Summer Fun!

Summertime is my absolute favorite season; not only because school is out...but because of the beauty. Flowers, budding trees, green grass, blue skies, and colorful gardens! Summertime is a relaxing season filled with fun and sun! Swimming, skipping rocks, warm sand, beach balls, lemonade on hot sticky days, fishing, watching the sun set; just the simple beautiful things that God has created for us, and the many blessings we receive all year round! Summer makes me feel like I'm getting a fresh start in life and makes me feel not only happy but healthy. Here are a few of my favorite things about summer!! :)

Blowing bubbles <3

Travel

Summertime...

Ice pops...yum!! :)

Cold Iced Tea

Summer picnics <3

Summertime snoozing

Flowers

Fresh Lemonade

Daily Happenings...

Me with my Father's guitar...just love the instrument!

The siblings <3

One of my best friends and I :)

My adorable dog Tessie!! <3

Turtle River Park

Abby <3

Summer tubing

Campmeeting friends

Pathfinder group :)

Me

Back of our house

"Inspiration does not come from the quote itself, but rather the person behind it." ~Russ Myers

"Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life. " ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fly-in!

Today I had an awesome experience! Our good friends and neighbors, took my sister and I up in their plane for a ride; including a fly-in breakfast with many other airplanes and people. Although it was pretty windy, their were quite a few planes there, of all shapes and sizes! Pancakes, scrambled eggs, and drinks were provided for breakfast for a free will offering. Free airplane rides were given to kids and teens for the thrill of it. It was extremely cool and something I wont forget! On our way back in the plane it was a bit windy but fun, well fun for me...before we got to our destination my sister got sick, and let's just say it was a good thing we had bags in the airplane! ;) But other than that, it was a complete blast and definitely something I wont forget! :)

The Scarlet Pimpernel

Book Report I had to do based on "The Scarlet Pimpernel" book! Book Report on the Scarlet Pimpernel-By Madeleine M. Temple The Scarlet Pimpernel written by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, is a fictional literature piece filled with drama and mystery. First published in 1905, this author portrays love, courage, and adventure in this old classic. It is 1792, in the French Revolution, and hundreds are dying by the blade of the Guillotine. Lady Marguerite Blakeney is a rich beautiful woman who has just about everything she wants in life. But when her actions cause a rich family to be put to death by the Guillotine, she is distressed and confused; and so is her husband Percy. Everyone is curious as to who the brave Scarlet Pimpernel is, and how he is helping the French aristocrats to escape. Especially one man named Chauvelin, who is determined to catch the interfering man and send him to his death. When he threatens Marguerite and asks her to find out who the Pimpernel is, she is torn between the brave man and her brother, who’s safety is her responsibility. So she quickly finds clues to the whereabouts of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Little does she know that she is turning in her own husband Percy. Percy has an emergency and has to leave suddenly; which leaves Marguerite very curious. When she stumbles upon a clue, she unravels the secret of her husband; which leads her on a journey to find him before it’s too late. This exciting tale is filled with Mystery and passion, a great story of courage, and the matter of following the heart.

Peppermint Puffs

Absolutely love this recipe!! They are so tempting and delicious...so watch out! ;) Peppermint Puffs 2C flour 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 C (one stick) butter, at room temperature 1 C confectioners sugar 1 egg 1/2 tsp peppermint extract 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 8 oz white chocolate, melted with 1 tsp shortening 1/2 C finely chopped candy canes Stir together flour and salt. Beat butter & sugar in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in egg. Beat in peppermint and vanilla extracts. On low speed, beat in flour mixture. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, refridgerate for 1 hour. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat baking sheet with non-stick baking spray or use non-stick sheet. Shape dough into 1" balls for a total of 36 cookies and bake for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. When cool, brush with melted white chocolate, dip in chopped candy canes. Let harden on waxed paper.

Yum!!

25 Random Facts About Me!

1. I'm the middle kid and the family clown! 2. I'm very good at breaking or loosing my things... 3. I hate English, but I love to write stories and poems! 4. My favorite sandwich is a sub with lettuce, pickles, and ranch. 5. Our whole family accidentally crossed the Canadian border...it scared me cause I have never been out of the country before, they held us for questioning and finally decided that we weren't terrorists and let us go....as we crossed back into the US we all sang at the top of our lungs, "I'm Proud to be and American, where at least I know I'm free!" (No offense to my Canadian friends...I was just really petrified! 6. I play the clarinet and some Guitar 7. I was born in Sydney New York 8. My favorite singer is Steven Curtis Chapman 9. I've never dated 10. I dislike it when people don't accept me for who I am. 11. My absolutely favorite food is any kind of potatoes 12. I own a spunky little beagle named Tessie 13. If I could have any kind of super power in the world, I would want....to be the strongest woman in the world! 14. I'm a romantic 15. I've always wanted to visit; Italy, Germany, All the countries in Europe. 16. I like to twirl baton, my mom taught me...she won 2nd place in a state competition 17. I almost drowned when I was 5 18. I've homeschooled all my life! 19. If I could act in any movie it would be....The Little House on the Prairie Series 20. If I knew I wouldn't get hurt I would love to try Bull riding! 21. I have always loved to climb...when I was 4 we went to a park and I scared my parents by climbing all the way to the top of a flagpole 22. The most exciting thing I've ever done in my life was... 23. The most thrilling moment of my life...is when my sister sprunted up to me, and for the first time in my life I punched her and she went down on the floor....she's never bothered me again! (We get along now) 24. I'm the first one in my family to ever get highlights in my hair! 25. I've always wanted a horse!

Clay Balls...

A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man so he took the bag out of the cave with him.

As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could. He thought little about it until he dropped one of the balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone.

Excited the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure.

He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he just threw it away.

It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling so we discount it. We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person by God.

There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.

May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay.

May we see the people in our world as God sees them. -Author Unknown

Forever Young!

Some lyrics to one of my favorite songs..."Forever Young" by Bob Dylan. Even though in time we all grow old, may we truly stay forever young in the heart!

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young




May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young





May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young

The beginning of my story...

The night was quiet and still, as darkness settled over the tree tops like a black veil. Not a sound was made, except for midnight crickets chirping. It was pitch black as a man emerged into the eerie silence. Quickly and skillfully, he made his way through the night without so much as a sound; his shadow as his only companion. Every inch of his body was covered in black, and a dark mask was pulled over his face, revealing only his intense eyes. The silver moon was hidden behind shady clouds which served as an advantage to the intruder. The night air smelled musty as if rain would fall. Pulling out a match, the man stuck it, letting the little light flicker. Almost instantly, a raindrop fell from the sky, blowing out the tiny light. Suddenly more raindrops began to fall, faster and faster. "Perfect," whispered the man grinning to himself; "now the rain will wash away my footprints." And with that, he slowly disappeared into the night.

Once by the Pacific...

"The shattered water made a misty din.
Great waves looked over others coming in,
And thought of doing something to the shore
That water never did to land before.
The clouds were low and hairy in the skies,
Like locks blown forward in the gleam of eyes.
You could not tell, and yet it looked as if
The shore was lucky in being backed by cliff,
The cliff in being backed by continent;
It looked as if a night of dark intent
Was coming, and not only a night, an age.
Someone had better be prepared for rage.
There would be more than ocean-water broken
Before God's last Put out the Light was spoken." -Poem written by Robert Frost

Feed My Starving Children!

About a couple weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity of helping to package up food for an organization called, "Feed My Starving Children." Their were about 1500 other people who came to help out. The dried food that we packaged which consisted of Rice, Chicken seasoning, soy, and dried veggies, went to little children in other countries who aren't as fortunate as us. Most of them are starving, and hundreds die every day because of not having anything to eat. By helping out for just 2 hours, we were able to help feed over 80 children in Haiti, everyday for a whole year! Its amazing how even the little things can make a difference in someone's life!!




Some of the food we were packaging




Us helping with the food

Held by Natalie Grant

Pieces of Beauty by Elisabeth Keating

"How creative, you ask, can you possibly be amidst the hustle and bustle of your crazy life? Take a simple, purposeful step or two (OK, maybe a leap) with a group of friends and you might find that your world feels a lot more real."




Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." But in today's hectic world, it's not easy to find the time to figure out what your dream is, let alone make it real. We are all inherently creative, and as children, we all have great creative power. We paint, write, imagine, and build everyday. Yet as we grow up, the creative impulse that lives within each of us can be thwarted by our culture's emphasis on consumerism and achieving "status."

The Good Old Days...

Just Love the old stuff!!


Old Typewriter



Record Player

Writing!

"The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium." ~Norbet Platt

Spring!

It's that time of year again, and one of my favorites...Spring!! :) I love Spring because of course its after winter, when all things start to blossom and grow. Its a season filled with growth and new beginnings; creation and birth! Where new life happens. And I am constantly reminded of how awesome our God is! The budding trees, multicolored flowers, green grass, and warm sunshine...its all amazing and truly wonderful!! ~Happy Spring!~