"Nothing in all Creation..."

This afternoon my family was sitting on the deck visiting with our grandparents. While we were out there a little butterfly flew up and landed right next to me on this plant! I went in the house to get my camera and came back to find it still sitting there. I was so happy to get a few pictures! And I was glad they turned out so nicely! Here are a few:

Butterflies are so small, yet they are some of the most beautiful creatures God has created! Isn't it so comforting to know that nothing in all creation goes unnoticed by God?! How amazing it is to think that He is in complete control of such a tiny little life! PRAISE THE LORD ALL THE EARTH! :)

Hebrews 4:13

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight."

"Clothed" with Patience

Okay, one morning a few weeks ago I woke up and walked through the living room to see Sisters #2 and #3 playing with all their stuffed animals. Everything seemed pretty normal through my sleepy eyes! ...But the next time I walked through, I noticed something strangely wrong with the whole picture, and I jumped! This is what I saw:

Do you see it???

Yes, poor Ty was buried underneath all their stuffed animal puppies!

I thought this was so funny that I ran and got the camera to take a few pictures. Doesn't he just fit right in? LOL! Normally he wouldn't tolerate lying there like that for very long, but he was very patient! I could really learn a lot from his example of patience here!

Anyway, I know this is a little silly, but I thought it was cute! Have a wonderful rest-of-the-week!

Colossians 3:12

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." :)

Relishing in the Sweetness of God's Word

The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

PSALM 19:9b-11

I thank the Lord for one of my most treasured possessions: my Bible! It is truly amazing how much God accomplishes through His word. Not only in what is written inside of it, but also by us reading it ourselves and applying it to our lives today. Through reading and studying our Bibles we are searching the mind of our great God!

Reading the Bible should be a daily habit--something we do naturally. Unfortunatley, that's not always the case. It can be easy to find excuses or reasons that keep us from doing one of the very things God created us to do. By passing up opportunities to dig into Scripture, we are missing out on more than we realize, I'm sure! From it we gain wisdom and understanding, knowledge and depth of insight. He uses it to teach us and to open our eyes to truth.

Nothing can explain better the word of God, than the Word itself! That being said, here is a really good verse that comes to mind: 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 - "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." The Bible is the very breath of God, and He uses it to breath life into us! It is filled with teaching, encouragement, answers, comfort, strength, help, love, songs, prayers, truth, prophecy, and so much more. Whatever the circumstance may be, God always has something to speak to us through His holy word!

Anyway, I just thought I'd write a quick post about one of the greatest treasures in life. I encourage you to dig into and relish in the sweetness of God's word! It is rewarding and the spiritual benefits are great!

The Bible truly is one of the best gifts God has given us. Thank you, dear Lord, for such a precious gift!

"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" PSALM 119:103

~ My Ten Honest Things ~

This tag/award is from Lindsay! Here are the rules for it:

• Say thanks and link to the person who gave you the award.
  
• Share ten "honest" things about yourself.
  
• Award this to seven people who's blog design/content you admire or who have encouraged you, and inform them of their win and of the rules of this award.

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~ MY TEN HONEST THINGS ~

# 1 : Taylor is really my middle name! ;)

# 2 : My favorite sport to watch is tennis, but I am not very good at playing it myself!

# 3 : I share a room with one of my younger sisters.

# 4 : I have a purity ring that I wear on my middle finger. (That's the only finger it fits!)

# 5 : I've never been stung by any wasps or bees!

# 6 : I actually like cleaning! :)

# 7 : I went to public school through 6 weeks into 3rd grade, and I've been homeschooling ever since! (And love it!)

# 8 : I was baptized when I was 7 years old in a pool, in the middle of October! Without realizing it or planning it, we soon figured out that was the same exact date my parents were baptized quite a few years before!

# 9 : I'm cold natured, but I LOVE fall and winter!

# 10 : And what else??? Hmmm.... One of my favorite things to do is read my Bible, and my favorite verse is James 4:8!

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Thank you for awarding and tagging me Lindsay! I enjoyed filling this out!

Now I tag anyone who sees this and would like to do it! God bless!

A Giveaway!

Hi everyone,

I wanted to let you all know that my friend Lindsay is hosting a giveaway at her blog celebrating her 100th post! You can click on the picture below to get there and read all about it!

Pictures of the Ramp

Here are some pictures of the new ramp I mentioned in my previous Young Maiden's Daybook. I thought y'all might like to see it!

From all different views!

This is all the mud that resulted from the abundant rain showers we've had the last few days.

I found Ty's little footprints, lol!

While I was outside tonight taking those pictures I couldn't help but get some of everything else too! :)

It's all green now and the sky just looked so pretty.

We are very thankful to those who built the ramp and for all the helping hands. The men got here and started working by 9:00am and the last ones left at exactly 8:00pm that evening. This ramp has truly been a blessing to our family and we know it will continue to be in the future as well! Praise the name of the Lord!

Pretty Pictures : )

These are some pictures I took a few nights ago. (Before we got all this rain!) They're all taken at our house. I hope you enjoy them!

You can barely see Lil' Jack in the background!

The moon was making its appearance as the sun was beginning to set!

I just loved the look of this yellow rose!

Now trying it in black and white. :)

Okay, now this next set of pictures I took at my Dad's parent's house. They have a really pretty place too!

The leaves are falling!

Alright, that's it for now. I just thought a lot of those pictures would be nice to share. May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

Homemade Laundry Soap

Our family has been making our own laundry soap for quite awhile now, and we really like it a lot. Supposedly, it only costs you 3 cents a load and it lasts for a long time! We usually double the recipe so that it lasts even longer. So anyway, we took pictures of the process a few times ago and I thought I'd share them with you, along with the recipe. :)

1 Bar Fels Naptha or Zote Soap

1 1/2 Cups Super Washing Soda

1 1/2 Cups Borax
12 Cups Water

These are all of the items you will need:

5 Gallon Bucket

Large pot

Grater

Measuring Cup

Grate the entire bar of soap. Pour grated soap into large pot.

Then add the water.

Add the Borax and Washing Soda. Heat on medium heat and stir until all of the soap is melted. (It takes awhile.) Remove from heat. Pour 8 cups of hot water into 5 gallon bucket. Now add soap mixture and stir. Now add 2 gallons plus 12 cups water and stir. Let the soap set for 24 hours.

And this is the finished product!

This is what we use to keep our soap in now. It's much bigger and holds a lot more! (We use the coffee cup to scoop it out! LOL!)

So there you have it! Your very own homemade laundry detergent.

I hope you have a nice weekend! God bless!

A Young Maiden's Daybook--Entry #19

Today...

September 7, 2009

Outside my window...

It's nice and sunny!

I am thinking...
I can't believe it's already been a month since I posted my last daybook!

I am thankful for...
The new ramp coming from our deck that some men built for us to use when Dad needs a wheelchair, and for the men who did it! God has blessed us with such wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ!

I am wearing...

My black skirt with big pink flowers on it and a pink shirt.

I am reading...

The Bible

I am creating...

Nothing special at the moment, but I am putting up some new pictures on the bulletin board next to my bed. (I do it kind of like I would a scrapbook page!)

One of my favorite things...

Our new ramp. :)

For education this week...

Same as always!

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning...

Cooking, baking, cleaning, babysitting, etc.

A spiritual lesson I'm learning...

To continue to wait on the Lord and be faithful to him in the wait, knowing that He is doing a work and has a purpose in all things, and His purpose will stand!

A godly character trait I plan to work on...

Faithfulness & diligence in my study time and other daily tasks!

Scripture I am memorizing...

I actually don't have one at the moment, but I really need to work something!

I am praying for...

God to pour out His blessings upon our family and to direct our paths. Also, for other friends and family as well.

For the rest of this week...

Work, chores, church, etc. Not sure of anything else!

A picture I'd like to share...

This is "Jack Rabbit" with his mother. (He's the one that Alpaca Jack (Lil' Jack's son) had. We decided to call him Jack Rabbit because the first time we saw him we were driving down our grandparents driveway while he was lying in the pasture far off, and all we could see were his long ears! LOL!) Aren't they cute as babies?! :)

To find out more about participating in a Young Maiden's Daybook, click HERE.

Hatching Baby Guineas

Last Sunday we had some new guineas hatch! We hadn't hatched any since last summer, so we were excited to do it again. I've posted a few pictures so you can see!

This is the very first little guy!

And now he has a little brother, or sister! :)
Checking out the new addition!

And now there's five total!

And another one! :)

Aren't they just adorable?! We hatched them for our grandparents and they came and got them today. I miss them already! We just loved watching them break out of their eggs and holding them once they were all nice and fluffy! So anyway... I just thought I would share some of the pictures we took! God bless!