All Around Fun Times

I am back!  We have been very busy lately.  If we hadn't been, I think I would have blogged more frequently. :)

Today we had a slave day at our house.  "What is a slave day?" you may ask.  Well, I will tell you.  Last fall we went to a Mennonite Youth Group dinner and auction.  At the auction we bought a slip of paper that said slave day.  Today the youth group came to our house.  The group consisted of about 12 boys and 5 girls.  They were all unmarried; ages 15 1/2 to around 27 (I think).
They came at 9:00 in the morning and stayed until around 5:30 at night.  The boys cut and split wood.  The girls weeded the garden and cleaned up sticks from the wood that was being chopped.  It was very nice to have them do all of that work.  I made lunch for everyone and cleaned the house while they were here.  Mommy had Nathanael outside with her most of the day.  He was very happy! :)  

Our last day for the Homeschool Orchestra was yesterday.  Classes will not resume again until August.  It is rather sad, but not really.  I think we will be so busy that we will hardly notice we are missing it.

I have been busy with other things as well.  Let's see... being a page at the SHEM convention...babysitting five children under the age of five... Orchestra and Orchestra concerts... Silver Dollar City... and I think that's about it. :P

I am auditioning for the Springfield Youth Symphony on the 31st, so I'd appreciate it if you would be praying for me about that.  I would really like to get into the Youth Symphony, if it is God's will! :)

Little Things

I am at home without the baby (Nathanael) for the first day in my life since he was born!!  It is amazing how much time a baby can take.  However, our baby is rather special, he takes a lot of time.  I believe my mother calls him a high need child.  His mind is constantly moving, and so is he.  He is always busy; playing, moving, and at the same time making an awful mess of things. :)  So, for us to keep up with him takes a lot of energy.  I recently babysat 5 children ages 4, 3, 2, 1, and 1 month.  All of them together were less work than Nathanael is!  :)

It has been raining for about a week here.  We were flooded in for a day once, but I am so thankful for the rain!  I would rather it be raining, than for it to be too hot. :)  Listening to the awesome thunder and watching the lightening from the storms brought this Psalm to my mind.
   
O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
  Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
  When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
  What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
  For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
  Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
  All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
  The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
  O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Psalms 8


Isn't it amazing?!  The God of all the universe cares about man.  More than that, he cares about me and you!  He visits us, he is always with us.  Doesn't it just awe you?  Praise God!

Conversation and Busy Life

Well, I have decided that I am not a very frequent blogger.  I dared to think when I first created this blog that I was "going to blog at least every week, if not more often".  Well, that didn't happen. :P  I really have been meaning to post for a long time (over a month to be exact), but it just hasn't happened. :)

What things that are happening to make me so busy?  Well, my baby brother (Nathanael) is now almost eleven months old.  He is getting to move so fast!  You can hardly turn your back on him one minute, before he's into something. :)  He is so adorable, though; all the ladies love him because he smiles at them. :)

This month was my flute performance and contest month.  First I had my Federation music contest, on the 5th.  On the 19th, I performed in an MSU Flute Day competition and on the 26th I had my recital.  All of these require lots of practice, which I do late at night, after the baby is in bed. :)

My mother and I are having a Preparing to be a Help Meet class at our church.  It is a lot of fun!  Currently we have 9 girls attending ranging in age from 12 to 19, but mostly younger girls.  We are also doing a modesty section, in the class, where we learn what clothing that we wear would be a stumbling block to guys.  It is very interesting, and has been quite an eye opener for me.

My verses for this month are 1Peter 1:13-21
Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace which is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 
As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 
But as he which has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 
Because it is written: Be ye holy; for I am holy.  
And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:  
Forasmuch as ye know that ye are not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by the tradition of your fathers;  
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.  
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 
Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

I was supposed to memorize two verses a month, but I decide this would be a good passage for the whole month.  In our "Preparing" class at the beginning of the month we were doing a word study on conversation.  In my study I was surprised by the fact that conversation means your whole mannerism.  Your attitude, mood, actions, words... pretty much everything that has to do with yourself.  So, when the Bible says be ye holy in all manner of conversation, it really means all.  Just imagine, if all Christians were holy in all manner of conversation, what a different world we would have.  If every Christian's attitude, actions and words were holy, how could anyone fault us?  Don't you think that people would see Jesus in that?  Anyway, that has been my thoughts for the month. :) 

Valentine's Day Thoughts

Well, it's Valentine's Day!  A time to remember your family, special friends and of course, if you have one, your valentine.  I am thinking about my future valentine today!

One of the ways that I help my future valentine is by praying for him.  I think one of the most important things to pray, in helping him, is that his parents would have wisdom in raising him.  It doesn't really matter how old he might be, or how many siblings he has.  His parents still need wisdom and guidance on how to nurture him in the Lord.

Another thing I pray is that he would abound in his love of God.  That he would keep growing in the Lord, and that he would have a vision for the things of Jesus.  If he has a vision for Jesus, he won't be easily distracted.  He won't be hanging out with other girls because he knows that there is no value in that.  God has something better waiting for him.  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.  1Corinthians 2:9

Something else I like to do is pray for myself.  That God would strengthen me and prepare me so that later I will be a worthy help meet for my future husband.  I know that God will let my future husband find me, just when I'm ready.  No, I don't know who he is, and I am not planning on getting married soon.  I am simply preparing, so I will be ready... when the time comes. :)

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.  Delight thyself in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass.  He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.  Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.  Psalms 37:3-7

I understand that this might be a different concept, to pray for your future husband instead of praying for a husband.  By praying it helps me to trust God, to realize that he really is going to bring it to pass.

I want the first valentine I ever have to be my future husband.  He will be the most special valentine ever, because he will be the only valentine I have ever had.  Happy Valentine's Day!!! 

First Post! :)

Hello new blogging world to which I am greatly inexperienced!  I think, since this is my first post, I should write a little bit about what kind of things I will be putting on this blog.  Mainly I want to write about the things I am learning through reading God's word, and lessons he has been teaching me.  I love my Savior dearly, he is my everything!  I hope that through reading about what I am learning will be a blessing and encouragement to you!!

I love to cook!  I have been cooking for my family since I was little bitty :) so if I try any recipes that I find are great I'll post them so you can try them out. :)

I'll also be posting about my family and life here on the farm.  And maybe about my adorable baby brother (currently 9 months old) who is 15 years younger than I am, which makes him very special.  :)  

Well, those are the things I am going to write about.  I'll write more later!