New Year's Tag

Today is the very last day in 2008! Can you believe it?? I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. It seems like just a little while ago that it was winter turning into spring...then it was summer...then it was autumn...and now it's the middle of winter again and it's nearly a whole new year!!! WOW! :)

I have been tagged by a delightful young lady named Madison, who has a lovely blog you really must go see.

For this tag I'm supposed to name ten New Year's Resolutions, then tag at least 7 people. Here goes!

1. (Madison took mine) Read my Bible more! I'm shocked at how easy it is to forget to read something so precious. God planned that everything in the Bible would be written for a specific reason. There, in that book, is everything God wants us to know about life.


2. Wear more skirts. :) I like (modest)pants and skirts equally, but I'd like to start wearing skirts more often. They make me feel like a lady.


3. Spend less time on the computer. (haha- and what am I doing right this second?) Of course this means I have to be more efficient with my time while on the computer.


4. Learn more about cooking. I've started my own recipe book full of special recipes that I want to save, so that someday all my mom's wonderful dishes will be easy for me to make for my own family.


5. Spend more time outside.


6. Take more pictures! Memories, that's what they are. Captured on film. :)


7. Write regularly, both in my real diary and here on my blog. (and just how do I do that and spend less time on the computer??? sigh...)


8. Be a more willing helper. God hates murmuring and complaining, and I'm tempted to do both when I have a hard job to do. This is wrong! So I will be cheerful when I go about my chores. :)


9. Eat more vegetables. :)


10. Make lots and lots and lots of jewelry and sell it online! :D See my online shop, Georgiapeachykeen, if you'd like to take a look. :)

I hereby tag:

Joanna

Jasmine

Amber

Joelle

Jocelyn

Lydia

Brianna

Blessings, everyone! Happy New year!!

Julia

Currently I'm feeling: Excited!

I LOVE scrapblog.com!

I mean really, this is just TOO fun!!! I use Scrapblog.com to make adorable backgrounds for my blog headers, and there are SO many differnent options!

Unfortunately, I don't have twenty different blogs to use these on... or I would be using all of them at once, for certain!

This pink and green one is one of my absolute favorites.

I like the organic simplicity in this design.

I love pink. :D

This one explodes with snowflakes.

For this delightful background I only used one sticker, a white blossom, and simply re-sized it and flipped it to decorate this background...Anyway, I hope you'll look at Scrapblog.com and try it for yourself!

Blessings!

Julia

At this moment I feel : Accompolished, Artistic, and Productive, all at once! :)

Guess What This Is

I took this picture and thought it looked so cool! Guess what it is!

Julia

Currently I'm feeling... Mischievous!

The Great Smash

Don't you hate it when this happens?!?

We managed to break three teacups at once. They were sitting peacefully on a shelf in the corner of the dining room... with a saucer standing up against the back of the cabinet behind them... and then when someone closed our big, heavy back door.... well... you can guess what happened. The saucer tipped... and... *sniff* ... CATASTROPHE!

One of the teacups was my favorite ever. It had cute little feet and dainty little purple flowers painted on the front. Sigh. Alas, for my poor little teacup, half of it is now reduced to china dust, beyond repair.

All teacup-lovers out there can heartily sympathize with my woes, I am sure. :(

Have you ever had one of these break? It's sad.

Julia

Currently I'm: Rather Sad.

Christmas Might Not Be What You Think It Is

Hello, My Dear Readers,

Please take a moment to look at this post about Christmas by my mom. She has some very good points about why we don't do Christmas.

Please understand that I am not trying to 'push off' my beliefs on anyone else, and also that I love the Lord Jesus with all my heart, and not celebrating what we call "Christmas" doesn't mean I am not a christian.

I do ask that your comments, here and on my mother's blog, are courteous and respectful, even if you don't have the same opinion as my family. :)

Blessings!

Julia

Today I feel... Pensive, and quite Busy!

Make Your Own Digital Snowflake

Snowflakes, anyone?

Make your own at this cool Snowflake-Making-Website!

Blessings!

Julia

Right now I feel : Peaceful.

I Couldn't Resist.

New background! :D

I just had to do something for winter while it was still around. :) So I've got snowflakes in the background of my new header picture.

I really like my tulip header and background combination, and that will be back, don't worry.

I found this REALLY COOL AWESOME place to make something to use for header pictures. It's called Scrapblog.com. It's free, and you can use your own pictures. You simply must check it out! I use it to make scrapbook pages, download them into my computer, then add text with Microsoft PictureIt, because I recently learned how to download fonts off the internet. :D I'm lovin' this computery stuff. :)

Blessings to you all!

Julia

I'm currently feeling: Giddy and Jubilant!

Mom, I'm Proud Of You!

Announcing....

The start of a brand new blog, Gloria in Excelsis Deo, run by my own mother, Gloria! :) I love her title. It's so much more unique than "Julia's Journal". :P

Also...
I have been awarded by Miss Lauren Ann with this lovely award:

~THE LEMONADE AWARD~

The concept behind this award is that the blog creators have shown an uncanny knack for silver linings and making the best of bad situations (i.e., lemonade from lemons).
Rule: Name ten blogs that reflect this silver linings philosophy.
All righty then, I'm awarding....

1. My Mom, Gloria
2. Joanna
3. Madison
4. Laney
5. Mckenzie
6. Jasmine
7. Kaysie
8. Ella
9. Joelle
10. The Meiners

(This was in no particular order) All of these blogs are great, and I had a lot more that could have been awarded.

Blessings!

Julia

Currently I'm feeling: Happy, and Excited!

My Mouth Shall Speak The Praises Of The Lord

My dad read this Psalm to us after dinner this evening, and I just thought I would share my thoughts about it. My thoughts will be in green.

1. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
2. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
   Some days I forget to bless the Lord. How can I do this? Look at the next verse...


3. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
   The Lord is so great it's not even comprehensible. Our small human minds can't even understand him completely.
4. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
   We should all be going around saying "Look at these works the Lord has done! Can you believe it? This is wondrous!! He is strong and mighty!"
5. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
   Yes, I will! The Lord is glorious!
6. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
   Lord - You Are Great!
7. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
   Singing of the Lord, for me, is easier than "abundantly uttering". Somehow, when the words are put to song, I don't feel strange going around the house, washing dishes, doing laundry.... and declaring the greatness of God. I sing while I work.
8. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. Hear that? Full of compassion! Slow to anger. Great Mercy. This is something I strive for. I am not good at being slow to anger. Lord help me.
9. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
   ALL... That means everyone. Not just the beautiful people, or that nice girl or boy your age, but all the people everywhere. The clerk in the department store. The rude lady who nearly ran into you at the red light. Everyone includes... everyone.
10. All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.
    The Lord's works DO praise him... you can't look at a sunset or at a freshly bloomed rose without knowing that this was all created for a purpose, not by some random chance.
11. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
    His Kingdom is glorious! His Power is infinite!
12. To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
    We've gotta spread the word, people. Look at what the Apostle Paul did.... and he didn't even have a phone or computer.
13. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
    Everlasting. Neverending. Lasting Forever! Throughout all generations. Your children's children, someday, will belong to his Kingdom.
14. The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
    He is tender towards the downtrodden. The fallen ones have hope through him! They have a chance to repent and be raised up into the light!
15. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
    We will not go hungry.
16. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
    Every living thing. The animals and the plants are all kept alive by God. That's a big job, if you think about it!
17. The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
    He's perfect. Otherwise it would be impossible to be righteous in ALL his ways.
18. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
    Think about that! Whenever someone opens their mouth and speaks to the Lord, he is right there, listening to them.
19. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
    He will hear their cry! When you repent and cry out to God and ask to be saved, he saves!


20. The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
    We will be preserved in those last days of turmoil and destruction. HIs children will be safe. Now for the wicked... that's a different story.
21. My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
    

Amen! Yes I will!

I've realized that this blog is an active outlet for me to reach out. I will, therefore, be posting more scripture in the future. :)

Hope you enjoyed the word.

Julia

Currently I'm feeling... Thoughtful, and Contemplative.

Name in Flowers

ImageChef.com Flower Text

Isn't this cute?

Blesssings!

Julia

Currently I'm feeling... Artistic.

All Dressed Up and Nowhere To Go

Well, a few days ago my family dropped in on some very dear friends of ours after a long day of shopping. Then after a yummy dinner of Pizza Hut pizza, us girls decided to go see the "Dickens Village" being re-enacted at a local church. We dressed up in gorgeous hoop skirts... (I learned the art of sitting down in one of those... quite a feat, I assure you) and then we left.
Yeah... that was fun... squeeeezing into the car! :)
When we got there, we drove right through it! Didn't even bother to get out of the car! There were screaming people dodging out of the way...

Actually, no. (Do you think we would really...?)

There weren't any people dodging, because they weren't there. They'd canceled the Dickens Village that year, unbeknownst to us! Oooops!

So we came back to my friends' house. We felt rather glum.

But then we had fun taking silly pictures. :D

We're probably going to go to the Dickens Village if they do it next year. That would be fun!

Anyway.... hope you enjoyed my ramblings...

Blessings!

Julia

Currently I'm feeling: Amused, Mellow, and Quiet.

Fabulous... Me? Why, Thanks!

I have had this delightful award bestowed upon me by the very fabulous Laney! :) I am so thrilled! Thank you, Laney!

To accept this award, I have to number 5 things I'm addicted to, and then award 5 other deserving, fabulous bloggers. (Only 5? That's all? Hmmm...)
Well, I don't like the term 'addicted' so I'll call this 'things I enjoy'. :)

1. Books!! I love to read. Mostly fiction, but I also enjoy a good biography or a stirring account of ancient history. I also love the DK books.


2. Blogging. I am so thankful that I was introduced to the blogosphere and that I've met so many wonderful young ladies through places like the Kindred Spirit Network and Maidens for Modesty.


3. The Great Outdoors! I love swimming and hiking and just being outside... although with winter closing upon us, it's not very appealing at the moment...


4. Photography. I love taking pictures.... especially of flowers. :)


5. And, last but SO not least, Jewelry design! I really like sitting down at my bead-strewn worktable and creating a tiny masterpiece (or pieces) out of shining or sparkling glass beads. Color is something that fascinates me - so working with colorful beads is the perfect hobby for me. :)

Now for the fun part... I'm awarding:

Joanna, Joanna is truly fabulous! A classy, lovable person who I'm so grateful to know... and her blog is quite insightful and lovely. :)

Jasmine- Jasmine is amazing. That says it all. :) She is very fabulous, and I love reading her blog because I always learn something I needed to. :)

Ella- Ella is a sweetheart! I love reading her blog and I've been blessed by getting to know her. :)

Kaysie- Kaysie is gentle and oh so insightful! Just by skimming through her blog you can't help but be blessed by this wonderful young lady!

Miss Jocelyn- Jocelyn is a very consistent writer who sees her blog as her ministry to others. And it's not so hard to see how she has so many people who read her blog! A Pondering Heart is quite a great blog to read.

There are a lot of other bloggers I'd award as well... but it said 5, so I'm sorry!!

Blessings!

Julia

Currently I'm feeling: Happy, Ecstatic, and Giddy!

My First Giveaway!

Anybody want these?

I'll change the words to say whatever you want, email it to you, and you can use one of the images on your blog! *I will not publish the comment with your email address in it on my blog* :)

Open to whoever wants these - for free!

And if I may make a suggestion, there are some great backgrounds at The Cutest Blog On The Block that might match them.

Blessings!

Julia

Ten Things I do daily

I have been tagged by two sweet maidens over at Young Homemakers! Thanks, Rachel and Jessica!

Since this one only has ten things I must list I think I can give it a go...

Here goes...

Every day, I :

1. Check my email and my blog to see if anyone has commented. I adore comments and I absolutely love hearing from you!
2. Read. I don't feel like my 'lunch break' is complete without a book in my hand. This might cause you to say "well then, how does she eat?" Simple. I hold the book in my left hand and use my right hand to eat.
3. Hmmm... this was harder than it looked... oh well... let's see, I'm always on hand to help my mom make a home-cooked dinner and do half the cleanup and dishes... *Thinks to self: Oh come on! That was unutterably dull...*
4. Make jewelry. It's my little business operation. Especially in the past few weeks... I've been working on listing some jewelry on Etsy, and also I'm planning to put a rack of my jewelry in a florist's shop sometime next week, so I'm creating some new inventory.
5. Laugh. With two very funny brothers in the house there's usually something to crack up about. I can't remember a day when I haven't laughed about something. :)
6. Laundry. There are 5 of us in our family and there's always more laundry to wash. *that was also unutterably dull...sigh*
7. Think, Julia, Think! What else do you do all day?... Well, on weekdays I do my schoolwork. I'm very much looking forward to next spring, when I shall be graduating from the 12th grade (Yeee-Haw!) and will no longer have to put in 180 days of school a year. (Something that's required for homeschoolers in Georgia.)
8. Write. While you can see that I don't manage to do a blog post every day, I almost always write something about the day down in my real-life journal. So far I've been doing it since I was 11 years old, and I have six and a half years of memories recorded to look back on and laugh or cry about, as fits the entry.
9. I used to have to go outside and feed our 15 Rhode Island Red chickens every day, but we've switched that over to being my brothers' job, and they no longer have to do the dishes with Mom. *I'd rather do the dishes anyway!*
10. Pray. While I don't always read my Bible every day - I want to though- I always find time to pray. Usually when I'm by myself somewhere... outside, or in my room... It doesn't have to be long, but it's crucial to my walk with the Lord. Think about it this way... how do you have a relationship with someone you never talk to? You don't! So... I try hard to pray every day.

OK... Now, to be extremely merciful to my fellow bloggers, nobody is officially 'tagged', but you are all warmly encouraged to do this tag.... so let's see which of you really enjoy this! :)

Blessings!

Julia

The Great Shopping Race

Har-har. :)

Today we had to go get groceries. All the places to get groceries in my tiny little town are Wal-Mart and Ingles. (not the best selection, but we make do.)

My dad called just as we were fixing up our list and said he was coming home early - didn't feel very well - and could we be there and take care of him? *Dilemma!* Mama told him we had to get groceries but would be back as soon as possible so that when he got home in an hour we'd make him some herbal tea and wrap him in a blanket. :)

*Lightbulb over head* I had a bright idea!

"Mom," I said as we stood at the kitchen counter together, hastily finishing the grocery list, "Why don't we split up in Wal-Mart? We'll get two shopping carts, and I'll take Mark with me and you can take Steven."

She saw the merit in my plan.
We gave it a go!

We entered Wal-Mart. The plan was to grab our respective food, then meet in the produce section.
Mark and I raced to the back of the food section with our cart and Mama and Steven started about half-way between us and the Produce section, where we were going to all end up.

Mama had divvied up the list so that I had half of the items we needed from Wal-mart. Mark, the faithful beast of burden, pushed the cart while I quickly maneuvered through the aisles, grabbing food, tossing (Ahem - I mean placing) food in the cart and crossing it off my list.

It worked like a charm!!!

Mark and I barely beat Mama and Steven to the produce section, although in all fairness, I must add that Mama and Steven got waylaid for a few minutes by a friend they met in the condiments aisle. Mark and I saw the same friend but talked to him for less time. :)

But the result?

We got our groceries in a quarter of the time it usually takes us!

Plus we got home quickly to take care of Daddy. :)

We plan on using the "Shopping Race" again, as it worked so well. :)

What are some of your strategies for conquering the grocery store?

Julia

A Recent Accomplishment!

*Squeals with delight*!!!
I'm very happy to announce that I've finally mastered Microsoft PictureIt! *Huge sigh of relief*

The big turning point for me was when I actually found the toolbar at the top of the screen. Lol. It's about this big, so it's not like I'm completely clueless or anything.

So I made myself a header and chose a matching background from my very favorite background place, The Cutest Blog On The Block!

If anyone is curious, I found the tulip image at Freephoto.com. (while searching for "flowers")

So...what's the verdict? Do you like the change?

I do!
Julia

Sand Castles

Okay, posting about sandcastles in late November is a little absurd, but just bear with me... I have a point to make. :)

Have you ever taken the time to build a sandcastle?
There are many ways to build one, and everyone has their own methods of going about it.

Some are unwise. If, for example, you build your castle on the shore, too close to the sea, the tide will rise and your castle will be washed away by an irresistible force... the water.


If you build your castle high on the beach, protected by many feet of sand, it will in all probability have a longer lifespan. It will be safe.

But, you say, the beach is 'more fun' down by the shore. The water is pretty and there are shells to pick up.

Compare this to your life...

Building your castle by the water, or constructing your life on a shaky foundation, is not good. You will be unable to resist the tide of adversity, difficulty, and failure.

Building your castle high on the beach, or constructing your life on a firm foundation, is a good idea. You'll have something to stand on and start with... eventually making a beautiful palace.

An even better idea is to build your life-castle in the hand of God.

Let him be your protector, your provider, and the strong, loving hand that holds you. Trust in the Lord. He is everything you need.
Matthew 7:24
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock.

Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and2532 it fell: and great was the fall of it.
I hope all of you reading this had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Blessings!
Julia

Thanksgiving Tag

I have been tagged by Amber over at her blog, Horseygirl! :)

For this tag, I am to list 10 things that I'm thankful for. A nice Thanksgivingy thing to do. :)

• 1) I am thankful for my God, who loves me and cherishes me in such a caring way. I am learning to rely on Him more each day.
• 2) I am thankful for my family. I love each of them so much!
• 3) I am thankful that I have several opportunities for selling my jewelry right now... online and also in a real shop. This is really wonderful for me because I had to take it out of somewhere else that closed down, so this is God's way of showing me that he's still providing for me. :)
• 4) I am thankful that my family and I have food to eat and clothes to wear. As Americans, I think we kind of get a mindset that we're "entitled" to certain things... clothes, food, healthcare, a car... but No. These are gifts from God. There are millions of people out there who will probably go hungry on Thanksgiving day, and I will not. This is a huge thing to be thankful for.
• 5) I am thankful for my country. Yes, I know, America has lots of problems. So does everyone else! Considering that no one is shooting at me because I am a believer in the Lord Jesus, and my country doesn't have a mandatory 1-child limit on family size, and a host of other things... America looks pretty good compared to a lot of places in the world.
• 6) I am thankful that I made a commitment to save myself for my future husband, both physically and emotionally. Someday it will be the most precious thing to be able to look my husband in the eye and know that he is he only person who I gave myself to.
• 7) I am thankful that I have been raised as a homeschooler my whole life. I love being homeschooled! I am sure that by being raised in my home I escaped a lot of pain and heartache and peer pressure that would have resulted from any type of outside schooling. Not to mention that my parents were much better able to instill their biblical values and convictions to me than if I had been away from home most of the day.
• 8) I am thankful for my life. So far I've lived to be 17 and a half years old. Millions of babies today are killed in the womb and never get to see the light of day. I, however, was born to wonderful loving parents. For this I am exceedingly grateful.
• 9) I am thankful that I have all my five senses, all my limbs, and am perfectly healthy except for a common cold once in a while. This is also a gift from God.
• 10) I am thankful that I stopped to do this tag and name things I am thankful for. It was rather eye-opening to sit here and type a list of things I've been blessed with... I should do this more often. :)

I tag:

Joanna

Jasmine

Joelle

Madison

(I encourage Ella to do this, but she is not officially tagged)

and anyone else who wants to participate! :)

I probably won't post tomorrow, so ...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

~Julia~

My Handmade Jewelry Now Online!

I'm really excited about this! :) I have now posted some of my handcrafted jewelry for sale on Etsy.com !! There's a quick link to it on the sidebar - you can see mini pictures of what I have for sale. There are some great deals on there now, so I advise you to take a look before they're gone. They're selling fast...one of them was sold within three minutes of when I posted it! :)
So please, take a look! :D

Blessings!
Julia

P.S.

Several people have told me that they don't have pierced ears... No worries! I can change any of my earrings into clip-ons! (And I have a way of making them that doesn't pinch!)

The Enchilada Tag

:)

Well, actually, this has nothing to do with enchiladas, but I found it on Joelle's blog, and she said she was tagging "all the enchiladas who live in this sphere", So I thought I'd do it. :D

1.Favorite Food?- Hmm. Right now I'm quite fond of dried cranberries, but all-time favorite would be Ghiradelli chocolate.(if that counts)
2. Favorite Animal?- I love baby animals, but most especially bunnies and kittens. However, I can't stand a cat with an attitude.
3. Favorite Song?- I don't think I can pick one... I love Celtic music and Christian music...and I love listening to very talented guitarists.
4. Favorite Singer?- Again, I don't think I could pick just one... there are a lot of talented musicians out there. But I really like Steven Curtis Chapman, Casting Crowns, and Chris Tomlin.
5. Favorite Book?- (Assuming this means fictional...) Right now I'm reading "Beric The Briton" by G. A. Henty, which is really interesting ... but actually I have a ton of favorite books. Maybe my all-time favorite would be #5 of the Million-dollar mysteries by Mindy Starns Clark.
6. Favorite TV Show?- I rarely watch TV, when I do it's an NFL football game. Go NY Giants! :)
7. Favorite Number?- It's funny, but however old I am is always my favorite number. Right now I'm 17.
8. Favorite Holiday?- Probably Thanksgiving.
9. Favorite Color?- I love aqua, have a great fondness for light peach, adore pink, ...I like a lot of colors.
10. Favorite Things you like to do?- I have a long list of things I like to do. Foremost among them are dancing, singing, jewelrymaking, blogging, emailing, and photography.
11. Do you like Long hair or short hair?- Long! Some people look really good in short hair, but I think long hair is beautiful. Especially if it's curly...as I wish mine was.
12. Do you like this tag?- Yes, but it's not very interesting.
13. Do you like the Person who Tagged you?- Technically I wasn't tagged, but I like Joelle (whose blog I found this on)-a lot. She's neat. :)
14. Do you like rings?- only on my pinky fingers.
15. Do you like makeup?- Just underneath my eyes. And chapstick.
16. Do you like animals?- Yes!
17. Do you think this is long?- yes. :P
18. Who are you going to tag?- Everyone who wants to be tagged! :)

Julia

Respecting Younger Brothers

I've discovered an important thing... and I would like to share it with you. :)


So here goes.

I am currently working really hard to stop ordering my brothers around. They are 14 and just-turned-13, respectively, and they've always been smaller than me because they're three and five years younger.


I realized lately that I have had a habit of wanting to correct and control and manage everyone else. I've been convicted. Not condemned. Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit, and it's a positive thing. Condemnation comes from the great accuser, the devil, and it is the opposite of conviction.
I have been convicted that I need to respect my younger brothers.

Just because they're younger doesn't mean they're not young men.
They deserve just as much respect as a friend's brother would.

My "little" brothers are fast turning into men. One of them is only about half an inch shorter than I am. (And I'm not short) They are also maturing spiritually and mentally.

Someday they will be husbands and fathers. If I respect and honor them now, then someday they will have a much easier time taking their place in their own homes as the leader and head.


There's also another benefit that would happen from this good behavior. When I marry, as I believe that is God's calling on my life, I will be better able to love, listen to, respect, honor, and obey my husband... because I'd be used to being the one who is a helpmeet. That is a wonderful thought - and it's true! :)


This is why I am earnestly trying to treat my brothers as young men, not just 'little brothers'.
These are my brothers - Steven(left) and Mark(right). And they approve this message. :)

Have you ever had difficulty respecting a brother? I would love to hear how you overcame this in your life.


Julia