Q and A

Moriah at Uniquely Fashioned for His Glory

tagged me a few days ago with the five questions below. 

Thank you, Moriah! 

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1) Why did you start a blog, and how long have you been blogging?  I started blogging because I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to share my life and study of God's word, while being a witness to others for Christ!  I've been at it for a year and nine months now.

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2) Who is your favorite singer or song?  I think my answer to this question is probably different everytime!  I have soo many favorites... but this time I'm going to choose Rebecca St. James.  She was my absolute favorite artist for many years.  And I even got the chance to meet her at a Girls of Grace conference 5 years ago!

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*big cheesy grin*

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3) How many siblings do you have?  I have three sisters: 

Shelly (16), Eliza (13), and Samantha (11)

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4) What do you want to accomplish most in life?  That would be

the Lord's will. ☺

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5) How tall are you?. I am 5' 1.

Ironically, when I was born my parents were told I would be tall!

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Well, that's it!

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Thanks again for tagging me Moriah!  Now I'm just going to

pass this along to anyone that sees it and wants to give it a try. ;-)

Have a blessed evening, everybody!

Read All About It!

In this post you will find a conglomeration of random topics including:

• My feelings on the first of November.
• A hospital update.
• Mustard.
• Femininity.
• Laughter. 
• And Scripture.

...All rolled into one...

...tee hee!

#1

It's officially November.

Yay!

#2

Update on Dad.
When I talked to my mom this evening she said my dad was feeling pretty good, which is a praise!  He is scheduled to have his last plasma exchange on Thursday, so we're hoping he'll get to come home sometime this weekend. :)

Also, everything is finally approved for Dad to begin his MS treatments. Once he's out of the hospital he will be able to start monthly infusions for a drug called Tysabri. We're praying that it helps to relieve him of all his exacerbations, but most of all that the Lord be glorified through it!


#3
Did You Know?
Mustard works nicely as a quick pain reliever for most burns.

Emphasis on the word "most" in that last sentence.  In a bit more severe case (such as the one pictured below) I've learned it really is quite pointless. lol!
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(The above incident happened a few months ago. 

As I lifted a lid off a pan of boiling soup, the steam shot right out and burned my wrist!)

#4

Feelin' Feminine?

Eden is hosting this month's Feelin' Feminine Challenge, starting November 4th!



{Just click the button to find out more!}



I've loved getting to see past participant's outfits each day during the challenge, but I've never participated myself.  SoOo, I've decided I'm going to join in this Thursday!  Since I already wear skirts and dresses most of the time, this should be an easy challenge... But it will be a fun excuse to show a glimpse inside my wardrobe! ;-)

#5

Laughing Out Loud.

"Our mouths were filled with laughter..."  Psalm 126:2

Since Mom and Dad have been in the hospital, my sisters and I have slept in their bedroom together for the last few nights.  Well, before we went to sleep yesterday we all took turns praying, and then turned out the lights and lay down.  After a few minutes of complete darkness and silence... Shelly busted out laughing!  I looked over at her and said, "What are you laughing about?!"  She responded by mimicking a funny noise I had made earlier that day.  You see, Eliza and Samantha were watching a movie while Shelly and I tried to take a nap that afternoon.  As the two of us were lying in the bed, I had noticed something on my blanket that looked like a spider.  I sat up quickly and realized it was only some black string.  The room was completely quiet as I dropped back down on my pillow with an accidentally strange, high-pitched sigh of relief. 

Needless to say, that's what got her rolling with laughter at 10:00 last night.  And once she started laughing, I started laughing.  We ended up sharing the story with Eliza and Samantha.  Then all four of us were laughing and mimicking the same "funny noise" over and over. 

Okay, I guess you had to be there. ;-)

 
#6
Random Bible Verse to Close

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, LORD,
like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
Psalm 126


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Praise the Lord all the earth!
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What's in a Name? ;-)

For the purpose of remaining (somewhat) anonymous on my blog, I've always been careful to share little personal information about my family--including the real names of my three sisters.  In the past I've referred to each of them by number (Sis #1, Sis #2, Sis #3... you get the idea!)  Needless to say, I figured it was time I come up with something a little better than that.  So, while the new Blogger names I'm giving them are not their true identities, they will have to do. ;) 

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Introducing

Without further ado

Shelly

currently 16 years old

{previously known as Sister #1}

Eliza

currently 13 years old

{previously known as Sister #2}

&

Samantha

currently 11 years old

{previously known as Sister #3}

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Photo Credits

Yours truly - taken by Eliza

Shelly - taken by Mom

Eliza - taken by Yours Truly

Samantha - taken by Yours Truly

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There.

It's officially official. ;-)

Have a wonderful Friday, everyone!

♥

Happy Sweet Sixteen ~ to My Little Sis . . .

Happy 16th birthday,

Sister #1

Sixteen Wonderful Things About You:

#1 Your smile

#2 Your funny sense of humor :D

#3 Your thoughtfulness

#4 Your creativeness

#5 Your ability to take care of and play

with children and babies so well

#6 Your resourcefulness when it comes to

working outdoors-where I'm not so resourceful!

#7 Your Christlike spirit

#8 Your love for reading

#9 Your ability to accomplish whatever you

set your mind to do

#10 Your confidence

#11 Your baking... it's always yum-o!

#12 Your pretty blonde hair and blue eyes

#13 Your amazing talent to mow large areas of

grass in no time at all. ;D

#14 Your beautiful singing voice

#15 Your hugs

#16 And last but not least...

the fact that you are always there for me when I need you.

We are definitely total opposites, and I know we

don't always get along, but whenever it comes to

doing something important it's been a tremendous blessing

to have you right there with me.  There are so many examples I

can think of when you and I had to work together to take care

of something.  And--by God's grace--we've always been able to get it done.  We really have been through so much together, and it's at times like this when I realize just how thankful I am to have YOU as my sister.  You are so special to me.  Thanks for everything.  I hope you have a wonderful, blessed birthday!!!

I love you SO much!

Birthday Blessings . . .

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Today is Sister #2's thirteenth birthday! My goodness... I cannot believe how quickly the years have gone by. I remember the days of climbing trees, playing in the water hose, dressing up, "spying" on Dad while he would mow the lawn, taking trips to the park, jumping on the trampoline, doing flips all over the couch... along with all the other fun things we did when we were girls--as if it were only yesterday! Where has the time gone?

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I'm so thankful for all the memories we've made together,

and I'm even more thankful that you are my sister.

I love you very much, Sis! And I hope you have a

wonderful 13th birthday. You truly do deserve it. :)

"The blessing of the Lord be upon you."

.................. Psalm 129:8 .................

Some Fun with Family...

Hi everyone! I hope you all have been enjoying your week. I know I have. :)

Last Friday my mom's brother and some of his family came down to visit and we had a really great time while they were here! This morning we all got up bright and early (6:30am) and said our "good-byes" and "I-love-you's" and then watched as they drove away. :( It's always sad when it's time to say goodbye, but we were so glad that we got to visit with them! (The last time we saw them was in 2007.) The only regret, though, is that two of my cousins weren't able to be here this time because they are both working and one of them is a sophomore in college now... My, how time flies!

Anyway, I thought I might share a few pictures that I took while they were visiting... :)

Here's an interesting shot I got of my Mom while she

was preparing dinner for all the family last night. :)

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(I was really doing a test shot with my camera sitting on

its stand on the table, because we wanted to get a group picture

with everyone later on. It ended up turning out really great! ;)

Now here's Sis #1 and our cousin again.

(Yes... they're using a broken desk chair as their "table"! lol)

The three of us stayed up until about 2:00 each night

playing card games and watching movies. We had

a whole lot of fun together!

Here's my uncle fishing in our pond. :)



(Yes, they're playing ping-pong on our dining room table! :D)


And here they are jumping into our swimming pool
with Sisters #2 and #3...

Can you believe that they actually went swimming in April?!

The water was FREEZING cold and the pool wasn't as

clean as it should've been, but that sure didn't stop them!

They had a blast anyway. :)

(I love how the trees are all turning green again! It looks

so much nicer that way. :)

And here is Ty. :)

He was SO happy to have a boy that would play with

him while they were here. He just loves running around

outside and none of us will ever do it with him!

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Well... I hope you enjoyed the pictures! I wanted to give y'all a quick "sneak-peak" from our lovely week and weekend. :) We really did have a wonderful time with our family and I'm so glad they came. We have LOTS of fun memories of when all of us cousins were younger, and now that we're all getting older I'm cherishing the times we have together more and more. Hopefully it won't be too long before we see each other again, though! ;)

Have a blessed rest-of-the-week, everyone!

This is Sis #1 and our cousin playing "War"!

Snippets of Scripture from ~ Nehemiah 9

"Blessed be your glorious name,

and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you....

You are the LORD God,
who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham.... You saw the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt.... You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven.... But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey your commands.... But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them.


You gave your good Spirit to instruct them....
You gave them kingdoms and nations.... But they were disobedient and rebelled against you.... From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.... But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight.... And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.


Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God,
who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our priests and prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today."

- Last weekend my sisters and I stayed with my grandparents who happen to have some beautiful woods behind their house, which I recently found makes for beautiful scenery and a very happy "Taylor-with-her-new-camera"! ;) Sister #1 and I took a ton of awesome pictures together, but unfortunately I won't be sharing all of them right now. These are just a few vintage-looking ones I thought you might enjoy!

First picture: Me

Second picture: Sis #1

Third picture: Me

Fourth picture: Sis #1

Thanksgiving Pictures

Our family had a very nice Thanksgiving.

We first celebrated last Saturday (a week ago) with my Mom's side of the family. It was held at a community center nearby and there were around 50-60 people there--with tons of food and dessert! It was delicious! :)

Yes, this is me... and that's my Dad's arm in the background! lol

Swinging on the swing outside... it was a beautiful day!

Sister #2 sitting on the bench watching the kids play ball.

The bright blue sky!

We had a chance of rain, but thankfully we didn't get any!

The children playing "20 Questions" together. It was so cute!

My beautiful Mommy & Daddy :)

When we got home that evening, we enjoyed ourselves by sitting around the fireplace. It had gotten a little chilly outside!

Apparently, Ty was enjoying it, too! :)

(Sorry about the spots in the picture. The camera just does that sometimes.)

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~ Thanksgiving Day ~

We spent Thanksgiving Day with my Dad's side of the family. The gathering was held in a family's airplane hangar... how interesting! :)

It was actually quite neat. Behind all of the neighborhood houses there was a runway for the planes taking off and landing. We decided to take a few fun pictures...

This is Sister #1 jumping high in the air!

And here, Sisters #2 & #3.

I thought Sis #3 looked so cute here! lol

Now, I'm sure you're wondering if "big sis" gave it a try. Yes, I did in fact. But there is no way I'd ever let anyone set eyes on the picture! Let's just say I'm not quite as talented when it comes to jumping... I guess.

Another BRIGHT blue sky!

L to R:

Sis #2 - Me - Sis #3 - Sis #1

I hope you all had a very blessed Thanksgiving! I'd love to hear how you spent your day!

"PRAISE THE LORD. GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD; HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER." Psalm 106:1

Lord, I Believe.

Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

John 6:29-33

Psalm 106:12

Then they believed his promises and sang his praise.

Proverbs 14:15

A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.

Isaiah 43:10

"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me."


Isaiah 53:1
Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?



Matthew 21:22
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Mark 5:36
Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."


Mark 9:23
" 'If you can?' " said Jesus. 'Everything is possible for him who believes.' "

Luke 1:45

"Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

~ John 10:25 ~

Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me..."

DO YOU BELIEVE? :)

First two pictures: Sis #3

Second two pictures: Sis #2

Third two pictures: Sis #1

Fourth two pictures: Me

Last picture: (L to R) Me, Sis #1, Sis #2, & Sis #3 (in age order!) :)

As you can see, we had fun with our own little "photo shoot" this afternoon! Yes, we took mostly face pictures (close to 300 to be exact!) but we just had to get a few especially for the blog... I hope you enjoyed them! GOD BLESS!

Having Fun with Different Hair Curling Methods!

A couple of nights ago I had fun experimenting with the curling iron on my two youngest sisters! LOL! The pictures we took turned out pretty nicely so I wanted to share the results! :)

Sis #3

I decided to just stick with a few simple curls, instead of a whole head of curls like we usually end up doing!

Sis #2

I soon realized that was a pretty smart decision because they sure have quite a lot of long beautiful hair, and it would have taken much longer to curl all of it!

This is Sis #1

She had curled her hair herself using these things we have called "Twisters". We've enjoyed using those in the past too!

And this is me.

I actually didn't do anything to my hair that night. My curls just happened to look fairly decent on their own, instead of their typical (what I call) "poofy"! lol! But if you really want to know, I'll tell you exactly what I did. If I can recall correctly, I went swimming the evening before and afterward put my hair up into a (very messy) bun. Then I slept on it (which I usually don't do because the ponytail breaks my hair during the night). When I woke up I was lazy and decided to leave it alone for the day and when I got home from work that night I took it down and this is what I got! . . . I'll have to try that more often, lol! :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed seeing what we've been up to. Have a blessed weekend!

PRAISE THE LORD ALL THE EARTH!