Pardon my dust - UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Sorry for the weird look right now, this blog is under construction! :) I can't seem to get my homemade background to be big enough but I'm working on it. Stay away for now, please! :P

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving, my family and I are at home by ourselves, (we were going somewhere but decided not to because Mama needed some extra rest time) as our extended family are in Michigan and Florida, but we're having an enjoyable time though... smelling delicious turkey aroma all throughout the house, wafting from the kitchen, into the living room, up the stairs and into the loft where I sit typing on the computer.... mmmm. :)

Mama and I are planning a number of tantalizing foods, including:

Turkey (of course!) roasted in the oven,
Gravy (to pour over everything)
Mashed potatoes (a must!)
Stuffing (yummmm)
Cranberry jelly
Corn casserole
Green beans
Raspberry Jello Salad
Apple Pie
Cherry Pie

MMMMMmmmmm!
Have a wonderful, homey, delightful, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! :)

A Farewell to Lukewarm

The other day, I was feeling lonely. I didn't have any reason to feel lonely... my family was bustling all about and there were plenty of people around me... well, I was lonely for somebody special. I began to feel discontent, wondering why no handsome young man had ever expressed interest in me yet.

Suddenly it was like I woke up in surprise, and realized what I was doing... I took a deep breath, prayed a little prayer, and whipped out my handy-dandy copy of Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally. Throughout the day I read and meditated on the wisdom found between those pages.

Reading that book - I was inspired and convicted. I had been feeling lonely because I was empty and wasn't filling myself with the Word of God. Well, I thought, That is going to change right now!

I made a committment to myself that I was going to read my bible and pray every day.
It didn't matter what time of the day I did it... morning, evening, a quiet afternoon... but I was going to do it every day. And so far I have, and it has been wonderful. I have been reading my dad's copy of the Geneva Bible... which was translated by early Reformers in Geneva, Switzerland, and was the Bible that the pilgrims carried over on the Mayflower. The language is simpler and easier to understand, yet it's not a 'modern' translation like the NIV (which removed a long list of verses from the Bible) or something like that.

Personally I don't like the NIV, just because of the changes they've made and the things they've removed, but what really matters is that the Bible is read often, not what translation you read it out of.

I got to thinking, while I was reading Before You Meet Prince Charming, that I had been a very "Lukewarm" believer. Instead of seeking the Lord's will for my life and actively filling myself with the Word of God, I had been drifting along behind my parent's 'wake', just going with the flow and not making much effort on my own.


And you know, it makes sense that God 'spews us out of his mouth' if we're Lukewarm... even us humans prefer a nice hot cup of steaming tea or coffee... or an ice-cold glass of water, to a lukewarm, room-temperature cup of liquid.

So... I am resolved to be washed in the water of the Word,

And 'steaming hot', on fire for God.

And "Lukewarm" has no place in my life anymore. :)


To God be the Glory!

"Watch" This!

;) I just listed some gorgeous new beaded watches in my Etsy Shop and I just had to let you know... and share some sneak peeks!

Thankfulness for Everyday Things

I forgot to post a notice on here a while back when I wrote an article about thankfulness for our devotional blog, Meditations of His Love! CLICK HERE to view it.

A Trip to Venice

Today is a drippy, wet, gloomy November day, and in retaliation I am posting pictures of our sunny vacation at the beach! :D

*****All readers hoping for a short post, beware!*****

This is the baby blanket I was crocheting on the way there. I had finished all the blocks previously and was just turning in the ends and sewing them together on the trip. It is since completed, (I finished it on the drive home) but I don't have a picture yet of the completed afghan.
And here it is... the beach!!

Ahhhh. Can't you just smell the salt air and feel the breeze blowing through your hair and the sun on your face?

This is the ferry that takes you to the private beach that my Grandma is allowed access to because of the location she lives in. All the residents in her area and their families are allowed to visit this beach.

The weather was gorgeous while we were there, sunny with perfect temperatures of around 75 for the entire trip!

Mark is building a sand castle (and squinting in the sun as his photo-crazed sister tries to take his picture) and Steven is looking for shark's teeth along the shore.

The completed castle. Wow.

The first morning we were at the beach was quite windy and the boys had tons of fun tumbling about in the waves... click on this picture to see a larger version. I love their expressions!

Here are Mom and Dad on the ferry on the way back. (Mom was wearing my jacket because the wind was chilling her) We went back to my Grandma's house for lunch and then returned to the beach for a few hours in the afternoon.

And... me. Wearing my favorite sunglasses. ;) Daddy told me I'll always be a Florida Girl no matter where I live. :D After growing up in Florida and spending countless hours at the beach... it feels like home again when I get to visit. :)

Here are the boys on the ferry... I really like this picture of them. They're squinting in the sun but I think it turned out pretty well.

When we came back again that afternoon, the wind had picked up and the sand stung your legs when you took a step... that was one reason we didn't stay as long. I managed to get some great photos of the boys though!

Oh yeah.... the Beach Boys shot. Click on this... Mark's expression, especially, had me rolling with laughter...

Back at the house, we relaxed with Grandma on the lanai.

The next day, we drove around Venice and saw the sights. :)

Mama and I in the van... (note the fashionable sunglasses....lol)

(L to R) Steven, Me, and Mark at the jetty. Look how blue the sky is!

Sparkling water...

A friendly pelican...

Here are Mama and Daddy standing on the jetty...

Shore Birds hunting among the rocks...

On the way to Caspersen's beach I spotted a GIGANTIC Banyan tree and insisted on taking a picture. :)

Caspersen's beach is a different beach than my Grandma's private one and is one of the best places in the world for finding shark's teeth. We didn't find any there... but we did find some at my Grandma's beach! :D

Here's Grandma and a turtle...

I was fascinated with all the rocks along the water's edge!

Steven rock-hopped while Mark built yet another sand castle...

That afternoon we met with my Auntie Donna and took her to the ferry beach. While there I managed to get some great shots.

It was windy that day also, but not as much as the day before. Dad and the boys used the sifter to look for shark's teeth and shells in the surf.

I found some pretty seaweed.

That evening I got to hang with my fave cousin, Denise, when she and my Uncle Tom joined us and Aunt Donna for dinner at "Sharky's".

Denise and I

The next day, before we headed out, I got a picture of Grandma and the boys... :D They're now much taller then her.

Now, guess who tagged along on our vacation?
SURVIVORMAN! It's a family joke of ours that Survivorman (so named because we found him in the yard, surviving the elements) hides around the house. Mark and Steven and Daddy usually move him about when no one's looking, and you never know where you'll see him next! He stowed away on our trip this time.

The first thing he did was examine the case of shark's teeth in Grandma's living room. (That center one is larger than my hand!)

Then Survivorman met Brandy. (a replica of a wonderful dog my grandfather had years ago)

Survivorman stowed away in my purse when we went to Sharky's for dinner, (I think he even snitched some of my lobster) and while there, enjoyed the view of the sunset off the pier.

Then, the next day, it was time to leave.

Finally home, Survivorman discussed his adventures with his friends, Cammo-man and Igor.

Quote Survivorman - "You know, the beach really isn't all it's cracked up to be. I think I prefer the woods."

Well, be that as it may, Survivorman (and the rest of our family) sure had a wonderful weekend!

The New Sherwood Pictures Movie- Announced!!

I am SO excited about the next Sherwood pictures movie that I checked the website continually yesterday until finally, they announced the plot and the title! I am absolutely delighted with the plot and I think it's something America really needs right now.... now I'm bursting to see it! :D Too bad it will probably take them a year to make it.... sigh.

I signed up for the updates, so they let me see it right away... they said something about not releasing it to the general public right away, but if you click HERE you can find out what the title and the plot of the next Sherwood pictures movie is! There's also a video of Alex and Stephen Kendrick describing their thoughts and reasons for choosing this particular plot and title.

p.s.

My family and I had a great weekend in FL with my grandma! pictures will be forthcoming. :)

So long for a little while...

My family and I are headed to the beach to spend a weekend in Florida with my Grandma! :) We're leaving tomorrow and will be back on Sunday. I'm looking forward to the reported 80-degree weather and hope to come back with a handful of shells and a tan. :D

See you when I get back! :)

Awards, awards...and a Tag!

I was awarded this taggy-award by Laney and Maggie! Thanks girls!



Rules:

1. Do a post about the person who awarded you, and their blog.

2. Give the award to 5 of your favorite blogs, give a reason, (i.e, why you awarded them) and leave them a comment letting them know they've been awarded.

3. Answer the 10 random questions.

4. Have Fun!

So, as for the sweet young ladies who awarded me...

Laney has a delightful, creative, lovely blog and I've known her for a long time through blogging because I found her pretty early on in my blogging journey... very shortly after I started this blog. :) She is very intelligent and her skills with the computer and graphic design are phenomenal! :D Go check her out, you'll love her blog! :)

Maggie is a new friend in my 'blogosphere', and I look forward to getting to know her better! :) She has a very pretty pink blog and writes interesting and entertaining posts. :)

I am awarding:

Breezy ... Breezy is an artist among artists. Her God-given skills and talent astound me... she draws and paints unbelievably wonderful drawings and paintings. The reason I love her blog so much is because I love how sweet and whimsical and wonderful Breezy is. :)


Bethany... Bethany is just about to become a big sister all over again, and the new little one (we just found out) is a little girl! I am awarding her with a big CONGRATULATIONS to her and her whole family. :)


Amanda... This lady is so creative it's scary! She knows everything there is to know about blog and web design and I love her blog. :)


Ella... Ella has a wonderful blog, and I love reading what she posts... She is great about sharing her 'real self' online and that self is so special. :) Thank you for your writing, Ella! :)


Kierstyn... Kierstyn is a friend of mine that I have known literally my whole life... we grew up together, then were seperated for years because I moved to Georgia... She now lives in Maine with her new husband, and her blog chronicles some of their adventures of starting a life together.

As for the random questions:

1.Have you ever ridden an elephant?
No! Wouldn't that be fun though? :)

2.Have you ever eaten squid?
Yes, surprisingly... after all, I used to live in Florida... I had mine fried, so it tasted like french fries to me.

3.What is something crazy you have done with your best friend?
Actually, my long-time *best* friend (who still lives in Florida) is a very rational, sensible, wonderful person. (and a very good influence on me!) :) At the moment I can't really recall anything crazy that I've done with her... I've done some crazy things with lots of close friends though. :) Yesterday I was actually helping somebody write a song about fuzzy socks. :D

4.Have you ever held an alligator?
Yes- a great big huge one! On my lap! ......... At my little brother's birthday party. And it had it's jaws taped shut. So I'm not Miss Indiana Jones or Madam Crocodile Hunter by any means. :)

5.Have you ever let a snake slither through your fingers?
Probably. (These are odd questions.) I used to play outside every day and I can remember finding baby ring snakes sometimes... they were the cutest, most harmless things you can imagine... tiny and un-poisonous.

6.What is your first and foremost dream in life? I want to live a life that glorifies my Lord and Savior, and be a shining light for him in a darkened world. I believe that my calling in life is to be a stay-at-home wife and mother, which is why I am focusing on learning homemaking skills instead of going to college.

7. What is your dream vacation?
Oh, I don't know... pick a dreamy, remote, astoundingly beautiful location and give me a gorgeous amazing camera to photograph it with and I'll be happy. :)

8. What is the funniest movie you have ever seen?
*thinks for about five minutes before finally deciding* I would have to say ... Oh....wait.... uhh... Wow. Tough call. *still thinking* Umm.... I'll get back to you on that one. ;P

9. What is your favorite song?

Right now, my favorites are some of the songs at the beginning of my iPod list... Lost Get Found, by Britt Nicole, an old favorite On the Other Side of the Radio by Chris Rice, Mighty to Save by Laura Story, and several others. I also really like the song I've heard playing on the radio called "Until the Whole World Hears" by Casting Crowns... that one is very good.

10. If you could change the world in one way, what would you do?

I would want everyone to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he died on the cross for our sins ....so that when they died, they would be in heaven with our wonderful God instead of in eternal torment. However, since I don't have that power- everyone has free choice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have also been awarded this award by Ruth

Thank you Ruth!

To accept this award, recipients should do the following things:
1) Save the image and upload it to display in your sidebar
2) Present the award to five people
3) Publish a post presenting the award which names your 5 recipients and tells what you like about each of their blogs/websites.

I award the same girls to whom I awarded the other award, and also:

Rachel and Jessica, two sisters who are wholesome and sweet and lovely young ladies that I am SO blessed to be close friends with! :) Love you girls! :) Their blogs are Young Homemakers and Literary Pursuits, both excellent websites that I highly reccommend! :)

Lindsay from Content in Christ - I so enjoy reading Lindsay's blog posts... I always learn something and her love for the Lord is evident in every sentence she writes. Lindsay is an inspiration! Please go visit her blog... you will love it too! :)

Have a very blessed week!