"Tomorrow is a New Day With No Mistakes in it" (Yet! :)

Hi Everybody! I guess it would be no use to post about Advent since Daniel is doing such a good job! So anyway, today the younger ones are still down with what we are affectionately calling The Black Plague. But never fear! We are learned in the art of bleaching everything anyone could touch. I think I have wiped down the entire downstairs and upstairs in the space of about 15 minutes after people leave, or after we have had sickness! That is one area in the many undiscovered talents of our family! (Oh! The Black Plague I'm talking about is a cough/cold sort of thing. Thankfully it is not a stomach bug! :)
Anyway, today we were supposed to have that cooking day that I described and was in charge of planning! Well, anyone that would have come to help was sick too, or else busy! (Like the Walkers who are showing a house today- actually almost this very minute!) How did it go Matthew?
Anyway, Sarah made Norwegian crunch! Yum! And I was in charge of making Mrs. Chandra Christmas's really good macaroni. At least, um.... her's was really good. Here's what happened:
Among the many other things I had on my mind, was making the macaroni, which has a saucy sort of thing that must be made on the stove.
Well, I think we were using every burner- one was occupied by a tea kettle, the other by a makeshift double-boiler that was holding a strange-smelling garlic and olive-oil tincture we were brewing for Daniel's sinus infection he has. Then one pot was boiling my noodles, and the other one I was gleefully stirring while Sarah read Pride and Prejudice to me.
Believe what you will, but I was not that absorbed in Mr. Darcy's letter to Elizabeth, but I was listening, and saw that my noodles were boiling over. So I stopped stirring the macaroni brew, and dumped the noodles in a colander, only to come back and find that my mixture had started sticking a little. It kind of smelled funny, but as I had never made this recipe before, I hoped against hope that it was just me, and I proceeded with the recipe. Despite my cold I could smell it, but I finished baking some in the oven and let Mama taste it. Whereupon she informed me that it was scorched. I wished I could have sunk into the floor- wasting perfectly good ingredients?!? Now, I pride myself on knowing how to cook and being good at it. I am confident that I shall be a wife that her husband is proud of when she brings a meal to the table, so this scorching of a project, (especially since it was scorching two huge pans full of macaroni) was unacceptable to me. Mama was not worried about it, but still, I couldn't watch as she scraped the bad-smelling mixture into the trashcan. (Why did we have to go and butcher our pigs before this incident? I would have felt better feeding it to an animal) I despise wasting almost perfectly good food, and nearly had Mama convinced that we could bring it to the Wilsons and tell them what had happened, and since most of them have the Black Plague too, they could eat one pan, and we could eat the other. No one would notice the odd flavor since they all have stuffed-up noses! But we tossed that idea and I started over. Boo-hoo-hoo. Oh well. I'll chalk that one up as the first mistake in the graduation-preparations. Please pray for Mama and Dad that they keep healthy as we all get well, because I know they don't need a head-cold on top of plans! -Rachel (Now it is the long-lost-Sarah's turn!)

Hello to All Our Faithful Followers!!!!
This is me, Sarah who hasn't written for 4 whole days!!! (Oh,la!) Sorry I haven't posted much recently, but I've been sick, busy, and I think it's a little much for a blog to have 2 new posts in one day, and since Rachel's been posting almost daily, I haven't.
Anyhow, today, as was mentioned above, we were cooking some. The Norwegian crunch turned out well, although the insides of the Heath bars didn't melt so I had to remove them and chop them up. But, Hey!:) We've gotten the boxes of Christmas decorations down from the attic already and probably tomorrow or something, we'll decorate. We're waiting to put up our tree til after "The Graduation" so we can have as much room as we can inside. Our Christmas tree isn't what some might call traditional, in one sense, but I have and always will admire it for it's warmth and cheeriness! We don't put tinsel on ours and we usually use colored lights, along with a mixture of handmade ornaments or special ones that we've had for a long time. I enjoy reminiscing every Christmas season as we decorate the tree and see familiar ornaments that we've known since we were little! Last night was the first night of Advent and with Mom reading the story by the candle's light you would think it a pretty picture, but sadly I was busied in trying to unclog our vacuum's tube and changing overflowing filters,etc. while all this was going on! Hopefully tonight we'll all be able to keep a fine tune while we sing carols, as last night only a few of us could, due to our stuffy noses or tickley throats!!
I'll look forward to posting something more soonish, but for now I must bid you adieu!
-Sarah

"Enter Bo-Peep!"

Okay! I know Sarah hasn't written since Thanksgiving and I have, but I'm sure she'll trump this later today. The problem is, she likes to sleep in sometimes, and I don't as much so I have more time. We are sick so we're not going to go to church today. Neither are the Wilsons. 7 of `em down with the same thing. :(

But I thought I'd tell about a present I am making for someone for Christmas. I am not sure who it will be for though... probably Gracie, though I want to send it to the Fuhrmann kids. I love writing stories and sending them to children! I have a little line of books I make for Abby called the Bramblewood Hedge tales. (Little did I know when I began that there was already a published series called "Brambly Hedge". I assure you, the name was my own entirely!)

Anyway, they are about various and sundry small animals, and usually are based off of something I saw and wanted to make a story about. I love assigning them quaint names like the cardinal "Admiral Popepeak" or the mockingbird "Col. Matthew Mockah" and then the red squirrel named "Rumpleton Derrydock" and then the quail named "Mistress Quakergarb"! It is loads of fun!

I admit. I've read too much Beatrix Potter and Old Mother West Wind in my day, and this week:) Anyhow, we accidently brought home one of the Wilson's cats in the load of hay Dad bought! I'm so glad that it didn't jump out on the way! The younger girls discovered her when they got home! Last winter we had a stray cat that we affectionately called "Miss Muffet". So it stands to reason that for the little while we are in possession of this kitty, she needs a name too. Since Sarah was reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time and couldn't be bothered with other literary things, I took it upon myself to name this lovely pussy. If I were any sort of a bloggie person I would have a picture of her, but it is cold, our camera is tempermental, and I don't feel like leaving this spot to go find her and make her pose. Nevertheless, please meet Little Bo-Peep! She is a very elegant puss and doesn't seem extremely shy.

So immediately after putting Abby to bed last night, I decided that Bo-Peep needed a story of her own. I wrote one about her life before she came here, and her ride over, and how she met Miss Cricket, (my black cat) and all that is left to be done is to nicely illustrate it. I haven't the time for watercolor paintings for it like I did for "The Twinkletoes' Harvest" so I have decided that I shall slide by with pen and ink drawings for now. (The only thing is that Bo-Peep has such a lovely tumbleweed-tabby coat and a white bib that it would look so very sweet done as a watercolor.) But with Daniel's big shebang in 6 days and me wanting to keep progress on the book, I will just do the quickest route.

By the way, "The Twinkletoes' Harvest" is a Bramblewood Hedge story about a family of meadow-mice that I did for Abby last year. Here is an illustration from it! -Rachel

A Very Quick Lesson I Learned

Warning: This will be a rambling sort of thing that I hope someone else relates to!

We have had a cough-cold-feverish sort of thing this past week going around the house. I finally caught it despite choking down echinacea tincture, elderberry syrup, and all a manner of other things to prevent it. So this morning I was standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes and grumbling to myself in my mind. "I am out of humor with the whole world in general and no one in particular. Why are there so many blasted dishes? Why do we have to declutter today!"
and on and on I went in my mind until I was cross as two sticks and wallowing in self-pity. Then the Lord's soft voice entered my mind countering every sour thought I had. "You have so many dishes because you had a fun time last night with your friends at Daniel's birthday party."
He said.
"But they are Sarah's dishes from last night!" I complained inwardly.
"You didn't do your chores last night. What is more, your mother kept house all day while you and Sarah were out with Daniel. She also took care of sick children and set up for a party and made dinner which was your responsibility."
The more I thought up something to gripe about the more He gently reminded me of all the blessings I had. And finally, when I weakly ended with a self-pitying, "Well, I have a cold!"
He reminded me of what I always tell everyone else and what I told Leah a couple days ago, "A merry heart doeth good like medicine".
So I decided that it was perfectly ridiculous to try to be morose on a day like today which is perfectly lovely and seasonably cold, and I am now trying to be cheerful I say with a stuffy nose,
"A berry heart doeth good like bedicine!" :) -Rachel

We're Wanted!

It all began this fall. When the leaves began to change and the nuts began to ripen, then They awoke. With stealthy feet and masks of innocence they sent their spies into our woods. Four-legged creatures that bayed and ran across our fields and sent terror into the very soul of our dog Licorice. But Dad was staunch and refused Them what They wanted. We are now on Their "wanted" list. They enjoy free reign over all the land on either side, and wait with greedy eyes until we are caught off guard to grab our land from us. We are safe nowhere. At the gas station their minions are found. Everywhere we go They know us. Alright, maybe the fact that we drive a beaten up blue 15-passenger, and that we have so many girls and we all wear skirts helps distinguish us, but it is scary. Yesterday we were walking down the road and one of Them asked, "Ya'll those people in the big house down Garrison?"
What could we answer but a meek, "Yes."?
Last week They gave us a venison ham and tenderloin. Although the picture of neighborliness was perfect, we were not fooled. Their spies were swarming through our woods yesterday: along the edge and deep inside, their howls rising to terrorize the prey They are after. And last night, They tried a most desperate measure: In the middle of our Thanksgiving dinner They dropped off two deer's worth of meat for us! Now I am no longer sure if They just want our land. Perhaps they are after something more- our dog, our hens? Maybe even a bride? ;) (I was totally kidding about the latter)
Maybe I'm just nervous because of all Their gunfire. Maybe I don't like venison? Maybe They are in reality just being kind? I don't know, but I have a feeling that until They have persuaded Dad to let Them run their spies across our land, it won't get any better.

(Dramatized by Rachel)

Today's Thanksgiving!

Hello!

We all know that today is Thanksgiving. I just wanted to give you a quick reminder of the history and all that was behind the making of this holiday.

The group of English Separatists had for years been trying to find a place where they would have religious freedom. They'd just left Holland after deciding that they wanted their children to grow up with their parents beliefs, standards, etc. So North America was chosen for the place the Separatists wanted to live; where everyone obeyed God and the land was beautiful. On September 6, 1620 they set sail. After many days on the sea, the whole group (The Saints(Separatists) or Strangers, all together they were called pilgrims) arrived in North America! Now I know I wouldn't think a long voyage across the ocean particularly comfortable and pleasant! But the joy they must have had when finally reaching land and after scouting around find a whole deserted Indian village already set up that they could inhabit must have been really encouraging! But when the winter came, and the pilgrims were working hard at building log cabins for the whole colony, there was a lot of sickness going around. Fever, Scurvy, and also starvation were sometimes taking 3 people's lives a day! So everyone knows how that winter was. But the nearby Indian tribe, the Wamponaogs, were willing to be civil and their chief, Massasoit, even let a warrior named Squanto, help and guide the pilgrims the first year they had come. He taught them a lot of tips and tools for agriculture and the pilgrims had a bountiful harvest in the autumn of 1621. So in gratitude of the Wamponoag tribe and all the help they'd been, the pilgrims hosted a feast. Their were 91 Indians present and some of the foods they ate were clams, venison, fish, berries, and lobster. Yum! The Pilgrims were very thankful to the Lord for getting them through their first year in the new land and their wonderful harvest that He had given them!

We should all be thankful to him for His works in our lives and His love for us.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 136

Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good.

His love endures forever

Give thanks to the God of gods.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords:

His love endures forever.

to him who alone does great wonders,

His love endures forever.

who by his understanding made the heavens,

His love endures forever.

who spread out the earth upon the waters,

His love endures forever.

who made the great lights-

His love endures forever.

the sun to govern the day,

His love endures forever.

the moon and the stars to govern the night;

His love endures forever.

to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt

His love endures forever.

and brought Israel out from among them

His love endures forever.

with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;

His love endures forever.

to him who divided the Red Sea asunder

His love endures forever.

and brought Israel through the midst of it,

His love endures forever.

but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;

His love endures forever.

to him who led his people through the desert,

His love endures forever.

who struck down great kings,

His love endures forever.

and killed mighty kings-

His love endures forever.

Sihon king of the Amorites

His love endures forever.

And Og king of Bashan-

His love endures forever.

and gave their land as an inheritance,

His love endures forever.

an inheritance to his servant Israel;

His love endures forever.

to the One who remembered us in our low estate

His love endures forever.

and freed us from our enemies,

His love endures forever.

and who gives food to every creature.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven.

His love endures forever.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Sarah

"The Pink People"

Hey guys! I lost the Thanksgiving poem I did write. I left it on a legal pad that Mama and Daniel used for a meeting about his graduation, so I never saw it after that. So much for soliloquizing about pilgrims and feasts and giving thanks! If I find it I'll post it! Sarah is planning on doing a post about the history of Thanksgiving tomorrow of something, but for now, (to finally explain the title of the post) here is a poem I wrote this afternoon about Gracie's favorite group of dollhouse people! Tell me what you think of it! :)

"The Pink People"
By Rachel Heffington
They are a little family
As real to her as you and me
Residing in this grand doll house-
There is a Mama and her spouse
The Papa, though, is "only blue"

As she will gravely say to you,

As if we all would surely think

The only thing to be is pink.

For pink are all the little girls,

(One has a bow atop her curls)

And petal-pink is Danny Boy

(For he is just a painted toy)

The baby too is just that shade

And proudly are they all displayed:

The chosen favorites of Grace

Who neatly now are set in place,

As we proclaim atop a steeple,

"Hooray for all the pinkest people!"

-Rachel

Holdidayish Thoughts! Yay!

I am so glad that it is "That" time of year again! The holidays are fast approaching! Yay! Actually, they have crept up on us this year! Yesterday, after helping the Wilsons with their pick-up day, Mama was driving home and casually reminded me that "Daniel's graduation was two weeks from today! " (yesterday now) And Thanksgiving is Thursday! We've had such a blessed year! The Lord has been so faithful! I can't believe that this is the second Thanksgiving in this lovely home! We are all getting excited! Our pigs are back from the butcher as a tidy array of sausage, bacon, and the like, our harvest of sweet potatoes was bountiful, and we still have, (despite my dire calculations) plenty of my pickles in the cabinets! Dad and a friend have worked tirelessly to get our woodstove up and working, and we have maplewood from a job to burn in it... Dad still has polish under his nails from making the stove all black and shiny!
I have begun making presents for everyone in our family and some friends! I make it a challenge to try to spend the least money I can, and come up with lovely gifts! My standards for homemade gifts are rather high. When one hears about a "homemade Christmas" we tend to think of pencil cases made out of a felt-covered tin can, or a hand stitched pillow that will come apart the first time anyone dares to lean their weary head against it. But I have alot of fun planning things that are actually worthwhile! Last year I illustrated a book of my poems for Mama and gave that to her. The year before I made several books of words to praise songs for Dad since he has a hard time sometimes without them. :) Dad is probably the hardest to find something for. He always tells me with a twinkle in his eye that all he wants are "peace, hope, and love" so one year I made three heart-shaped ornaments and embroidered, "peace", "hope", and "love" them. Now he must give me other ideas! :) I have already done something for Sarah that I dare not say here because this is her blog too. Daniel has put me in an absolute pickle, for I must come up with three fabulous presents in 5 weeks! (grad. birthday, and Christmas)
I am so excited about Advent! It is one of my favorite seasons of the year! The word literally means "waiting" and is a period of four weeks before Christmas. We will fill ya'll in on that later! It is so exciting! I have been asked by Mrs. Mickey to plan out the cooking day for Daniel's graduation! Fun! (At least, I hope so! Alot of responsability! Pray for me because if I can't do it, all ya'll will go hungry! ;) Dad has almost relented from his rule of "No Christmas music before Thanksgiving". We call it "practicing" and then sing it as much as we want since such a thing is necessary to sound great during the holidays! :) We still have venison left from last fall! And a hunter just came and dropped off a venison ham for us- fresh! All these guys are butterin' us up since ours is the only land they aren't allowed to hunt on in this section! We have no intention of letting strange rednecks with mean hounds run ragged all over here and chase our deer off, but we enjoy the venison they give us in the fall, and the barbeque in the summer! :) Well, I must go put Abby to bed! (Duty calls!) Hope this rambling wasn't too unseasonal! Oh! Also, am I getting old? (17?) At the turkey pick-up day, someone asked me, "Oh! Are you Scott's wife?" (the father of Morgan who is older than me?) I was nearly dumbstruck but found it amusing! :) Goodnight all you bloggy-people out there! And have a blessed Thanksgiving! "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good- His mercy endures forever!"
(And maybe by next post I'll have a pilgrim poem made up or something! (I love writing poems!)

Excitedly,
Rachel

The "New"Family View from Us Two :D

Hey! We got tired of an "all pink blog" as one of our followers called it as he reluctantly joined up. So we decided to be trendy:) and go to thecutestblogontheblock.com and get ourselves all purty! So don't be confused, this is still us two and just enjoy our blog's facelift!
-Sarah and Rachel

Waiting-delighting quotes

Hi Everybody! This is almost like a Q&A post, but it isn't. :) Instead, I've noticed that so many young women I talk to are working at delighting in the Lord and waiting for His plan. Many of them are wondering if they will ever get married or if they do, when? And many other things of that nature. So I have seen tons of great quotes on different blogs, and I thought that anyone who had a good quote or piece of Scripture related to this topic could leave it as a comment! Then whoever wants to can read this and get a big chunk of godly wisdom in one spot! -Rachel

The Well-Known Barn Dance

Hey Everyone!
This is Sarah. As most everybody knows, the Alexanders hosted a VERY FUN barn dance on the 14th. Daniel, Rachel, Leah and I all went in a van with the Wilsons and the T.'s up to the Alexanders. It was really fun to carpool and we got to chat the whole 2 1/2 hours up there. We got to their house around 4:00 and then started playing volleyball(the Hampton Roads Team vs. the Other Team :) That was really fun, especially since the hosts had rented a nice volleyball net. As more people started showing up, I got to meet a few people I'd heard of or read their blogs: Anna, Elizabeth, and Abigail.(to name a few) After grabbing a little snack we started to dance! I think besides the square dances we also did The Harper's Ferry, The Trenchmore, The Virginia Reel, The Spanish Waltz, and a few individuals did the Polka, the Gay Gordon(?) and different waltzes. It was sooo fun! It turned out that there were probably twice as many girls as boys so we just either waited to be asked, danced with other girls, or watched.
The Barn was set up Very Well, and set the perfect scenario to square dance in!
Thanks to everybody who made it possible! Well, That's All For Now!
-Sarah

The Gossips

Hi Everyone! Although we promised to post about the barn dance, as you can see from the sidebar, almost everyone else already has. Meredith has video that I wish I could see even though we don't have high-speed, (Matthew) Abigail has covered the "funness" of dancing, Oliver has covered the fact that it was really busy and that he didn't understand us Sou'eastern Virginia girls for bringing dance cards ;) so that pretty much covers it all! Therefore, I will post a post of no account! In fact, it is created precisely to make you smile I hope. Here's what I have to say. I love writing poetry, and I was in a poemy mood last night, so I wrote one called "The Gossips". It is probably a bad sign that for each piece of news I listed, I wanted to read more about each thing! (Unfortunately, I have that blasted female propensity to like to know things about people... yeah. But I try not to gossip.) So anyway, I hope you like the picture up there. (I didn't paint it. Norman Rockwell did) Isn't it funny? So anyhow, here is my masterpiece! Leave a comment and tell me if you like it!

"The Gossips"

by Rachel

It starts off with a "did-you-know",

Perhaps, a "have-you-heard"

And quickly travels round the room

As just a whispered word.

And several ladies swiftly form

A knot beside the chair,

To catch the juicy piece of news

Like how, or when, or where.

And who has broke their water pump,

And who is courting Jane,

And old Abe Garvey (bless his heart)

Who's known to be insane.

How Isabella's gown is trimmed,

And how much did it cost!!

About Miss Ellie's medicine;

How Biddie's son was lost!

How Samuel Wiggins dyed his hair,

How Laura's house was robbed,

About last Sunday's funereal,

And Asa Hawkin's job.

And Oh! The great enjoyment,

In other peoples' life,

For gossips dearly love a dose

Of any news or strife!

So there you have it! And you can't tell me that you didn't wish to hear more about the insane guy or who was courting that young woman! ;) Hope ya'll like this post, and I also hope it reminds us how foolish and petty gossiping is! -Rachel

Just a Super Quick Note

Hey guys! Just wanted to say thanks to the Alexanders for hosting such a superbly fun event yesterday! I loved meeting you Abigail and Anna and Elizabeth! It was slightly odd though because I felt like I knew ya'll already! You're alot of fun girls! We're hosting church today, so we'll post later, but just thought I'd say hello! Also, I see we have 16 followers now, so thanks to whoever joined up! (I can't see right now who is the newest addition! :) -Rachel

A brief thought for a Nor'easterish day

Hey guys! I love bad weather for a season don't you? Okay! Here is something that I loved when I read it last night. I figured I'd just put this on here and see what you young ladies, and men if you'd like, think about it!

Peter Marshall's Challenge:
The modern challenge to motherhood is the eternal challenge- that of being godly women. The very phrase sounds strange in our ears. We never hear it now.
We hear about every other kind of woman-- beautiful women, smart women, sophisticated women, career women, talented women, divorced women.
But seldom do we hear of a godly woman-- or of a godly man either, for that matter.
I believe women come nearer fulfilling their God-given function in the home than anywhere else.
It is a much nobler thing to be a good wife than to be Miss America.
It is a greater achievement to establish a Christian home than it is to produce a second-rate novel, filled with filth.
It is a far, far better thing in the realms of morals to be old-fashioned than to be ultra-modern.
The world has enough women who know how to hold their cocktails, who have lost all their illusions and their faith.
The world has enough women who know how to be smart.
It needs women who are willing to be simple.
The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant.
It needs some who will be brave.
The world has enough women who are popular.
It needs more who are pure.
We need women, and men, too, who would rather be morally right than socially correct.
Let us not fool ourselves- without Christianity, without Christian education, without the principles of Christ inculcated into young life, we are simply rearing pagans.
Physicallym, they will be perfect. Intellectually, they will be brilliant. But spiritually, they will be pagan. Let us not fool ourselves.
The twentieth (or twentyfirst) century challenge to motherhood-- when it is all boiled down-- is that mothers will have an experience of God... a reality which they can pass on to their children.
-Peter Marshall, Mr. Jones, Meet the Master

Okay! That's great isn't it? I loved it! Well, gotta' be skitterin'! -Rachel

Answers to our Questions!

You are about to witness the answers to some daring questions, some hard questions, and some downright ridiculous questions. I (Rachel) shall shock you first:

When was the last time you had a spanking? Ummm... I believe I was 11 or so, and I happily, cannot remember why I was spanked. Probably something to do with an unusual temper-fit or something.

What is your favorite book you've read? Since I was asked this twice, I shall get to pick two! Yay! I am profoundly in love with books! So the Bible is first, and then I will say Little Women.... this is so very hard not to pick more than two! It is nearly impossible!

Would you rather watch golf or tennis? Tennis most definitely. Golf is an old-man sport where you stand all day in the sun watching people prepare to tap their ball into a hole. (they rarely ever actually hit it)

What is your least favorite food? English muffins! :[

What is your least fav. chore? wiping out the fridge

If you could pick your future husband's profession, what would it be? Would being Scottish-blooded and accented count as a profession? No? Well, than a carpenter, blacksmith, or someone else who works with their hands and is very strong.

Have you ever thrown food under the table that you were supposed to eat but didn't like? Nope. Actually, I was a well-behaved eater

If you could pick any pet what would it be? A donkey! :)

What would make you most scared? Giving a 30-minute speech in front of 500 people, meeting a possum while you're taking out the garbage in the dark, and he's in between you and the house, or singing solo in front of the same 500 people?
Wow! I know the second question was hand-picked for me Miss Morgan, but I'd say giving a 30 minute speech in front of 500 people.

Do you have any brothers? I have two.

If you have a brother, what are you going to get him for his Dec. 5 graduation? Dontcha' wish ya' knew?

What is your favorite meal to fix? Homemade macaroni, green beans, and applesauce

What is your favorite ice cream? Smithfield Ice cream Parlor's Strawberry Cheesecake Ice cream

Are you as excited about the barn dance as I am? I can nearly bet you a hundred dollars that I am twice as excited as you! :)

Do you play any instruments? I used to play recorder, I'd love a mountain dulcimer!

What is the most important quality/aspect for your future husband besides being a Christian? Well, that depends on your definition of a "Christian" young man! Mine is that he would love Jesus with all his heart, mind, and strength, and that he would be following Him entirely. Which would mean alot of things. After that, I'd say a great sense of humor! :)

If you were given one million dollars how would you spend it? I would tithe ten percent and give that to a missionary our church supports in Romania. Then I would make sure my family had everything they needed, (pay all their debts), build the Walker's house for them, and then save whatever was left over in my hope chest to be brought forth one day to the delight of my husband!

What is your middle name? My middle name is Lynne

What is your favorite animal? A River otter or a donkey

What is your favorite shoe? None! I love going barefoot!

What are your favorite colors? pastels, cerulean blue, lavender, and green!

What are your favorite songs? hymns, musicals, "I'll Praise You With the Dance", "Your Love is Extravagant", and "White Dove" by Casting Crowns, Oh Danny Boy, Scarborough Fair, and many, many others!

What are five simple pleasures that make you wonderfully happy? Someone giving me flowers they picked just for me, a glass of Chick-fil-a lemonade, taking a walk in the crisp fall air, reading a favorite book, and laughing often.

Which do you prefer? Walks in the fall at night, or walks in the fall in the morning? Night definitely

What kinds of music do you like to sing? Musicals, hymns, or Christian Contemporary? Musicals!!!!!!

Are you talkers or more quiet? Anyone else want to answer that for me? I am a major talker and laugher!

What do you look like? I am about 5 foot 5 inches, and have green eyes. I have brown hair that is in the middle of my back, and when I smile my eyes crinkle up. I also have a laugh that everyone always teases me about because I gasp after it. (I'll demonstrate for you at the dance ;)

Have you met someone in person that you originally meet online? No! I think Anna and Elizabeth will be the first. I saw you, Abigail, at Elliott's graduation!

If you saved two things out of your house in a fire, what would you save? My hope chest, and of course, anyone who was trapped in there :0

What is your favorite verse and book in the Bible? I don't have one favorite verse, and my favorite books are the Corinthians and the Timothy's.

Favorite school subject? creative writing and history!

Favorite farm animal? Donkey or puddle-duck

Favorite exotic animal? Peacock or rain forest-tap-dancy-bird-of-paradise

Are ya'll twins, if so identical? I'm not a twin- are you Sarah? ;) Some people say we look alike, but I think we don't.

If you could go on vacation to anywhere in the world where would it be? Scotland, Austria, Germany

Is nopity, nopity noo from Ratatouille? yepity yepity yep. :}


And now, Ladies and Gentlemen let me introduce...................MYSELF! -SARAH!
Here I go!
When was the last time you had a spanking? I don't remember!

Which do you prefer: mowing in the summer or planting in the winter? Probably mowing in the summer.

Would you rather watch Barney or Elmo, ALL DAY LONG?
Elmo, definitely.

What's your least favorite food?
tomatoes, barbecued lentils, and some kinds of fish, OH! and tortilla meat roll ups(otherwise called "Poor Man's Sandwiches" ;)

What's your least favorite chore?
Probably wiping walls, and cleaning out the garage.

If you could choose your future husband's profession, what would it be?
I have never really thought alot about it, but anything that's not too dangerous, or I would always be worried about him!

Have you ever thrown food under the table, that you were supposed to eat, but didn't like?
he,he,he! Um... you sort of mean like today when I gave our dog my cheese I didn't want!?! =]
Yeah.

If you could have any pet ,what would you have? My own dog or a donkey.

What would make you the most scared: Giving a 30-minute speech in front of 500 people, meeting a possum while taking out the garbage in the dark and it's between you and the house, or singing solo in front of the same 500 people?
Definitely the speech,too.

Do you have any brothers?
Yep. Two.

If you do, what are you getting him for his Dec. 5 graduation?
Not telling.

What's your favorite meal to fix?
Roast pork, with mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce.

What's your favorite kind of ice cream?
I think chocolate chip cookie dough or a black cherry chocolate ice cream.

Are you as excited about the barn dance as I am?
I'm pretty sure!:)

Do you play any instruments?
I know how to play guitar some, and I did recorder. I also like figuring out songs on the piano.


What's the most important quality/aspect that you want your future husband to have, besides being a Christian?
If he has a very strong walk with the Lord, I'd want him to have a GOOD sense of humor!

If you were given $100,000,000 how would you spend it?
Like Rachel, I'd tithe it, make sure my family's all cared for, and then save it. (And if Rachel hadn't already got her million dollars, I'd build the Walker's new house,too.)

What's your middle name?
My middle name's Anne.


What's your favorite animal?
Dogs(preferably black lab/German Shepherd mix) or um... goats.

What is your favorite shoe?
flip flops or clogs.

What are you favorite colors?
blue, yellow, and purple.

What are your favorite songs?
"How you Live" by Point of Grace, "Beautiful You" by Johnny Diaz, and I have several favorite hymns- When the Roll is called Up Yonder, Trust and Obey, and Be Thou My Vision.

What are 5 simple pleasures that make you wonderfully happy?
A new baby in the house, anything truly funny, friends, looking at old pictures, and camping.

Which do you prefer: walks in the fall in the morning, or walks in the fall in the night?
Night.

What kind of music do you like to sing: musicals, hymns, or Christian Contemporary?
Probably musicals, but I don't know.

Are ya'll talkers, or more quiet?
We're talkers, all right! :)

What do ya'll look like?
I have blonde hair(on the darker side), green/brown eyes, high cheekbones, am about 5'2" and the rest you'll have to figure out for yourself on Saturday!

Have you met someone in person before, who you originally met online?
I don't think so.

If you had to save 2 things out of your house that was on fire, what would you take? I think I'd take my little sister's special blanket and my hope chest (as long as everybody was already out.)

What's your favorite verse and book of the Bible?
I love Philippians 4:8 , and Ephesians 2:5. And both of the Timothy's and Proverbs.

Favorite school subject?
Science or Latin.

Favorite farm animal?
Goats or donkey.

Favorite exotic animal?
Siberian tigers, or hedge hogs(at least they don't live around here :)

Are ya'll twins, if so identical?
No, I'm not......I don't think. Anyone know someone who looks scarily like me? ;)

What's your favorite book?
I love Heidi, The Swiss Family Robinson, and alot of historical fiction books.

If you could go on a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Either Austria, New Zealand, or maybe England.

Are you through with all yours answers yet?
YES!!!!!!!!
p.s. please leave a comment so we can make sure you still like us after reading all our oddities. ;)

Q and A

Hey guys!
Since we have the permission of Miss Abigail, I thought now would be as good of a time as any for doing one of these posts. So, any questions you have feel free to leave as a comment and probably on Wednesday we'll answer them. (I shouldn't really say "feel free" it's more like PLEASE LEAVE LOTS OF COMMENTS OR ELSE I'M GONNA CRY! =)

-Sarah

Something of Interest to Young Ladies

Hi Everybody! At Daughters of Destiny I met a wonderful young lady. She had been praying for someone to write for a magazine she is starting, and I had been praying for ways to use my writing-gift. Anyway, to make a long story short, I am doing a column in her magazine: Taking Every Thought Captive. I am really excited! She gave me the following information to spread around to anyone who may want to receive the magazine, or who wants to contribute! Enjoy! (Oh, as a side note that is totally disconnected, I am reading Persuasion by Jane Austen and loving it! I cannot stand Mary, I love the Admiral and Mrs. Croft, and I think Anne and Mr. Wentworth are perfect for each other- it doesn't take a genius to know that they must be married. I should hurl the book across the room if she married Charles Hayter! :)

Anyway, here is the information! Oh! If you do subscribe to the magazine, you can find me in my column: "Beautifully Broken Vessels"

Our Mission:
Taking Every Thought Captive is a magazine written for the encouragement and edification of Christian young ladies. Our desire is to encourage young ladies to honor their parents, to not be a "typical teenager" but to be set apart, to be "in the world and not of it". We want to help young ladies to "take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ".

Subscriptions:
This magazine is published free of charge and as the Lord provides. Each subscription is for 6 issues. This is to be sure that you still wish to receive TETC. If you wish to receive TETC please contact the editor by writing to:

Taking Every Thought Captive

28 Ashwood Trail

Woolwine, VA 24185

Submissions:

We welcome all submissions..... non-fiction articles, short stories, poetry, devotionals, birth/wedding announcements, favorite recipes, photos, etc. All submissions must be approved by the editor and her parents. When writing please write what is based on the Word of God, and according to Philippians 4:8. Please include a current photo, (optional) a short bio, (name, age, hobbies, etc.) and any information such as Scripture references and translations, titles, authors, etc. Thank You!

The Girls' Chorale

Hi Everybody! This shan't be a long post at all- just warning you! Today we four eldest girls went over to the Thompsons to begin our Girls' Chorale. When we got there, Mrs. Thompson and Maryanna were still at the dentist, so we played a convenient game of volleyball! Then we began. After testing our voices a bit, Mrs. Thompson decided that Sarah and Joanna will sing alto, Maryanna and I will sing tenor, and the rest will do soprano. She wants us to be able to hear the parts when we sing, so we practiced that a bit, and the proper way to breathe. The songs we practiced were Amazing Grace sung to the tune of "Happy Wanderer", "Be Thou My Vision", and "The Whipporwill Song". We had a great time after floundering about figuring out the parts. It actually sounded good! The plan is to learn how to sing in 3 or 4 part harmony and to go to nursing homes and sing to the people there, perhaps sing at church sometime, and then have a concert! I'm really excited! I love to sing! After the class, Joanna gave us apple turnovers to eat!Yum! I have surrendered my pride to the fact that her's far surpass mine. Now Daniel shan't have to make a "diplomatic choice" between the two. As Lady Cluck from Robin Hood exclaims in her thick Scottish brogue, "Ye got me!"
Speaking of Daniel, today was his first time voting- Yay! We are swiping Meredith's idea and having a victory party later tonight. It'll be a late one!
Oh! On a very random note, Joanna leant me her really thick collection of Jane Austen's novels. I am beginning Persuasion, and I am convinced that it does not work to try to read the first chapter about the "baronacies" book while in a room with two sisters playing Scrabble-take-two on the floor, one pounding out the battle song from The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe on the piano, and Daniel medatatively strumming his guitar in the easy chair. I slopped through that chapter and came to blog instead! :) (oh the sins of this present generation of youngsters!)
Well, as that last sentence made me feel as if I were some "tech girl" and must hie away to another bit of Persuasion in a different room to preserve my dignity as a "book worm"! Toodles!

-Rachel

An Eventful Day

Hi Everyone! This is Sarah. Today was Grace's 3rd birthday and Mom's 44th birthday! I know that Daniel's already posted on this subject, but hey! Anyways, this morning we worked on a nice breakfast for the birthday girls- cinnamon raisin rolls and sausage. We gave a few presents to Gracie, and while she was slowly unwrapping them, Rachel was looking antsy and agitated. I asked her what was up, and she whispered that the Thompsons were on their way over here for a surprise birthday visit! So we finally finished the gifts, and tried to get Mom to go upstairs and get showered and changed. After spreading the news, all us kids were hurrying around getting chores done and the house presentable for company. Daniel pulled me aside quickly telling me to meet our visitors-they'd just pulled up and Mom was barely upstairs! So, after meeting up with them and letting them where Mom was, we caravaned up there with flowers, presents, and the whole kit and caboodle into the hallway. Mrs. T. knocked on their door, and eventually Mom opened the door to find us! It was a great birthday surprise for her! We went downstairs and she and Grace opened the presents that our guests had most graciously brought.

Then, once they had left, Mom and I started on Grace's Princess Castle Cake. I'd already made the cakes last night and some icing this morning so we weren't off to a horrible start, but it was already around 12:30, I think and our family was coming at 4:30. Here's a picture of the finished cake.

It took awhile, but I have to say, it turned out great!

Now don't think our adventures were done for the day! Dad and Mr. Scott had hooked up and apparently, Mr. Scott was coming over this afternoon to pick up our pigs to be taken to market.

So, after cleaning up cake-making mess in the kitchen, I went on out to watch the hog-tying. :)

Mr. Scott, Dad and Daniel were out there and right as I'd come up the one that had just been caught and was in the trailer, got out! I eventually got in there with the men and brought over pallets and other bigger pieces of wood to fashion a make-shift chute leading into the trailer. (Now Mr. Oliver, Rachel says to say that the next sentence is a result of you not telling us how to catch a pig and us forgetting to ask Will) After about 2 hours, 4 moldy English muffins, 2 carrots, some scraps of miscellaneous food, and a pinched finger(mine, to be exact), we had both piggies in the trailer! Oh, I forgot to mention the fact that also, after wrangling those pigs for a long time, Rachel couldn't get the gross piggy smell off her hands, even after trying: Baking soda, lemon juice, salt, vinegar, soap, Germ-X, and finally rubbing alcohol.

Okay, so after that was all done, my smushed finger looked after ;) , the party went on! The Walkers had already arrived as had our grandparents. We had dinner, did presents, and dessert.

Cleaned up , and now I'm sitting here after putting now 3-year-old Grace to bed; Very Tired.

Happy Birthday Mom and Grace!

Morgan's Graduation

Hi Everybody! To most people reading this post, all this will be old news. After all, pretty much all our followers are people we are closely associated with. Except for a few, and on that note, thanks Anna for joining! Okay! Once again, we upheld our awful picture-taking reputation and took absolutely no photos of Morgan's graduation. Miss Meredith has generously offered for us to pirate any of the pictures she puts on her blog, so perhaps I'll do that later, or, you can just hop over to her blog and look at it there!
Okay! Formalitites are now done with!
We hosted church today, so we spent all yesterday morning before the party cleaning house. Then Daniel, Sarah and I went to the Wilson's where I proceeded to put up Morgan's hair in a style very becoming to the said young lady. She wore ostamaria in her hair too. It looked rather bridal Miss Morgan! ;)
So anyhoo, we were enlisted as helpers in the kitchen and to serve, so for the first bit, I hardly socialized, because we were scurrying about setting out food. After a quick blessing, we took our places at the food line and began to serve people's plates! You learn alot about the preferences of various people by serving them food! I think the plate that won the prize for the least nutritious was a boy who simply had a white-flour roll and a plop of jello-salad. Yeah.
It was fun though! So we hurried to put the food away, and then we started the ceremony. Such sweet things were said by everyone about Morgan! I nearly cried several times!(partly in sympathy with the multitudes that shed buckets of tears! ;)
After the ceremony Sarah, Alaina W. The lovely King's Daughter and her sisters and mother, and I sang "The Whipporwill Song" for Morgan.
Then it was cake time! Aunt Christy, the mother of the famed Oldest of Many had concocted a lovely cake! Sarah and I had done the shell border on two back up cakes!
After that, we all danced for a couple hours! Maryanna was the sweetest little thing and lent Morgan her Civil War dress, even though it meant she hadn't one for herself! But then Joanna finished a skirt for her in time! Anyway, we all wore our Civil War dresses, and had such fun dancing in those hoops! Morgan looked positively radiant! Mr. Crett, the graduate's uncle played banjo, and Justin and my gentleman played guitar! We did the Virginia Reel, the Gay Gordon, the Spanish Waltz, and the Harpers' Ferry. It was a blast! Morgan opened some gifts next, and we all crowded round to see. All I'm sayin' is that I hope I get such lovely gifts for my graduation next year!
We sang some, played some, and finally drifted home. The End! :)
-Rachel