One More... :)

I just wanted to thank Moriah for awarding me as well... I really appreciate it!

These are the rules for the tag:

1. Say thanks and link to the person who gave you the award.

2. Share ten "honest" things about yourself .

3. Award this to seven people who's blog design you like or who have encouraged you, and inform them of their win and of the rules of this award.

Because I've done this award before, I thought I would just give you the link to my answers from the previous one... that way I won't have to think of ten more new "honest things"! :) You can get to them by clicking HERE.

Now, I tag anyone who--honestly--has curly hair! ;) Let me know if you do this... I would love to see your answers. God bless!

A Few Blog Awards

This award came from Buttercup at Soaring on Wings Like Eagles. Thank you so much, Buttercup!! I'm supposed to award everyone this applies to, but since that's basically every blogger I know... I will award this to all of my followers who see it and want it. :)

----------------------------------------------

This award came from Chloe at Blooming in Christ. Chloe is a very sweet, Christian young lady and I have greatly enjoyed getting to read her blog posts! She has some very thoughtful and biblical things to write about and I always appreciate what she has to say. Thank you very much for the award, Chloe!

Since I have already done this tag before... if you'd like to read my answers to the tag portion of this award you can get to them by clicking HERE.

----------------------------------------------

Now, this award is from Taylor at My Little Home in the Ozarks. Taylor has a very nice blog where she posts about things going on throughout her daily life. We have quite a bit in common, actually... not to mention, our names! Thank you for awarding me, Taylor!

Also, if you would like to read my answers to the questions for this tag, click HERE.

-----------------------------------------------

This one came from Maggie at Behind the Teen Scene. Thank you very much, Maggie!

Here are the rules:

Give this award to 5 people who you think are doing a great job about telling others the message of Christ.

I award...

Lindsay at Content in Christ

Rebekah at Living in His Beauty

Mallory at Cradled in His Mercy

Kayleen at Only God

&

Kayla at The Lord is King of Kings

---------------------------------------------------

And lastly, I was given this award by Hannah at Hannah of Marilla Heights & Jennifer at Walking.

These are the rules:

• Thank the person who gave you the award


• Copy the award


• Post it on your blog


• Tell us 7 things your readers don't know


• Link 7 new bloggers as recipiants


• Notify the winners of their award with a comment on their blog


• Keep on sharing the light of Christ with others!

Thank you so much for thinking of me, Jenn & Hannah!

Here are my seven things... this is going to be really hard!

1. I'm following a 365-day Bible reading plan.


2. My favorite way to sing is a capella with a lot of other people.


3. I work Mon-Thurs each week, babysitting.


4. My two littlest sisters' 6-year adoption anniversary was yesterday, November 22--National Adoption Day!!


5. I have dark brown eyes.


6. I'm only 5'1" tall.


7. I wear size 7 in shoes.


8. I have my drivers permit.


9. I love reading true missionary stories.


10. I am the chief of sinners saved by grace, and I greatly look forward to the day when I will meet my Savior face to face. Until then... I continue to offer my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God! Praise the Lord all the earth!!
    

Now I will award:

Abigail at A Light to Follow

Allison at Strength and Dignity Are Her Clothing

Zara at Christian Maidens Throughout the World

Haley at Haley's Happenings

Moriah at Momo and Me

Tessa at Chase Your Dreams

&

Joelle at She is Unworthy

Thank you for the awards, everyone! I hope you all have had a very blessed Monday!

Darcy: Our Newest Addition

We recently got a new calf, and she is such a cute little cow! One of the reasons we thought it would be a good idea to get her was so that Molly wouldn't be alone once Hamburger is gone. (It should still be a few months, though!) Also, once she becomes old enough we plan on breeding her to sell her calves.

Front to Back: Molly, Darcy & Hamburger

(The cows in the background belong to our neighbor.)

~ DARCY ~

(The easiest way to tell the difference between her and Molly is that she has a yellow tag in her ear and Molly does not.)

Protective Molly!

Darcy walking along the back fence.

Darcy and Hamburger... so sweet!!

And, Ty -- the jealous, onlooking "pup"! :)

I hope you all are having a very blessed week... enjoy your Friday!!

"Then God said, 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind'; and it was so."

Genesis 1:24

The Blessings of Work

Each year our church has a Christmas program on the life of Christ as an outreach to the community. It is a wonderful ministry and we are always extremely blessed to be a part of it. This year we're having to do things a little bit differently since we don't have quite as many people signed up. The previous years we've done a sort of "drama" with narration, songs, and even a few speaking parts. This year, however, we will be doing more of a walk-through with Scripture signs set up next to each scene and our pastor will be guiding each group through with a bit of preaching, as well! ;) Therefore, we're having to do quite a bit of work getting things prepared for the program! ...December is fast-approaching! (And I really cannot believe it!)

My sister has taken a few pictures from the different work days we've had. I thought I might share a few...

Here I am doing some touch-ups on the signs we used for last year's drama. Obviously, the dates will need to be redone!

This used to be a zebra, actually, but we needed to repaint it to use for a donkey. There are two of them. No one knew how to paint the faces on, and they were all afraid to mess it up! One lady volunteered to do it but by the time she was finished with the first one she was hoping someone else would do the second. I finally volunteered, although, I am definitely no artist!

So I got to painting!

Now he is finished!

(Keep in mind, they will only be seen from a distance, lol!)

Here, the men are putting the brick on the tomb. (The tomb from last year wasn't made with stone and was, unfortunately, torn up by the weather.)

Mortar mix. :)

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17 :)

It is a wonderful thing to be working for the Lord! We are his servants, the sheep of his pasture, and the work that we do is done for his glory. It is his Gospel story and the saving power of Jesus Christ that we want to share with others--starting at the manger, then going to the cross! Our goal is to glorify the Lord in all of our work. We do it as unto him!

"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands." Psalm 90:17

PRAISE THE LORD ALL THE EARTH!

Hope Not Forgotten

This morning we had a wonderful church service. The message was about Jesus Christ, our one and only hope. Unfortunately, there are so many people in this world feeling completely hopeless for a number of reasons. One of our jobs, as Christians, is to share the hope of Jesus Christ with others!

I know that none of us want to get our hopes raised only to have them dashed to pieces. An example of this can be found in 2 Kings 4:28 which says, "Did I ask you for a son, my lord?" she said. "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes?'" The story goes on and the woman's son is raised to life again... but my point is that none of us want to be let down. We all want someting to believe in. Sometimes people are afraid to give themselves completely over to a belief, because of the fear that it might not be the truth--that it might not work out.

Praise the Lord that we have hope in a God that will not fail us, in a God that is the one and only Truth and Way! In a world full of hopelessness and failure we are to turn to God and trust Him. He is our only hope! We shouldn't forget that we have a reason for living and that God has a purpose for our lives here on earth.

As a Christian, I can say with full confidence that I know where my hope lies. My life and my trust are in a God that is unfathomable, the Creator and sustainer of the entire universe! My hope is in the blood of Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrificial Lamb of God! My hope lies in the promises given by God in His holy word! My hope is in Christ, and Christ alone!

A hope not forgotten. :)

"Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?

Can reeds thrive without water?

While still growing and uncut,

they wither more quickly than grass.

Such is the destiny of all who forget God;

so perishes the hope of the godless."

Job 8:11-14

He Has Made Everything Beautiful...

I got the chance to take some pictures of the roses on our rose bushes last night. They just look so bright and beautiful... I had to share them!

"He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Ecclesiastes 3:11

My 100th Post: My First Ever Giveaway!

I'm so excited... My 100th post is finally here! In celebration I thought it would be a lot of fun to host my very first giveaway! Now, I know I don't have the greatest amount of followers and readers but I thought this would still be a fun way to celebrate. :) So here are the items I will be giving away:

~ Prize Number One ~

This is a beautiful, 14" x 16" pillow that my sister made especially for this giveaway. Thank you so much, Sis!

Isn't it just gorgeous?!

Here is a close-up of the three different fabrics.

~ Prize Number Two ~

A set of three different cards made by me! :)

Here is the first.

A look inside...

This is the second card.

Another peek inside...

And here is the third one.

And, of course, a look at the inside.

~ Prize Number Three ~

A cute button journal!

With some pretty ribbon on the side to tie it closed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now here's how this giveaway will work:

I will be giving away each of the three prizes to a different winner.

• By leaving me a comment on this post... your name will automatically be entered one time for each of the three prizes.


• By putting the special button I've created for this giveaway on your sidebar (linking back to this page) OR (for those without a blog) by sharing with me your favorite thing about my blog... your name will be entered a second time for the prize of your choice. Just leave me a separate comment telling me you've done so and for which prize number you'd like to have your second entry.


• By posting about this giveaway on your blog (feel free to use the button I created) OR (for those without a blog) by sharing your favorite Bible verse or quote with me... your name will be entered a third time for the prize of your choice. Be sure to let me know you've done so and for which prize number you'd like to have your third entry.

ANYONE can enter, but I will not be shipping outside of the U.S.

The drawing will be held on Monday, November 30th. Happy entering!!

May the Lord bless you and keep you!

~ Taylor

An Award and a New Blog Background

My friend Lindsay awarded/tagged me! :)

These are the rules for this tag:

• Do a post about the person who awarded you, and their blog.


• Give the award to 5 of your favorite blogs, give a reason, and leave a comment telling them they have been awarded.


• Answer the 10 random questions


• Have fun!
  

First of all, if I could award this one to Lindsay I would! ;) Her blog is such a wonderful place to find encouragement! It's always exciting for me when she posts something new because I know it will be something delightful and God-glorifying! She is my penpal, and a very special friend! Thanks, Lindsay!

Now I will award:

• Elizabeth J. @ Footprints in the Sand -- She always has something biblical and thoughtful to post about... and I love waiting to see what she is going to write next!


• Emily Anne @ The White Way of Delight -- A sweet Christian girl, her blog is full of exciting posts and pictures!


• Rachel & Jessica @ Young Homemakers -- I just recently found their blog and have really enjoyed reading their posts... their dedication to being young, Christian homemakers is encouraging!


• Joelle @ The Fingerprints of God -- She posts some nice and thoughtful things on her blog that are a joy to read!


• Alexandra @ Firmly Fixed on the Father -- Another delightful blog... one of my favorite things about it is getting to read her "A Young Maiden's Daybook" posts each Monday!
  

Now for the 10 random questions:

1. Have you ever ridden an elephant? Nope.
   
2. Have you ever eaten squid? Nope.
   
3. What is something crazy you have done with your best friend? The craziest thing I can think of at the moment would be when I was 12 and playing around with two of my friends. While one of them lay in the floor, me and the other one piled tons of blankets and pillows and stuffed animals on top of her. Then we would fall from the couches onto the stuff piled on her and scream like silly girls... (Trust me, there were LOTS of pillows and blankets.) lol
   
4. Have you ever held an alligator? Nope. But I have pet a baby one.
   
5. Have you ever let a snake slither through your fingers? Yes, they were grass snakes that my sisters and I would find in our old backyard. Also, I let a lady place this HUGE (and I mean HUGE) snake around my shoulders at some pet show thing before. I was 12 and I don't know what I was thinking. I would probably pass out if I did that now!
   
6. What is your first and foremost dream in life? To get married and have children (only Lord willing! :) and to live a God-glorifying life of complete faith in Him! Also, for my Dad to be healed COMPLETELY by God's mighty hand.
   
7. What is your dream vacation? Now that's a really tough one! I don't think I can pick anything in particular. I love historical sites and I enjoy spending time with my family... I'm easy to please!
   
8. What is the funniest movie you have ever seen? I don't know... maybe "Walking Across Egypt".
   
9. What is your favorite song? Oh my, that's even harder to answer! I have so many. I think I'll just have to list more than one! 1)The hymn "How Great Thou Art" 2)Healer & Joyfully by Kari Jobe 3)You Are Everything & Motions by Matthew West 4)City on our Knees by Toby Mac... and lots of others!
   
10. If you could change the world in one way, what would you do? There are lots of things that could be done, but one of the biggest would definitely be to bring everyone to Christ and have people caring more about one another than themselves.
    

Now that that's finished....

What do you think about my new blog background? It's definitely a big change from the last one!

Well, I can't believe it but this is my 99th post... which means my 100th one is coming up next! Be ready because I've got something exciting planned!

Until then... May the Lord bless you and keep you!