I love to play the piano. I love the sound the instrument makes as I press the keys and hear some familiar melody. But just a few sort years ago, I was not able to play the piano.

You see, I had wanted to learn to play the piano for a long time but we just didn't have the money to pay for lessons. God had every thing worked out though(as usual), and a new neighbor moved in who just happened to have a degree in music and who was willing to teach me.

I have loved learning and getting better at piano. It is so fun to be able to play great classic pieces such as Canon in D and hymns such as Come Thou Fount. All the hard work has really payed off.

Sometimes we need to just take a moment and enjoy the simple pleasures of life, such as sunshine and raindrops. Sometimes we need to take the tame out of our busy lives to spend time with our sibling, just to let them know we care. Sometimes we need to just take a moment to count our blessings, not our woes.

I am as guilty as anyone of just racing though my life going from one task and project to another and missing so many of the simple every day thing that could be such a blessing to me.

So, let us all take some time today just enjoy the simple pleasures, our family and count our blessing. Have a great day!

Today is writing Saturday! I am sorry that the last few writing Saturday didn't happen but I hope that that will not happen again.

Today, I would like to tell you about how I started writing. Unlike many stories you hereof great authors, I was not writing books at age five, I have never been a good journal keeper, and, as I am sure you will all discover, my grammar and spelling powers are not the best. Here is how it all began.

One day, when I was elven years old, My siblings and I had just finished watching one of our favorite movies, Robin Hood. We were sitting around talking about the fact that if we ever got into a situation like that that we shouldn't steal, even if it was for a good cause.

It was then that one of us had a brilliant idea. We could rewrite the story of Robin Hood and this Robin Hood wouldn't steal. As we began to make plans for this book, Mom gave a suggestion that would set me on a new path.

"Why Don't you write your own story with out Robin Hood if you are going to go to the trouble of writing a book?" And That was how it all began

One of the thing that is a sorry truth in the culture today is that family is not important to people. My sister Rose works for a lady down the street who's children and grandchildren hardly visit her and as a result, she is lonely much of the time. I find my self puzzled and grieved over the fact that family means so little to people.

Now, I must admit that God has blessed me with a good family for the most part. There are only one of two bad apples in the bunch but even those are part of my family. Take some time today to thank God for all your family, and think of ways that you could bless them today.

Good day to all of you! I hope that you are all doing well. Today, I would like to tell you about a great opportunity for you. There is a free girls' publication that I enjoy called Bloom! It is really a neat publication and, as I said,it is free. The three young ladies who put it together also run a blog that is fun to read.

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10

Being still is one of the things that many of us have trouble doing. We find we have too many things to do, too many chores to complete, too much school that needs to get done just to be able to be still. I am sure that you have heard many sermons on the subject, and probably your own parents have talked to you about it, but today I would like to tell you the value I have found in being still and knowing He is God.

When I feel agitated with the world, one of the best things that I can do is to go out side, or find some place I can be alone and then remain silent. There, without music, voices, or another distraction, I can really listen. Often I will find what is causing me to be agitated and, unfortunately, it is almost always my problem, not my sibling or someone else I could easily shove the blame on.

One of the other benefits of being still and thinking about God is that you will know that he is God and that He is in control of the situation. For me, there is nothing like that reminder to get me back on track. When you know Who is the boss and in control of all the small things that are frustrating you, when you know you are under His control and that all of it will work out for your good, it is hard to keep complaining.

So, if today you find yourself getting frustrated with those around you, take the time to be still and know that He is God.

I hope that all of you are having a great day! I spent the morning voluntering at our local thrift store, which was a lot of fun and a lot of work. I am now working on a braided rug made from the seams of old jeans. It is a lot of fun but it takes a long time. When I finish it I might post a picture of it.

I know that this post is short but I have some things that I want to get done today (like clean my room and wash dishes), so I better go. See you tommarow.

A few days ago, I told you about four of my favorite movies. Today, I would like to talk about some of my favorite authors. I was thinking about doing my favorite books but those who read a lot will understand that it is hard to pick favorite books, but favorite authors you can instantly name. So here are four of my favorite authors.

John MacArthur is one of my absolute favorite authors. I just recently read one of his older books, The Gospel According to Jesus which is a really good book on what exactly the gospel is and how to identify false gospels. I have yet to read a book by John MacArthur that has not challenged me to lead a more godly life.

Philip Yancy is another of my favorite authors. I have read several of his books; most recently I read his book, Reaching for the Invisible God I have truly never read books that are more down to earth yet thought provoking. One of the things that is neat about Philip Yancy is that he is not a pastor; he is a normal guy who struggles with normal things.

I love to relax with a good fiction book by Michael Philips. I really enjoy his style of writing and the way he brings his faith into his books without making them over the top. He also is very good at giving you a feel for the time period that his books are set in. Whether it is the 1800’s like in his book series Secrets of Heathersleigh Hall, or Germany in World War II as in his book series The Secret of the Rose, he makes you feel like you are there.

The last author that I would like to tell you about in one that wrote during the 1900’s, her name is Grace Livingston Hill. She is a wonderful story teller and a strong Christian, and though her books are somewhat predictable, they are great for reading before you go to bed and when you don’t feel well.

I have decided that every Saturday I will post something on writing. It might be and update on what I am doing, a tip for writers, or even an encouraging website. Today I want to tell you about something that helps motivate me to write: music.

I enjoy listening to classical music, soundtracks, and instrumental pieces. I am always on the lookout for inspiring and moving music and music that fits into what I am writing about. Among my favorite music is Michael W. Smith’s Freedom album, The Narnia sound track, and that of Bach and Beethoven. The music helps me create moods and scenes in my books and helps me feel like I am really there.

As I wrote a few days ago, the written word is more powerful to me than any movie could ever be. However, I like movies, and, especially when I am not feeling well, I love to plop down on the couch and watch a movie. My favorite movies are a kind that are very hard to find, the great adventures where the good guys overcome great odds to win the battle, find the treasure, or rescue someone in distress. I am a lover of castles, knights, and the damsels in distress. I like my good guys to be good guys, not thieves, pirates, or other less-than-honest professions.

Unfortunately, it is hard to find movies like this unless you are willing to put up with gore and other things, which I am not. I like my movies to be rated G or no more than PG, and if I can find movies without romance at every turn, I really love it. Few movies are made that I just love, but I would like to share my favorites with you.

My favorite movie of all time has to be Matthew a Visual Bible production. This is a word-for-word production of the gospel of Matthew, which my family watches over and over again. There is nothing bad in it (it’s the Bible after all), though the crucifixion is bloody. But it was a powerful portrayal of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. My other three favorites are not in order. That is because I haven’t been able to come up with an order.

Facing the Giants put out by Sherwood Pictures. I am sure most of you have heard about this film and the small church in Georgia that made it. When I first heard about it I wasn’t interested, because so many Christian films are dippy and poorly made, but when I saw it I was amazed. I still get goose bumps every time I watch the death crawl scene.

In Search of the Castaways is an old, old Disney movie starring Haley Mills. I had watched it when I was real little, and we just recently rediscovered it, and it never fails to make me feel good. It is about a brother and sister whose father is a captain of a ship that has disappeared. A French man says that he found a note in bottle that will help the children find their father and that sets them of on a amazing journey.

Last on my list is The Chronicles of Narnia produced by Disney. When I saw The Lion, the Which and the Wardrobe I was amazed at the cinematography and the wonderful way they had developed the characters. I especially related to Peter, as we are both the oldest in our family and both want to keep them safe at all costs.

Hello friends and strangers. My name is Rose, Sarah’s almost seventeen year old sister and I’m filling in for my sister Sarah who isn’t feeling well today.

As I pondered what to tell you today I thought of all the differences between Sarah and me. Although sisters we are as different as night and day. Sarah is the leader, I want to follower. Sarah thinks of organization as piles of stuff around the room, I think of it as specific places for everything. Sarah is heavily involved in politics, I like to stay home. Sarah has a talent for writing; I am only now beginning to catch up to her. Sarah can play piano well and teach it, the only things I have learned to play so far are my voice and the radio. But we have a common faith that binds us together in love.

But how do we love each other even with all these differences? Because we both know that were different and allow each other to be different.

God blessed me so much when He gave me Sarah. She helps balance me out, but allows me to be who I am. She understands me like no one else can, and always has gentle advice (or what I need to hear). She knows when I’m not feeling well and knows exactly what to do. I could ramble on and on, but you get the point.

So God made us both different, but He put us together. Why? Because He saw that we would need each other.

I Love You, Sarah.

A little over three years ago, my sister Rose and I wanted start a girls group that would encourage younger girls to grow in there homemaking skills and faith. And thus, Genteel Blooms was born. For the past three years every second Tuesday of the month, from March to September, a group of girls ages eight to twelve have met at our house. We have a lot of fun teaching them about sewing, cooking, scrapbooking, or whatever happens to be the skill that we are trying to teach them that month.

One of the things I have learned from this is something that many people have said; you learn twice as much from teaching as you ever did when you were a student. I have learned a lot about leading a group of girls, how to prepare ahead of time for meetings, and a lot about how important some of the simple skills I take for granted are. One of the biggest thing that I have learned though is how to prepare a Bible study.

You see, it is my job to prepare and lead the girls in the Bible study. I have learned a lot over the past three years about not only what to study but also what questions to ask. I have learned that a lot of the girls I teach struggle with there siblings and how to love them even when they are being mean. One of the things that this year we focused on is how to apply each lesson to how we should treat our siblings.

Specking of that, I better go get ready for Genteel Blooms, this is the second Tuesday of the month and the girls will be here in a few hours.

The joys of country living are boundless! I live on five acres that is covered in trees and animal life. Some of the animal life is livestock, like the chickens, goats, dog and two cats. However, most of it is wild life such as possums, hawks, raccoons, deer, rabbits, cardinals, chickadees, sparrows, walking sticks, Leaf Mimicking Katy-dids, and many, many other things.

One of the many joys about living in the country is getting to see the fields of corn, cotton, and maze (also know as Indian corn), be planted, grow, ripen, and harvested. This year has been a very different year in what the farmers planted and when. We saw a bunch of wheat fields around here early in the year. This is a rarity in Texas because it gets to hot for wheat here during the summer and so it is just not planted much. This year however, since the price of wheat is so high, a lot of farmers put in wheat.

It was a lot of fun to watch the wheat turn golden. It was so beautiful to watch as the wind sent ripples though the golden fields and to see the life giving grain being harvested. Whenever I see wheat, it always makes me think of how Jesus talked about being the Bread of Life. It makes me also think of what he said about the grain of wheat that falls to the earth and dies and produces a crop up to a hundred times what was sown.

What does a field of wheat make you think of? Why?


Photo Credit:"Young Wheat crop in a field near Solapur, Maharashtra, India" by Akshay.paramatmuni1987 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons 

Today is Saturday and my graduation party! However, I wanted to talk a little bit about tomorrow. As I am sure most of you are aware of, tomorrow is Sunday, a special day of the week that we give to God. My parents have worked hard to make Sunday both fun and God honoring. They have always looked for ways to make Sunday set apart from the other days so that we can focus on God.

To that end we have some things that we do and don’t do at our house. One of the things that we do not do, is turn on the T.V. or our computers. We did this so that we be forced (in a good way) to spend time together as a family doing something that builds our relationship with one another.

We often can be found on Sundays spending time taking of reading in the living room together or playing a big board game together. It is a nice break for all of us and for me, it has been important not to have the temptation of getting on the computer and getting a lot of work done.

I hope that you Sunday is a restful one and one the builds your family. See you on Monday!

Today is the Fourth of July. Today is a day that we should all stop for a moment between hamburgers, hot dogs, and fireworks, and take a moment to thank God for this country that we live in. I know that America has its problems and issues. I know that many of us our disheartened in the way it is going, but one thing we must never forget is that we still live in one of the greatest nations on earth.

We still enjoy the freedom to worship as we see fit and we are not persecuted for our belifes, which is something that many people in China, Sudan, Cambodia, and many other nations, can only dream about.

We sill can have a voice in our government, we can protest, write things against those who hold office, and vote for whoever we want with out fear. That is more then the people of Zimbabwe, Burma (Myanmar), and many other countries can even hope for.

We can still go into the store and by not only what we need but also things we want and we have people who work hard to try making sure that every product we buy is safe. This is not the case in most African nations, who have hundreds are dieing of lake of food and in many countries where the government doesn’t care if people die from food and water poisoning.

We live in a great nation and we, its people, seem to be the only ones denying that. So let us take today to talk about what is right with America and what good it does. Let us take today to pray for our men and woman in inform who are helping bring peace and freedom around the world. Let us take a moment to realize how really blessed we are.

May God bless you, and may God continue to bless America.

Books are an amazing thing. There is no better way for me to go though battles, serious illnesses, plague, famine, and all that kind of stuff and come out safe and sound then though the pages of a book. You see, I get caught up in to books and I become the main character. There is no other medium that quite captures my imagination and moves me like a book does. That is part of the reason why I love to write. The written word is powerful to me and helps me to see and hear in a way that no movie ever could.

My sister Rose on the other hand is the opposite, she could read the saddest book in the world I think and not shed a tear. Set her in front of a movie that is in the least way sad though and she will cry though the whole thing.

We are all respond to different forms of media differently and we need to be aware of that. I have to be extra careful about what a read because it paints pictures in my mind that once there I can not erase. Movies, though I am very careful about what I allow myself to watch, I can handle more strange creators, violence, and sadness in movies then I can in books. This doesn’t mean I should watch things just because I am able to handle it, it is just a fact.

What about you? Between books and movies, which are more powerful to you?

One of the days that is on your mind a lot in the last two years of high school is graduation day. One of the things that is especially on the mind of a lot of homeschoolers is how they are to celebrate this special day. I know that I though about it a lot for the past few years and there are so many options available for homeschoolers now. There are formal graduation ceremonies complete with the prom and all the trimmings I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want that. The reason my parents decided to homeschooled us is so that we could be different and think outside the box.

Another option that we open to me is to be a part of a graduating ceremony of a local home schooling group. This ceremony was different but still I wanted to do something different. Finely, my mom came up with the best idea. Why not have a party that focused on the people that have meant something to me, who have made an impact on my life? I loved the idea and so, this coming Saturday, I am having a gathering of the people who have impacted my life and helped me get to this point in my life.

How are you planning, or how did you, celebrate you graduation?

Some of you who read yesterdays post (a.k.a. as my first post) may have been wondering why I started a blog. I mean, let’s face it, there are thousands of blogs out there and many of them end up with only few faithful readers. There are also a lot of really good blogs out there like Young Ladies Christian Fellowship and Maidens of Worth as well as others, so why yet another blog? I started this blog so that I could put my God given skill of writing to good use as well as work on improving my ability as a writer.

If you notice a mistake or see a way that I can improve my writing, please by all means leave me a comment about it and I will work to change it. I want all of you who read this to be actively involved in helping me improve my writing and in making this blog a fun place to be. To that end, I would like everyone to tell me what you big dream in life is. What do you feel God has destined you to do?