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

I have two awards to pass on...

I'm so happy! I have two new blog awards! :D *does a happy dance*

My first award comes from Laney. Thanks, Laney!

And this very meaningful, pretty award comes from Madison! Thank you Madison!!

Uber is a German word that is similar to our English word which means "super".

This award is awarded to blogs that have some or all of these qualities:

They...

1. Inspire you

2. Make you smile and laugh

3. Give amazing information

4. Are a great read

5. Have an amazing design

6. And any other reasons you can think of that makes them uber amazing!

I am so delighted with this special, unique award!

The rules to this award are:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing! ***if you don't have 5 that's okay.***

3. Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.

4. Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

I am awarding both of these awards to:

Jasmine

Joanna

Kaysie

Abigail & Lauren

Ella

Trinity Mommy

The Meiners

Mckenzie

Miss Jocelyn

Lydia

Lillie

Mia at Mia's Blog

Mia at Aspiring Homemaker

Amber

Breezy

Brianna

And Madison also gets the TH for Thankyou award! (She already is Uber Amazing and has the award to prove it) :D

Blessings!

Julia

Another Tag: 15 Things I'm Not Afraid To Admit

I was tagged by Ella! :) How nice of her. I love these things!! :) This looks like an interesting one.

I am going to list 15 things about myself that I am not afraid to admit, and then I will tag some of you and see what you have to say about yourselves! :)

Here goes:

• 1. I am not afraid to admit that I am quite silly sometimes. Especially in the company of friends that I am comfortable with and who very admirably put up with my little oddities. :) You know who you are, and I am so thankful for you all! :)
• 2. I am not afraid to admit that the reason I did not post anything about the presidential election was because I didn't want to get caught up in the fracas and chaos of it all and end up saying something I'd regret. :( Besides, everybody else already said everything. The purpose of my blog is not to convict the readers to vote for a certain person...it is here to encourage and amuse and entertain my readers. :) I like it that way.
• 3. (This is hard...wait until it's your turn!!) I am not afraid to admit that I love all things ''wordy'' and do not get along with numbers very well. :D I'm just one of those right-brained people. :)
• 4. I am not afraid to admit that I love being tall. It's a good thing! I can reach stuff on the top shelf! :) I can change the light bulbs without a step stool! :) (For those curious, I'm 5 feet 9 inches tall) However, this means that my high heels usually are not too high. :)
• 5. I'm not afraid to admit that I am a semi-picky eater. :) There are certain things I just can't seem to eat...like Lima beans, onions, squash... food that burns my throat... but I'm only semi-picky. I have a wide range of food that I like. :)
• 6. I'm not afraid to admit that I SO do not have it all together! I learn something new every day, I make mistakes all the time, I slip up and stumble in my daily walk with God, and I really am a far cry from a perfect example of a homemaker-in-training or a meek and quiet spirit. But the main thing is that I'm at least trying. :)
• 7. I'm not afraid to admit that I have an absurd fondness for collecting things. Especially when I was younger, I had a mania for collecting all sorts of odd things. :P My mom calls me a 'collector of collections'. I collect erasers, stickers, bouncy balls, TY beanie babies, delicate glass figurines, teacups, beads, pens... You get the picture. A lot of odd stuff. :)
• 8. I'm not afraid to admit that I love little kids. Children fascinate me and little babies melt my heart. :) I've always loved youngsters and I started babysitting at age 14. I recommend playing on the floor with a 1-year old. It's a beautiful experience. :)
• 9. I'm not afraid to admit that, well, sometimes I wonder what my Prince Charming will look like, act like, be like. ;) don't we all? :) I also wonder if I'll be ready to be a homemaker when the time comes that I leave my father's house and start a home of my own.
• 10. I'm not afraid to admit that I am quite feminine. I'm thrilled that God made me a girl!! I love skirts and dresses and pretty hairstyles! :) But I also love running around outside and playing tag and frisbee and all sorts of outdoorsy things. :)
• 11. I'm not afraid to admit that sometimes my common sense goes out the window. :D I'll say no more about that...
• 12. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm quite creative. I love sitting down at a tabletop scattered with beads and making a necklace or bracelet out of them. I love going outside and taking pictures of flowers or fall colors or anything in particular that catches my fancy. :)
• 13. I'm not afraid to admit that I love computer games. (Nothing with violence or anything like that, mind you) games like Frogger, Zoo Tycoon, and Backyard Skateboarding. :)
• 14. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a very cheerful person. I usually have a smile on my face. Sometimes I can get cross and grumpy, but that's not the norm. :)
• 15. I'm not afraid to admit that sometimes I'm afraid! :) I do not like things that go bump in the night...particularly our ice maker... and sometimes I worry about how I come across to other people. But on average I'm not a fearful person. :)

So, what do you think? Was that fun?

I hereby tag:

Miss Jocelyn, Joanna, The Meiners, Trinity Mommy, Brianna, Mia, Horseygirl, and Joelle. And if you're reading this you are invited to participate as well!

Blessings!

Julia

Mama's Slipper Pattern

Don't those look so cozy? They sure are! :0) My mom has made up a tutorial/pattern for making these lovely warm crocheted slippers and is selling it for $5.00, buy-it-now, on eBay. The pattern is of her own creation and is SUPER easy. It includes pictures (I helped take them) so that you can see just what to do. You buy it, we email you a PDF file and you get it within the same day. :) I just thought I'd post it on here in case any of you were interested. :) Click here for a link.

Blessings!

Julia

Online Viewing of Come What May- Must See!

"Come What May" is an absolutely fantastic movie. Right now on Godtube you can watch the whole thing for free.

I loved it and I highly reccomend that you check it out.

It was made by over 40 homeschooled students who were mentored by a handful of professional filmmakers. It's playing for free today on Godtube and has been for the past few days... I'm not sure how long it will be free to watch online, probably only for the rest of today, November 2. I earnestly encourage you to take the time to watch this.

The basic plot revolves around a college student named Caleb, who is figuring out what he believes. Caught in the middle between a pro-choice mom and a pro-life dad, he has to make a decision on what he wants to do in a difficult situation.

While this movie is primarily about abortion, there were lots of sub-plots that keep it fast-paced. Also, they kept it very discreet and quite appropriate.

I have to add that I love the way they portrayed the relationship between Caleb and his law class partner, Rachel. While they didn't come right out and say the word "courtship", Rachel was a great example of a biblically feminine young lady, comitted to keeping herself emotionally and physically pure until she found the man she would marry.

http://www.godtube.com/comewhatmay

The first thing that plays is the trailer. It'll really whet your appetite. After that, two "must see scenes" will probably automatically start playing. You can skip those - you'll get them in the movie. After that the movie will play in segments. They will automatically keep playing through to the end. The movie is about 1 hour and 30 minutes long.

SO worth the time to watch it! Please watch this!
Julia

Too Much- What To Do?

Do you ever feel like you've bitten off more than you can chew?

(And no, that is not my hamster)

Sometimes it is hard for me to say "No," when I'm being asked to do something for someone. I want to do everything, help everyone, be everywhere... you get the picture. :)

It is just not possible to do everything. Some things are more important than other things. The important things have to be done first.

I heard a very truthful analogy the other day of how we fit things into the course of the day. It's like your day is a big, empty bucket. You have three categories of things you want to put in it. The big, important things are the big rocks. The second-rate but still rather important things are like the pebbles. The other, 'extra' things are like gravel or sand.

How do you go about filling up your bucket?
Well, if you try and put the sand and gravel in first, then the pebbles, then the big rocks, you will be left with some very important things that didn't get done...the big rocks will be sticking out the top of the bucket. The way to go about filling the bucket is to put in the big rocks, then the pebbles, and then the sand. That way the sand fills in the tiny cracks in between the big rocks.

Just my little thought for the day. :)

Blessings!
Julia