The Family "Museum"

I love family history-things! :D For the past couple of days, Anna and I have been at my Grandmama and Grandaddy' house, helping Grandaddy clean after their church's VBS. During the in-between-times, Grandmama showed us a ton of family "artifacts". ;) We saw a dress from the `40's that my Great-Great-Grandmother had made, still in perfect condition. And then we were shown a bunch of sweet paintings that had hung in her house. They were not rich, so they are not originals, but framed prints. There is one great gorgeous one of the singer Jenny Lind, and then a few others. Also a huge framed print of some famous Revolutionary War painting. These things were really fun to see, but my favorites were the papers and photographs, and the stories that went along with them! My great-great-great-grandfather was a city jailer in Norfolk, Virginia. One night the prisoners broke out, and were about to shoot him, but one said, 'Don't shoot him- he was nice to me." So they locked him in a closet instead! :P It was all over the papers, and there are pictures of him, just as Grandmama has always described him; bowler hat, glasses, smart cane, and dapper suit. From what I hear, Great-great-great-grandfather was a bit of a dandy! :D
We were shown pictures of relatives, some unmarked. It was rather funny to see the "bathing suits" of the day, because they look like ruffly pillow-cases! :) Just like any other story there was some tragedy mixed up in the bunch. The lovely Gertie, with the most delicious dimples in her cheeks, traveled for years to try to recover from her tuberculosis, but ended up dying of it. Previously, her husband was killed by a cargo hook in a riot! :O One uncle, a police officer, was kicked by a drunken woman and died of blood poisoning! :( Rather gruesome ways of dying! But then there were some sweet stories to go along with the sadness! My Great-great-grandmother married one Gates brother, and they had my Great-grandmother. But only two years later, that Gates brother died. A couple of years later my Great-great-grandmother married the other Gates brother, and they had two more children and lived happily ever after! :) I love stories like that! :) And then there were pictures of the most deliciously adorable babies, and we aren't even sure who they are! Anyway, this may not be interesting to anyone but myself, but I just LOVE family history! The little oddities that surface when rummaging through attics, and the secrets lying on the pages of long-forgotten papers...it's enthralling! I got a peep at my Great-great-grandmother's marriage certificates! On one of them, the clerk had not finished the year! All it said was "September (something or another), 190-". He probably just forgot to finish it! But it is much more funny to imagine something about that clerk. Maybe it was a quiet wedding, and he had had a little too much of a nip at the champagne provided for the wedding party! During the ceremony, the pastor' droning voice lulled him to sleep over his pen. A few minutes later with a loud"ahem!" the clerk woke to the gruff pastor, and the loving couple watching him anxiously. With an incoherent mumble, and a rough rubbing of his suspiciously rosy nose, the clerk took up his pen again, and, not being quite himself, could not remember the year, and so skipped it, and quickly finished the certificate, hoping no one would notice. There! I have incriminated the poor clerk of over 100 years agone! Justice comes someday! ;D Hey! Wouldn't it be fun if each family could have a sort of family museum, where all the treasures were displayed? It would be so much the better to be able to enjoy and learn about the things from people who knew the owners of them, than to wait till they've all died off, and everything is merely speculation! :) Just an idea! -Rachel

The Blue Award

Alright. We were tagged by Jo March with this. :) Here are the rules:

You've got to answer the person who tagged you's questions, and then make up ten of your own and tag whoever you want.

1. What is your favorite song? Um... right now? It's probably Draw Me Nearer by Meredith Andrews or Sawing on the Strings by Allison Krauss! :D

2. Why do you enjoy reading my blog? I like your blog because you have alot of fun posts, you enjoy your family, and love the Lord.:) (Oh! and I like your whole blog design)

3. Oh, look! We have two hours of free time this evening.Lets.... make a movie!!! (or, if we're all too tired: finish Cranford!:)

4. How long have you had your email address? Let's see...... I think since I was around 10 or 11.

5. Do you like coleslaw on your hotdog? Nope. I don't mind it to the side, but I've never really thought that sounded good.

6. Sweetened or Unsweetened iced tea? Sweetened!!:) (Hey, I'm a southern belle, what would you expect? ;)

7. Do you like to sing? Yeah! I'm constantly humming, belting out a fun song, or singing along to c.d.s!:D

8. Are you interested in learning any foreign languages? If so, which ones? Yes. German or French would be cool! :)

9. Do you speak *chuckles* Pig Latin? epYay! I oday eakspay igPay atinLay! :)

10. What's the farthest place you've ever been from where you are *right* now? California!

Wow! that was fun! So here are my questions:

1. Do you like chocolate? If so, what kind is your favorite?

2. Ever been to Mount Rushmore?

3. How long have you been blogging?

4. Have you driven a tractor?

5. Soundtracks, or normal c.d.s?

6.Do you own a iPod? What kind and color?

7.Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?

8.Have you gone on vacation this year? Where'd ya go?

9. Country, classical, or contemporary?(music:)

10.What's your favorite song right now?

And I tag......

Daniel

Ashley

Stephanie

Micah

Graham Donahue

Matthew

and Always Narnian! :D

That's all for now!

-Sarah

A Few Thoughts on My Husband.

Got your attenion, didn't I?
If there is one bad thing to be said about BBC dramas, I think it would have to be that they tend to leave us feeling a tad discontent. Not any big discontent, but a little twinge of, "Oh dear. Are there really any Mr. Darcys out there?" I am guilty of such thoughts now and again, as are most girls. At the same time, I feel that most of the men in those movies have qualities worth keeping in mind for a future husband. The younger girls and I had just finished "North and South", and were discussing the main male character, Mr. Thornton.
"I wonder if there are really any men out there like him?" Leah mused. I laughed and replied, "Why don't you pray for your future husband that he will have some of the qualities you admire in Mr. Thornton?"
Leah looked at me in a shocked way. "Praying for someone you don't know right now?..."
I tried to explain the thinking of my proposition. I pray so often for my future husband, even though it is more than likely that I have never met him! Leah then asked me a question I have asked myself: "What if you don't get married? You would have been praying for no one!"
Believe it or not, I have thought of this question. And the answer I came up with is this: Perhaps I won't get married. But most people do get married, and chances are, I will. So would I give up the years I can be praying for my "Mr. Thornton", just on the outside chance he doesn't exist? I don't think so. Maybe I will be praying for a non-existing personage. But I feel that somewhere out there, the Lord is preparing a man for me, and I will not stand idly by hugging a weak "what if?". In Proverbs 31 it says that "she does him good, not harm all the days of her life." (emphasis mine) All the days include right now. And while I cannot very well be a help-meet to him in many ways, I can act as his right hand gal by being a prayer-warrior. Girls, it really helps battle discontent to pray for your future husband! Try it! It is amazing how much easier it becomes to wait. Don't worry about the "what ifs". As long as you understand that true fulfillment and contentment are found in Jesus, than pray as often as you want for your "someday" man! :) Here are some verses I found that apply:
Romans 12:12 "...rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer...." I rejoice in the hope of having a husband someday. I will be patient in the times it is very hard to wait, and I will continue steadfastly in praying for him!

Psalms 139:16 "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned fr me, when as yet there were none of them." God has a plan for me! It may include marriage, it may not! But He really does have it all written down! A great comfort!

Proverbs 15:29 "The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous." What can I say, but He is listening, and He does want to hear my heart? :)

Colossians 4:2 "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving..."
So I am! :) I don't know about you girls, but someday, I have a feeling that my "Mr. Thornton" will be blessed to know that for many years, his wife has prayed for his safekeeping, his character, his well-being, and his relationship with the Lord. That's just about the best wedding gift I'll ever be able to hand to my beloved husband someday! :) -Rachel

North and South Movie - DVD Theme Song

So, here is some of the most beautiful movie music I have ever heard. It's from BBC's "North and South". Well, the LOTR movies, and Little Women, and the Chronicles of Narnia have some great soundtracks too, but this is heartbreakingly beautiful. I will say that this is by far the BEST music on any dvd menu! :D I actually am not sure that this figures in the movie at all, but they aced it for the menu! I wish someone would learn this on the piano for me! ;) Anyway, enjoy all 47 seconds of it, and if you have seen the movie, imagine the little train station scene where Margeret discovers Mr. Thornton went all the way to Helstone and brought her back a little yellow rose! :) -Rachel

Ken Ham's "The State of The Nation"

Last night Sarah, Daniel, and I were priviliged to be able to watch Ken Ham's D.V.D. "The State of the Nation" with a few fellow Gen-J members. It was a GREAT talk. As usual, Ken Ham did not mince words, and said thing like they were. I'm telling you, I LOVE frank people! :) Basically, the idea of the d.v.d was to take a look at America, and try to explain where things are going wrong, and what we can do about them. Here are some of the main points that stuck out to me:

1. We as Christians need to stop saying the reason we are against certain issues is because "they are wrong", "the founding fathers....", "well, traditionally," "we shouldn't...." and other weak excuses. Those terms are merely matters of opinion to the World. There is no absolute in that. No. We need to clearly tell others that the reason we are against abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriages, and other issues, are because they are against God's Word. When you take God's word out of the picture, then you have virtually come to a duel and laid down your sword in preparation to face an enemy who is fully armed and prepared for war.

2. Generally in these days, when someone talks about science, they are no longer speaking about science as a study of experiments and documentation to try to figure out the natural world. They are speaking of "science", but truly meaning "evolution, and millions of years". That is why people always suggest that science and religion don't mix. If you take away all the politically correct terms shadowing it, what you come up with is, "atheism and Christianity" do not mix. And that is entirely true. But people, we need to say it how it is without sugar coating it.

3. Everyone has a religion. You cannot be "non-religious" because religion is a system of beliefs, and whether your system of beliefs is the One True "religion", or some little idol, or "nothing", you are still believing something.

4. Yet another word is being twisted to mean more than it seems in this culture. And that word is "religion". When they say that they want to take "religion" out of the schools, that is code word for "Christianity". I could carry around a pocket idol of Buddha all day long, or wear a little red dot on my forehead, but if I pray in the name of Jesus Christ in any public sort of place, I could very well cause a riot! :/ In one part of the d.v.d., it showed an atheist professor at a school, mocking Jesus in the name of "science". In one part, he was talking about how stars exploded and made us, and then he said, "Forget Jesus! The stars died for you!" and the whole room errupted in laughter and applause. It almost made me cry seeing how blasphemous that class room was. There is another clip he used on the d.v.d. that was a GAP commerical from this past Christmas that really states the attitude of our culture currently: "You 86 the rules, you do what just feels right. You do whatever you "Wannakuh", and to all a cheery night!" (Or something like that.) So the main part of the d.v.d came down to this: Are we living our lives on God's Word, or Man's word? The whole problem in today's society, is that the attitude is "Forget Jesus", and "do whatever you Wannakuh!". We must not be ashamed of the gospel, and we must use God's word as the double-edged sword it is.

5. There is also a movement called "I am not ashamed", that is sponsoring billboards such as the one up at the top of this post. You can get to that website here.

The d.v.d was very convicting and sobering, and I suggest you all watch it if you are given the chance! It was really great, and I'd watch it again if I could! :) -Rachel

Bits and Pieces

Have you ever felt that your life is so full of wonderful things that you can't decide which to do first?!?!?! I am feeling that way right now!
I wanted to do a blog post to give ya'll an update
I want to start "The Maiden's Bequest" by George McDonald (courtesy of Marybelle)
I want to watch episode two of "North and South" (Gaskell, not Civil War)
I want to watch episode two of "Cranford"
I want to put away the remainder of my presents from all my very generous friends
I want to write a letter
I need to put my room back in order
So what first? Well, obviously the blog post! :P

Sarah and I had a GREAT time at our combined birthday party!!! (Sarah's b-day is Aug. 6) Thanks to all you people that came, including Abigail, Morgan, Katie, Maddie, Oliver, Elliott, Shi of Narnia, Always Narnian, King's Daughter and sisters, Alaina, and all the others! :) It was great fun! Thanks for putting up with intense reels and Harpers' Ferry in 105 degree weather! (I actually got kinda faint and had to sit out a dance :/ ) And I apologize for all those hard Pictionary clues I made up! :P
(Is "man in a kilt" that hard to guess? ;) It was really fun! :) In case ya'll are wondering why our blog has been kind of slow, it is because we are cutting back to 20 minutes of computer time a day (each) and so it's usually email or blogs, but it is actually nice to have a true limit! :) Nothing like structure! :) Talk to you guys later! I'm off to start my new book! (A Scottish novel with an intriguing title! Bliss! :) -Rachel

The "At This Moment" Tag! :D

Welcome to the "At This Moment In Time" tag! I just made it up, so bear with me!

At This Moment in Time:

1. Choose and post a picture that describes something you really want or feel

2. Top three thoughts occupying your mind

3. Two songs you don't know all the words to, but want to learn

4. Book of the Bible you are reading

5. Issue you are working on learning how to defend to a non-Christian

6. Top thing you are looking forward to

7. Latest accomplishment

8. Next accomplishment you hope to ...accomplish! :)

9. Tell me what you think of this tag

10. Tag 6 other people

1.

2. Top Three Thoughts Occupying My Mind:

a. I'm ready for the Fall! (hence the picture)

b. Abigail's coming in 43 hours!

c. We found a wild cherry tree!

3. Two Songs I Want To Learn All The Words To:

a. "May it be"

b. and a Robin Mark song that I can't remember the name to

4. Book Of The Bible I'm Reading: First Kings

5. Issue I'm working on defending to a non-Christian: My choice to not go to college, and to keep training for the highest career a young woman can ever choose

6. Top thing I am looking forward to: My (and Sarah's) party on Saturday!!!

7. Latest accomplishment: Painting the above picture

8. Next accomplishment: sewing a modesty swimsuit

9. What do you think of this tag? I'm likin' it! :D

10. Tag 6 people:

a. Jo March

b. Stephanie

c. Abigail Taylor

d. Lady Gwenea Zetia Benn

e. Shi of Narnia

f. Nana!

There you go! :) -Rachel

Describing Rachel :)

All right. Rachel, here are the words that you're friends described you with:

Entertaining

Insightful

Helpful

Artistic

Pretty

Kind

Endearing

Fun

Passionate

Writer

Inspiring

Kind

A writer

Fun

Happy

Lovely

Funny

Cheerful

Honest

Observant

Humorous

Sweet

Helpful

Adventurous

Romantic (the other kind:)

Imaginative

and the Best Oldest Sister!!!:D

-Sarah

18!!!!!!!!:D

Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Rachel, Happy Birthday to you!!!!!!!!!!

-Sarah

Happy Birthday!!!!

Hey everyone! I think most of you know that today is Rachel's 18th birthday. Now, you may think this is Sarah, but you'd be wrong. It is her cousin (Matthew) from next door. Yes, I hacked in to do this, but if you've noticed we seem to do that to each other:)


What I want to do right now is for you all to leave a comment with five things you know about Rachel, and then tomorrow, Sarah will do a post with all those things about her in one post. I think some of you may have never even met Rachel, but just do five things that you see about her when she posts on this or her other blog. I will start by doing ten things, and maybe more, and you continue with your things. I will say, since I have known Rachel for 15 years, (i am 16:) I think I may have an advantage :)

A Leader,
Kind,
Loving,
A woman who pursues God,
Energetic,
Poetical,
A Leader,
Patient,
Responsible,
Mature,
A Leader,
A family person,
Quick to respond to a need,
Loves reading,
A leader,

Now you may be thinking, "man, Matthew, that was a little redundant." Well....I did that on purpose. Being that she is usually the eldest child at home, one character trait that I have seen her perfect is being a leader. And that is one that she will need in future times. As the eldest in my family, I know the challenge of being a leader, and the responsibility that it takes.


Rachel, I am sooooo glad to be your cousin, and I will love watching what God has in store for you.

Happy birthday!!!!!!

Your cousin,
Matthew

At Last!!!!

"IT IS FINISHED!!!"
(A term meaning: Done, through, the end, that's a wrap, complete, no more, etc.)
And yes, I did a jig- a quiet one because I was sitting with Grace as she fell asleep, but a jig nontheless! :D -Rachel

Answers To Book Quotes Quiz, And A Reason To Celebrate! :)

Hey Everybody! Time to see who won our Book Quote Quiz! :)

Jo March won with 9 1/2 points!
Abigail Taylor was second with 6 points
And Stephanie was third with 3 points!

Here are the answers:

1. "An Old-Fashioned Girl" by Louisa May Alcott (Tom Speaking to Polly)
2. "Mary Poppins" by P.L. Travers (Uncle Albert speaking to Mary Poppins)
3. "Heidi" by Johanna Spyrie
4. "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgeson Burnett (Dickon speaking to Mary)
5. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain (Abigail! You were off by one book! :)
6. "The Silver Chair" by C.S. Lewis (Puddleglum speaking to Jill and Eustace)
7. "Betsy-Tacy" by Maud Hart Lovelace
8. "Pollyanna" by whats-her-name? (Pollyanna speaking to Aunt Polly)
9. "The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
10. "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott (Meg and Marmee)

Yay! Do you guys want to do one again sometime? Jo, your prize will be choosing something for Sarah to post about! :) Do whatever, as long as it does not require pictures of us to be put up here! :P And another piece of news: I will officially and forever and ever-until-I-am-homeschooling-my-own-children be done with algebra tomorrow!!!! YAY! If you remember from a post away back last year, I promise to dance a jig on top of my algebra! I will! I promise! It required me getting up early when Leah milked all but one morning for the past several weeks, and doing 4 pages of the evil subject, but I have nearly conquered it! Huzzah! Someone get out the confetti! :) -Rachel

A Movie Review on The Inheritance

We have discovered a new favorite family movie: "The Inheritance"! It is sweet story of a young lady, an orphan, named Edith Adelon (Cari Shane). She lives as a companion for the daughter of the very wealthy Hamiltons. A distant cousin of the Hamiltons, the false and nasty Ida Glenshaw, comes to stay with them, as does a young man, Mr. James Percy (Thomas Gibson). As Edith finds herself learning to love Mr. Percy, Ida Glenshaw sourly reminds her that she will "never be one of us" (meaning born to wealth) and so Edith puts away her love, believing that did she marry Mr. Percy, she would forever make him miserable and bring shame to him. Then Mr. Hamilton finds a trunk full of his deceased brother's things, and unearths some very surprising news..... I won't tell you what!

This movie was based off of a book written by Louisa May Alcott as a 17 year old young woman, and is absolutely wonderful! The movie is quite different than the book, but kept the same message, which I greatly appreciated. Louisa May Alcott certainly had some strange beliefs, but the core messages in her books are something to be admired and imitated by anyone who reads them!

The Inheritance has perhaps a rather predictable story-line, and a classic heroine: an orphaned young woman named Edith Adelon. But Edith is a girl worth admiring. She is sweet, and good, but not in a way that seems syrupy. And her heart is just a lovely as her sweet face.

Mr. Percy is also admirable for his courtesy, gentlemanly and respectful treatment of all the movie's women, and his character.

I believe one of my favorite things about the book, and the movie, is the great character displayed by the hero and heroine. At one point in the movie when Mrs. Hamilton is entreating Edith to keep Ida Glenshaw away from "plain Mr. Percy", Edith speaks up:

"A person's face will change over time, but a person's heart will not. Mr. Percy's seems to be a good and pure heart, and one that I think would be worth winning." Such a remark is quite rare coming from a pretty heroine!

And in the book, when a young man is describing Mr. Percy and says, "Few could lead as pure a life as he. His brother was his dearest friend who he watched over with all a father's tenderness and care; but at last a fair young cousin came to live with them, and both the brothers loved her. Neither knew the other's secret till Walter, our Lord Percy, heard his brother whisper the dear name in sleep, and then he nobly put away his own joy, and strove to win for his younger brother, the heart he loved so tenderly himself, and he succeeeded. "

Beat that for selflessness!

The story is unbeatable, and has a great message-namely that the only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.

I've told you the pros, and now I must tell you just a couple of cons:

Ida Glenshaw, the falsely charming cousin, is the villain of this story. And as such, some of her dresses are..ahem...rather low in the neck. So we were ready with our ever-trusty piece of paper to cover her up the several times she came onscreen in those particular costumes.

Then, there is another villain, Mr. Frederick Arlington, who falls in love with Edith, and tries to kiss her very much against her will, until Mr. Percy comes and rescues her. Those are the only undesirable things in the movie, and, I am told that Feature Family Films has somehow cut out that part, and raised all of Ida's dresses, and replaced one not-so-great word, so that the movie is perfectly clean for even the strictest viewer. All in all though, this is a movie everyone in the family will enjoy! (Daniel watched it, liked it, and the only criticism he passed was, "it was a bit predictable"! :) And if you don't end up watching the movie, please, please, please, read the book! I read it last year in one afternoon, then loved it so much I started over and read it aloud to Leah! One of my top favorite books for sweetness! I can't remember the exact quote, but in the end of the book Lord Percy says something like: "I do not care for your money Edith, for the purity of your heart is the richest inheritance I shall ever be given." Love it!!! :) -Rachel

Book Quote Quiz

Alright Everyone! We decided that we might as well have a book quote quiz! Everyone does movie quotes, but very few challenge themselves to a quiz built upon real literature! :) So here we go! These are all from fairly widely read books, all published during the late 1800's through the early half of last century. If that doesn't help you I don't know what will! :P Let's get going!

1. "That's the rose you put in the birthday cake, and next week we'll have a fresh one in another jolly little cake which you'll make me. You left it on the floor of my den the night we talked there, and I've kept it ever since. There's love and romance for you!" - Polly touched the little relic, treasured for a year, and smiled to read the words, "My Polly's Rose" scribbled under the crumbling leaves."

2. "Oh, beg pardon, my dear. Where was I? Oh, yes. Well, the funny thing about me is--all right, Mary, I won't laugh if I can help it!--That whenever my birthday falls on a Friday, well, it's all up with me. Absolutely U.P."

3. "She sat down on her old high chair and drained her mug as though she had never tasted anything so delicious in her life. Then she drew a deep breath and said, "There's nothing as good as our milk anywhere in the world."

4. "Not me." he said, grinning. "I never ketched cold since I was born. I wasn't brought up nesh enough. I've chased about th' moor in all weathers same as th' rabbits does. Mother says I've sniffed up too much fresh air for twelve year' to ever get to sniffin' with cold. I'm tough as a white-thorn knobstick."

5. "I paddled over to the Illinois shore, and drifted down most half a mile doing it. I crept up the dead water under the bank, and hadn't no accidents, and didn't see nobody. We got home all safe."

6. "Why, it's not in reason that you should like our sort of victuals, though I've no doubt you'll put a bold face on it. All the same, while I'm cathing of them, if you two could try to light the fire-- no harm in trying! The wood's behind the wigwam. It may be wet. You could light it inside the wigwam, and then we'd get all the smoke in our eyes. Or you could light in outside, and then the rain would come and put it out. Her's my tinderbox. You won't know how to use it, I expect."

7. "Betsy and Tacy had played store lots of times. The piano box had been first one kind of store and then another, the summer before. It had been a millinery store, full of hats made from maple leaves, and it had been a lemonade store, where they sold lemonade. Now it became a sand store, on account of the fresh new sand."

8. "Oh, Aunt Polly, I never saw anything so perfectly lovely and interesting in my life. I'm so glad you gave me that book to read! Why, I didn't suppose flies could carry such a lot of things on their feet, and-"

9. "He was a very old Indian. His brown face was carved in deep wrinkles and shriveled on the bones, but he stood tall and straight. His arms were folded under a gray blanket, holding it wrapped around him. His head was shaved to a scalp-lock and an eagle's feather stood up from it. His eyes were bright and sharp. Behind him the sun was shining on the dusty street and an Indian pony stood there waiting. "Heap big snow come," this Indian said."

10. "But it is nice to be praised and admired, and I can't help saying I like it"... "That is perfectly natural, and quite harmless, if the liking does not become a passion, and lead one to do foolish or unmaidenly things. Learn to know and value the praise which is worth having, and to excite the admiration of excellent people by being modest as well as pretty..."

I FORGOT TO PUT COMMENT MODERATION ON, SO PLEASE BE HONORABLE AND SCROLL DOWN REALLY FAST TO THE BOTTOM TO POST YOUR ANSWERS!!!! :P
There you go! Have fun! No google-searching by the way! :) -Rachel and Sarah

Potluck :/

You may not think it, but there are adventures everywhere. Even in homechurch! ;) Of course, they tend to be very minor, but they are there! :P For instance, potluck meals...who thought up that concept? For organized city people, potluck meals are awesome! And it certainly solves the problem of feeding 100+ people each Sunday! But one must have a streak of adventure to like it! I imagine the only hobbits who would dare to do a potluck would have been the Brandybucks, or some one of the other more perky families! ;) By now you may wonder how there can be anything remotely interesting in a discussion on potluck meals. Well, I'll tell you, that when one is hungry by the time church is over, their minds run much on the subject of which I speak.
There are three typical scenerios that occur:

1.) Everyone brings the same exact thing- I'm not kidding. This happens regularly. Today we had pasta galore. Last week it was rice. The week before, salad.

2.) The second scenerio occurs when all the families have gardens. During the spring and summer, be prepared to stuff your stomachs with salad during the weeks when lettuce and spinach thrive, and then squash and zucchini around this time. We had like 3 different squash casseroles a few Sundays ago! People tend to feed you what their family is sick of, and has eaten to the point of disgust. ;)

3.) The boys go outside and play volleyball, are called in for lunch but have to "finish this game", then come in and are shocked that the only thing left for consumption are a few chunks of cantelope, and a half-empty crockpot of rice. I try to remedy this by calling them multiple times but...guys....the blood's on your hands after that! :)

Then you always have what I call "dessert panic". This is when all the families are trying to "eat more healthily" (which really means they haven't been to the store, and they didn't wake up till 9, and had to throw something together super quick ;) and not a single family has brought dessert. This happened today. I was calmly eating my lunch on the porch with some others, and Gracie opened the door and bawled out, "Waychie! Are you dunna make bwownies? Mama told me to ask you!" I dutifully got up, and in the midst of the boys still going through the line, successfully quadrupled the brownie recipe. As soon as they were finished, we cut them, and 4 minutes later the only brownie left was a nondescript corner-piece. It is hilarious, trying to figure out the food. Another amusing occurance is when the only families to make it to church are the ones that have food allergies. They tend to bring things like potatos or rice, or things like that. And once in awhile you bite into a chewy brownie only to find it is gluten free and carob! :/
Well, anyway, that is just a ramble upon potlucks. Hope it amused you! :) -Rachel
p.s. anyone who has gone to a homechurch, am I right? :)

A Comparison of Our Blogs To Others

Alright! I have a question that has been bobbling around my head for some time now: How on earth do some blogs get so many followers?!?!?! It makes me rather jealous sometimes! ;) I'm kidding, but really- we have 35 followers. Respectable for the first year of blogging. But how do other people get so many? Here are some reasons I can think of:

Excitement: say you are engaged, or going to Europe, or something like that, and they'll come flooding! (So what's a girl to do who has no fiancee or funds?)

Pictures: Everyone loves seeing pictures of you, and your family. (We have discussed this, and the only options are: (A. leave you with seeing only our hands in select pictures of things we are doing (B. close this blog and invite you, and then show you pictures of us! But that doesn't do much for the follower issue, because once we are closed, not too many people can find us! :)

Style: Have one of those really fancy blogs with a great header, background, and a music playlist. (Um...our filter blocks most backgrounds, and we never hear playlists even when someone has them, because I guess it blocks it too! :P)

Genius: Say really smart and amazingly insightful things. (We are simple people, and not too many brilliant ideas come our way! ;)

Wisdom: Write posts about what you've been reading in your Bible, and thinking on, etc. (There is room for improvement in this area, but this is also a blog about our family, so we can't devote it entirely to that topic with nothing else thrown in)

Follower-Friendly Blogs: These are the ones that are constantly having contests, tags, awards, etc. (We do some, but if we aren't getting tagged, how can we tag someone else? And how do you make those award things?)

So as you can see, we try to have an interesting blog, but it seems that we lack all the stuff the "big bloggers" have! :D Thank you to each and every one of our 35 followers, and especially those of you who comment often! You are what keeps blogging fun! :) And any people out there who read this blog but don't follow it.... could you pretty please join up just to make us feel better? :) -Rachel

What is that drippy foreign stuff called? :P

I have a smile on my face because...

IT RAINED!!!

After probably at least three weeks since the last shower the whole earth around here was wilting. We were hoeing the garden, and raising enough clouds of dust to make someone think we were hosting a horse race! :) Really, it was pathetic. Then, along came some clouds, and behind the clouds the rain, and we all stood in the garden getting drenched by the liquid gold! :) It felt so good to stand for at least half an hour, and feel shower after shower sweep over us as we worked! What a blessing rain is! And we needed it sorely! It wasn't a real long stretch of rain, but enough to dampen everything round about and lighten the humidity in the air! Thank you God! :) -Rachel

A Poem by Ruth Graham

Alright all you girls! Here is something I found that voices my thoughts on my future husband perfectly! I only wish I could take the credit for writing it! :) It is a poem I found in a biography about Billy Graham that his wife, Ruth Graham, wrote as a young lady even before she met him! :) Here it is:

"A Poem By Ruth Graham"

"Dear God, I prayed, all unafraid

(As we're inclined to do)

I do not need a handsome man

But let him be like You;

I do not need one big and strong

Nor yet so very tall,

Nor need he be some genius,

Or wealthy, Lord, at all;

But let his head be high, Dear God,

And let his eye be clear,

His shoulders straight,

Whate'er his state,

Whate'er his earthly sphere;

And let his face have character,

A ruggedness of soul,

And let his whole life show, Dear God,

A singleness of goal;

Then when he comes, (as he will come)

With quiet eyes aglow,

I'll understand that he's the man

I prayed for long ago."

Isn't that just about the sweetest thing you have read for a long while? I love praying for my future husband, and this poem just captured the hope and preciousness of being assured the Lord is listening. Hope you liked it! :) -Rachel

p.s. Just so you know, that's NOT Ruth and Billy Graham in the picture.:)

Less Than Half This Long Till Christmas Again!!! :O

Hello guys! (Why do I always start posts that way?) Anyway, this morning, our relatives from NY (who were down here all weekend) went home. We had alot of fun with them! I don't know about you all, but it seems like the year is just whizzing by! I mean, we haven't done that much out of the ordinary, but I really can't believe we are more than half of the way done with an entire year! Seems kind of weird to think that months can pass this quickly! But there we are! Here is a sort of update on our family, generally, and specifically-
Daniel- home from iGovern camp-counseling, working on the documentary with the Tates, working with Dad, teaching a guitar student
Me- finishing up my math book, doing some office-managing, turning 18 in 13 days, writing/painting a book for Grace, editing, and sending off a book to a publisher in hopes of being accepted
Sarah- trying to get rid of a watch tan, becoming the reigning "ninja" champ., taking care of our chickens, working every Sat. with Dad these past 3 weeks, getting her hair cut for the first time in...years.
Leah- waking each morning at 6:30 to milk Daisy, turning 13 in Aug., playing soccer with Benjamin
Anna- milking Daisy in the evenings, catching toads for me, playing with Emily, cementing allies among youngest members of the T. family
Benjamin- living the life of a country-boy, playing "world-cup" soccer with the Walker boys
Abby- Becoming fast friends with Bethany, playing spies, learning to dominate the Walker's dog Windsor
Gracie- being 3. Swooning when we play "Ten minutes ago I met you" on the c.d. player, reading, playing "Sickness", watching clips from musicals on youtube with me or Sarah, dancing while we sing "I know you" or "Ten minutes ago", playing dolls, having teaparties, etc.
Family in General- gardening, berry-picking, Dad working very hard, Mama helping organize meals for a woman at church who just had a baby, hosting company, getting ready for 3 oldest girls turning 18,16,and 13 this summer, surviving the blazing inferno around here, running a household, going to music theory class with Dad, hosting church each Sunday, putting up food from the garden, making multiple trips a week to the feedstore for our ravenous chickens, etc.....We are one busy family right now! So that is why our posts haven't been quite so exciting or interesting as we could wish! It is as much as we can do to get normal life done- not much room for adventures at this moment in time! ;) Ya'll have a great Wednesday! -Rachel

Post-4th of July-Thoughts

"A toast- to high treason...that's what these men were committing when they signed the Declaration of Independence.....So here's to the men who did what was considered wrong, in order to do what they knew was right. What they knew was right!"

-National Treasure

I love that quote! The movie, "National Treasure" gets some things wrong, but it has some slamming quotes! :) Independence Day for me, gets me thinking all about the Colonial era, and the great, looming choice the Founding Fathers were facing. Should they go to War against their mother country? Was that really what the Lord was leading them to do? I am sure it was a very confusing time. Nowadays, we do not stop to think whether it was a good thing that America rebelled. We take it for granted, that it was always such an easy choice. I don't want to be a "red, white, and blue" American- I mean, the kind of patriot who is one only on the surface- I want to remember the real historical facts, and learn lessons from the men who made this huge decision. It must have been an intense time. I mean, I can only imagine in our church fellowship the unrest caused by someone saying we should emancipate ourselves from our governing country. I am sure not everyone would agree on the wisest course to take! But I believe the Lord blessed the men who guided our country on a quest to become their own. I am SO grateful for the wisdom the Lord gave these men in making our founding documents! I am proud to be an American, but not because "at least I know I'm free". I am proud to be an American because of our freedom, yes, but more importantly, because I know my heritage as an American. Really, the American Revolution was entirely uncoventional. And as Christians, we are called to lead unconventional lives! Our whole country was founded on Christian principles, and they have served us well! Now that we as a country are slipping away from our base though, I encourage us to learn the facts for ourselves! Not just trust whatever sort of "shot heard `round the world" history we happened to remember from our history book! :) People are forgetting the facts in lieu of legends, or missinformation- for instance, Sarah and I were laughing during the fireworks last night as we listened to a grown man musing: "Just think about in Colonial times, that all this noise would have been shots of guns! Man, I wouldn't be fightin' out in front! I'd run the other way and climb a tree and start sniping people!" What that man doesn't realize is that really, his "great idea" of hiding and guerilla-ish warfare was exactly what the Americans did! The British, very accomplished in open-war-field strategies, were at a loss when they couldn't even see the Americans hiding in the forest. Anyway, that man's remarks were just a reminder of how the facts are slowly being forgotten. Everyone sort of imagines pitched battle in a sunny field, with calvary, and formations. Indeed, there was some of that, but we Americans had learned our new land, and the benefits of fighting as the natives do.

This is sort of a rambling post, but it is "Post-Fourth of July-Musings" that were tumbling around my brain this week! Hope I didn't bore you! :) -Rachel

An Infatuation With Costumes! :)

Hey guys! For a few weeks now, I've had an idea for a dress simmering in my brain. It was first inspired by a friend I hadn't seen for a long time, who looked so absolutely charming in her dress that I thought she belonged in some sort of painting. My brain started working...how to get a dress like that? Make it! Then, I watched BBC's Wives and Daughters. Oh my stars! The costumes Molly wears are so sweet and pretty! I really liked some of the bodices of some of her dresses, and the sleeves on her "berry-picking" gown. The only way to get a gown I dreamed up, seems to be to design it myself! So after reading Kendal Butler's post on the summer dress she designed, I figured it couldn't be too hard! With sewing, I tend to sort of make it up as a go along a bit anyway! :) So last night I sat down and drew a very basic idea of the dress bobbling around in my mind. I wanted to get a good image in my mind of Molly Gibson's dresses in Wives and Daughters, so I simply did a google search on "costumes from BBC Wives and Daughters" and came up with a great blessing! Namely, a blog called "The Dashwood Sisters", who had done an entire costume study on Wives and Daughters!!!!!:) :) :) I spent a bit of time poking around over there, and had to tear myself away after getting the necessary information! :) I could have spent all day looking at it, since when I watch any good old-fashioned movie, costumes are the area I scrutinize and moon over! ;) Here is a picture of Molly's Berrypicking dress! I basically, want to use the sleeves and over all idea of the bodice for mine! :)

Here is a really nice view of the sleeves- the main thing I wish to copy from her dress! :)

And here is a view of the dress as a whole! I really like the neckline too, but I was thinking I'd do the one that is rattling `round my brain, which i found out is called a "drawstring" neckline.

Here is the rough design I drew:

I am not sure, with the drawstring neckline, how the back would open up...any ideas? The Dashwood "study" suggested using Sense and Sensibility's "Romantic Era" pattern, and their "Ladies of Elegance" pattern has the drawstring neckline as one option....but I kind of want to avoid buying two patterns....tell me what you think! This is just a fun idea, I really, really like the dress! :( I hope I have enough money and wits about me to buy material, and somehow make it become a reality! What do you all think? Any tips on designing a dress and making a pattern for it? Should I just buy the "Romantic Era" pattern, and improvise the neckline? Help me! Oh! I didn't draw the sleeves quite how I want them! I want MOLLY's sleeves! :D -Rachel

Chances Are....

When Mama asks all of you to gather up old toothbrushes and rags and scrub every inch of the downstairs baseboard chances are...

You have misbehaved terribly in some way ;)
You live in the country with 8 kids and a dog
You have a dirt and gravel driveway
It hasn't rained hard in a long time
You are having company all weekend
You have cleaned everything else recently enough that you have time to look closer
You have run a "hotel" for the past 3 months and your house is still recovering
All of the Above and More! :D

-Rachel