tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50244271524322262562024-03-06T22:57:45.363-08:00Femininity in a Feminist WorldFighting to Minimize the Backlash of Feminism to our GenerationMiss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.comBlogger219125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-59690075372015999732010-06-14T08:00:00.000-07:002010-06-14T08:00:03.197-07:00Patience is a Virtue - So Get Rid of Those Pet Peeves!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM10D94wgQKgyxZkBVyQ0wrgS7Zies2ve4POCtDt7eU6ifVRPnpT_teg4ys4GSmNKaQc2genrM3z_yMPp-9ZEw-JrWZmndFwnC5fgTgKXP58VB3WT7vPT86qPKRH9Z8mopiU0WeJhsUD3w/s1600/big+sister.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477559328032085922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM10D94wgQKgyxZkBVyQ0wrgS7Zies2ve4POCtDt7eU6ifVRPnpT_teg4ys4GSmNKaQc2genrM3z_yMPp-9ZEw-JrWZmndFwnC5fgTgKXP58VB3WT7vPT86qPKRH9Z8mopiU0WeJhsUD3w/s320/big+sister.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Being a big sister, there are some things you just *have* to chillax about.<br /><br /><div>Take people running through the kitchen after you've mopped the floor, for instance. That used to seriously get me. Anyone who walked through the kitchen as much as twenty minutes after I had mopped was just <em>too</em> inconsiderate. Didn't they care that I had just spent all that time <em>cleaning</em> all their dirt marks off the floor? Well, anyway, now I've realize that the kitchen floor is <em>there</em> to be walked on, whether it's clean or not. But if you walk through before I'm even done mopping...well, then you'd better watch out.</div><br /><div>Another pet peeve of mine used to be finding a bunch of bath toys all piled up at the tub drain when I went to go take my shower. It probably took me an entire <em>five minutes</em> to sit there and hold each candy-colored speed boat upside down to dry, and squeeze all the water out of every single rubber duck, spitting frog and kissy fish. An entire FIVE MINUTES! What are these children thinking? I only have one hour before bed to shower, give myself an organic avacado face mask and put my hair in curlers... and <em>that's</em> pushing it. *<em>Sigh*</em> Now I've learned to pre-make my face mask and lay out my curlers ahead of time, so that I can fit De-Youthing the Tub into my nightly routine. I can't afford an extra five minutes; eight hours of sleep are a girl's best friend!<br /></div><div>So I guess you're getting the picture of what we older sisters go through. If you have young siblings, I'm sure you deal with things like this every day! Or even if you have siblings that aren't super young, life can be just as crazy. Either way, it's not always easy to keep a smile on when you have so much insanity going on in the house (toys in the bathtub? Oh my!) But then again, life in general is pretty insane. God probably knows what He's doing... preperation for some future <em>truly</em> hectic time in our lives. </div><br /><div>I find it encouraging to know that He will never tempt us with more than we can handle (1 Cor. 10:13). Sometimes I wonder if maybe God thinks a little too highly of me at times, but as you can see I haven't let the bumps get to me yet. Getting rid of my seemingly insignificant, but well-able-to-add-up pet peeves is one of the ways I'm trying to keep it as easy as possible on my part to stay patient.</div><br /><div>You know, I seem to be especially weak in this area. Sometimes I can get to the point where the dirty car and the unswept porch just <em>drive me up the wall!</em> I've realized now, though, that caring about every. little. insignificant. thing. is just <em>too much</em> for me to deal with at this point in life. I need to focus on the truly important things in life before I start worrying about immaculate floors and Better Homes and Gardens bathtubs. But maybe you're different. You got this patience thing down in a snap. Well then, I give me some advice, lady! I need some tips! :-) </div><br /><div>You know though, achievements get easier to grasp the more you perservere, so maybe I <em>am</em> starting to get the hang of it. ...<em>Waaait</em> a minute. While I was making last night's dinner things did get a little out of control...</div><br /><div>After I had stood at the kitchen counter and put some Fiesta Dinner on plates, I turned and started putting whipped cream and strawberries on our Very American Dessert. Over my shoulder I asked two year old Sweetie Pie to put forks on the table (one for each chair, please) and quickly finished my crowning glory. A few seconds later I turned and saw her at the table, picking the cilantro, tomatoes and onions out of her burrito... fork faithfully in hand.</div><br /><div>Patience dear sisters, patience.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-70764748674813459212010-05-31T15:43:00.000-07:002010-05-31T15:43:12.430-07:00Baby Announcement<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgTuzCdKs5d4RLKwq_osbepyeekkhaflFXfigeaxATMdBvn-2rFiIPSyZuO6IMyTKhBDCeCGtzHV1zx8f6IUyTQVcZ5PH9Rx_kOTobeR1ZajaXpB_59JoJd4k7UP22uQRNxHFyWtbkFb3/s1600/Mitchell+Pictures+107.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477568291429131282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgTuzCdKs5d4RLKwq_osbepyeekkhaflFXfigeaxATMdBvn-2rFiIPSyZuO6IMyTKhBDCeCGtzHV1zx8f6IUyTQVcZ5PH9Rx_kOTobeR1ZajaXpB_59JoJd4k7UP22uQRNxHFyWtbkFb3/s320/Mitchell+Pictures+107.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div align="center">On Saturday, May 22nd at 1:04 AM my new little sister was born! She weighed in at 8 lbs. 1 oz. and is 20 in. long. She and my mom are doing well and recuperating nicely. We are all very happy! The birth went well for both of them, and for the third time I was able to experience the true <em>miricle</em> of another little baby being welcomed into the world. Thank you for sharing in our joy!<br /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a></div></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-59120340545289962362010-04-06T07:00:00.000-07:002010-04-06T07:00:01.367-07:00Ten Benefits of ExercisePart of our daily list of priorities should be to take care of our bodies. With fast food, pre-packaged snacks and frozen dinners there days, it is ever challenging to keep ourselves phisically healthy. While I am not an advocate for teenage dieting, I do think that we should be wise in what and how much we choose to eat. Making sure to get those calories you consume burned, and working to keep your body in shape is also essential for good health. Here are a few reasons why. Get ready for a healthy dose of motavation!<br /><br />1. When you force your heart to work faster than it's usual pace, as you do while exercising, it has to find ways to pump extra blood through your vessles to carry the extra oxygen needed to cater to the strain. This means it creates new vessles for your blood to travel to, greatly preventing heart attacks and other respitory problems. Since the heart is the organ that makes all the rest work, it certainly seems wise to try to prepare it for unexpected bumps in the road.<br /><br />2. Exercising strengthens your bones by the osteoclast and osteoblast cells which work to build up the areas that have the most stress put upon them. A German orthopedic surgeon by the name of Julius Wolff constructed a law that describes the result of exercise on bones. It states that bones adjust their shapes to the physical stress put upon them. This means that if you expose your bones to stress by doing things like biking, running, or other physical exercise, they will build themselves up accordingly to have the ability to withstand weight baring activity.<br /><br />3. Endurance plays a large part in our lives. For my dad, it means being able to lift heavy cases of inventory without stopping for a long period of time at work. For my little sister, it means being able to climb up and down things continually - about every hour of her waking moment. :) When you exercise consistently, and push yourself to work longer when you feel the work out isn't hard enough, your body builds endurance to cater to the hard working parts of the body it is pushing. This not only makes your daily life easier, but helps your body work more efficiently as well.<br /><br />4. Calories are anything you eat, whether stored or not. Excercising burns these into energy, which rids us of uneeded baggage. :-)<br /><br />5. Even after you exercise, your body continues to burn calories. This makes you feel as if you have more energy. My mom works out to excercise videos early in the mornings, and she says it helps her feel ready for the day. I jog on the tredmill in the afternoons, which refreshes me with energy at the time of day I need it most.<br /><br />6. As one of my former science books said, "Muscles are machines which perform more efficiently when in use." When you engage in physical exercise, you shrink fat cells and reveal what you have of muscle. While cardiovascular exercise doesn't build as much muscle like weight training would, it does train and build them according to the stress you expose them to. When you have good muscle tone, a state of slight tension in relaxed muscle, it helps you to have good posture - an important element in not only a healthy back, but of proper appearence as well.<br /><br />7. Exercising strengthens your body and helps it to guard it against sicknesses. Thus, it can save your life!<br /><br />8. Aerobic excercise increases the number of red blood cells in our body, the cells that carry oxygen, hence increasing our oxygen consumption.e all love to breathe, right?<br /><br />9. When you exercise, you increase the rate of which you burn energy, or in other words, boost your metabolism. This is very healthy because it keeps things running inside you.<br /><br />10. Lastly, excercising prevents many diseases. Heart disease, type two diabites and osteoporosis, to name a few. Did you know that all of these have their risks slashed greatly when you consistently exercise? Don't forget obesity; remember those fat cells we shrank. No, you do not have to be as skinny as a toothpick, but there are many benefits to not being extremely overweight, either.<br /><br />~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br /><br />All in all, exercising is extremely good for our bodies. We were created to move! Let's remember that the earlier we start conciensely making good health choices, the easier it will be to stick to them for the rest of our lives. Let's take care of our "temples" not only in a spiritual way, but phiscally as well!<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-61345313507616295612010-03-26T07:00:00.000-07:002010-03-26T07:00:01.230-07:00Grace vs. Law<em>Enjoy this article from First Fruits of Zion. It digs into whether or not Christians should still uphold the laws of the Torah, now that our Messiah has come. I feel I really benefited from it and hope you feel the same! You can find many more insightful articles on their site: <a href="http://ffoz.org/">ffoz.org</a></em><br /><br />Thought for the Week:<br /><br />Things get backward if we start to believe that we must keep God's Law in order to be saved. Instead, we should keep God's Law because we are saved.<br /><br />Commentary:<br /><br />This week's Torah portion contains a lot of laws. Exodus 21-23 reads like an ancient legal code. Of the 613 commandments that the sages traditionally derive from the Torah, more than fifty of them are found in this week's portion.<br /><br />For some reason, many Christian teachers seem to view the laws of the Torah as if they are a bad thing. It is commonly taught that the law is the opposite of grace. You might hear someone say, "We are no longer under the law. We are under grace." The implication is that since we have received the Messiah, we need not concern ourselves with the laws of the Old Testament. We can call this idea "Grace vs. Law."<br /><br />Let's think about the Grace vs. Law idea. What do we mean when we say that we are not under the law? Does that mean we do not have to keep God's rules? For example, does it mean that we can commit adultery and theft? Of course not. No one would say that. So what does it mean?<br /><br />The Grace vs. Law concept is derived from the writings of Paul. In his epistles, it seems that Paul pits the two in opposition to each other. He often says things like "Before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law" (Galatians 3:23) and "If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law" (Galatians 5:18). One might misunderstand these statements to mean that Christians do not need to keep God's rules. Of course, that would be absurd. Paul realized that some people might misunderstand his teaching, so he cautioned us not to suppose that grace gives us free license to sin against God.<br /><br />What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? (Romans 6:1-2)<br /><br />Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law. (Romans 3:31)<br /><br />If Paul was not teaching believers that they did not have to keep God's rules, what was he talking about? In Paul's day, many of the Jewish believers taught that before Gentiles could be part of the kingdom of heaven, they needed to become Jewish. The idea that a Gentile must become Jewish before being saved is what Paul calls "being under the law." Paul believed that Gentiles became sons of Abraham and part of the people of God through faith in Messiah. They did not need to earn that status by becoming legally Jewish. They did not need to first come"under the law" in order to enter the kingdom.<br /><br />The Bible does not actually teach the idea of Grace vs. Law. Grace is God's free gift of salvation for those who believe in his Son. Law is His loving instruction for how His people should live. Grace vs. Law is a false dichotomy. They are not opposed to each other. They are meant to work hand in hand.<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-25981860930834857002010-03-22T07:00:00.001-07:002010-03-22T07:00:01.174-07:00The Latest...As of late, as you probably have noticed, my life has been rather blog-deficient. As we have gotten rid of our Internet connection, I haven't had too much time to blog and comment. So, thank you all for understanding! Really, I'm not trying to be impolite, just not making to the library as often as I'd like to. :)<br /><br />In the meantime, I've been spending more of my time each day doing school, as I've had a few subjects added to my usual list. One of the "extras" has been reading through the <a href="http://www.fun-books.com/books/uncle_eric_books.htm">Uncle Eric Series</a>, which is somewhat of a law/economics course. Very good reading material. It's not very challenging reading level wise, but it certainly challenges me in my law and government views! I'm going through the two-book series about the two World Wars, and am feeling like I'm getting a lot out of them. Highly recommended!<br /><br /><br />Passover is in just <em>one </em>week, and we're hastily finishing up our cleaning. Exodus 12:15 states that we should get all of the unleavened bread out of our home before Passover starts, and my mom likes to make sure that commandment is thoroughly obeyed. :-) Our system is to go through each room in the house; shop-vacing, organizing, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser wiping and ultimately get the room back into tip-top shape. <a href="http://allgloriouswithin-emmuna.blogspot.com/">Katherine</a> and I were just talking about how interesting it is that many people are currently spring cleaning. Most likely there's a connection...<br /><br /><br />I recently participated in a talent show as well, which took lots of preparation time. I had much fun, though, and definitely learned from the experience. The more I sing, the more I love singing. :-)<br /><br /><br />So what's been going on with all of you? I haven't been able to check up on all the blogs, but it's<br /><br />nice to hear from you!<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-90452824909696670622010-02-01T07:00:00.000-08:002010-02-01T07:00:03.662-08:00How to Make Lip Balm<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjin-euXfBwWshStHEKRIbnMT4QdsF0QQJ0TGlhGG2t61CT3d6r0rofPDmYPMQEKUkAZjkv1GvIw-eHCAYAkGi_4WPpHV12gBvDKM2ce0vOTNABMR6aJLAjZ-APAompewfz9uJz30dZQCfZ/s1600-h/imagesCAJ1PZDY.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 149px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 140px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431590502456402434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjin-euXfBwWshStHEKRIbnMT4QdsF0QQJ0TGlhGG2t61CT3d6r0rofPDmYPMQEKUkAZjkv1GvIw-eHCAYAkGi_4WPpHV12gBvDKM2ce0vOTNABMR6aJLAjZ-APAompewfz9uJz30dZQCfZ/s400/imagesCAJ1PZDY.jpg" /></a> Last summer while having some friends stay for the weekend, my mom, the girls and I got the priviledge of hosting a little lip balm party. This is the recipe our dear friend Thema searched out for us. It's not the exact same one we used, but we followed the same steps and used most of the same ingredients. And, although it may sound complicated, it's really not. :) Have fun!<br /><div><div></div><div>Ingredients and Supplies:</div><br /><div>Sweet Almond Oil, or Coconut Oil</div><div>Wheat Germ Oil</div><div>Beeswax pearls</div><div>Lip Balm Tubes or Jars (you can buy them very cheaply online)</div><br /><div>The rule of thumb is two parts oil, one part beeswax pearls and a drop or two of wheat germ oil. If you want it thin like cream or Vaseline use a little less beeswax pearls. Want it thicker, like the chapstick in the tubes? Just add a little more pearls.</div><br /><div>Heat almond/coconut oil in a saucepan and add beeswax pearls and wheat germ oil. Allow mixture to cool down. If it is too thick, add more oil. Too thin? Add more pearls. Reheat. </div><br /><div>While letting the mixture cool, add a few drops of essential oils to enhance the healing effects to the balm. Comfry, Rosemary, Tea Tree and Camphor oils are excellent for this. We used more fun oils for yummy scents; like peach and mint, but any will work. After you add the essential oils but your mixture is still warm, carefully pour it into the lip balm tubes or jars. Let cool. Apply to lips as necessary. Enjoy!</div><br /><div>Note: 4 oz. Almond/Coconut oil mixed with 2 oz. Beeswax pearls will fill more than enough of 12, quarter oz. tubes and/or jars. Any unused base can be stored for a very long time for future use.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a></div></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-19897921628456389592010-01-27T16:42:00.000-08:002010-01-27T16:47:53.115-08:00You Are My Sunshine<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTUoH4bvVs5szXea_6PwqIVe4pgS8ckovAz1GUMgQt_csOLh-o7vATf2geBH5kj-bpdk9EzXZw9-AAWn4ku1dFsRvcUxGTzhWH1zUxFtMT7pyjJYu8uYX0vdWjXnqCMee0s5sOPMWSHEe/s1600-h/imagesCA0FK2GR.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 124px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 124px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431585655753639650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTUoH4bvVs5szXea_6PwqIVe4pgS8ckovAz1GUMgQt_csOLh-o7vATf2geBH5kj-bpdk9EzXZw9-AAWn4ku1dFsRvcUxGTzhWH1zUxFtMT7pyjJYu8uYX0vdWjXnqCMee0s5sOPMWSHEe/s320/imagesCA0FK2GR.jpg" /></a><br /><div>While reading a book to the little ones a few days ago, I turned to a page with lightening coming out of the sky. Girly Girl quickly put her hand on the page as if to catch it saying,</div><br /><div>"Don't let the sun overflow!"</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-22965144647833645722010-01-17T09:00:00.000-08:002010-01-17T09:00:02.830-08:00Songs I've Been EnjoyingFor the past few weeks I've really been enjoying learning these few worship songs for voice lessons. These are great songs to have stuck in your head. :)<br /><br />Hosanna<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AQGJdTpMUcU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AQGJdTpMUcU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Glory Revealed<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/X7SbVYWoM8c&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/X7SbVYWoM8c&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Desert Song<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QemZQKKJbRU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QemZQKKJbRU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-63414790017612403372010-01-13T17:01:00.000-08:002010-01-13T17:01:20.477-08:00Being Content While UnmarriedLately I've noticed quite a few girls who seem to focus an enormous amount of their thoughts and actions on their future married life. They don't necessarily live for today. They're waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting for a future life that may start, whether within the next year, or the next decade. Most of them just like many of us, do not know.<br /><br />While it is a good and wise choice to prepare for the probable event of getting married, having a home to take care of and children to raise, I believe that it is also good to enjoy and live out life as an unmarried young lady to it's fullest potential. This means being content with being "single": a helper to our parents, a daughter at home, etc. and being <em>happy, satisfied, </em><strong>content</strong> with it. There will always be that God-given longing to be married and enjoy the blessing of children in any girl, but I think it is important not to get carried away with the idea that life will be some sort of perfect fantasy once we get married and have our own family. Yes, we hope God will be good in giving us those blessings, are excited about the prospect of them and can't wait to enjoy the fruit of his goodness, but remember ladies: he has also given us this time of singleness!<br /><p>During this time, what should we as young girls be doing? Preparing for a family? Yes. Helping others? Yes. Furthering our education and Biblical worldview? Yes. Exploring areas of creativity? Yes. All of these activities are well worth your time. Allow me to expand on what I mean.</p><p><strong>Preparing for a Family</strong><br /></p><p>Like the ant (Prov 6:6-8), we should be storing up "provisions" of experience in the areas of subjection (1 Peter 3:1), child rearing (Prov 22:6) and those that could be used not only in the role of a wife and mother, but in any lifestyle; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22-23). I'm sure you can think of many other areas of growth that would be helpful to work on. </p><p><strong>Helping Others</strong><br /></p><p>During the time in a young lady's life that she is unmarried, it important for her to realize the impact she can have on those around her. Whether it is aiding a mother with many little ones, doing yard work for an elderly couple, grocery shopping for a disabled person or encouraging younger girls with a Bible study, one has a chance to greatly bless others than almost any time in her life. She is physically and emotionally capable of being of invaluable service to others, yet does not have a husband and children that would naturally put restrictions on her schedule. However, remember that according to Psalm 144:12, a daughter is to be the corner pillar in her home; therefore her main priority should be to serve her immediate family. </p><p><strong>Furthering Education and Biblical Worldview</strong><br /></p><p>In opposition to what much of the world thinks, when a girl puts herself in subjection to God's mastermind plan for the family structure, she does not become dense and cooperative as an obedient work horse would. Rather, while she is serving her family and those around her, she chooses to educate herself with books and teachings that further her beliefs in the godly lifestyle she has committed herself to. </p><p><strong>Exploring Areas of Creativity</strong><br /></p><p>While in this stage of singleness, I believe that it is a good thing to find hobbies that challenge the gifts God has given you, help you figure out areas you need to work on (such as patience :), as well as help you define areas that you enjoy. When I stopped doing gymnastics due to issues of modesty and lack of finances, I needed to find something that would fill up the hole. Over a good amount of time I became more involved in writing to pen pals, took up blogging, dipped a little in cake decorating, tried out scrap booking, learned to sew, started knitting, experimented in art and was enrolled in music lessons. While everything that I tried I didn't always like or keep pursuing, I realized there were areas in which I excelled in more than others, and areas that I needed to work on. Many of the hobbies I am participating in now give me a chance to help and minister to others, while also fulfill my sense of creativity.</p><p>As I have tried to cover just the main points of things an unmarried young lady can do, I certainly haven't covered everything. There are many good activites and projects that a girl can involve herself in; however, something to guard yourself against is the typical career that many girls choose to seek out. There are many reasons why. For instance, if you have a typical full time job you would probably be under these circumstances: you would not be spending very much time at home; therefore not be able to biblically serve your father, you would be in an enviroment where there would be much unprotected time spent with the opposite sex, you would meet many people who would not exactly have your best intrests in mind, and you would get used to, and maybe even eventually copy, ungodly attitudes or belifes (such as feministic, relitave truth, etc.) All of these things cater to discontenment of being that stay at home daughter, living out her unmarried years, under the protection of her father.</p><p>Remember, ladies, there is freedom in living out your life within God's principles, and though it may be hard at first, the more you live for Him the more joy it will bring you. Pray for me as I pray for you!</p><p><em>Note: While these beliefs are consistent with the Bible, I personally am not anyone's authority. If your authority wishes you to follow a different path, it is not my place to say you are in the wrong. If you are choosing to obey them, the Lord will bless you for it.</em><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a></p><br /><br /><p><em></em> </p>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-41766189401869807012009-12-31T21:15:00.000-08:002009-12-31T21:15:33.531-08:00A Treat For The Skin!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs90YM-Q7j2r4c1Mel9649-HityHgVPLQA7kbFLA53KLU9XLF3LKpAqGyMzhctK60EkvptZ-EbTmJ5PTFeFPlSXXDD8SeIjmhjxQIW4n0eMQuAW1NaMZzb8ynmXgf-QBmfloqcPCJGJLsr/s1600-h/intheraw.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421635166413945506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs90YM-Q7j2r4c1Mel9649-HityHgVPLQA7kbFLA53KLU9XLF3LKpAqGyMzhctK60EkvptZ-EbTmJ5PTFeFPlSXXDD8SeIjmhjxQIW4n0eMQuAW1NaMZzb8ynmXgf-QBmfloqcPCJGJLsr/s320/intheraw.jpg" /></a><br /><div>My mom recently won an assortment of bath products from the <a href="http://www.diyminishoppes.com/shoppes/hickchickssoapbarn/index.html">Hick Chicks Soap Barn</a> at a homeschooling mom's party, and I have to say I am silently thanking her for it! <a href="http://muckbootsnaprons.blogspot.com/">Mrs. Dalyn</a>'s soaps smell heavenly and are so smooth on your skin. Mmm mmm good. </div><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-91192672323183063232009-12-29T17:47:00.000-08:002009-12-30T07:53:46.274-08:00Courtship Stories<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2_Wiy5xMbs7J1e_wGPCIx_iJQMo0zqXhpcyiTDyTGy64TyyoGiWJ9nyNA4R76MD18RssJJmEbeoFK_pGO3EVzsIZSxeWFmmUFNUevHQh0P2jZ8WaFlfCfkSkB7J898X83_RsVAP98qAz/s1600-h/holding-hands.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420838384550949634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2_Wiy5xMbs7J1e_wGPCIx_iJQMo0zqXhpcyiTDyTGy64TyyoGiWJ9nyNA4R76MD18RssJJmEbeoFK_pGO3EVzsIZSxeWFmmUFNUevHQh0P2jZ8WaFlfCfkSkB7J898X83_RsVAP98qAz/s320/holding-hands.jpg" /></a><br /><div align="center">If you're like me, you <em>really</em> like hearing about love stories that, well, "start" with a happy ending. Here are a few that I've enjoyed:<br /></div><br /><div align="center">~<a href="http://ylcf.org/courtship-stories/dedeugd/">Pete and Genevieve's Story</a><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">~<a href="http://klahnfamilyblog.blogspot.com/search/label/courting">Issac and Amy's Story </a><br /></div><div align="center">~<a href="http://chrisandsteph.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/are-you-lookin-at-me/">Chris and Stephanie's Full Story</a>, told by Chris's mom. To see their story up to the engagement, check it out on their <a href="http://chrisandsteph.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/are-you-lookin-at-me/">blog</a>.<br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">~<a href="http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/index.php?id=79&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=276&tx_ttnews%5BbackPID%5D=7">Shalom and Justin's Story </a></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">~<a href="http://otwellfamily.wordpress.com/courtship-story/">Abigail and Taylor's Story</a> (Abigail's younger sister, Hannah, has been my pen pal for about 6 years!)<br /></div><div align="center">~<a href="http://ylcf.org/2007/02/our-courtship/">Trina and Jeremy's Story</a></div><p align="center"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a></p><div align="left"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://roadrise.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/it-seems-like-just-yesterday/">Image Credit</a></span></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-14744071407242895402009-12-28T09:05:00.000-08:002009-12-30T14:57:44.277-08:00Way Back When...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF21pOORVCe7sYYxAQBKx1kgVMnyoVA8Cxh28bszzxSpBWc-Y-U4-cS92PP_LP4OMrTPTaxz2-q7IO-tTwyfCOkqf11IncZQ1rAMZrVN0di4_sehQZ2Tvm6Q86VO4iGDlPjisgqi9JB5eP/s1600-h/cowboys.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 185px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420333520218584050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF21pOORVCe7sYYxAQBKx1kgVMnyoVA8Cxh28bszzxSpBWc-Y-U4-cS92PP_LP4OMrTPTaxz2-q7IO-tTwyfCOkqf11IncZQ1rAMZrVN0di4_sehQZ2Tvm6Q86VO4iGDlPjisgqi9JB5eP/s320/cowboys.jpg" /></a><br /><div>In 1908 when my father, Sumner Peter Hailey, was 17, he and his two brothers, Cecil 19 years and Homer 14 years, traveled from their parent's farm near Guild, Missouri to purchase cattle. The three traveled 271 miles by horse back, to Kansas city, Missouri. About the time the Hailey boys arrived in Kansas City, a man was robbed and murdered. There was a witness to th<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucamfyW69BlY-DtKdLGgAzDl9byanu1q9vG9lriGWfCw83SXGncqWlhnBm8EEgg0Iw95v_ceQHMH-6GLFd7d4yjA4ae1YoTigDU_FGca9t4I9J_q3LuQyg_NCJ7A1bQN9mlozPYR8Stlj/s1600-h/hailey+money.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 129px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 88px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420332522422971634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucamfyW69BlY-DtKdLGgAzDl9byanu1q9vG9lriGWfCw83SXGncqWlhnBm8EEgg0Iw95v_ceQHMH-6GLFd7d4yjA4ae1YoTigDU_FGca9t4I9J_q3LuQyg_NCJ7A1bQN9mlozPYR8Stlj/s200/hailey+money.jpg" /></a>e crime who hid under a wooden raised sidewalk. From this hiding place he could only see the killer's boots. My dad was seen in town and arrested for the murder, because the boots he wore were the same color as the man's who commited the crime. The sheriff also thought that the money my father had to purchase cattle was the stolen money.<br /><div><div><div><br /><div>After the arrest, Cecil and Homer got on their horses and rode back home, to tell their parents what <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWXjp2UBuPNE9KVTDODyyi_K5pX9j6kvJ32B0aAikNFQ-osiGUB8HVsgLyp2OJuC1G8trYNwOay6e2bG_mx0OHaFDBCR0EGz5K0PSx1KNFsQZI-8zG5cLa9T2POWkT9kjAn5r0OdgjOOt/s1600-h/boots.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 144px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 176px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420332983077883186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWXjp2UBuPNE9KVTDODyyi_K5pX9j6kvJ32B0aAikNFQ-osiGUB8HVsgLyp2OJuC1G8trYNwOay6e2bG_mx0OHaFDBCR0EGz5K0PSx1KNFsQZI-8zG5cLa9T2POWkT9kjAn5r0OdgjOOt/s200/boots.jpg" /></a>had happened to Sumner, and to get bail money. While they were gone, a sheriff of a small town near Kansas City arrested a man for a minor crime. It ended up that he had the same boots as the murderer and the stolen money on him. The man confessed to both crimes, and my father was set free to go home. </div><br /><div>Later in his life, he served in World War 1 and was married to my mother, Pernella "Nellie" Mitchell Hailey, and they were married for 66 years. They had four children: my sisters Thelma and Ilene, and me and my twin brother. My father lived to the age of 94, and was never arrested again.</div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 306px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420333165758917826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGilPGjYN6aMF0eOCHoqSlCBNaduYH5FeXIiJLltnjTyKhOtwLIODscVwNCtMkqn0NWEzVemlGGJdlz3BqphU7ZEhlPKZgmWl-YCCPlZTP2EHrIv91nZykwgThxpiH3bJSOQQWiawQCI_/s320/grandpa+and+grandma+hailey.jpg" /><br /><div><em><strong>Story by: </strong></em></div><br /><div><em><strong>My Great Grandfather Mitchell Dan Hailey, as told to my grandfather, Bud Buckles.</strong></em></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-58176505374286587672009-12-24T18:00:00.000-08:002009-12-24T18:01:09.132-08:00Ways to Minister to the Elderly<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2DpbLUK-IzVCQ78pJecYnfBUtIhkJKIY39uvolsPMKYMLWVXBDfAS1ZdgIWEqSvOd0odk-47AAH8ouajK2T6RZ1i7rsp4oXcYCKkOlNEzwRUoh42YKeM4RD-V4u5MUKp0mN8CSFhaH5r/s1600-h/elderly%2520helping%2520hand.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418960138639660834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2DpbLUK-IzVCQ78pJecYnfBUtIhkJKIY39uvolsPMKYMLWVXBDfAS1ZdgIWEqSvOd0odk-47AAH8ouajK2T6RZ1i7rsp4oXcYCKkOlNEzwRUoh42YKeM4RD-V4u5MUKp0mN8CSFhaH5r/s320/elderly%2520helping%2520hand.jpg" /></a><br /><div align="center"><em>"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27</em></div><br /><div align="center"><em>"Wisdom is with aged men, with long life is understanding" Job 12:12 (NASB)</em></div><br /><div align="center"><em>"Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly." Leviticus 19:32</em></div><br /><div align="left">While working at the retirement center, I met many elderly men and women. I noticed that each and every one had stories to tell, advice to give and knowledge to share. And, each and every one were touched by the smallest kind gesture, word or act. I also noticed that other young people that worked there acted as if their job, whether handling the upkeep of the lawn and gardens, serving food or wheeling a wheelchair, was the most boring and terrible job one could have. There were no smiles, cheery hellos, conversation starters or signs of respect shown. Instead, there were eye rolls, sighs and statements spoken that sounded like they could have been directed to a child who wouldn't know a bird from a fish.</div><br /><div align="left">To be honest, I was shocked and saddened. Who do we teenagers think we are? Certainly not smarter than these other <em><strong>human beings</strong></em> who have lived fifty, sixty years more than us? ....I hope not. Out of all the generations living right now, we are the ones that, for the most part, know the least. </div><br /><div align="left">You and I, as young people who are aiming to serve the Lord, let's do something a little extra to reach out. It doesn't take much; just a little time and energy. And we, the young and unmarried, seem to have much of that. Wouldn't you agree? I know that many of your families probably already do something for the elderly, but I thought that I'd post a few things that us girls could do. </div><br /><div align="left">1. Befriend a sweet, lonely lady you meet (either at a retirement center, or the grocery store :) and become pen-pals. If you're like me, you probably have a good assortment of them already, so you know how letter writing works. The lady I helped loved getting mail, and frequently enjoyed sending out little encouragement cards to her friends as well. Think about how appreciative someone might be if you started writing to them, asking for cooking tips, old stories and childhood memories.<br /></div><br /><div align="left">2. Drop off a dessert. If you personally know the person, make sure you know if they have any dietary restrictions. Not everyone does, however, and since many facilities accept donated treats, make a few dozen cookies to drop off (of course being sure to call first).</div><br /><div align="left">3. Many nursing homes and retirement centers have chapel times, offered by different churches around town. If you play an instrument, and your church or homeschool group doesn't do this, why not volunteer a little of your time and play (or sing!) for the residents? At the retirement center I was at, a lady would play the piano twice a week during breakfast. Everyone enjoyed it!</div><br /><div align="left">4. Offer to visit a lady's home once a week or so, and bring things for manicures, card making or something else she might enjoy doing with you. If you wanted, you could even go big time and volunteer to do it for all the ladies in a retirement or senior center.</div><br /><div align="left">5. Have a cards night, either at your house, an elderly person's or retirement home. Many elderly people love playing cards!</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">And one more idea: Offer to clean once or twice a week for someone. Being young and agile, we're a much better canadite for loading the dishwasher or scrubbing out the shower than a person who has a hard time just walking. One more way to practice our "homemaker" skills!</div><br /><div align="left"><em>"Give and it will be given unto you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over..." Luke 6:38</em><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-54813885357435097162009-12-22T08:30:00.000-08:002009-12-23T11:49:35.900-08:00A Young Maiden's Daybook - Entry Number 9<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlTQkMVj8_ZrrpDuook6BhlpfA_tAcrVegnGiK2kAHrKGzrGHDhm7rB59USBi7jVGNL2fG9Zsfs95ouBU5sNrOX-sr7XpiMq7FMmbRxN0AD62cAA2Tb_ZHWzqLajh2kllRrRgnK6KJ-eJ/s1600-h/ayoungmadiensdaybookLOGO.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 227px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418099596189833266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlTQkMVj8_ZrrpDuook6BhlpfA_tAcrVegnGiK2kAHrKGzrGHDhm7rB59USBi7jVGNL2fG9Zsfs95ouBU5sNrOX-sr7XpiMq7FMmbRxN0AD62cAA2Tb_ZHWzqLajh2kllRrRgnK6KJ-eJ/s320/ayoungmadiensdaybookLOGO.jpg" /></a><strong>Today...</strong> is December 22, also known as Tuesday, which is also known as the day I need to catch up on school, sweep and mop the hallways and stairs, mail cards for my grandma and write a few thank you notes.<br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><strong>Outside my window...</strong> I see ice, ice, ice... and a little sun peeking out of the clouds.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>I am thinking...</strong> about the big box of homemade cookies and chocolates my uncle brought over yesterday. So nice!</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>I am thankful for...</strong> a quiet, cozy morning.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>I am wearing...</strong> a tan sweater an a long, princess cut skirt. (I love skirts and dresses in princess cut!)</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>I am reading...</strong> So Much More by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin. That book is a God-send.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>I am creating...</strong> nothing at the moment. I just finished putting a new nine patch on a quilt where the other one had ripped for an elderly lady down the street yesterday. Once we get our sewing machine fixed, I'd like to make some headway on my own!</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>One of my favorite things...</strong> holiday tea in the morning to calm down that screaming throat.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>For education this week...</strong> the usual is in store. I've got to practice extra hard for piano, though! Fur Elise, even the simplified version, is definitely a challenging for me. A E A, E E G#...</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>A keeper at home skill I am using/learning...</strong> how to have patience while sewing things by hand. Ugh!</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>A spiritual lesson I am learning...</strong> to be kind and respectful when someone is speaking harshly or is upset at you, even when it isn't your fault.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>A godly character trait I plan to work on...</strong> kindness.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>Scripture I am memorizing...</strong> I've backslid on that for a few months, so this week I am reviewing the verses I had previously memorized.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>I am praying for...</strong> my cousin Kimmy.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>For the rest of the week...</strong> I don't have much going on. No music lessons, appointments or places to go until Sunday - my weekly shopping/coffee date with a friend down the street.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>A picture I'd like to share...</strong></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">My brother when he opened his gift from me for Hanukkah - a camo bear. :)<br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418098657250699314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqUayLUsDqgZA76yVlAWgrghf-tVnkSygTzEWmDj3WoC2Qm0CTWPLz-ryFtXC6IAFXI92Lf6qlBbJoTxQ4paBsVmZ1Ol2uiP2c7R2ytbqcDTtqCqOlL84Hj1hOf2xfLNasXWwR_xxxCBz/s320/hanukkah+09+138.JPG" /> <p align="center"><br />Care to participate? Do so <a href="http://hskubesgal.blogspot.com/2009/02/young-maidens-daybook_23.html">here</a>.<br /></p><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-32470257520975025362009-12-20T16:00:00.000-08:002009-12-20T16:00:44.210-08:00Was There Advanced Technology in Past Civilizations?<div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBGt04XCLL1z3Uo43xoU0g-_OLbrbeL68pbI8NhZ87_yYS1U3ZdU0Mwgy1SNGl141oYNu0KOTFeKO2H_y5hojxEcLl444Fa-bJup-KutV2iKeMyXgF3jOs4TXxfesBajr_4HuPWKgyB7D5/s1600-h/archeology+book.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 100px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417436619291127730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBGt04XCLL1z3Uo43xoU0g-_OLbrbeL68pbI8NhZ87_yYS1U3ZdU0Mwgy1SNGl141oYNu0KOTFeKO2H_y5hojxEcLl444Fa-bJup-KutV2iKeMyXgF3jOs4TXxfesBajr_4HuPWKgyB7D5/s400/archeology+book.jpg" /></a> <em>"Popular culture has led us to believe that ancient man was primitive - originating from primates and steadily improving through a process of time and chance. But does that agree with reality? What does the evidence left behind from past cultures tell us? Was ancient man simple and primitive as we have been taught, or did the level of science and technology existing thousands of years ago rival, or even surpass, the level of ours today in the 20th century?</em> <em>~Donald E. Chittick in</em> The Puzzle of Ancient Man<br /><br /><div>The above book has really strengthened my faith. I began reading it a couple of weeks ago as my history curriculum, and I've really enjoyed it.<br /></div><br /><div>One of the main points that Dr. Chittick makes is that men did not begin living in caves and beating on their chests. Our race began with God. He formed and made us and Adam learned <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yEfqhyphenhyphensMhQZsjgEpieGjkdzI6n6HRvOABVExJbCBKat6Q1AIHW-tM4GXv13BPK0Y6jQBj_6S47cCgmA_uKztdhkgzOKGuckG5kbn-DXIO_nlPJz9wXOhZdSJOMxCLNtdmq3c-UEOxtM0/s1600-h/flinstones.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 148px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417471440416383314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yEfqhyphenhyphensMhQZsjgEpieGjkdzI6n6HRvOABVExJbCBKat6Q1AIHW-tM4GXv13BPK0Y6jQBj_6S47cCgmA_uKztdhkgzOKGuckG5kbn-DXIO_nlPJz9wXOhZdSJOMxCLNtdmq3c-UEOxtM0/s200/flinstones.jpg" /></a>from Him. A little ways down the line: <em>"His brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all who play the harp and flute. Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron." Genesis 4:21 and 22.</em> </div><div> </div><div>Hmmm... if a couple of men in only the <em>fourth chapter</em> in the beginning are creating things from brass and iron, as well as writing music and inventing musical instruments, people had to have had a high form of intellect. We know that we were created the way we are we did not <em>evolve</em> to the level we are at today. In <em>The Puzzle of Ancient Man</em>, the author gives a very convincing argument toward this end. He sites many different ancient civilizations.</div><br /><div>When describing several wonders of the world, things that have stumped people for centuries, he has a whole different view of how they came about. He quotes respected and knowledgeable authors, professionals in those fields of study, Christian and secular. When referring to the huge, <em>mile upon mile</em> sketches drawn on the Nazca desert, he quotes an author, </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74Jt5w1kct9X8MV8Q9ewPMIclpFx-pangyD-xTYasEu22pJFW3NB6irEf77FKJ84EcrwTCTrIjJ6jzChtgPbwnYDMCcbcQqzJ10HMnulSogp4epZz650HLwmpDzV828ctnMM26PHfgVPx/s1600-h/nazca.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 172px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417472129936328770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74Jt5w1kct9X8MV8Q9ewPMIclpFx-pangyD-xTYasEu22pJFW3NB6irEf77FKJ84EcrwTCTrIjJ6jzChtgPbwnYDMCcbcQqzJ10HMnulSogp4epZz650HLwmpDzV828ctnMM26PHfgVPx/s320/nazca.jpg" /></a>"Regarding the methods employed, the designs of Nazca prove that their creators possessed a highly developed degree of abstract thought. The task of transferring to a desert the figure of a bird, or any other animal, is one that cannot be carried out by a mere enthusiast. It demands rather complicated geometric methods which alone can explain the extraordinary regularity and symmetry of the drawings as well as the proper proportions among their elements. It is quiet certain that the figures of Nazca were not the result of simple visual ad-hoc method."<br /><br /><div></div><div>This is one of many places that others have seen the anomaly of ancient man exhibiting technology that we never thought possible coming from those times. The tower of Babel, Stonehenge, The Incas and Mayans, the great pyramids and many other things are explained in this book.</div><br /><div>We think we have come so far. And, really, the internet alone is an amazing thing. But, who is to say that people before us did not do equally amazing things? We have little of what was here before the flood. Imagine if today the flood happened. Everything was wiped away. Nothing was left but one family to go out and repopulate, reinvent and rebuilt. Yes, someone could have brought their lap top and ipod on board, but what if they weren't computer experts (Noah's family were carpenters, after all they spent their whole lives building an ark) and couldn't replicate them? These things would be lost. What they did have, they'd pass on to their children and their children's children, but each society would become experts at different things. <em>"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9</em></div><br /><div>It's so easy to go with the flow and say, "Sure, I believe in Creationism." But, you need to able to defend why you believe what you do. This book is a surefire way to build your knowledge and understanding as well as increase your ability to back your stance. It's a good read.<br /></div><div><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"></a></div></div></div></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-80557217631841386842009-12-14T20:35:00.000-08:002009-12-14T20:39:34.275-08:00I'm Back!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUNiQ1BiXdWgAaE6_UJgT0umQJkm7W3iL_Iu7AtcQnCLFJvUChnXRnCC3sjyDOUWQA4qXyLm_2unoIm_74nvzLrAHkdeCojKLx76ghKmbejI6UH_tSlsGISpt7xV80ockRHN_r4Br09rtW/s1600-h/stepping+stones.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 286px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415316857407257330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUNiQ1BiXdWgAaE6_UJgT0umQJkm7W3iL_Iu7AtcQnCLFJvUChnXRnCC3sjyDOUWQA4qXyLm_2unoIm_74nvzLrAHkdeCojKLx76ghKmbejI6UH_tSlsGISpt7xV80ockRHN_r4Br09rtW/s320/stepping+stones.jpg" /></a>After a nice, long break from Mr. Time Sucker, I am happy to say that he is now sucking my time again. These last few months have been crazy busy for me, but thankfully things are slowly, but steadily, starting to slow down.<br /><br /><div>At the end of August we started back up in school, which was quickly followed by a few breaks due to the Feast of Tabernacles, among other things. In September I started taking voice and piano lessons, which have been rather challenging, but I am thankful for the opportunity to develop in the area of music. It's something I've wanted to do for a while! </div><br /><div>For about the last two months I've been working for a lady at a retirement center down the street from our house, for about eight to ten hours a day. When she originally hired me she had recently fallen out of a van and seriously bruised herself, making it hard for her to get around. Thankfully she is now back up and going again, and doing well. While it was a struggle at first to get used to not being at home, I learned to manage the time that I had wisely to get things done when I was.<br /></div><div> </div><div>The whole "job" was rather a large blessing and answer to somewhat of an unspoken prayer. Just the week before my mom was called up about it, a friend and I were talking about how we were in a bit of a hard situation, because while we wanted to earn a little money, we didn't necessarily want to be fast food girls. I mentioned that it would be nice to learn something that I would be able to do close to my home, or if possible, right at home. Then, this temporary caregiver job was dropped in my lap, which in turn has given me the experience to possibly explore the job as one. While I don't think I would choose do a full time job like this, it is a great opportunity to be able to work for an elderly lady once or twice a week, either right down the street, or someplace else. </div><br /><div></div><div>Something that also took place in November was an <a href="http://femininityinafeministworld.blogspot.com/2008/11/operation-christmas-child.html">Operation Christmas Child</a> party my mom and I put on. About ten girls came with an assortment of moms, and we surpassed our goal of twenty gift boxes by three. We were able to get a few stores to donate money to help with buying the supplies, and the rest were brought by the girls, myself and Grandma. :) </div><br /><div></div><div>These first few weeks of December have mostly been spent getting back into the roll of things at home. Also, we are currently right in the middle of celebrating the <a href="http://femininityinafeministworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/hanukkah-hanukkah-festival-of-lights.html">Festival of Lights</a>, which carries the joys of latke making, dreidle playing and gift giving. Yes, it's true. I'm glad to be back!</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-56541836578771984342009-08-27T13:56:00.000-07:002009-08-27T14:29:55.988-07:00Comparing and Contrasting Pollyanna and Veruca Salt<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwfFP9vHJ01HZM4uZvRMVDhB6N4cRjKMetkyTmuuRNfZ4mf9DCIQUylgo_W_9N_E3HcM5rYuYtCoYZQhUDOftTxi-Fw1a_GHODFMzLo3BTss3FD9Mkgsj69puRU55gb5n69CyarcXsM1A/s1600-h/essay_writing.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374758602392941970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwfFP9vHJ01HZM4uZvRMVDhB6N4cRjKMetkyTmuuRNfZ4mf9DCIQUylgo_W_9N_E3HcM5rYuYtCoYZQhUDOftTxi-Fw1a_GHODFMzLo3BTss3FD9Mkgsj69puRU55gb5n69CyarcXsM1A/s320/essay_writing.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Today while I was picking up the office I came across a little file of some papers I had written for school over the years. I thought you might get a kick out of this one. I remember I had just mentioned that I had finished both books when I was told I needed to have a paper about a character from each book in by lunch time. This just goes to show how spontaneous my mother is on writing assignments! ;)</div><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">Comparing and Contrasting Pollyanna and Veruca Salt</span></div><br /><div>This is an essay comparing and contrasting Pollyanna, a character from Eleanor H. Porter's fiction novel <em>Pollyana</em>, and Veruca Salt, from the book<em> Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</em> written by Roald Dahl.</div><br /><div>Pollyanna Whittier is a fun-loving, orphaned, ten-year-old girl who lives with her strict aunt Polly. Pollyanna always tries to make the best of every situation and encourages others to do the same. She loves making new friends and taking in all sorts of creatures who don't have any place to stay, much to her dismay, into Aunt Polly's mansion.</div><br /><div>Veruca Salt is a rich, spoiled brat who "needs a good spanking". She was the second winner of Mr. Willy Wonka's precious five golden tickets. And, as you can guess, got it purely from whining and screaming her father's ear off (just like she gets everything else).</div><br /><div>Here are some of the similarities of Pollyanna and Veruca Salt. Veruca and Pollyanna both live in wealthy households; Pollyanna was adopted into the money and Veruca was simply <em>born</em> raking in the bucks. Bother girls have lovely, blond hair and are somewhat curious.</div><br /><div>Though there are very few comparisons between Veruca and Pollyanna, there are many contrasts. First of all, Pollyanna is much more well behaved. In <em>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</em>, Veruca's "Daddy" tells the newspaper that Veruca "would lie for hours on the floor, kicking and yelling in the most disturbing way" when he would come home from work with no Golden Ticket. But when Pollyanna doesn't get something she wants, or has to do something she doesn't want to do, she doesn't throw a fit screaming and kicking on the floor. For instance, when Pollyanna found she didn't have any "looking glass" in her bedroom, she tried to make the best of things and figured that she can look at her freckles. Also, Veruca always wants <em>everything</em> she sees. Pollyanna is much better behaved than that. Thirdly, Pollyanna and Veruca each live in different time periods. You can tell because in <em>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</em>, Mike Teavee, another Golden Ticket finder, watches television. In the early 1900's, the setting of the book <em>Pollyanna</em>, there were no TVs invented yet.</div><br /><div>As of closing, my favorite book was probably <em>Charlie and the Chocolate factory</em>; I think it was more exciting. But my favorite character was NOT Veruca Salt, it was Pollyanna! I love all of her Innocent, hilarious ideas. :)</div><br /><div>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div><br /><div></div><div>Okay, so I realize I wasn't the greatest thirteen year old writer on the planet, but it was fun to look back on and remember my ideas on those two books... for the love of reading. </div><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-56375485162524894242009-08-21T20:10:00.000-07:002009-08-21T20:36:47.774-07:00How To Make Your Own Herbal Tea<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKzO5WUgMBMer-7b_jtLpJdRBnfQ_HdsoO3qESEdqqk4HbPfgOOao3_KsGctU87mcCsJDw9YDKTzAo4LEU-M2oGBxTQZPiJRSA9yVncwMmP0ofuzLu2_O6akH6tZxgtwSYXavSGW1P5mi/s1600-h/tea_with_mint.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 180px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372626923548842242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKzO5WUgMBMer-7b_jtLpJdRBnfQ_HdsoO3qESEdqqk4HbPfgOOao3_KsGctU87mcCsJDw9YDKTzAo4LEU-M2oGBxTQZPiJRSA9yVncwMmP0ofuzLu2_O6akH6tZxgtwSYXavSGW1P5mi/s200/tea_with_mint.jpg" /></a><br /><div>I love tea. I could go through the boxed tea section at the store for at least a quarter of an hour looking at this tea and that tea, matching up kinds that would taste good together, noticing one I know one of my pen-pals would love... But although I love the convenience of popping a tea bag or two into a mug with a drip of honey for an easy and soothing drink, I still have wondered what it would be like to make my own tea. I never looked into it because I thought it would be too hard and complicated, but this lady makes it look easy, showing you step by step what to do.<br /><br /><div>If you'd like to see how to make yogurt, start at the beginning of this video. If you would rather just watch the tea tutorial, skip to 8:55.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/e1xigOWqnks&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/e1xigOWqnks&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div><div>Tea making part two.</div><div><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7QLSiJWhOEs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7QLSiJWhOEs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div><br /><div>Anybody up for some pineapple coconut tea? Yum!</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a> </div></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-39370867133382222702009-08-20T07:00:00.000-07:002009-08-21T20:14:38.558-07:00Got a Cold? Try Some Natural Ways To Fight It!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsF3QN-9uJ5C_7NBRpPxWLDD_eGHeBEHKbmGHh2jEH2uWDUAKw_gnVfhIA2JxjblYot6p0gw9GnEA2KGjSzh03_SNG_QoqwFXFi29huuu2Py3L8c_N0om1ZhJVdzA74T3zhVt2LVdr9Fr/s1600-h/cold-sick.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371801297671951810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsF3QN-9uJ5C_7NBRpPxWLDD_eGHeBEHKbmGHh2jEH2uWDUAKw_gnVfhIA2JxjblYot6p0gw9GnEA2KGjSzh03_SNG_QoqwFXFi29huuu2Py3L8c_N0om1ZhJVdzA74T3zhVt2LVdr9Fr/s320/cold-sick.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Sadly enough I have become one of the many people that've come down with a common cold this summer. It's kind of funny, because it seems like a lot of friends I've been emailing and chatting with on the Internet have a cold too. Guess I caught the bug off he web. (HAHAHA ahahaha...ha ha.....ahem.) </div><br /><div></div><div>Anyway, I decided to look up some ways I can help my body fight this thing off, and here's what I found in an <a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/339685/ways_to_fight_the_common_cold.html?cat=5">article</a> off of Associated Content. It recommended all the things I've heard to do and backed them up with reasonable, well, reasons. And yes, they do work (I know from personal experience).</div><br /><div></div><div>1. Sleep! Your body right now is in overdrive fighting off the cold and you will need extra rest. More so than normal. That extra added rest will give you a quicker recovery time. You'll be tired anyway from the cold so why not sleep? </div><br /><div></div><div>2. Drink plenty of fluids. These fluids can include soup, water, juice (for that vitamin c we all need) or tea. No dairy here like milk. This can increase the thickness of your mucus and you do not want that. Keep glass of water always next to your bed. You will need to replenish those fluids that are lost and keep your body constantly hydrated. </div><br /><div></div><div>3. Eat foods that are spicy! This is my personal favorite and I don't need a cold as an excuse to eat them. What does this do? This forces out the mucus which is a good thing. </div><br /><div></div><div>4. Now this falls under the fluids category but in particular you should drink ginger tea. I'm not a big fan of it but it does work. It will calm that itchy and scratchy throat that has you up at all hours of the night which can be a nightmare to deal with. It will also help to clear out your nose. Ah relief! You can actually breathe, maybe not smell yet but that will come back in due time, I promise. </div><br /><div></div><div>5. Eat garlic. Chop up a couple of cloves and put it in your food. If you don't like garlic, you can always take a capsule. It helps to clear things up, gets rid of fluids and is antiviral along with antibacterial. Not bad huh? </div><br /><div>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div><br /><div>I know we have garlic and spices (which I'll put into tonight's dinner), and I think we have some ginger tea waaaay back on our tea shelf, so it looks like I'm well on my way to getting better. Sleep is of course a welcome thing too! And besides, whoever said that DayQuil was the only thing that could help ya feel better?<br /></div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-27126045756781984472009-08-18T09:13:00.000-07:002009-08-19T09:14:03.560-07:00Wanted: Ideas For Encouraging Our Sisters In Christ<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8i2Dmt1pl4HJ29SY6tjocT_2Do1zs3UK-eJ-TJbn-hUXVG9kAbhgY8-zrPb7OmwzRem2xIa8d0glWcNbyynw1T_doekP7RZapoaAgtazGzYbVKZ0H_VEXN1H741fcsMBDPZQS7S3rNfmO/s1600-h/6023205-lg.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 251px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371520906653854226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8i2Dmt1pl4HJ29SY6tjocT_2Do1zs3UK-eJ-TJbn-hUXVG9kAbhgY8-zrPb7OmwzRem2xIa8d0glWcNbyynw1T_doekP7RZapoaAgtazGzYbVKZ0H_VEXN1H741fcsMBDPZQS7S3rNfmO/s320/6023205-lg.jpg" /></a>When many parents think of Girl Scouts, they imagine young girls in uniform<br />selling Thin Mints and Tagalong cookies – not learning about stone labyrinths,<br />world peace, global warming, yoga, avatars, smudging incense, Zen gardens and<br />feminist, communist and lesbian role models.<br />But that's exactly what many of<br />2.7 million Girl Scouts will learn about with a new curriculum called "Journeys"<br />released last year.<br /><em>Read the rest of the article </em><a href="http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=97977"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em><br /><br /><div>How sad that this huge program with 10 million girls and adults globally is putting out this sort of propaganda! How many parents enroll their daughters in Girl Scouts, thinking that they will be learning good, wholesome life skills, then, most likely, unknowingly expose their daughters to these things? </div><br /><div>Okay, so we realize that there is a problem. Not only with Girl Scouts, but with many worldly programs put out for girls. Let's think of some ways that we as young ladies can encourage other ladies in doing <em>godly</em> things, lifting each other up in the Lord, and looking to the role-models He has given us.</div><br /><div>Here are a couple of my ideas. If you would like to comment with yours, I'd love to post them here! </div><br /><p>- Start up a pen-palship with your friend, sending back and forth a few paragraphs on different inspirational godly ladies each month, focusing in on one godly character trait for a long period of time. Honestly tell how your last few months have been, and keep each other accountable.</p><p>- Of course every girl needs a pick-me-up now and then. Put together a small box of treats, whether treats to eat or treats for the feet, it will be sure to put a smile on her face! Tuck in a little appropriately decorated note telling them how special they are. <a href="http://www.thebiblepost.com/encouraging-bible-verses">Here</a> is a list of encouraging Bible verses you could add in.</p><p>- Start up a group for younger girls, taking advantage of the way they look up to you, directing them to the Lord's way of life. (A great program to use is <a href="http://www.brightlights.info/bright_lights/index.htm">Bright Lights</a>, which I have used successfully in the past and am currently looking into using for a group for girls I will be starting.)</p><p>- Start a <a href="http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/Catalog/KeepersHandbook_318.asp">Keeper's At Home Group</a>. <em>~Mrs. Carrie</em></p><p><em>-</em> "If you know any Missionaries, I really suggest starting to write them...they really enjoy that and it can be an encouragement to them when they are so far from home...we have made SO MANY NEW FRIENDS by doing that." <em>~Mrs. Carrie</em></p><p><em>-</em> "reach out to neighbor girls...with the permission of your parents of course." <em>~Mrs. Carrie</em></p><p>Anyone else have thoughts they'd like to share?</p><p>Thoughtfully,<br /></p><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/6c925313dd958378ecc82105038ce8c2.png" /></a></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-57188735481784686962009-08-12T22:33:00.000-07:002009-08-12T22:38:13.501-07:00"Enemies List" Denied"The white house is asking to be informed about people who are speaking out about health care. Guess we don't dare disagree with the government now? Casual conversation even? This is straight from the White House blog:<br /><br />"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to <a href="mailto:flag@whitehouse.gov">flag@whitehouse.gov</a>."<br /><br />Go <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Facts-Are-Stubborn-Things/">here </a>to view the article." <em>Thank you to <a href="http://jennysjabber.blogspot.com/">Mother Dear</a> for her post I borrowed. :)</em><br /><em></em><br />Now, go <a href="http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=1627082695&share_id=116218033722&ref=nf#/video/video.php?v=1218813427555&ref=mf">here</a> to check out the White House's response. Very interesting, I must say. Whatever happened to answering questions directly?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/56365dba8ed4b7e57ecc65832369650a.png" /></a>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-69329093612076470342009-08-11T08:55:00.000-07:002009-08-11T08:55:12.195-07:00I Promise<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfodGYGjaoSiqNWRxGGJWFT8p1AXJh4m3G9v60mrsQsTr97xezYvKvEUeFQEsda9uhqGSMpiraEI1qMb6EowBJ_8hfq62NTr3803byZu1OC_K30BH-_C2RZq_jS5YFUfJEJdmA8IcNzIa-/s1600-h/white-rose-1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368558186280351186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfodGYGjaoSiqNWRxGGJWFT8p1AXJh4m3G9v60mrsQsTr97xezYvKvEUeFQEsda9uhqGSMpiraEI1qMb6EowBJ_8hfq62NTr3803byZu1OC_K30BH-_C2RZq_jS5YFUfJEJdmA8IcNzIa-/s200/white-rose-1.jpg" /></a>I really love this song by Jaci Velasquez, put out when she was sixteen years old on her album "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heavenly-Place-Jaci-Velasquez/dp/B000002BQ5">Heavenly Place</a>". Last night I was listening to it as I was falling asleep, and I felt such a peace knowing that God has my life in His hands, that all I have to do is <em>trust in Him </em>and follow His Word, and HIS wonderful plan will unfold.<br /><br /><div>~ Lord, You know my heart</div><div>And all my desires<br />And the secret things I'll never tell</div><div>Lord, You know them well</div><br /><div>Though I may be young</div><div>I see and understand</div><div>That at times like sheep we go astray</div><div>And things get out of hand</div><br /><div>Chorus:</div><div>So I promise to be true to You</div><div>To live my life in purity</div><div>As unto You</div><div>Waiting for the day</div><div>When I hear You say</div><div>Here is the one I have created</div><div>Just for you</div><br /><div>Until then, O Lord</div><div>I will be content</div><div>Knowing that true love</div><div>Will come someday</div><div>It will only come from You</div><br /><div>‘Cause I have seen the suffering</div><div>That loneliness can cause</div><div>When we choose to give our love away</div><div>Without a righteous cause</div><br /><div>Chorus </div><div>So I promise to be true to you </div><div>To live my life in purity </div><div>As unto You </div><div>Waiting for the day </div><div>When I hear You say </div><div>Here is the one I have created </div><div>Just for you ~</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/56365dba8ed4b7e57ecc65832369650a.png" /></a></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-11158493494982799192009-08-10T14:50:00.000-07:002009-08-10T14:51:37.212-07:00Alive, Well And Goin' Goin' Goin'<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 260px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368452852361166882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1FMT0OOrP5L7Qs9C4s1wsXyB6TiI4rJ9W72qA_P7W4oJwrGQO-U-cDIWMsR8mtFwr66448wy1dDujHddZJ5olfR3AzYZVZ9dBG8EIx-uj2f-GKIBf9ve17ACE4T0tvASNfEBAGnjc4Qy/s320/pickles_melsands.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368452847434433314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9r0PA7v3mkrkU1xzzcDMEZVZCf7gJYiVDM7dM51QEuvFM76SyL3PLnRWj4SebcUTVK2V-Ca4getYSN8xmNXq78fFjGj7AvSxOOoPEFWpIRS8CC5ADnxZjPorpbBClBsIVW1q0Xc9rEGP8/s320/apricot-jam-recipe_s600x600.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368454438532999474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4eSGUtDVMYfvS3NCRFeN7xmz5RbJACQ_3TSYCgX1ObHAlspGAfNzkonVmjtExuDN-gWVwdCVmdpHtFDpYIzI9sLAMXFoZdCoZmKHkxzyZ9BuLfpHDIzT5MhaK7qnxvWILePlIbH4zl0L/s320/cleaner.bmp" /><br /><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 179px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368452857490617298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHvlLCWsdJAQnqfvOAf4wLdKI91ALWSU0xHOEBiiCQUmZs7V9UYshJ6UncCO9iC6cOqtbgXezGIDGOO8-ISFXTAyNL2fBpIp_d1eggA-wTEC37td7hjzlnvqyqaqMiozoklg0hb3ANID0/s320/icingcakeusingtip789.jpg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7hJpEF4ID4TH7ZgwpmVy-2GQhd49Jki1r0CvWFa91AnVlky35rnCyash94CJJAJolX2kRb1LPHALngYnURSVyfzb-9ANndmDHT1dl4ZcAH_iVEL58N1p3LMgLypd1QONvnXJXREDJpKG/s1600-h/babysitting.gif"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 316px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368453315275993314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7hJpEF4ID4TH7ZgwpmVy-2GQhd49Jki1r0CvWFa91AnVlky35rnCyash94CJJAJolX2kRb1LPHALngYnURSVyfzb-9ANndmDHT1dl4ZcAH_iVEL58N1p3LMgLypd1QONvnXJXREDJpKG/s320/babysitting.gif" /></a><br /><div align="center">Busy, gotta go. Bye!<br /><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/56365dba8ed4b7e57ecc65832369650a.png" /></a></div></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-26245544095947322592009-08-02T18:52:00.000-07:002009-08-02T21:16:30.623-07:00Easy Homemade Hamburger Patties<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EeGDuyBfCkmGDbmslZA4JsczmpjCGL83N06qV0gmruI7BNzNIJl7AGSvk3217UT7vWcISy14ok8q5UnR_etcB1TTVdB3-msMBdR757YrBOov_f5c-MDPzomS99n3LvjxsrjQ3zzyuKYX/s1600-h/128609_f260.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 260px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 211px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365546428201968210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EeGDuyBfCkmGDbmslZA4JsczmpjCGL83N06qV0gmruI7BNzNIJl7AGSvk3217UT7vWcISy14ok8q5UnR_etcB1TTVdB3-msMBdR757YrBOov_f5c-MDPzomS99n3LvjxsrjQ3zzyuKYX/s320/128609_f260.jpg" /></a><br /><div align="center">There is just something about a homemade burger, wouldn't you say? My full-to-bursting stomach definitely agrees. Tonight my whole family raved about the hamburgers for dinner, so of course I'm looking forward to using this recipe again.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">2 lbs. hamburger</div><div align="center">2 tsp. seasoning salt</div><div align="center">2 tsp. Worshtishire sauce</div><div align="center">1/2 tsp. garlic powder</div><div align="center">1/2 tsp. ground black pepper</div><div align="center">1/2 cup chopped onion</div><div align="center">2 eggs</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Mix all together, mold into about 10 patty shapes and grill. Don't forget adding your fresh-from-the-garden veggies, and even, if you want to go really far, your delicious <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Homemade-Hamburger-Bun-Recipes.aspx">homemade buns</a>.</div><div></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/56365dba8ed4b7e57ecc65832369650a.png" /></a></div><div align="center"></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024427152432226256.post-26820623419274194722009-07-30T21:00:00.000-07:002009-07-31T10:37:21.021-07:00Books I Recommend<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodlYTw9c6tm6pNaVpBKWy1C2UBfZLsb8BZbwC_2NZXCS2KruNHwBWQ9h8TEHGThRguNQTEv2yAawgwdFtP9E411MUV69ygBojDrf1LftXovFDrSbLuKQFHL4iULP8ZdOM_7-SR2mo1JPe/s1600-h/iStock_books%2520on%2520shelf.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 132px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364474449692073618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodlYTw9c6tm6pNaVpBKWy1C2UBfZLsb8BZbwC_2NZXCS2KruNHwBWQ9h8TEHGThRguNQTEv2yAawgwdFtP9E411MUV69ygBojDrf1LftXovFDrSbLuKQFHL4iULP8ZdOM_7-SR2mo1JPe/s200/iStock_books%2520on%2520shelf.jpg" /></a> Many books being put out right now that are geared towards older children and young adults alike are filled with magic, dating, the "parents are stupid" mentality, animal-human morphism (evolution, anyone?), bad language... shall I go on?<br /><br /><div></div><div>It is for this reason that my mother has searched high and low for wholesome and moral books, and even has made one of our storage rooms into a <a href="http://jennysjabber.blogspot.com/2009/01/family-library.html">library</a> to hold them all. To make sure the things she's bringing in are consistent with our family values, every book or series that she isn't familiar with, or isn't sure about, is first quickly run by Dad. If he thinks it might be good, it is then given to me. I read it, tell Mom my opinion, and it either goes into it's correct place in our library, or off to some needy person on Paperback Swap. This system seems to work for us, and has resulted in about six full-to-the-brim book cases of good books!</div><br /><div>We have recommended books and gleaned from other's searches with about every family with children we have gotten to know. It's been a large blessing, and of course it's always fun to discuss a book you've read with someone else who has read it too. So, I've decided to share with you our favorites for all different ages. I've put them in categories according to approximate ages I think they're good for, for reading on your own, but play around with it a little. Many of the preteen/teen books are great as read alouds.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong><span style="color:#660000;">Children </span></strong></div><br /><div></div><div>The Boxcar Children Series by Gertrude Chalendar Warner. About the adventures of a sibling group of four.</div><br /><div></div><div>The Cam Jansen Series by David A. Alder. All mysteries in which a girl with a photographic memory ("Cam") solves.</div><br /><div></div><div>The Dear America series put out by Scholastic. Fictional "diaries" of young girls in different times in America's history.</div><br /><div></div><div><em>Her Magesty, Grace Jones</em> by Jane Langton. I read this one out loud to Creative Genius who thought it was absolutely hilarious.</div><br /><div></div><div><em>Clancy's Cabin</em> by Margaret Mahy. About some siblings who get to "live" in a cabin on their own for a bit.</div><br /><div></div><div>All books by Beverley Cleary. I used to looove these! Funny books mostly about a few different children all in the same neighborhood.</div><br /><div></div><div>Childhood of Famous Americans published by Aladdin Books. A series about, well, famous Americans.</div><br /><div></div><div>The Moody Family Series by Sarah Maxwell. Very encouraging books about a conservative family's every day life. Great for the whole family!</div><br /><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color:#660000;">Preteen/Teen</span></strong></div><br /><div></div><div>The American Adventure Series published by Barbour. Many different Christian mini series about different families "way back when".</div><br /><div></div><div><em>Lily's Crossing</em> by Patricia Reilly Giff. About a young girl living in the US during WW2 who learns to look at her life in a different way.</div><br /><div></div><div>The Reel Kids Adventures by Dave Gusaveson. A series about a few missionary kids who travel around the world making videos.</div><br /><div></div><div>The Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene and the Hardy Boy Mysteries by Franklin W. Dixon. These are ones that I've often found myself still reading at midnight! Warning: Nancy and the Hardy Boys do go on occasional dates with friends, but they are usually with other couples and there is never any infatuation talked about whatsoever, kissing, etc.</div><br /><div></div><div>The Mandie Books by Lois Gladys Leppard. All about a Christian girl in the early 1900's.</div><br /><div></div><div>The Cooper Kids Adventure Series by Frank Peretti. Christian mysteries that are always very interesting!</div><br /><div></div><div>The historical character books put out by American Girl. This is a large series consisting of books about girls in the seventeen to nineteen hundreds. However, since American Girl was bought by Disney, they have put out a couple of new series which you might have to read over before putting them up for free taking (be on the lookout for feminism, etc.)</div><br /><div></div><div>The Sugar Creek Gang series by Paul Hutchens. About a group of boys and their adventures. My eleven year old brother loves these.</div><br /><div></div><div><em>Follow My Leader</em> by James B. Garfield. A book about a boy and his transition to life not being able to see, after being blinded by a firework.</div><br /><div></div><div><em>Island of the Blue Dolphins</em> by Scott O'Dell. I read this book a few months ago and found it very interesting. About a girl who gets left behind on an island by herself.</div><br /><div></div><div>Christian Heroes: Then and Now put out by Youth With a Mission. A large series about the lives of "heroes" of our faith.</div><br /><div></div><div><em>Wait For Me, Watch for Me, Eula Bee</em> by Patricia Beatty. I cried at this book when I read it a while back! About a boy and his sister who are captured by Indians.</div><br /><div></div><div>The Royal Diary Series published by Scholastic. You've got to kind of filter through these, as some are a bit inappropriate, but are mostly good fictional diaries "written by" young ladies who were all royal in some way or another. I really enjoyed these for a long time. I've read all the ones I could find!</div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#660000;"><strong>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</strong></span></div><br /><div></div><div>Now, as you can see I'm a bit starved on high reading level, but also appropriate books. I need some thoughts on this! Anyone have any good book recommendations for young adults? I'd love to hear them! Hopefully the books I've shared will help your family. :)<br /></div><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85722/miss_serenity/56365dba8ed4b7e57ecc65832369650a.png" /></a></div>Miss Serenityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04890027273913331701noreply@blogger.com11