go get something for dinner. We take a long time deciding on what to get and getting the food because everyone wants something different.

7:00pm - We finally arrive back. We eat dinner and then I feed my dogs.

Max

8:00pm - I work on typing a post on my blog.

8:15pm - Our family sits down to watch a movie together.

10:30pm - Time to get ready for bed. It's the evening routine of washing my face, brushing my teeth, etc.

10:40pm - Once I'm ready for bed, I spend time praying and reading God's Word.

11:00pm - It's the weekend which means I go to bed later. :) I read a little bit before heading to bed.

11:30pm - I'm in bed!

Is this something you would like to be a part of? I'd love to hear from you. We are in need of people who are willing to chronicle a day in their life to post on this blog. If you are interested, please email me: modestpatterns @ sbcglobal.net (remove spaces)

Weekly Poll - April 8th

2010-04-08T20:20:00.009-05:00

Wow! What a whirlwind the past two weeks have been. I want to say thank you to all of you for your patience and for allowing me to skip last week's poll in order to tend to the needs of my house and husband since I had been gone so much. You all are the greatest!

Since the poll lasted a bit longer, it gave more people the opportunity to vote. Looking at the difference between the results from a week ago and the results today, I'm actually quite glad we had this poll up for two weeks.

What Color Is Your Hair?

Brown - 69%

Auburn - 8%

Black - 4%

Blond - 10%

Red - 6%

Grey/White - 0%

So my prediction was correct...there are a lot of brown headed readers out there. :) And I'm definitely not surprised.

With the warmer weather, I have began digging through storage to find summer clothes and shoes. Of course, I love this time of year so it's always great fun to do this. But there's one thing I look forward to when I'm pulling out summer stuff more than anything else.Flip flops! I love flip flops.

If I could, I would wear flip flops everywhere. They're so comfy (most of them, anyway!); they're super cute; and they come in such fun colors and styles. I am a barefoot girl at heart, so naturally any kind of shoe that is close to bare feet instantly calls my name.

Believe it or not, I've been known to do this more than once.
I even wore silver flip flops to my wedding. They weren't anything fancy- not even sparkly - but the $5 I paid for them has long since paid off as I still am wearing them everywhere today. The photographer thought I was joking when I put them on. But little did he know how crazy I am about flip flops. :)

In my opinion, the most wonderful kind of flip flops are the heeled ones - and if they have flowers (and just happen to be purple) - that's my kind of shoe!
Today I told my husband that I needed to go shopping. Amidst other things (like free coupon items!), I think it's time for me to invest in some more $2 flip flops. Seriously. I only have a couple of used pairs for this summer. And considering they're my staple summer shoe, I think it will be well worth the few dollars spent.

Because they'll most likely be pulled out again next summer. And the next.

And even if I'm the only one wearing them because they've long since gone out of style, they'll still be my favorite shoe of all time.

We're Having A Sale!

2010-04-07T22:20:00.008-05:00

I fell in love with these aprons from Marie-Madeline Studio the moment I saw them. And they're just as much fun to wear as they are to look at! So we're having a sale...

From now through Saturday, April 10th, you can get any of these apron patterns for only $6.97! So hurry and get yours here before it's too late.
Don't forget to buy some cute fabric for your apron. Fabric.com has some really cute spring fabric you should definitely check out. Like this Fresh Poppies Green, or the lovely Tropical Paradise.

And who knows, after you purchase your favorite apron pattern and some cute spring fabric and finish sewing it, you'll probably just want to don your new apron and mix up a batch of Sugar cookies.
To eat with some ice-cold lemonade while sitting outside, soaking up the sun and this beautiful Spring weather!

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

2010-04-06T11:18:00.007-05:00

My name is Julianna! I’m twenty, turning twenty-one in June (I’m very excited). I was homeschooled all my life, graduated from high school in 2008, and am now a stay-at-home daughter working in the family business, while trying to soak up homemaking skills from my excellent mom. I teach 17 piano students on Mondays and Wednesdays, and am currently trying to prepare them all for a recital in May. When it comes to faith, my family and I are Christians, practicing Judaism. Every day in my week is so incredibly different, I had trouble choosing which one to blog. I chose Thursday, since it’s one of my favorite days – I don’t teach piano that day, and sometimes it almost feels like a vacation!

Julianna (left) and her sister

5:30am - The beautiful strains of classical music fill the room. Our alarm is set to 89.9 WDAV, the local classical music station. It’s a lot better waking up to that, rather than an annoying beep or buzz. I sit up and start my morning prayers. They begin with the Prayer Upon Arising (Modah Ani), which is one of my favorites:

“I gratefully thank You, O Living and Eternal King, for you have returned my soul within me with compassion – abundant is Your faithfulness!”

Other prayers included, among others, are the Prayer for Livelihood, Torah Blessing, Sh’ma, Wayfarer’s Prayer, and even the Prayer for a Suitable Mate. After I’m done, I get up and do my quick morning routine of face-cleansing and mouth-washing.

5:50am - Still in my pajamas, I curl up on my bed with a book. I’m very close to being done with Home, by Julie Andrews (a memoir of her early years), so I go ahead and finish it up. Very charming, sweet, and funny – just like her. Not all actresses are Miley Cyruses and Heather Grahams, thank goodness.

6:38am - Finished reading, I get up, make my bed, get dressed, do my make-up and hair, etc. This wakes my two sisters, with whom I share a room. Normally, Christine (two years younger than me) is up already, with me, but she’s not feeling well today, so she slept in a little. Mary, my youngest sister, normally waits until the last second to get up. Today, I choose an ankle-length sundress tie-died in my signature color (a turquoise blue) – it’s going to be over 80 degrees in Charlotte!

7:06am - Normally, this is when I check my mail and phone and catch up on any messages I may have received, but our email is actually down. It’s been down for the past two days. However, my dad managed to get the Internet back up yesterday, so I write a quick post on the book I finished yesterday, Outwitting the Gestapo. I’m reading through Holocaust books right now, in an effort to understand the events of that time period, and somehow feel a little more connected to the suffering of God’s people.

7:40am - I join my family in the family room for what we like to call the Sit’n’Sip. 7:30 used to be breakfast time, but gradually, we all stopped eating breakfast. No particular reason, other than we just weren’t hungry! Occasionally my sister Mary (15 and still growing) or my 17-year-old brother will have something. As I enter the room, my sisters point out the cool shadow effect happening on our wall, due to the bouquet of daisies, potted tulips, and wooden lamb sitting on the table. I grab my camera for a picture. I love the result, because it personifies our life right now: the daisies are in an empty horseradish jar, leftover from our Passover celebration on Monday evening. We used them to decorate our seder tables. The tulips are a hostess gift from my great-aunt, who attended the seder, and is a model guest. To me, they are a symbol of our family’s hospitality – my parents, especially my father, are responsible for that. The lamb is a Jim Shore Heartwood Creek figurine, and we put it out every Passover season. It is very special to me.
8:52am - Thursday mornings, I like to go over to the local Caribou Coffee and meet up with a few other knitters in our area. We knit, chat, and have great coffee all morning. However, this morning, not many people will be able to make it. In fact, only one woman says she’s going to come, so we invite her to come to our house instead of the Caribou. The coffee is better, and free! She says she’ll arrive between 10:00 and 10:30, so I use this empty window of time to go do a lot of errands. I drive all over Charlotte and Matthews, making a drop-off at Goodwill, visiting our homeopathic doctor for some refills on supplements, the grocery store, the UPS store, the Vitamin Shoppe, the jeweler, and even the Backyard Wild store, where we buy their homemixed bird seed. Finally, I head home.

10:41am - Three minutes after I walk through the door, armed with packages and bags, Mrs. Lindsey (our fellow knitter) arrives! Mrs. Lindsey is in her sixties, and is one of the sweetest women I know. She has been a family friend for years, and is now busy knitting and sewing for her grandchildren. She has the most magnificent way with words, and writes the best thank-you notes EVER. When I’m in my sixties, I want to be just like her. :) Anyway, we all get some coffee & try the “matzah brei” that my sisters made while I was gone, as she starts to tell us about her experience needle-felting in January. We are currently celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev 23:5-8), so we don’t have any cakes or cookies on hand to serve; having cleaned out all leaven (yeast, baking powder, baking soda, etc.) from our homes before the Feast began, we can’t eat or make anything like that, either! The brei was really good, though! It was a lot like French toast. Definitely a recipe to keep on hand. We served it with jelly and marmalade. Yum.

1:02pm - Mrs. Lindsey stayed for about three hours! We had a great time – knitting, talking about her grandchildren, my piano students, traveling, the knitting tea party we went to last week, and various other subjects. I had two knitting projects that just needed finishing, so I got that done. Mrs. Lindsey worked on a striped scarf, and my mother made a lot of headway on a lacy sweater she’s making. Morgan, my older sister, joined us around 12:00, and did a few rows on her own sweater. It was a fun time. After waving goodbye to Mrs. Lindsey, I head into the kitchen to make some iced tea. It’s hot in Matthews!

1:15pm - I work for my father on Thursday afternoons. He owns his own business (IT), and runs it from our home. All five of his children work for him. Morgan is his Chief Operations Officer (COO), Christine and I do the accounting (she’s Accounts Receivable, I’m Accounts Payable – but I supervise everything in that realm), Peter is our senior technician, and Mary is Logistics Manager. My father is a generous boss, we have flexible hours, and the commute is unbeatable. Today, I send out some invoices, check on questions for customers, order a product from a vendor, and finish up tickets. I feel very productive, even though the email isn’t working yet.

2:57pm - Finished with my bookkeeping for my dad, I work on some figures for my client down in Georgia. Having worked in accounting for almost nine years, I now freelance for a few companies. For my Georgia client, I do data entry and manage his payroll. This time, I have a little trouble getting into his computer – there’s somebody else logged on. So I leave it and go outside to enjoy the warm weather and get some much-needed summer color!

3:33pm - Having finished Outwitting the Gestapo and having written the post, I decide to start my next Holocaust book, We Are Witnesses. I never like to start the next book on my list unless I’ve posted on the one I finished first. Otherwise I get my facts confused. We Are Witnesses is truly touching. It’s diaries of five teenagers who died in the Holocaust, so you can imagine how tragic it is.

4:05pm - Morgan asks me to read her Holy Week post. I do, and we have a great discussion about the differences and similarities between Christianity and Judaism. Morgan is intellectual and a leader; it’s great to have deep conversations with my sister. Encouraging.

4:30pm - Thursdays are one of my cooking nights, with my sister Christine. However, tonight is special! Us five “kids” have been invited to Greg’s house. Greg Bartos is the young man courting Morgan. He has invited the five of us over, and he and his sister are cooking us dinner. They are so sweet. We don’t need to leave until around 5:15pm, though. So I head back into the “lab” (the room in our house we use for business) and try to finish my work for my client in Georgia. The computer still won’t let me in, so I give him a call [side note: I HATE THE PHONE]. He gives me a temporary solution, but that doesn’t work. I send him an email (yes, the email is working again!!) and tell him I’ll finish tomorrow morning. There are still a few minutes until we leave, so I go ahead and get some piano practice in. I don’t take piano lessons anymore, but I accompany a homeschool choir on Tuesdays, and I’ve been asked to play in a graduation coming up – both need so much practice! Yikes!

5:17pm - Christine is not coming to dinner tonight, since she’s not well. So the four of us pile into Morgan’s vanilla VW bug and drive down to Fort Mill, stopping on the way to pick up some movie snacks (Greg has recommended a movie, and we’re watching it together tonight). As the scenery flies by, I try to recite my Ephesians verses (my sister and I have memorized one-and-a-half chapters so far!); I do ok, but the drive is a little too hypnotic – I keep losing my place!

6:08pm - The Bartos residence is smelling wonderful. Mrs. Bartos is at a table with a student she’s tutoring, and Greg and his sister Adriah are in the kitchen finishing the cooking. They’ve made rice, broccoli, and a salad, cut up an organic rotisserie chicken from Earth Fare, and set the table beautifully. Dinner is a lot of fun, as we laugh about different things happening in our lives. Morgan tells a funny food story about her visit to a university; Adriah relives a few of her old April Fools’ jokes; Greg mentions the time he and a few friends put chicken bouillon cubes into the shower head at college, so freshmen ended up showering in chicken broth. He was quite the prankster. He’s obviously wised up, though – his school just named him Student of the Month for April. We are very proud of him, and can’t wait for him to become a true part of our family.

8:32pm - We take a break from the movie to have jasmine tea, which Greg bought specifically for this occasion. The movie centers around India and its people, and apparently jasmine tea is very popular there. How apropos. So, sipping our tea and popping the occasional movie snack into our mouth, we finish the film.

9:30pm - It takes exactly 30 minutes to get home from the Bartos’ house, and we have a 10:00 curfew. The movie finishes right on time, and we quickly get our stuff together and leave. Morgan puts the windows down on the way home, since it’s still about 70 degrees. It’s a beautiful night!

10:01pm - We pop our heads into our parents’ room, where they are getting ready for bed and watching a Law & Order. We don’t have a TV, but they like to download episodes from Netflix and watch one or two before bed. They say it helps them relax. I’ve never actually seen one. Our parents ask all the normal questions – how was the movie, what did you have for dinner, did you have a good time. You know the drill. We say goodnight.

10:21pm - After getting ready for bed, I run downstairs to check my mail one last time, and sure enough, all the mail I’ve missed for the past three days has showed up in my inbox – 42 messages! I scan through it, looking for anything important. Nothing there to keep me up, though, thank goodness! I run back upstairs and say my evening prayers, the Bedtime Sh’ma. As I fall asleep, I suddenly remember that I was going to blog about today – and I start drafting it in my mind.

Pictures from Last Week

2010-04-05T21:44:00.016-05:00

My sister and her family were in town last week. We had a jammed packed week filled with all sorts of fun. It was a great opportunity to put my camera to use taking tons of pictures. :) Below are some of my favorites.

Hudson and Silas playing

The two "mommies"...the girls loved Alexis

Baby Alexis - my newest niece

Hudson

The 45 meals that my sister, sister-in-law and I cooked one morning. My freezer is completely stocked now...

An outing to the zoo - We thoroughly enjoyed the gorgeous weather!

I love this picture!

We saw lions napping...

And laughed watching Kathrynne and Cadence hold hands everywhere they went.

Kathrynne went up to this map and stared at it for a long time. I thought it was just too cute!

Easter Sunday - the little girls picking out gifts from their great-grandparents with help from my bro-in-law

Matching shirts! (Kaitlynn, Kathrynne and Cadence)

With my best friend - my wonderful hubby, Joe!

I bribed her for this picture -- a spoonful of ice-cream! :)