A Graceful Maiden's Memoir

The End

2006-08-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, the time has come to bring A Graceful Maiden's Memoir to an end. I haven't even had this blog a full year, yet this is the last post, bring this to an end. I have really enjoyed the time I've spent doing this blog... all the people I've met, and things I've been able to write.

However, I'm not disappearing from the blogosphere completely. Indeed, A Graceful Maiden's Memoir will be ended, but Miriam Hart and I are starting a double blog, entitled Maidens of Worth. I have enjoyed having my own blog, but I'm now really looking forward to doing a new blog together with my dear friend. It will be quite similar to A Graceful Maiden's Memoir, it'll just be both of us contributing. I hope you enjoy it!

So, from now on the place to find my writings will be http://maidensofworth.blogspot.com . If you have linked to A Graceful Maiden's Memoir, I would appreciate it if you'd remove the link. I won't delete this blog, you can still come back and read whatever, but nothing new will be appearing here either.

I hope you enjoy Maidens of Worth. I am looking forward to sharing a blog with my soul mate, Miriam Rebekah Hart. Please check it out!

Sewing Spree

2006-08-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

I've been on a sewing spree! The last 5 days I've been sewing in most of my spare time, and have finished 3 dresses! Enjoy the pictures.

I have made quite a few dresses for myself, so I made Jubilee some. I started this dress a few weeks before July, but had to stop as things got busy, and then I left for camp. We finally got what was needed to complete it, and I finished it last Saturday. It's the same as my red rose dress, just made with blue rose material.

For an upcoming wedding, with hopefully some old English type dancing afterwards, I made Jubilee a Colonial type dress, like the ones Miriam and I made. Miriam helped make her sister Esther a dress of the same type in purple, so I made Jubilee's in green. It's really pretty with her red hair and green eyes! I cut it out on Saturday afternoon, and completed it on Tuesday morning.

And yes, another for myself! It's the same style as my dark purple-sashed one, only with a light purple ruffle and sash, and pink rosed material. I have had the material ever since I was 13, but never made it into a dress. So, I decided to get it done. I cut it out a few weeks ago, but didn't start sewing until today. I sewed quite a bit, and just finished it after 4 hours of sewing! This is the third time I've used this particular pattern, so it went pretty fast.

And now... for a fall/winter wardrobe... stay tuned! =)

Nothing Like a Baby

2006-08-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the wonderful privilege of holding sweet baby Joel for over 2 hours while he slept a lot and was awake a little, and he was just so cute! My arms ached some when I finally had to give him back to his mother, but I was filled with joy at the great opportunity to hold a delightful little baby, and rejoice in such a beautiful little blessing from God.

What is it about a baby that makes them so cute - no matter what they're doing? I guess it's as my mom says, "There's just nothing like a baby." Their perfect little fingers and toes, their big eyes and cute little nose, their soft skin and chubby cheeks all show God's special handiwork.

Now, I know that babies aren't always pleasant. I've been around quite a few screaming babies that I couldn't quiet. I've walked the floor with them, trying to get them to sleep, even in the middle of the night a few times. I've changed many an unpleasant diaper. I've had them make messes on me. But, I still love them, and cherish every opportunity I get to hold them.

And, babies do grow up. 3 of "my babies" are now toddlers... but they're still so sweet! I babysat a family of 5 children last night, and baby of the family is already almost 2 years old! I've babysat him since was only a little more than a month old, and now he's running around with the rest of his siblings, scarcely still. He still loves to be held and cuddled however, and I kept scooping him into my arms and giving him kisses, for I just couldn't resist! =)

One day, I hope to marry, and have babies of my own, ones that I won't have to give back eventually to their mothers. I know that it won't be easy, and I know that it will be tiring, but I'm still looking forward to it. But for now, I'll just have to be content with my nieces and nephews. In fact, Maria's expecting her third child in November, and it's probably a girl! I'll also take every opportunity that comes my way to cuddle a little baby, if only for a moment. For there IS nothing like a baby.

Back on Schedule

2006-08-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

These days since I've come back from camp have been nice. I've mainly relaxed, slept in late, and read a lot. While it has been refreshing, I feel the urge to get back on schedule.

It's been nice to just do mostly what I want throughout the day. I've still cleaned and cooked, yet not as much as would be good, and mostly only whenever I've felt like it. And while sleeping in later has felt wonderful, it also seems to make me more tired and irritable. I've also had a harder time going to bed at night, before it's really late.

So, I'm going to try to establish a routine again. A certain time to sleep and a time to rise, and once again try to stick with it. I'm also going to try to plan out my days, with certain things to accomplish, and a rough draft of what times to do things. It will be a bit more relaxed schedule, sing it is summer for a little while longer, but it shall hopefully help me stay more focused. I have found that lack of something planned often ends up with my getting on the computer and wiling time away surfing the net. Doing that doesn't get much done!

I know that my schedule won't always work, although I'd like it to! I have a hard time when my plans don't work out, but I need to remember what Proverbs 16:9 says: "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." I need to be interruptible in my plans sometimes, for God might have something better that He's planned for me to do.

So, in the days ahead I hopefully shall spend more time doing worthwhile things, and trying to follow the old adage, "Early to be, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." =)

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." - Proverbs 16:3

Dressing With Decency

2006-08-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my family and I went to Whitewater water park in Atlanta Georgia. While the rides were a lot of fun, the way most of the girls were dressed was so sad. The style these days seems to "bare it all" and that's just what most women are doing. Wearing swimsuits consisting mostly of thin straps, the women leave almost nothing covered. What was especially sad was the number of young girls, who, following the example of their mothers and older sisters, begin dressing quite provocatively, even at their young age.

Proverbs 11:22 says, "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful women who shows no discretion." Most of these women were very beautiful, yet because of the way they flaunt themselves, their beauty is wasted, just like a gold ring would be wasted on a pig.

What has happened to the mystery that used to be inspired through modesty? Why don't women want to save themselves for only one man to see? If they covered themselves, they would still be beautiful, and believe it or not, men do respect you more when you don't flaunt yourself! Yes, the girls dressed in the fashion of "show so much skin" do get a lot of attention, but by what kind of guy?

Now, not all of the girls were dressed in such a way, although a majority were. My sisters and I were among those covered. I presented quite a different style, with my high-necked, high-backed swimsuit, with its skirt flowing to my knees. I was very comfortable and enjoyed the prettiness of a modest, feminine bathing suit that didn't compromise my standards. Hopefully, I was a good example to others around, that you can swim modestly! If any of you sew, I would suggest that you get the pattern (now available in girl's sizes as well) Biblical Womanhood offers. It's quite simple, once you get a little practice sewing with lycra.

So, will you join me in presenting to the world a different way of dressing? Will you dress in a way that glorifies God, or glorifies your body?

I have found that when you dress with modesty, decency, and propriety (1 Timothy 2:9-10), you are usually more respected. Dress in such a way that brings the attention off of yourself, and shows people the light of Christ shining through you. You may get a few weird looks, but most of those you come in contact with will be refreshed to see a young lady, dressed with decency.

Now, this of course doesn't mean that you should dress in shapeless burlap sacks covering neck to ankle! Although hard to find, there are occasional pretty and modest clothes in the store. Also, you could take up sewing, as I've done, and sew some of your own clothes. Sewing not only is fun to do, it produces something that can be enjoyed for years to come! Whatever you do, strive to take the effort to dress with taste and decency.

Yet, you shouldn't just focus on your outward appearance. "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. - 1 Samuel 16:7. Even if you wear modest clothes, if you have a heart full of immodest thoughts and behaviors, that is what is going to shine through for others to see. Cultivate a heart of purity, gentleness, love for others, and modest behavior, and show others Christ in you. It will only add to the loveliness of your dress and manner. How can we do this? By working on our relationship with God, and asking Him to help us. "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God" - 2 Corinthians 3:5. Only through God can we do anything worthwhile. And don't despair for, "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." - Philippians 1:6

The Simple Joys of Home

2006-07-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

Being away so long this July has helped me apprectiate more the simple joys of home.

Working with dough, and the smell of homemade bread baking in the oven...

Enjoying homemade cookies full of yummy spices...

Making meals that are SO much better than cafeteria food...

The joy of a clean-swept kitchen floor...

The accomplishment of washing a mound of dishes...

Spending hours playing games with my family...

Even having my little sister bounce into my room and onto my bed...

Never take such things for granted. I guess absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder! =)

A Licensed Driver

2006-07-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

I just passed another milestone in this life of mine... I got my driver's license! It was a long afternoon, as the office we were at clearly needed more help for the amount of people present, but 4 hours later, I had my license! I didn't do everything perfectly in the road test sadly, but I passed, so I guess that's the important part. I know what I did wrong, and I think it will be easily corrected. The hardest thing for me was just understanding what the lady wanted me to do!

I'm still kinda scared at the thought of driving alone... but I suppose that's natural. I know I'll eventually get used to it, just as I got used to driving in the first place. Praise God that I passed! =)

Heroes of Today 2006

2006-07-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Two days after arriving home from Ballet Magnifcat!, I embarked on a very different adventure. On Monday, July 17th, Lydia and I left the house at 5:30 a.m. and drove to the Turners house where we picked up Rebekah and Elizabeth Turner, and Rebekah Olm. We then continued on our way to our destination: The Inn of the Last Resort, a ministry of Christian Training Centers International, located in Franklin, North Carolina.

After driving around 6 hours, we finally made it to the Inn around 2 p.m. It was wonderful to see old friends from last year (all of us except Lizbeth had attended Heroes last year, and Lydia had been an intern there), and breathe in the beauty of the mountains. We found our rooms and unpacked, and before long the week's activities began.

We started by playing a few games to help learn everyone's names. Then we headed upstairs for a quick talk given by Susan Pons about manners. I'd heard most of it before, but it was fun to hear again the proper way to eat, serve food, introduce people and so on. The young men were also given instructions in the proper way to seat a lady. Yes, chivalry is alive and well at the Inn, and it's wonderful! Each mealtime, the young men would pull out our chairs, and serve us our drinks. Throughout the week they'd also open doors for us and help us carry heavy things, and so on. It was nice to be treated like a true lady! It makes one feel so special.

One thing that I must make clear about Heroes of Today is that it is NOT a camp, as Larry Pons always says. It is a training center, training young men and women to follow God and be heroes of our day whenever the chance arises. While at Heroes, we are challenged physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

After supper, Derek Selby gave us a talk about a lot of ordinary people in the Bible who were following God, and who probably had no idea that God was going to use them like he did. We learned about Daniel, Samuel, Joseph, Gideon, Joseph – the wife of Mary, Mary the mother of Jesus, and more. We were challenged to totally surrender to God, and be willing to follow God's totally unpredictable plans for us. Then, we were told to change into something that could get wet, and meet in the pavilion for further instruction. It was already past 9 p.m., so what on earth could we be doing? Well, we were soon to find out.

Arriving in the pavilion we were blindfolded, and, holding hands with our roommates and led by our counselor, we were brought through the woods into a clearing. That first night we truly had to learn to trust our roommates and counselor, to get through the woods safely. We were allowed to remove our blindfolds for a few minutes, as we were divided into 5 different teams of 7 or 8 people each. My team was: Daniel K, Eric, Nathan B, Sean, Savannah, Katie, and I. Once in our group, we were shown a log, some rope, and a small saw, then blindfolded, and told to make a cross. With an intern to guide us and make sure we didn't cut ourselves, we began sawing the log into two pieces. Our log was so thick though, that after a long time of not getting through, a few of us were allowed to remove our blindfolds and finish making the cross.

Once the cross was completed, we were told to shoulder our cross and once again go through the woods, arriving at a very fast-flowing creek. We then had to carry our cross up the river, against the current, symbolizing going against the tide of our culture today. It was really hard to make it up the creek, for we had to go through this almost small waterfall type place. It required the whole team to stick together, holding on to the cross, and pushing together to make it up. Now remember, it was around 10:30 p.m. at night, and the only light we had was that of a few flashlights. I pushed with those carrying the cross, but as they pulled the cross through and up the river, I lost my footing on a very slippery rock, went underwater, and began being swept downstream. Thankfully, Daniel had lodged against a rock and was able to catch my hand, prevent me from going all the way downstream, and someone from behind was able to push while he pulled, and I was able to finally get through the rapid and stand up. It was really hard, and I swallowed creek water, which didn't feel very good, but I was grateful for my teammates' help. The water was pretty cool, so I was shivering by the time we were finally able to get out and trek back to the field, carry our cross, of course! We were given towels to attempt to dry off a little, and got to admire God's beautiful creation, seeing the amazing stars He made.

We finally got to go to our rooms, take a quick shower (we had 6 girls to one shower!), and crawl into our nice warm bed. It was after midnight by the time the lights went off, and the week had already began with a dramatic start.

The theme of the week, we soon learned, was "Take up your Cross". We literally carried out the verse, "take up your cross daily and follow Him", as we had to bring our cross everywhere with us - to our table at mealtimes, to our room at night, and with us on our challenges. We also had to be careful not to leave our cross unattended. If we did, it somehow always disappeared... and we'd have to find it.

Tuesday we arose at 6 a.m., had our individual quite time, and exercised as a group. Thankfully, the girls had the option of either power walking or running, and after running on Tuesday, I power walked the rest of the week! Developing shin splints on Wednesday didn't help any, that's for sure.

Tuesday morning, Susan Pons and Sally talked to us about life. They talked about the horrendous assault on it in our culture today, what with abortion and the start of euthanasia, and how we need to take a stand against it. Will then talked to us about being a counter-culture, going against what the world says. We did things at Heroes, that really went along with the Rebelution's slogan, “Do Hard Things”.

Tuesday afternoon began the challenges we had to accomplish with our team during the week. Our first challenge was to make a silent drama to a song, which we did for the group that evening. For our next challenge we did the “sleds”. We had to walk up the extremely long driveway, with our team of 7 on two long wooden planks, held by ropes. It's hard to explain, but it was pretty hard, and almost everyone had blisters on their hands after doing it.

Tuesday night began group discussions, where we discussed things to do with media/technology, and one's identity, and what we should be doing as teens in today's world. I think we actually got to bed on time that night – 11 p.m. was the official light's out, but it didn't always happen!

Wednesday morning was what was called Labors of Love. After breakfast, everyone was assigned different jobs to do to help the Inn, everything from helping in the kitchen to working on the prayer trail that was being built. I worked in the garden, where I learned a lot about weeds.=) It was tiring work, since the garden was in the sun the whole time, but it was kinda fun working with the soil, and as I said, pulling a lot of weeds out the corn and green beans patches.

Wednesday afternoon held more challenges, with our team doing the marble roll up steep Pons Hill, and then doing the low ropes course. It was all fun, but challenging, obviously!

Wednesday evening was one of my favorites. We did what was called “Prayers and Squares”. After supper we divided up into three groups to pray for Israel, our government leaders, and our culture. Then, it was time for square and line dancing! For those of you who've never done it, square dancing is tons of fun! I've only done it twice, this year and last year, but I've thoroughly enjoyed myself both times. I guess I pretty much just like any kind of dancing though... ;-)

Thursday we skipped exercise (yes!), and left for white water rafting right after breakfast. There were two groups, the girls and the guys. It was a lot of fun... scary at times, but fun! We went on class 4 and 5 rapids – the highest there are. The lack of rain had affected the water level of the Chatooga River, however, so we kept getting stuck on rocks! It was still exciting though, and I accomplished the goal I had. I didn't fall out on any of the rapids, which I praise God for! =) I just couldn't imagine falling out and getting swept along the river with all those rocks, like some did. Aside from various bumps and bruises that we all got, no one ,thankfully, got seriously hurt.

The girls got back from rafting before the guys, so we listened to a talk given by Susan Pons, which turned out to be one of my favorite. She talked about manners, modesty, mystery, and marriage. It was really encouraging to be challenged to be true ladies in the way we act and the way we dress, having true modesty. She talked about the mystery we as women have, and how we should keep it that way, kept only for our husbands. She talked about how the women's movement destroyed the shielding and covering of us women, but how we should still be covered. It was really wonderful to hear Susan address all of it, in her genteel way.

Thursday evening we again had more group discussions, this time about how we deal with swearing from friends, and also different aspects of boy/girl relationships. It was really good to be able to discuss these things with our peers, and also to hear the guidance from the staff present. The training center is a wonderful and special place, where they always point you to the source – God's word – and challenge you to stand for Christ, even if you're standing alone.

Friday morning we hiked up a mountain – still carrying our crosses – and worshiped as we saw God's wonderful handiwork displayed. We then did what is called Sitting at the Feet of Jesus. Everyone got quiet and talked and listened to God, away from all distractions, just spending time with Him. We then had a sharing time about what people had heard, worshiped some more, then went back down the mountain where we had a picnic. On the way back to the Inn, we got to stop by a waterfall, which was really pretty! North Carolina was just gorgeous, with all the green foliage, hazy mountains, and beautiful water!

Arriving back at the Inn we finished up the challenges, our last one being Frisbee Golf. At supper the team placements were announced. We got last, but that was okay. We had fun!

Friday evening Larry Pons talked about the depth of the human heart, and how no one but God can truly know it. We then went on a last walk with our cross as a team through a pathway lighted by candles, and listened to different interns read verses we had studied during devotions. Arriving at a place shaped like a cross, we were allowed to lay our cross down for the last time, and spend some time talking and praying as a team. We then proceeded to the amphitheater, where we they “passed the torch” onto us, and challenged us to go back home standing firm for Christ. We stayed late, worshiping and praying, with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Saturday, sadly, was the day to go home. It was raining, so we didn't have exercise, yet Ben Barnette still tried to break the record for running Pons Hill, which he missed by only sixteenths of a second! We took a group picture, ate our last meal together, and everyone cleaned and packed up. We had fun signing each other's shirts, then all too soon it was time to say goodbye. It was hard to leave everyone, because you get so close at the Inn, bonding happens really quickly. I've made friends there that I know will last.

We left around 11 a.m., and had an interesting ride home, having to turn around because of something forgotten, then being caught in heavy rain and missing our turn, but we eventually got home, finally around 8 p.m.! I was really tired, since we got an average of maybe 6 ½ hours of sleep each night, and it's taken a while to recover! I'm really glad I went however, and I learned so much.

Thank you so much, mom and dad, for sending me!

The whole group - almost 40 participants in all

Dance Camp Pictures

2006-07-25T19:01:00.000-07:00

The Beautifully decorated door done by Betsy on my birthday. I had quite a surprise when I opened my door that morning!

I just kept finding more... and more.. and more signs on my birthday!

Getting ready to enjoy the cupcakes, and feeling like a princess!

With my sweet counselor, Betsy Green

My roommate, Sophia and I. She had such lovely, dark hair!

My small group.
Left to right, back: Beth, Kelsy, Hannah, Ashley, Sophia
Front: Katie, Amy, Betsy, Megan, Jenna, and I

The beautiful sight that assailed me each time I walked out of my hall and down the stairs to more classes!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Ballet Magnficat! Summer Dance Intensive 2006

2006-07-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

Mom and I traveled to Jackson, Mississippi on July 3rd to attend Ballet Magnificat's summer dance intensive. It had been my dream to attend one of these intensives ever since I was little, so it was a bit unreal to actually be at THE Belhaven College, and realize that I would be staying there for almost two weeks. We arrived on campus around noon, and after checking in and eating lunch I had a few hours to unpack and rest before orientation. About an hour after we had arrived, I got to meet my roommate! It was a real blessing to find out that her name was Sophia Heinkle, she home schooled, had 10 siblings, and actually lived in Alabama, a few hours away from us. What's more, we figured out that we had both gone to the same Ballet Magnficat! performances in Birmingham on numerous occasions! It's amazing how God orchestrates things! =)

Orientation was at 4:30 p.m., in which the Ballet Magnificat! staff laid down the rules and expectations they had for us while at the workshop. The rules weren't very hard for me... No cell phones except during special times (I didn't have a cell phone anyways!), no running or screaming in halls, lights out at 10 p.m., being punctual to classes and chapel, and no pairing off with guys, which I didn't want to do anyway! The hardest one for me to follow was to not walk alone. I usually managed to find someone going where I needed to go though, and Sophia and I walked together whenever possible. Mom left after orientation, as I prepared for the placement class to begin at 6:30 p.m.

The placement class was taught by Mrs. Sol, the primary ballet mistress at Ballet Magnficat! It was pretty hard for me, as everything was very quickly shown and spoken in French, but I followed along as best as I could. I quickly realized that I had a lot to learn while at the workshop, since there were many things I'd never really done before.

The next morning, July 4th, we learned the levels we had been placed in. On a level of 4 to 10, 10 being the highest, I placed at level 5 and Sophie at level 6. It was a bit disheartening to go from being in the highest classes at home, and being one of the best dancers, to being in one of the lowest levels, and being one of the worst dancers in the class! I resolved however, to do the best I could where I was placed, and learn as much as I could for God's glory.

That Tuesday, everything started in full swing. A typical day was: wake up around 6:15 a.m., Breakfast at 7 a.m., chapel at 8:30 a.m., ballet technique at 10-11:45 a.m., lunch at noon, two afternoon classes, supper around 5 p.m., then evening activities until lights out at 10 p.m. Yes, the days were very full, yet fun!

Ballet Technique proved to be one of the most enjoyable, yet one of the most challenging classes for me. Each class was taught by a different member of the Ballet Magnficat! staff or company. I had a lot of trouble, especially in the first classes catching on to the way things were taught. In my classes at home, we would do some barre work, a little across the floor, then work on our dance. Here, things were way more advanced! We had barre work for almost an hour each day. The combinations that they gave us were tricky for me, especially at first. I had never really had moves or exercises combined like they were there, and there were a few things I'd never even heard of! I must admit, that I often would watch the person in front of me, to figure out what we were supposed to be doing, for my brain just would not seem to pick things up very quickly! By the second week, however, I began to get more into the swing of the things, and pick things up faster. I no longer had to watch other people as much, and could concentrate more on doing the exercise well, rather than just trying to do the exercise! I've figured out that I have much to work on in the areas of turnout, flexibility, strength, ballet vocabulary, and catching on to combinations, and I learned a lot in each of these areas while there.

As I said, the afternoon classes were varied, having 2 different types of classes each day. Some I really enjoyed, others were, well, interesting, but I of course learned a lot!

Variation was one of my favorite classes. In it we learned a dance, which was most like what I was used to at home! The first week we had 3 variation classes, and we learned a dance entitled Freedom, that Ballet Magnficat! had at one time performed in one of their tours. It was a lot of fun, and really neat to be learning a dance that Ballet Magnificat! did! In the second week's 3 variation classes, level 5 learned a lyrical dance to Jeremy Camp's song Nothing Else I Need, or something like that. It was taught by my sweet counselor, Betsy (more on her later!) and was really enjoyable!

Jazz was one of the hardest classes for me. We had 3 classes of it, which were quite interesting! I'd never taken any jazz before, so catching on to the moves when almost everyone else knew what they were doing was really hard. I learned a lot in the area of jazz, but I know that ballet will always be what I want to do mostly. I have a hard time being jerky and “jazzy”. However, I was really glad that I was being taught jazz at a Christian dance place, so that there were none of the provocative moves so prevalent in jazz today. All the moves were clean, just foreign to me! Kathy Thibodeaux's daughter Tara taught the class, and she was amazing!

Another hard class was Conditioning. In it we did all the various muscle and flexibility building exercises. Each class I thought I was about to die, and didn't think I'd possibly be able to get through all of the strenuous stuff, but God pulled me through each time. It really teaches you to pray and rely on Him for strength! =) Thankfully, we only had 3 Conditioning classes, and they really did help build my muscles and flexibility. We had two classes with Kristin Hill, and one with more Pilates, taught by Katie Garwood.

Another... interesting... class was Modern. It wasn't too bad, I'd just never taken any modern, save one weird class at home, so most things were quite weird and hard to get used to. The two classes I did have were enjoyable, however, and I learned a lot from the teacher, Hannah Beaver.

There were two Improvision classes, one taught by John Vandervelde, and another by Erin Beaver. They focused mostly on bringing out one's God given creativity, and ways to use it in dance. Some of it was a bit awkward, such as dancing out the alphabet, but it was fun! =)

Finally, we had 4 Pointe classes, 2 taught by Mrs. Tracy, and 2 by Mrs. Sol. I had a lot of trouble with blisters and aching feet, since my pointe shoes were new and hadn't been broken in, and since I hadn't danced regularly on pointe for more than a month. I of course, learned a lot however, even through the pain. During the last class on Thursday, July 13th my ankle began hurting whenever I rolled up on pointe, so I took the class in flat shoe, and a girl in my class lent me her ankle brace. Praise God though, for my ankle didn't give me any more trouble after that!

I really enjoyed the teachers at Ballet Magnificat! It was really inspiring to be taught by members of the company, even one class by Kathy Thibodeaux! At times it seemed unreal... I was really in a class taught by someone from Ballet Magnficat! However, they were like any other person. They didn't put on any airs because they were so good or anything. They cared about us, and tried to help us as best as they could. It was wonderful to be able to learn from such Godly dancers, who served God with their talents.

While at the workshop, I learned about far more than just ballet, however. Each morning, and many evenings we were taught from God's word. At each morning chapel, different Ballet Magnificat! staff gave their testimonies, and it was encouraging to hear how God had worked in each of their lives. The theme for this years intensive was “Redemption”. I learned a lot from all of the things brought to light through God's word, about our need for a Saviour and how Jesus' blood washed us clean. I have been a Christian ever since I was small, yet Jesus' gift became more precious to me as I realized the depth of my own sin, and the depth of His sacrifice. He truly did redeem even me from a life of hopelessness and sin, into a life of joy in His presence. At first I had known that I needed a Redeemer, and had accepted His redemption, yet while there God showed me that even though I hadn't done all the “bad stuff” that so many had (thanks to growing up in a Christian home), I still sinned against Him in areas of pride, judmentalism, and cowardism, just to name a few. He helped me renounce them, and press deeper into my relationship with Him. There's still a lot to work on, but He is faithful.

I also learned a lot about worship. I became more free to worship Him even with others around, though at times it's still frightening. It was really encouraging how everyone at Ballet Magnficat! really tried to teach us to worship and not perform, as so many dancers do. They even had 3 nights which they called Creative Worship, where they played different songs and had the floor open for people to dance and worship God however He led them. During the second creative worship, God really moved, and 20 or more people were saved, and one girl even got delivered from anorexia! God is so awesome!

The first Thursday we were there, they also had us listen to a teaching on purity called “Beyond Virginity to Purity”. I was pleasantly surprised that Ballet Magnficat! addressed such a touchy issue. It was a really good teaching, and was encouraging to hear about how to not only stay pure, but to also keep your mind pure. It was really nice to have the people at Ballet Magnificat! address such a thing, and we even had a discussion in our small group after the teaching, which was wonderful!

My counselor at Ballet Magnificat! was the best! Her name is Betsy Green, and she's a company member with Ballet Magnficat! She was actually home schooled her whole life and has 8 siblings! She isn't yet married, and is waiting on God for His choice for her life. She was so sweet and kind to us, always doing little things to make everything special. Each day she'd have a prettily decorated schedule posted on the wall, and also made posters with Bible verses on them. It was really fun to hear her in our small group times as she would enthusiastically bring to light a lot of hidden “jewels” as she called them, in God's word. She was on fire for God and zealous about spreading His word, and was still a delightful lady, with a sweet disposition and amazing character. I hope to keep in touch with her and learn still more from her.

My small group was a lot of fun as well! There were 10 of us staying in the dorms, and 1 girl that was off-campus, but sometimes joined in with us. We had fun times getting to know each other, and just doing crazy girl things. =) I was blessed to be a part of such a group. We even had a secret sister while there. I had Kelsy, and it was fun leaving notes and things outside of her door. Ashley had me as her secret sister, and she left such fun notes, and even some pop rocks for me to enjoy!

My birthday was the 3rd day of camp, July 5th, and it turned out to be a really special day! Sweet Betsy made it really special. When I woke up, I opened my door to find it decorated with balloons and verses, and a kind note and some candy, including a chocolate rose outside of my door! Betsy also gave me a birthday ribbon that I had to wear part of the day, announcing that it was my birthday. She didn't stop there however. I went on to find 3 other signs scattered throughout the dorm announcing that it was my birthday! Needless to say, it was a very memorable day. That night, after small group time, Betsy even had a party for me in her room! I had a tiara and clip-on earrings to wear as the birthday princess, and the others had party hats. She even had Little Debbi cupcakes, complete with candles for me to blow out! We then had fun and played Killer Uno, which is a fun version of an otherwise pretty relaxed game! I was so blessed to have a birthday that I'll never forget.

On Friday, July 14th we had the student concert. There were around 25 different numbers, with a lot of dancing, but some music, singing, and acting. I danced to Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns. We had to audition our piece the first Sunday we were there. At the audition I was really nervous and shaky, and had a hard time getting everything done. However, at the student concert God gave me peace, and despite at first not having the music play and having to go out-of-order, God helped me dance full-out for His glory, without much fear at all!

Mom and Lydia came Friday night, and it was nice to see them after being gone for so long. We left to drive home early Saturday morning, and while I was sad to leave everyone, especially Betsy, it was nice to be going home, to more rest! We danced for 4 ¼ hours every day except Sunday, so I was glad to be going home to get rested up a little. I got used to dancing that much, and it wasn't TOO tiring, yet it's nice to have a break. I'm looking forward to the fall however, and am excited to see what opportunities will open up for me to learn more and teach others to praise God with the dance! (Psalm 149:3, and 150:4)

Home Sweet Home!

2006-07-23T16:20:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I got back from Heroes yesterday evening, worn out! =) I'm back home for a while now, so posting should pick up. I learned so much at both camps, and will, I'm sure, be telling y'all all about it in the days ahead. So, stay tuned!

A big thank you to Miriam for the posting she did while I was gone. She did a great job, and hope you all enjoyed it!

Now, for some more rest...

What's Been Happening.

2006-07-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a week, but nothing has come across
my mind to post. Today we have have piano lessons, and I'm
going to work at the library again.
The last weekend in July, our family is going to a Film Festival
in Georgia, and I'm really looking forward to that. To read about
it: www.GeorgiaChristianFilms.com. We went last year with
Anna's family, but I don't think they're coming this time.
The family that is hosting the Festival are really nice. They have
three of the sweetest daughters, and three sons. The oldest daughter,
Kressant, keeps a blog, http://www.smithfamilia.blogspot.com/,
which I enjoy reading a lot. I need to go get ready for lessons.
Miriam Rebekah

How Anna's Doing.

2006-07-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't written for a few days, but I haven't had anything to write about except everyday normality, and let me assure you, it's not that interesting. Yesterday I worked at our
local library, which I enjoy very much, and today we (as in five of us Harts) have piano lessons, other than that..... I'd love to put pictures of my whole family on here, but I don't have that many at the moment. I'll try to get some in the upcoming week.

I've gotten a couple of letters from Anna, and she says she's doing well, and enjoying it.
The teachers are very helpful, and it's a lot of hard work. She said that she's learning a lot.
On her birthday, her counselor put some balloons and verses outside her dorm room. Throughout the dorm there was three different signs saying that it was Anna's birthday!
That night their group had a party for her, and she said it was lots of fun!
Today is the dance recital, and I'm sure she'll do well. She actually had to audition (I think)
to see if she could make it in the recital, and she did. Go Anna!
Well, I have to go and practice.
God Bless,
Miriam Rebekah

Ah...Home Again.

2006-07-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm back home. Our trip was very fun and the longest time away from home that I can personally remember. Thursday morning we left, and when we got to Birmingham we went to the McWane Center, which is a really cool place! The next two days we were at the CHEF convention, and Sunday we hung around the hotel until about 2 o'clock, then we went back to the McWane Center and watched a movie in the IMAX dome theater. And today we came back home. There's probably a lot more I could write to make that a lot more interesting, but Anna does that better than I do. Well, I'm going to go read my book. I love reading, and it's a great way to just cool it. :)

Miriam Rebekah

Leaving...

2006-07-06T03:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm leaving too. But I'll be back Monday. The CHEF (Christian Home Educators Fellowship) convention is Friday and Saturday, and my parents wanted to make a vacation of
the weekend. So we are going up to Birmingham this morning, and coming Monday sometime.
I'll be back!
Miriam Rebekah

Happy Birthday!

2006-07-05T06:12:00.000-07:00

Happy 16th Birthday, Anna!

I hope you are enjoying yourself, and having a good birthday.
I personally know that you will be a very 'sweet' sixteen!
Love,
Miriam Rebekah

We do grow up....

2006-07-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Anna and me as we grew up together.

Anna with her baby doll that never left her side,
and myself sitting on the edge of the bench.

Anna and I hugging at our first campout many, many years ago.

This is Elijah, my brother Joel, Anna, and myself
at our first campout about a year after we met.

Spending the day at Anna's house pretty much
meant you were going to play dress-up. :)

Anna and I at our first spring band concert about 3 years ago.

And yes, I was very short.

Wearing the dresses Anna made!

Becoming Friends

2006-07-04T06:38:00.000-07:00

Let's see, Anna and I met each other when we were five years old (and I have no recollection of that meeting). Our families saw each other about twice a year after that. I was always happy to see Anna, because I really didn't have a close friend in my early years.

When I was 11 years old, the opportunity to play in a homeschool band came! I had always dreamed of playing the flute, and was finally able to. The band director had a band in Montgomery and in Prattville. Well, I went to the one in Montgomery and Anna went to the other one. The two bands were always put together for the concert, so we got to see one another at the rehearsal and concert night. The first concert night, my brother (who also played in the band) and I were invited to spend the night at the Lofgrens, and allowed to go. It was the first time I had ever spent the night over at a friend's house, and I was so excited!
After a year of band, the director left for Florida, and we got a new director. The band practices were only in Prattville now, so I got to see Anna every Thursday. Our families also met for Sunday fellowship, so Anna and I became what you would call, inseparable. :)

Anna and I share a wonderful friendship that I pray will never end. God brought other friends into our lives, and I thank Him for all the friends He has given me. Well, I'm going to end my first post on Anna's blog. I think she'll have a hard time believing I wrote so much, but I did!
Oh, and as soon as I get them, I'm going to put on some pictures of our very young years. ;)

Happy Independence Day!

Goodbye... but don't leave!

2006-07-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

I leave quite early on Monday morning, so I think this is a proper time to bid you all farewell. I will be at Ballet Magnificat's Summer Intensive for 12 days. I'll come back home on a Saturday and only have a day to unpack and pack again for Heroes of Today, leaving for it on Sunday. I will miss writing this blog, but look forward to a change of routine, and dancing of course!

I'll be dancing more than I ever have before, 4-5 hours a day. I'd appreaciate if you all will keep me in your prayers, that I'll have strength, and will learn all I can.

However, don't stop visiting my blog while I'm away! I'll have a very special guest blogger keeping my blog from being dormant while I'm gone. My dear, bosum friend Miriam Rebekah Hart will be blogging here while I'm away. She's always wanted a blog, so I thought I'd give her a taste of it while I'm not able to blog. I hope you have a fun time reading what she has to say!

So, stay tune for Anna's true self to be revealed, all her secrets to be exposed and... Just kidding! I don't know what Miriam has planned, but I'm so glad that I have her for a friend! I can trust this blog to her while I'm gone, with no qualms!

Have fun - and be nice to Miriam! :-)

Bosom Friends

2006-07-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

Miriam is my dear bosom friend. We are quite alike, yet very different. I am more Anne in looks, she more Diana, but we are often a mixture of the personalities. She is more bold and daring, I, more expressive and romantic. Every girl should have a friend like her!

Miriam is very musical. She's taken piano for many years, and is quite accomplished at it! She also plays the flute, as I do, and we started 4 years ago, working our way up to Advanced band after 2 years. We are so alike, and such friends, we even take double flute lessons from our band director during the summers. Just like my dream is to teach ballet, hers is to teach piano, and I know she will do very well!

We both aren't huge talkers. I probably talk a little more, but there are often simply peaceful times of silence while we enjoy each other's company. There's always a lot of smiles between us, often bursts of laughter as we do silly little things. We have quite times as well, serious discussions about different things, and wistful thinkings. We get along wonderfully however, in the 4 years we've been really close friends, we have yet to get into a big fight.

She's not as much of a writer as I am. When we email, I often write lengthy epistles, to get short replies, but I still love hearing from her! We enjoy the new Gmail talk, always enjoying whenever we happen to get on at the same time. We both aren't big phone conversationalist, but we say a LOT while chatting! =)

Her family and mine are opposites. While there are 5 girls and 2 boys in my family, hers has 5 boys and 2 girls! So, all the boys shaped her growing up into more of a strong girl, while I am more of a girly-girl. We're rubbing off on each other however! =) We are both mostly middle child personalities, but she has more oldest in her, being the first girl in her family. She's the second mama in her household!

We are very unlike in looks... I have big eyes, while hers are a little smaller. I'm more pale as she is prettily rosy. She used to be a lot shorter than I, but started growing later, and is now nearly my height. She may surpass me yet! Her hair is so long, gorgeous, and dark brown, while mine is light-brownish red, and has never reached my waist, as hers has on many occasions. However unlike as our physical characteristics are, we are quite often asked if we're sisters, as we love dressing alike, and are very close. What can you say when we have 3 different identical outfits? She is very like another sister to me, and in many ways fits right in with our family, my older sisters treating her like another younger sister.

Miriam and I are both big readers. We both have huge bookshelves, and often borrow books from each other. We are also deep thinkers, and tend to keep our thoughts more to ourselves. Having a delightful, talkative friend, Bekah T, has opened us up a lot however! We are still learning to share more and more what we are thinking, and that has only helped us grow closer.

I'm sure I've left out a ton, but Miriam will be able to share a lot more of herself quite soon I'm sure...

I'm going to miss her so much while I'm gone!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cake and Pasties Recipes

2006-06-30T16:52:00.001-07:00

By request of Jessica, here are the recipes for Chocolate Oatmeal Cake, and Pasties. Enjoy!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cake is pretty much the favorite in our household! Almost everyone asks for it for their birthday! =)

Chocolate Oatmeal Cake
3 3/8 cups hot water
2 1/4 cups oatmeal
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
3 jumbo eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/8 tsp. salt
9 Tbsp. cocoa

Pour hot water over the oatmeal and let stand. Cream the sugar and butter. Beat the eggs into creamed mixture. Sift flour, soda, cinnamon and salt. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, then stir in the oats; beat well. Turn into a greased and floured 9x13x2" cake pan. Bake at 350* for 35 minutes.

Pasties are also a family tradition! They are my favorite food, and many of my family's as well. They're a Finnish recipe, and we got them from my dad's side of the family. They're really good! We usually make one pasty per person, which is half of a pie. Not everyone always eats that much, but leftovers are good! We usually get a lot of helpers when making them as well, to do all the chopping. I've included the recipe we use for pie crust as well.

Pasties
Inside per pasty:
1/4 lb ground beef
1/2 cup diced carrots (quite small)
3/4 cup cubed potatoes (larger)
1/4 cup diced onions (optional)
salt and pepper

Put in half of the potatoes, salt, half of carrots, salt, half of meat, salt, pepper, then repeat. Finally sprinkle on onions. Close crust (1/2 of pie). Crimp. Bake at 350* for 1 hour. Serve with ketchup.

Never Fail Pie Crust

3 cup white flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. ice water
1 beaten egg
1 Tbsp. vinegar

Place flour and salt in mixer bowl. Cut shortening into flour until mixture is the size of peas. Remove 1 cup of mixture, and place in medium size bowl. Add water, egg, and vinegar. Stir with a fork. Add to the mixture in mixer bowl, and mix just until dough stickers together.Divide dough into four equal portions. Place one portion in the center of a 12x15 inch piece of waxed paper. Place another piece of waxed paper on top. Roll with rolling pin to 1/4 inch thick. Remove top sheet from dough. Crimp edges of crust.
*For an unfilled pie shell, prick dough with a fork every 1/4 inch. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
**Freeze unused portions of dough either in balls or rolled out and placed on cardboard to keep flat.

Hope you enjoy!

16th Birthday Celebration

2006-06-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

Since I'll be gone for my birthday on July 5th, we celebrated a week early. Miriam Hart got to come, which was a lot of fun! Lydia made my favorite food, pasties, and my favorite cake, chocolate oatmeal. Yum! I'm so blessed!

Enjoying the food. Pasties is a family favorite!

Singing Happy Birthday

Showing off Lydia's handiwork. She worked really hard on the cake!

Sharing the gummy worms from Lydia. I got lots of nice gifts from my family, I'm so blessed!

Picture of Ashely

2006-06-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Ashley, a fellow dancer for the Lord. She wanted me to post this picture of her so that you all could see what she looked like. So, here it is!

Bread Tip

2006-06-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

To all you bread bakers out there, I've found something wonderful! A bread recipe I had used some called for "wheat gluten", yet, until today, I'd never used it. Wheat gluten is wonderful! It made my bread rise higher, and seems to have improved the texture, making it softer. Plus, it's supposed to improve the freshness, we'll see how that works. But I'd highly recommend baking with wheat gluten!

A Posture of Excellence

2006-06-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

Last summer I went to the Heroes of Today Challenge Week at Christian Training Center International. I learned a lot of things that week, among them, the importance of good posture. At CTCI, they taught us how to stand and sit like a lady, and we had to practice by walking around with books on our heads! It was a bit hard, but it was so fun to walk straight and tall, like a true lady!

Since coming home, I have tried to practice having good posture. I don't always have good posture, especially when tired or sick, but I have learned that practicing an excellent posture is good for a variety of reasons.

First, maintaining a good posture gives one a measure of confidence. Before Heroes, I would often walk around with my arms crossed, shoulders slumped, and eyes on the ground. I wasn't very confident for a variety of reasons, and my posture showed it. Now, when I walk I try to do so with my back straight, arms gracefully at my sides, chin up, eyes alert, and a smile on my face. Before I wanted to sink into oblivion, whereas now I want to be an example of a young lady following after God. And one's attitude is there for all to see, on display through one's posture.

Which bring me to another matter, the crossing of one's arms. I used to do it all the time, and still find myself doing it occasionally, because to me, it is quite comfortable. However, did you know that crossed arms are a sign of anger or disinterest? When you sit or stand with your arms crossed, you are telling everyone that you aren't interested in what they have to say, and would prefer to be left alone. Something to think about, is it not?

Now, back to posture. Good posture is also good for you! When one sits or stands up straight, one is more alert. In fact, sitting up straight will actually improve your attention, and allow you to learn more while in class. Are you having trouble doing schoolwork? Whey I find myself sleepily solving math problems or answering history questions, I often find that I am sluggish and sleepy because I am slumped over my desk. I straighten up, and I begin to wake up, resulting in my finishing my schoolwork faster. It's a good incentive, but often hard to implement.

Good posture can also prevent back trouble. One of the ladies who was teaching us girls could speak from experience. She had slouched so much s a teen, that her back had grown crooked. She had to wear a horrid, uncomfortable brace to straighten it out. This is yet another good reason to straighten up!

So, our parents are right. When they tell us to "stand up straight!" it is for our own good. I used to resent them telling me this, but have since learned better.

"Well then, what is the correct posture?" you may be asking. The proper way to stand, I was told, is to have shoulders and hips squared, back straight, chin up, and one foot placed in front of the other slightly. Basically, fourth position for the ballerinas out there! =) The proper, ladylike way to sit is to sit erect, not leaning back in your chair, but to sit with the legs either crossed, knees together and legs slightly slanted, or, my favorite, ankles crossed and legs slightly slanted. The proper way to walk is erect, chin up, and arms gracefully hanging at your sides. The best way to practice this is, indeed, to walk around with a book on your head. In fact, the ladies that taught us, said that their mother used to make them walk around with a book on their head for 30 minutes a day! I admit, I haven't done book practice very much, but it must have worked! These ladies had a most exquisite posture!

You may be think that having such a posture would mean never relaxing! One does need times to rest. I admit, I don't always stand or sit that well, and often catch myself slumping and slouching, often while at the computer. It will take some discipline, but will you ladies join me in truly developing a posture of excellence? I'm sure you'll be glad if you do!

And, to give you something to look forward to, good posture makes you feel, and often times look like a queen! We are princesses, daughters of The True King, so why not look and stand like one?

Green "Springy" dress

2006-06-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've sewn another dress! For this one I used the same pattern as the purple ruffle one, except didn't make a ruffle, and made back ties instead of a sash. I like the simplicity of it!

Categorization

2006-06-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I've just categorized all my post, and the categories are in the sidebar. Click on any category to view the links of the posts in those categories. I've always enjoyed blogs that have categories, but Blogger unfortunately doesn't have that built in, so I manually categorized the posts using my website. Thankfully it didn't take too long! I have an upset stomach (comes from babysitting a little boy who got sick while I was there), so I thought it'd be a good use of my time when I don't feel like doing much. Hope you enjoy checking out the categories!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2006-06-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Grandma!
I hope that on this day
You'll have fun and will enjoy
The things we've planned for your stay.

Enjoy the yummy food that's made
In honor of you.
Enjoy the presents that we gave
And all the things we'll do.

Eight-two years, what an age!
Yet you're still spry and going strong.
It's been a joy to have you here,
And I'm glad your visit's long.

Thank you for all the things you've done
For us down through the years.
The hugs, the smiles, the gifts you've given,
The laughter and the tears.

Thank you for the legacy you are
Giving us as we are growing.
Thank you for raising Daddy in God's way,
So that he's showing

Us the the way to go, down the
Straight and narrow way.
Thank you for the prayers you've prayed
For us so many days.

I hope that this next year ahead
Will be the best one ever!
Thank you for being such a good Grandma!
I love you, and will, forever!

Your granddaughter, Anna Naomi Lofgren

Purity of Mind

2006-06-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

Every girl wants to be loved. From the time we are little, we dream about our wedding, and the day when our own Prince Charming will ride up and sweep us away.

As the ten years approach, we begin to realize that the longing to be loved by a man increases. Pretty soon, you start hearing from your acquaintances about "who likes who" and their secret crush. You look about you and sometimes, it begins to seem as though you're the only one without "someone special."

Hopefully, as in my case, you find close friends who share your values and morals, but al around you, you still see couples your age, pairing up. Even some of the people you thought shared your convictions begin to stray, until they too have "someone."

Why can't you too have the special closeness with a young man? Well, God commands us not to. Three different times in the Song of Songs, we are told to "not arouse or awaken love until is so desires." (Song of Songs 2:7, 3:5, and 8:4) So, what does that mean? One aspect of it is that we're not to spend hours daydreaming about the most desirable young man at that time, when you are not ready to marry, and God has not told you that His timing is perfect. Even if you never even have a boyfriend, it is still all to easy to dream about "what ifs." I know, for I've done it.

Matthew 5:8 says "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." If we give a little piece of our heart away to every passing fancy, what will we be left with to give our husband one day? Wouldn't you rather have a heart intact, to offer him is spotless purity?

"Well, how can I help it?" you may ask, "My thoughts just naturally start thinking about him!" If I find my thoughts thinking about things contrary to what I know I should be thinking, I find that it's best to turn my eyes and thoughts to Jesus. I give Him the situation, and ask Him to help me keep my thoughts pure. I try to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Finding a close group of girls, if possible, that share your convictions and can help keep you accountable is also extremely helpful. It helps a lot sometimes to share with them how you are feeling and your thoughts, and ask them to pray for you. Just getting things out in the open often helps a lot!

So what should we think about? Paul answers that in Philippians 4:8 - "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Quite a high standard, no? But it is what God commands.

So the next time your imagination begins to wander, take your thoughts captive. Began to think about God's lovely creation, His true Word, other's admirable attributes, or God's noble character. "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." - Colossians 3:2

God will help us. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul tells us: "No temptation has seized you, except what is common to man. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

Saturday, June 17th

2006-06-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Here's pictures from Elijah's graduation and Lydia's return home celebration. It was a lot of fun, especially since Luke's, Maria's, and the Granparents were there, and I got to see friends I hadn't seen in a long time!

Sara, James, Zach, Alex, Nate, and Danielle wore the matching clothes I'd made them

The whole group. Mr. James, Mr. Jimmy, and daddy played guitar, Miriam Hart and I played flute, and Lydia played violin.

Elijah recited Romans 8

Mom and dad gave him his high school diploma, from Jesus is Supreme Family Institute.

I danced...

to Held.

Lydia spoke about her time in West Africa and showed pictures, all in her authentic garb.

Jubilee sang Psalm 34

Miriam Hart and I did a Mary and Martha double monologue. Here we're looking "We're almost on!" to each other.

Miriam was Mary, and beautiful one at that!

I was Martha, very practical and hardworking

Another cute nephew, sweet Nathaniel Mark

Miriam Lofgren and sweetie Zachariah John, her little buddy

Well, everyone except the Grandparents left after lunch today. It's sad to see them go, we had a lot of fun! We did usual Lofgren things, playing a LOT of games! :-) I also cooked huge meals... it's amazing how much 19 people eat! I look forward to getting a bit more rest, having 18 people staying in one house gets one tired. But I'm so glad they could come!!

Family visits

2006-06-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

My cute nephew James, again! They love getting pictures taken

Jonathan and Ben traveled all the way from Minnesota to Arkansas to bring Grandpa and Grandma down to Alabama. They only got to stay 2 days, but it was fun, and we played a lot of games!

Somebody was tired...

Sweet Sara, she's very photorific!

My Dear Daddy

2006-06-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

My dear daddy is
A very special man.
He's loving and kind,
And do many things he can!

He grew up in Africa,
An authentic M.K.
He got older and went back,
For 2 years to stay.

He went to college in America,
Met mom, and got married.
He became a doctor at Harvard,
So he could help those in need.

Luke was born in Boston,
Maria in Georgia,
Miriam came along in Missouri,
And in Belgium, there was Lydia!

Elijah was born in Arkansas,
Then at home, along came Anna.
Jubilee a was the very last,
Born at home in Alabama!

My daddy is a fix-it man,
And keeps things in good condition.
"Why bring it in when I can fix it?"
Is the motto of this mission.

Many projects he has done,
A guest house is the latest.
It's not done yet, for he's built
It all to make it the very best.

My daddy's not afraid to
Do bold and daring things.
He's danced with me twice,
And can harmonize and sing!

He's taken our family on many trips,
To make many memories.
"Many things you may forget,
But travel is memorable," says he.

He's a wonderful father,
And leads our family well.
He makes sure we have family time,
And of God he 'oft does tell.

He's done many more things,
Far too many for me to say,
But I wanted to honor him,
And say, "Happy Father's Day!"

I wrote this for daddy for father's day. I know it's a bit silly, but I only had an hour this morning to do it while there wasn't many people around, and it was quiet!

Thoughts on Sweet Sixteen

2006-06-14T07:16:00.000-07:00

In less than a month, I will be sixteen. Sweet sixteen, as it is called. My birthday is July 5th, and I'll be dancing away at dance camp when it comes. (By the way, my newly-found "twin" Jennifer will also be 16 on July 5th!)

It's amazing to me that I am already almost there. For years 16 has been the "oh wow!" age when I would be mostly grown. Now, I am almost there! I'll get to drive, and with that will have more freedom to go places, which will be fun... and at times scary!

It doesn't feel the way I thought it would feel to almost reach this milestone. In fact, sometimes I still feel like a little girl. But other times I feel I could easily be older than 16! Yes, feelings are weird things! :-) I know that many of you, who are a lot older than I must be suppressing a smile, but to me 16 is quite "so grown up!" :-)

As I contemplate Sweet Sixteen, I don' get images of being grown up and free to do whatever I feel like. It might be nice, but I, in this year ahead, want to be truly sweet. I want to be a true young lady of sweet disposition and gentle character. I want to be sweet and loving to all I come across, and not be aloof and withdrawn. I want to be sweet and loving to my family serving them with my time, instead of trying to get them to accommodate my wants and needs. I want to be sweet and loving to my friends, "spurring them on to love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24) instead of gossiping or using them for my selfish gain. I want to present to the world a sweet young lady following hard after God, instead of being like the stereotypical 16 year old girl of today, concerned with only shopping, boyfriends, and having a good time. "For charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." (Proverbs 31:30)

I know that it won't be easy, but "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)

I'll also finally look my age! :-) Us Lofgren girls seem to look to everyone else as 16 years old, from the time we're 12 to the time we're 24, so for a year people might actually be able to tell how old I am, but then I'll start looking younger...

So it is my prayer that in this next year of getting a little older, I shall get even sweeter and truly live out the verses of Proverbs 31:10-31, so that one day I shall have noble character and be worth far more than rubies. (Proverbs 31:10)

"Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." - 2 Timothy 2:22

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity." - 1 Timothy 4:12

This is only the beginning...

2006-06-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a friend of Mom, Dad, and Lydia's flew in from California, and is leaving this afternoon. But this is only the beginning of the weeks visitors!

Tonight Maria, James, and Sara come to stay a week with us! Tomorrow Grandpa, Grandma, and cousins Jonathan and Ben come. On Wednesday Jonathan and Ben leave, but the grandparents don't leave until June 30th. On Thursday Luke, Michele, Danielle, Alex, Zach, and Nate come until Sunday! And all these people are staying at our house! Yes, we'll have a very full house, but it'll be tons of fun to have all my siblings around, as well as my grandparents! Saturday is the celebration for Elijah's graduation and Lydia's return home, and we'll have a lot of friends coming for that.

So, don't expect to hear much from me this next week, though I may get a few pictures to post! Have a good week all of you!

My Dancing Story

2006-06-08T08:14:00.001-07:00

Recently I got an email from a fellow dancer, Ashley, who came across my blog. In it she asked, “Why do you want to dance? ... I'd love to hear your story!” It suddenly struck me that I had never written down my dancing story in its entirety. So here it is. Enjoy!

I've been dancing all my life, even before I was born. You see, while I was in my mother's womb, she danced at church. So, in a way, I danced as she danced, even before I came into this world!

Maybe my mother knew that I would grow up to dance, for when I was born, she named me Anna, meaning one of grace, or graceful one. God in His greatness even gave me a name befitting a dancer, and I have tried to ever be His graceful one.

As a little girl, it was natural for me to dance, and I was always dancing! I would dance around the house, and my mom would get me to run errands for her by saying things like, “Here, go dance this to the kitchen!” Cheerfully, I would do as bid, and go happily dancing on my way.

When I was around 5 or 6, I, along with my older sister Lydia, became a part of a worship dance group in Montgomery. Along with a bunch of other girls, we learned simple movements and sign language to Christian music. We got to wear full, twirly, white dresses, and I had a wonderful time praising God with dance! My heart's desire was to do ballet, but Mom wisely wanted to wait a find a good Christian teacher to take from. It wasn't classical ballet, but I think the worship dance group helped prepare me somewhat for the beginnings of ballet.

When I was about 8, mom, along with a friend, started the Lion and Lamb Worship Company in Prattville. Lydia, Elijah, and I were all a part of it. We mostly signed, but the girls did a few simple dance moves, still in our white, twirly dresses. As I got older I longed more and more for ballet lessons, but for the time, they weren't to be. I lapped up all the information I could get about ballet however! Our family had a Ballet Magnificat! video which Jubilee and I watched over and over. We would often dance around our living room while watching, trying to do exactly what the dancers on the video did! Mom says that it was one of the only videos she allowed us to watch, so is it any wonder that I turned out the way I did? :-) We sure did wear out the Ballet Magnificat! Symphony of Movement tape!

Whenever someone would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up, my answer would be the same. “I want to major in ballet at Belhaven College and then dance with Ballet Magnificat!” I would declare. Lofty goals indeed, but in order to do so, I would need ballet lessons...

The summer I turned 11, we finally found a Christian praise dance teacher. I began to take lessons from Danette Ellis. Jubilee took as well, but after a few years decided that ballet just wasn't her thing! In dance class, we still did a lot of signing, but we also got to do quite a few “real” ballet moves, and it was so fun! I still take from Mrs. Danette to this day. I have learned a lot from her, and she has instilled in me ever more a love of praising God with dance.

The fall after I turned 13, I started pointe. To go to a Ballet Magnficat! Summer Intensive, one needed “at least a year of pointe.” To go to a Ballet Magnificat! camp had been my goal ever since I started dance lessons, and I wanted to make sure that I reached it! The studio in which Mrs. Danette taught, Tonya Speed's Dance Connection, was able to arrange pointe lessons from a ballet major at Huntington College. A friend from praise dance and I took the classes with some other students at Tonya's, but we had a really hard time. We were taking classes with other girls who had been on pointe before, and who had more extensive ballet training. The teacher was also very fast at showing the different combinations, and it was hard to keep up. I stuck with it however, although at times it was tear-jerking.

After Christmas holidays of the same year, I began pointe classes at Lisa's Dance Dimensions. It was a little easier to keep up in class, and I learned a whole lot. I've gone on to take 2 more years of pointe classes from them, and have learned a lot more of the technicalities of classical ballet.

I now take ballet classes twice a week, one praise dance and the other pointe. Oftentimes I have wanted to take more classes, but have not wanted to take from places where I would have to wear revealing costumes. I've thought that I would enjoy daily classes, yet would miss all the time I have to pursue other things and serve my family. So for now, I have stuck with twice-a-week classes, and have tried to work some on my own, using the Ballet Magnificat! Conditioning and Ballet Class DVDs.

This summer one of my dreams will come true. I will be able to attend the Ballet Magnficat! Summer Intensive this July. I have fulfilled the requirements, having 5 instead of 4 minimum years of ballet, and 3 instead of 1 minimum years of pointe. I will be required to dance 4-5 hours day, which I'm sure ill be quite challenging! Yet I look forward to seeing if I am able to keep up, and hope to learn a bunch of ballet!

I'm no longer so definitely sure about majoring in ballet. I don't think that I'd be able to dance professionally with Ballet Magnificat!, and I'm not so sure that I'd want to. Touring may be fun, but more that that I would love to be able to teach other girls ho to praise God with dance. I want to be able to provide Classical ballet lessons with God-honoring music, moves, and costumes. I want to be able to instill in other girls the love of worshiping God with the beautiful art of ballet.

Next year I hope to be able to do just that. Lord willing, I will teach The King's Praise Ballet to girls around here. And most of all, I hope and pray that I will will be a good teacher, honoring God in all I do, and leading other girls to gracefully glorify God, using dance.

Praise God!

2006-06-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

The Alabama primary was yesterday. Sadly, Judge Roy Moore lost the race for Republican govenor candidate, Justice Tom Parker lost the race for chief justice, and the three other judges running with him also lost. It's quite disheartening that the Godly men we so prayed to be elected lost, but God has a plan in everything. Even though it seems bad, it's important to praise God anyway.

The big praise is that my sister Lydia got back from West Africa late last night! She had been in a very hot part of West Africa on an internship for 5 months, and is glad to be home! Mom and I drove to pick her up at the Atlanta airport at 10:30 p.m. our time, and then we still had 3 1/2 hours to drive home! I drove the last leg of the journey, and we didn't arrive until around 2 a.m. Praise God that I didn't fall alseep! I was getting pretty tired...

Anyways, it's wonderful to have Lydia back again!

Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together. - Psalm 34:3

Dresses Completed!!

2006-06-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

We completed the dresses this afternoon around 3:30 p.m. I was amazed at how quickly we got them done, especially since we didn't even have Friday evening to work on them, as Miriam was accompaning Ben Simon in a recital. But we did, and they're lovely, if I do say so myself! I just had to post a lot of pictures!

The full skirt is so pretty and fun! I also really like the fabric we got, little flowers with white and whatever other color we chose.

Miriam in her lovely dress. I made chokers from the leftover ribbon, so that we truely looked colonial. Plus, it really finished the look of the dress!

Wonderfully sewn dress of blue, her favorite color!

My dress, in my favorite color, light pink!

Admiring each others dresses :-)

Feeling quite elegant, and wishing we could go to a ball!

A view of the back. We used the leftover lace to have hairbows!

Friday afternoon and Saturday morning progress

2006-06-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Friday Afternoon

I completed the bodice and sleeves, minus ribbon (mom hadn't yet gotten it) and the zipper, which is put on after the skirt

Miriam got her bodice done, and sewed most of the sleeves!

I messed around with my yet unattatched skirt... Look! I have a train!

Saturday Morning

Miriam got the bodice done

I got the skirt attatched, and then zippered!

Then Miriam attatched her skirt!

Morning Sewing!

2006-06-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here's some pictures from this morning's sewing:

Pausing to smile

Miriam busy at work! She's doing really well, especially since this is her first ever dress to make!

The morning's progress, most of the bodice intact, minus the sleeves and some lace, and oh, then there's the zipper...

We're having tons of fun!

Stitching and Snipping

2006-06-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

Farewell for the weekend! Miriam Hart is coming over tonight and will stay for the weekend to sew! I'll be showing her how to use the machine, and helping her understand patterns, and hopefully we'll have two new dresses by the time we're done! We're making an old-English type looking dress, with 3/4 length sleeves with lace, a long flowy skirt, and a square necked bodice with lace. We had to get the Simplicity costume pattern, since like Elijah said, "You're so old-fashioned, you have to sew your dresses from costume patterns!" :-)

I can't wait to sew with Miriam for a few days! Hope you all have a blessed weekend! I know mine will be fun, as I stich seams and snip threads...

Praise Dance Pictures

2006-05-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

Here's the pictures of the praise dance recital y'all have been asking for! :-) I asked "Miriam" (thinking Miriam Hart) if she had pictures, and Miriam Lofgren, my sister noticed that, and emailed me pictures she'd taken! So, here's quite a few! Enjoy!

Dancing to Held

My flowing dress and scarf

Ending pose for Praise You In This Storm

Beginning Set Me Free

This one's kinda dark, but our dresses are flowing nicely!

Ending pose for Set Me Free

Beginning of While You Were Sleeping

My semi-solo in While You Were Sleeping

The beggining of I See the Lord. There were a lot of slow holds!

Dancing with the intermediate class in I See The Lord

All the classes together at the end

Was that enough pictures? :-)

Another sewing project completed

2006-05-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

Today I finished the swimsuit I was making! It was a little hard to get used to sewing with and stretching the lycra, and inserting elastic was really hard at first. I learned that you should follow the directions the the T concerning the elastic, even if they seem weird and unnecessary! :-) I did change on thing concerning the elastic though. I made a casing and fed the elastic through for the shorts waistband, instead of zigzagging it to the fabric, and then turning it under. In some places the elastic doesn't look perfect, but all in all, I think it turned out well! I modified the swimsuit a little, lengthening the bodice (since I'm on the tall side), skirt, and shorts a bit. I also sewed the skirt to the bodice, instead of leaving them separate. I left the bodice to hang down and tuck into the shorts, so the swimsuit shouldn't come up while swimming! In addition, I used 4-way-stretch lycra for the lining as well, since I had plenty of it, and didn't want to fuss with swimsuit lining fabric. Also, since I got a great deal on fabric off ebay, I didn't want to have to buy even more fabric! A tip, if you're going to buy lycra fabric, check ebay first! The best I could find on online fabric stores was lycra for $10 a yard! However, I got 4 yards off of ebay for $18, and that included shipping! $4.50 per yard is a whole lot better than $10 per yard, and ebay had a great selection!

I made the skirt knee-length, so that I'll be comfortable wearing it in and out of water. Plus, I won't have to wear shorts while swimming, I'll just wear the swimsuit, making swimming more comfortable. I also like that it's higher necked then most! Though it didn't turn out perfectly, it's very comfortable, and I'm glad I made it! You can find the pattern here.

Here's pictures of my swimsuit, one with me wearing it, along with a blouse that matches perfectly, and one of just the swimsuit. I really like the fabric, it has my favorite color in it!

Ready for sand and sun

The completed swimsuit

Praise Dance Recital

2006-05-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the praise dance recital! I'm excited about all that we'll be doing! I'll be dancing 5 songs!

First, I'll be doing a pointe solo to Held by Natalie Grant. I'll be wearing an old-fashioned kind of long flowy dress, that works well for dancing! You can see a picuture of it here, here, and a picture of me dancing in it here, since it's the same dress I wore for Esther in the musical we did last year. I'm also using the blue scarf I wore as a prop. I hope it goes well!

The next song we're doing is Praise You In This Storm, by Casting Crowns. We'll be wearing the white top (the ones we wore for this dance) and some white and blue baggy pants... More like culouttes, really.

Then we'll be doing Set Me Free by Casting Crowns. This dance is kinda hard in the beginning, because we have to dance with our wrists bound until Jesus sets us free! It is hard to turn and leap with your wrists together! For this and the remainder of our dances, we'll be wearing the white top and skirt.

The fourth dance will be While You Were Sleeping by Casting Crowns, the same one we did for the National Day of Prayer. Can you tell that we really like Casting Crowns songs? Their lyrics are so good!

The final dance is I See The Lord, done by I don't know who! It's a 9 minute song, so thankfully we aren't dancing the whole time! The beginners, intermediate, and advanced dancers interchange, then finally join together with flags for the very end of the song.

That last song will be the finale, and the recital will be over! I pray that all goes well, and everyone there sees Jesus dancing through us.

(Sorry to anyone who thought the above boring! :-) I know that a few dancers read my blog, so I thought they'd at least be interested!)

My Childhood Dream

2006-05-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

Last January, mom and I went to an Above Rubies conference. It was a lot of fun, and we took many pictures! There was also a lot of good things to be learned! Pearl and her daughter, Meadow, were the singers for the conference. They sang a beautiful little song the first night, and I thought I'd share the lyrics with you. We got the CD that has it on, and I've listened to it quite a few times since then! It could, in many ways, describe me when I was a little girl. I know that in many of your eyes, I, only almost 16, am still quite young! :-) But this song voices my childhood dream so sweetly. I have had many dreams as a child and now, but my biggest dream has always been to be a wife and mommy one day. ...Grant me this little girls wish

Annabelle
I cuddled my baby and whispered a sweet lullaby,
I swaddled her in a blanket I'd made by hand,
I kissed little Annabelle's cheek as I held her tight,
She was the prettiest little baby doll in all the land.

For a girl of seven wanted nothing more,
It was more than just pretend, it was what I was made for.

*Chorus*
Only a childhood dream
But make it real, let me be
Like the mother in my childhood dream.

All the dolls and the teddies I lined in a row,
The more I could gather the more fun it was to play,
I read them a story and told how I loved them so,
I was happy and wistfully dreaming on the day.

For a girl of seven wanted nothing more,
It was more than just pretend, it was what I was made for.

*Chorus*

Grant me this little girls wish,
With arms full of heavenly treasures,
May I be as contented and joyful
And give me the sparkle of childlike pleasures.

*Chorus*

For the backround of the song, click here.

I'm so happy!

2006-05-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm so happy!!! I just finished Saxon Algebra 2, and now I am done with schoolwork for the summer!! But my brain is quite overworked right now... I just did 98 math problems today in order to finish! I was only going to do my last lesson and a test, but then I decided to add the final test, with all it's 50 problems on top of that. So, my brain's been whirling this morning! Ahh, but the feel of freedom... Oh - and did I mention that I'm so happy? :-)

Back from Huntsville

2006-05-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hi all! This afternoon Miriam, Jubilee, and I got back from Maria's house in Huntsville. We went up there on Friday, and helped her organize her house from about 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday! It was a lot of fun to organize, and to be with Maria and my cute neice and nephew! I just had to post some pictures!

James, Sara, and I - Sara liked her bubbles!

The cute 5-year-old... he's gotten so big!

Sweet 2-year-old Sara Rose

Band Concert!

2006-05-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

Last night was the homeschool band concert! It was a lot of fun, yet I'm certainly glad to get it over with so that I don't have to practice the songs we've been playing for months. I get tired of them after a while! After the concert a lot of us went to Bruster's, which was a lot of fun! However, some people ate a little too much ice cream...

Me, Mrs. Diana, Jubilee, and Elijah

Miriam and I play flute in Advanced band, and Natalie plays Clarinet

Jubilee plays trumpet in Intermediate band

Some of the Intermediate flutes, Samantha and Bekoh

Elijah and Joel play trumpet in Advanced band, and Ben plays Clarinet, with his sister Emily, who's hidden from view!

The whole Intermediate and Advanced homeschool bands

Joy of Journals

2006-05-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

After reading Susan's post about her old journal, I decided to write something of my own on the subject.

Mom gave me my first journal when I was almost 7 years old, so, as you can imagine, the writing and spelling within it is hideous! I can barely decipher parts of it, but it is really funny to read! I started my first journal on one of the many trips our family took. Here's an excerpt from one of my first entries:

"June 16th, 1997
We our getting radee to go. It is 9:50 and it is time to go. We are going to Bastrn (Boston). Wre trae our not very mane Christins (Christians). We our stil in New Yoke. We pase a lot of woods it is saurt of like the woods at our haos..."

Hilarious no? I had yet to figure out that there were two different spellings of "our" and "are"! I left in the bad spelling so you could see it, and the handwriting in my journal is just something else!

I continued my first journal until I was 8, writing in it but a few times. I recorded mostly day-t0-day things, such as the following entry:

"October 15th, 1997
Today was a borren day. We had to stay home and do book lernnen. Bate in a littol waol I am going to wash my dolls dishis."

Such an exciting life I had! :-)

My next journal was started when I was almost 9. I hadn't used up all the space in my first journal, but it was falling apart and I was ready for a new and prettier book to write in! We were on the way to visit my brother Luke and his family, and my spelling was a little better...

"July 3rd, 1999
We were aimming to leave a 9:00 but we left a 8:55! So we pretended to faint in the car..."

The late Lofgrens we always were! :-)

I illustrated many of my entries, but this diary lasted only a year until I tired of it and began a new volume at the beginning of 2001. It only lasted until August however, after which I didn't write at all for a few months.

I wrote in my 4th journal, the one for 2002, on and off. I recorded friends coming over, trips, books I read, and various things I did and thought. I started writing a lot more, and have continued, with few breaks until now!

I think one of the reasons I journaled when I was younger, besides my mothers prompting, was because of the influence of different books. One of my favorite series was (and is!) The Little House on the Prairie books. My mom told me that Laura had been able to write all the stories because of the journals she had kept. That made me want to record my own life for posterity! I also read quite a few Dear America Diaries, and once even mused in my own diary about whether or not I would like it being published! "Probaby not..." I decided. I wasn't sure I wanted the world reading my thoughts! I don't think I realized until later that the Dear America Diaries weren't actually the true diaries of the girls they were written about.

While I was in my pre-teen years, I didn't really have any close friends, so it was often to my journal that I recounted hurts and frustrations, as well as things that were on my mind. I often expressed my overwhelming desire to have a close friend, often ending with something along the lines of "But all I have is you... my journal..." I eventually found soul mates, and God has blessed me with wonderful friends, but it is still to my journal that I confide everything. (I can just imagine my family and friends trying to dream up a way to peek into my journals...But they'd better not! ) It is such a freeing thing to be able to write my thoughts and prayers down, and yes, I do hope that one day I'll be able to look back at them, and read about when I was a little girl! Perhaps I'll even share them with my children one day.

I still keep a journal, and have recently started my 8th book. I now write my journal as letters to my future husband, but I still recount daily happenings and thoughts. I always knew that my journals would be for my husband to read one day, so now I just write them directly to him, whoever he is! (Hence the poem I wrote a while back, Letters To My Dearest)

Anyways, I've continued to write in my journals for a few years with barely any long breaks, and I hope that I'll be able to continue, by God's grace, to add many more volumes to my collection over the years! Journaling is so enjoyable!

The end is in sight!

2006-05-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

I am almost done with this year's schoolwork, and then freedom for a while! :-) I'm sure I'll find plenty to do though... I finished Chemistry on Wednesday, and World History on Friday! I finished English 11 a couple weeks ago, so now all I have left is Algebra 2. I'm scheduled to finish that the end of May, but if I double up days, I could be done earlier! We'll just have to see how busy I am. It's exciting, because next year I probably won't be doing any more math, and for the other subjects, mom and dad will find books they think I should read or listen to on tape, and I'll do those instead of more textbooks. I think I'll learn more from doing that, then doing more textbooks, where the information is repeated quite a bit! I'll also probably be involved in more things, such as teaching ballet, and taking piano, voice, and I don't know what else! The year ahead looks exciting!

This summer will prove to be quite busy, from the looks of it. I'm going to 2 camps this year, Ballet's Magnficat's Summer Intensive, and Heroes of Today Challenge Week. They are back-to-back, so don't expect to hear from me much in July! I am looking forward to them, yet it is kinda scary, as the intensive, especially, will be quite rigorous! It will be fun to learn more dance and technique, however, so that I can glorify God even more with dance!

Finished Dress!

2006-05-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

I finished my dress this morning, adding the ruffle and the sash. I got to wear it today to the Montgomery Youth Symphony Concert, and then to our home fellowship. New dresses are so much fun!

Me and my floppy hat

Without the hat, and by the pretty rose garden

Thank You Mother!

2006-05-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all that you've done to invest in our lives

Thank you for teaching us Scripture and having us hide God's word in our heart

Thank you for giving me a Godly heritage

Thank you for teaching us at home so that we could learn at our own pace and in our own way

Thank you for allowing me to teach myself these last few years, and helping me to develop discipline and diligence

Thank you for all the meals you've made over the years... cooking this year has made me appreciate it even more!

Thank you for instilling within me a love for glorifying God with dance... For dancing with me even before I was born, and for naming me Anna, One of Grace, which is the perfect name for a dancer! :-)

Thank you for helping me pursue my dreams, and for all those hours in the car spent driving me to and from lessons

Thank you for putting up with all my new ideas in cleaning and cooking, even when they don't always turn out!

Thank you for teaching me the womanly arts of housekeeping, and for letting me know that being "just" a wife and a mother is truly a high calling

Thank you for giving me time to sew and helping me pick out the prettiest fabric, even when it takes a while!

Thank you for doing all the little things that never really get noticed, but without which the house just wouldn't run so smoothly

Thank you for trusting me with the house while you're gone, preparing me even more to one day run a house of my own

Thank you for giving me time for friends, and working hard to arrange times for us to get together

Thank you for making me do things that I don't always want to do, but helping me to be well-rounded

Thank you for raising me as a young lady, in a world with a very different culture

Thank you for teaching and requiring modesty, even when I didn't always agree

Thank you for being willing to go against the flow and have a lot of children, for if you hadn't, I never would have been born

Thank you for standing up for life and what is right, and not being afraid to voice the truth

Thank you for staying home and working hard to provide us a wonderful home and family to grow up in

Thank you for being my mother.

I love you! Happy Mother's Day!!

A friend came!

2006-05-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I'm just letting you know that you won't be hearing from me in the next few days... Yesterday, mom came in around 10 a.m. and told me that Rebekah Olm was coming in about an hour and was going to stay until Saturday! Her brother's being shipped out to Iraq, and her mom and sisters went up to see him off, but she's staying with us so that she could go with us to band today! The concert's next week, and she didn't want to miss practice! So, I've been having fun going through daily life with a friend around. Tonight, she's even coming babysitting with me! Hope you all are doing well!

Where would I go?

2006-05-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

For the short biographical sketch that I have to send in for my Ballet magnification! Summer Intensive application, I had to answer the question, "If you could go one place in the world, where would you go, and what would you do?"

My first response was, where in the world would I want to go? I'm not really one that really likes to travel. However, after a lot of thought and perusing on the encyclopedias, I finally decided. It's not written too well, but I thought that I'd post it anyway. So, here it is:

If I could go anywhere in the world, I would go to Scotland. From Alabama across the ocean to the United Kingdom I would fly. I would make my way over the mountains and the deep, blue lakes to the northern part of the island of Great Britain, where the Scots make their home.

I would travel throughout the country, enjoying the beauty of God's creation. First, I would go to the rugged Highlands, to see the magnificent mountain ranges, green valleys, and beautiful lochs (lakes). From there I would make my way across the Central Lowlands, and see the river valleys, rolling farmland, and towering forests. Finally, I would traipse through the Southern Uplands to see the cragy cliffs, rolling moors, and beautiful pastures.

While in Scotland, I would spend time with the people, descendents of the rugged warrior-clans of old. I would visit the picturesque fishing villages and the quaint farms. In the evenings, I would ask the Scots to sing for me the auld bards and ballads, as well as the lilting lulabies. I would spend hours simply listening to their lovely Scottish accents, and admiring the wee bonny lads and lasses.

In addition, I would make time to attend at least one Scottish festival, and see the clans arrayed in their kilts. I would listen to the bagpipes, and even join in to dance the Highland Fling and Scottish Reel.

Above all, during my travels and visits, I would try to be a witness to the people of Scotland, and show them the way to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

~Anna Lofgren~ May 7th, 2006

Dancing pictures

2006-05-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

Dancing on the Alabma captiol steps for the National Day of Prayer event went well, praise God! It was very bright and quite hot, but we made it through for God's glory! (you can see the words we of the song we danced to in the post below)

All three together

Dancing the verse about Jerusalem

Will we be sleeping?

Dancing the verse about America

I dance the verse about Bethlehem

Will we be sleeping?

2006-05-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

While You Were Sleeping


Oh little town of Bethlehem,
Looks like another silent night.
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky!
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light,
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight
... tonight!

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while
you were sleeping!
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today!
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King.
While you were sleeping...
While you were sleeping.

Oh little town of Jerusalem,
Looks like another silent night.
The Father gave His only Son,
The Way, the Truth, the Life had came!
But there was no room for Him in the world
He came to save.

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping!
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today.
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King.
While you were sleeping...
While you were sleeping.

United States of America,
Looks like another silent night.
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children.
And while we're lying in the dark,
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night
... in the night.

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping?
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay?
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King?
Will we be sleeping...
Will we be sleeping?

by Casting Crowns

Tomorrow, for the National Day of Prayer, the praise dance group I am a part of is dancing to the above song. We will be dancing on the Capitol steps in Montgomery, as part of the National Day of Prayer event. It's amazing how poignant the words are... When Jesus was born, most of the town of Bethlehem was sleeping! While He died, most of Jerusalem wasn't paying much attention! Now, will He come again, and find us sleeping?

I would appreciate your prayers as we dance tomorrow. I pray that everyone sees Jesus in us as we dance, and God is glorified by all we do!

Expecting too little

2006-05-02T17:08:00.000-07:00

The twins, Alex and Brett Harris, over at The Rebelution have recently written an excellent new post entitled, My First Shower Nearly Killed Me. Now, it's not at all crazy, though the title might be a bit different! It's all about how our culture expects too little of teens theses days. We "get by with the basics", instead of striving for excellence.

The post is very entertaining to read, but very convicting as well. How often do we, as they talk about, simply label ourselves as not "that type of person" in a certain area, instead of striving to get better at it? Granted, different people are gifted different ways, but does that mean that we should just stop trying at whatever isn't that easy for us?

I struggle in this area a lot. Especially in the area of communication. I all too often say "well, I'm just naturally shy," or "But I'm just not a people person!" Even though some people seem to be born with a gift to be outgoing, and others, including myself, lean toward the withdrawn side, it's no excuse for not communicating! I've come a ways from where I was a few years ago... Having really good friends helps one open up somewhat, but I've still a ways to go. I especially am trying to work on carrying on good conversations with people, even if I don't know them well, and trying to reach out a little more to shyer people, like myself! I know how it feels to be overlooked or passed by because I am quiet, or in other cases, just not popular, so I try a little more to talk to those who just kinda meld into the background.

Like I said, I've still have a lot to learn in the art of conversing, and would appreciate your prayers! I especially have a hard time talking with young men or in front of groups, things like that are just plain scary sometimes! But, through God's grace I am learning, and this post really helped define a few things, like why us teens tend to settle for less.

Hats off to the twins for another excellently written post! Go and read the whole thing!

Dresses are fun!

2006-04-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

I've had so much fun wearing dresses the past few months! They are so much more fun to wear than pants! I love the feel of a skirt whipping around my legs... It makes me feel so womanly and feminine!

Dresses are just simply more fun! It is so fun to pick out a pretty dress or skirt to wear each day, and throughout the day, I love looking down and seeing the lovely thing I'm wearing! It makes me feel so graceful... sometimes it feels like I'm floating with a beautiful skirt billowing out around me! Not to mention how one looks in pictures... Pictures in a dress just look so much prettier than pictures in pants!

It does feel weird some times, to have people eye you and imagine their thoughts thinking, "Why in the world is she wearing a dress?" However most times, I get lovely comments on how pretty the dress or skirt is, and approving glances from women as I walk through the store. I seem to be treated more like a young woman. Sure, some people think I'm quite strange, but the delightful feeling of wearing dresses outweighs it!

I know that they aren't for everyone, but I sure do love wearing dresses! I just thought I'd share that with you all. I haven't regretted the decision made last February to start wearing almost entirely dresses. It's just so fun!

Sewing Again! :-)

2006-04-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

I've been sewing again! It's a lot of fun, and now it's going really fast! I cut out my dress on Wednesday evening, and it is now all done, except for some lace or ruffle that I'm going to add to the bottom, and a sash. I'll be going to Walmart whenever someone goes out (as I can't yet drive myself) and I'll get them there. I really wanted to finish it to wear tomorrow... but unless daddy ends up going to Lowe's tonight, and I ride along to go to Walmart, it looks like it'll have to be another Sunday before I wear my new dress.

The pattern I used is quite simple, yet pretty! I plan to use it again! I lengthened the skirt (as I usually do) and am adding the ruffle and sash. The cloth I got is really pretty too! This is my first spring dress to make, so I got to get my hearts desire of fabric... pretty flowers! The other times I've made clothes, I had to get something darker, since it was fall or winter. But now, I got beautiful white fabric with pink, purple, and blue flowers (my three favorite colors) and green leaves. I can't wait to wear it! I'll post a picture of it as soon as it's done.

My next sewing project? A swim suit with shorts underneath and a longer, pretty skirt. You can see the pattern here: Biblical Womanhood Online Swimwear

A lovely morning walk

2006-04-28T05:48:00.000-07:00

I recently got back from quite a lovely morning walk! Miriam Hart had been telling me how she and her mom were walking in the morning, and I decided to try it. It's deliciously refreshing! God's creation is so beautiful in the morning, and the morning glories are glorious! The quiet, undisterbed except by birds was wonderful to enjoy, as well as the feeling of having a trusty dog with me! Praise God!

O Lord our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him?
- Psalm 8:1, 3, 4

Letters to My Dearest

2006-04-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

Almost every night, right before bed,
I sit down with a pen, or a pencil instead.

I open my diary and start writing a note,
To a man I know not, and for a long while won't!

I write to My Dearest, my darling, my love,
I write him of hopes, dreams, and the Father above.

"Your Dearest?” you ask, “Pray tell, who is he?”
It is he who one day my husband shall be.

“You write to someone that you don't even know?”
'Tis true and for certain, yet quite of'tn I do so.

I write him in laughter, or I write him in tears,
I write him of joys, or I write him of fears.

I write him to tell him about that very day.
To recount what I've been doing while he is away.

He's somewhere away, just where, I'm not sure.
But I've kept myself for him, in every way pure.

I'm too young to court, and far too young to wed.
Yet like every young maiden, sometimes I would like to have said,

“Goodnight now, My Dearest, I love you so!”
Yet there's no one to say it to, for I don't have a beau!

Nor do I want one, at least not 'til I'm older,
And God's timing is perfect, as He touches my shoulder

And says, “Now he's here dear, Your Dearest, so faithful.
Go now, and marry! I know he'll be thankful

That you've kept yourself pure, and have waited on Me.
So here's My perfect choice, for you, and for he.”

So until then, I continue writing letters and praying.
Telling him that I love him, so I'm patiently waiting.

The next few years will probably fill pages and pages
With longings and questions as I go through life's stages.

So, until I am married, I'll wait for God's best,
And continue writing more letters, to my own Dearest.

*By Anna Naomi Lofgren*

Cute Nephew and Neice

2006-04-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

As an aunt, I think I have bragging rights! :-) Here's two of my extremely cute neices and nephews in the clothes I made for them! They're Maria's children, James and Sara Coble, 5 and 2 years old! Aren't they cute? And, in other big news, Maria's pregnant with another nephew or neice! Yipee! This'll be number 7 grandchild for mom and dad, and only two of their children are married so far! I think we'll make quite a houseful when we're all grown and married!

Such a beautiful sunrise!

2006-04-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

Walking down to the water to get pictures of the sunrise. It started out extremely gorgeous...

...And just got prettier and prettier. The heavens surely do proclaim the glory of God, and the skies proclaim the work of His hands!

The other parts of the lake were beautiful as well!

I see the sun peeping over the horizon!

It has risen!

Isn't it beautiful! I spent my time watching it while sitting on this picnic table and reading the Bible. What a way to wake up!

Camping pictures

2006-04-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

Sara insisted Elijah carry her on our walk. I guess she was looking for the highest spot!

I ride properly sidesaddle!

Mrs. Lynn, Abigail, and I play "Buy It!"

We enjoy the shade of our tarp tent

On top of the silo. Such pretty water!

Jubilee, Christopher, Katherine, Abi, and Natalie enjoy the merry-go-around

Early Saturday morning down by the lake

Enjoying the sand and sun

Me and my sweet Sara Kate

You brought a computer camping, Mr. Kevin? I guess one never gets away from work now-a-days!

Spring Camp-out 2006

2006-04-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a really fun camping trip up at Wind Creek! It was a lot smaller than most of the ones we've gone on, and there wasn't anyone my age there, but I had a lot of fun! Besides, I had babies and little girls to hold!

We weren't quite sure if we were going to go at first, I mean, when the weather says 100% chance of rain plus a chance of hail and tornadoes, is it really a good idea to go camping? :-) Call us crazy, but some of us went! And, it turned out just fine! Mom and dad didn't want to risk it, but Miriam came and took us up after she got off work. It was a tight squeeze to have all of us in her little Saturn, but I was glad to be going. After all, I'd packed all this food, we couldn't not go and waste it! We had a little rain on and off Friday night and Saturday morning, but our tarp shelter kept us nice and dry. It also provided a very nice shade from the sun!

Arriving at the camping site around 6:30 p.m., we hurridly erected our tent, then ate supper. After that, it was what Lofgrens do best, games! :-) A camping trip just wouldn't be complete without card games! Mr. Kevin told us that we weren't really "enjoying the great outdoors", but we were fellowshipping and smelling the fresh air! We didn't sit around all day though, trust me!

Before bed on Friday, we decided to go for a walk up to the silo. Finally arriving at it, we discovered that it was closed after dark, so we started to walk back to the tenting area. Just then, the sky opened up with a great torrent of rain! Thankfully we were near a pavilion, and after running wildly for it, stayed high and dry until the cloudburst stopped.

Birds and the first rain all night woke us up around 5:30 a.m. Far from the heavy thunderstorms predicted however, this rain was very gentle and didn't last long. Since it's pretty much impossible to sleep with the sun up, we soon crawled out of our sleeping bags and faced the day ahead. We went down to the lake after a while. It was so pretty! After breakfast, we played various games and things all morning, frequently having to make for the tarp shelter to prevent getting wet.

Right before lunch, daddy and mother arrived for the day. After eating, since it was now nice, warm, and sunny, Miriam and I joined the others for a swim. After a refreshingly cool dip, we got out and swung on the swings at the park!

I know, two big girls swinging, but it was so fun! All the children had a lot of fun at the park as well! We then went back to camp, but I quickly tired of wet clothes, and went for a shower and a nice dry outfit!

No camping trip at Wind Creek would be complete without a trip to the silo and the pier. It was a nice walk, and it was fun talking with some of the ladies that were there. After going back... yes more games! We had learned a new game called "Buy It!" from someone there, and played it throughout yesterday and today.

It was almost time for supper, when we realized that we hadn't played a game of volleyball all day! It would not be a Lofgren camping trip without one, so we all made for the beach to play a little beach volleyball. Sorry to say, even the sand did not prevent me from falling into the splits a few times. I guess that's just what you get when you combine ballet and volleyball. I'd lunge for the ball, and whoops! I'm on the ground! Oh well.

Miriam and I got quite hungry, so after some time we left to fix supper. We had s'mores around the fire, and then just sat and enjoyed the warmth before going to bed. Even though it's almost May, the evenings still are a mite chilly! Gabriella even put up with me holding her for a little while. She usually doesn't let me when her mother's around! Pretty soon bed started sounding really good, even if it was just a sleeping bag!

Sunday morning I woke up with the birds at 5:30 a.m. After visiting the restroom, I noticed a really pretty sunrise down by the lake, so after going back and finding no one up, I took my Bible and camera to have devotions by the lake. It was so pretty! I kept snapping pictures before and during the time the sun rose. Living in the valley, we don't really get to see sunrises, and especially not ones over a lake!

When I finally went back to the camp site, more people were awake and I made breakfast. After, must I say, more "Buy It!" we packed up our things and left around 11 a.m. We were really tired, but happy. It is nice to be home after such a fun weekend with the Paces, Mortons, Smiths, Fannings, Moores, and others!

Looking forward to camping!

2006-04-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend our family is going to embark on our semi-annual group camping trip! Sadly, we may not be able to camp tomorrow night though... It's 80% chance of rain down here, and gold-ball size hail is forecasted for the region we're going camping! Now that would not be fun to have hail come through your tent!

So, we're going to see what the forecast says tomorrow, and maybe just go up for Saturday and Sunday. I can't wait to camp, but I'll be missing a lot of people, since no one in our church but the Paces are coming! It just won't seem like a camp-out!

I hope all of you have a fun weekend, and for those around here... I hope the hail doesn't harm you or yours!

Comment Moderation Enabled

2006-04-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Just to let you know, I've now enabled comment moderation. So, your comments won't show up until I approve them. I didn't really want to do this, but after a rather innapropriate comment by an Anonymous, I decided I better. Sorry for any added trouble!

It hailed last night!

2006-04-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

Last night, at around 10 p.m. it started to hail marble-sized pieces of ice! It had been storming, and the lightning flashes hadn't permitted me to fall asleep yet, when suddenly I heard little things hitting our roof! I looked out my window and saw hail, then dashed to the living room where the rest of the family was. We were just getting a good look when the power went out, and stayed out most of the night! Elijah took these pictures out the door.

It looks a whole lot like snow, something we pretty much never get down here in the South!

There sure was a lot of it!

Look at the pretty big pieces!

Ballet through a little girls eyes...

2006-04-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Through a little girl's eyes I am an astounding ballerina, and her hero! Very flattering, yet I know I'm not perfect.

Today I babysat two of the Pace girls, and, like I do most times I babysat, we danced a lot! I recognize so much of myself when I was little in Abi, who so enjoys dancing! When I was little, before I had ballet classes, I used to dance around the house all the time, and soak up all the information I could about ballet. Jubilee and I would watch the one Ballet Magnificat! video, it actually got pretty worn out! We'd watch it and try to copy their every move, yet having no clue what exactly they were doing! Anytime I heard a little about how ballerinas hold their arms or something, I would try to do exactly that, trying so hard to be the ballerina I wanted to be!

I see so much of that in Abi, and in the other Pace girls, Natalie and Katherine as well! I danced around the house with Abi today, and I could see her watch my every move and try to mimic everything I did. She's such a sweet little six year old, and such a little dancer! As I danced and twirled her around, or lifted her up and spun her, it brought back so many memories of me when I was 6! I would dance through the house, and mom would ask me to do things, such as "would you please dance this to the kitchen?" and I would do it with such enjoyment!

What is it that attracts little girls to ballet so much? Why do most of them feel, at one time or another, such a desire to dance? Maybe it has to do with the gracefulness involved, or the joy felt as one whirls and twirls. I thank God for such a way to worship Him, using the body He's given me to bring glory to Him through dance.

As a "grown up ballerina" of 15, I still love dancing around the house, and my family can attest to that! Why, just last night before bed I was spinning around the living room, filled with energy and a desire to dance! I have now had 5 years of dance training, so I know more about what I'm doing, but I still enjoy just dancing and twirling for dancing's sake!

With all the progress I've made thus far, I am glad that I can still see a little bit of the little girl I was in Abi... Seeing again how a ballerina looks through a little girl's eyes.

Young Ladies Christian Fellowship

2006-04-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

If you haven't gone there recently, I think you'd really enjoy going over to Young Ladies Christian Fellowship. They have recently had quite a few good posts dealing with guy-girl friendships. Very insightful posts! I also recently read there a poem entitled, I Belong To Another by Gretchen Louise Glaser. It's a wonderful poem about saving herself for her future husband. Why don't you take a look!

Saturday Stuff

2006-04-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

Yet another Saturday has gone by... I'm very glad for these more relaxing days every once in a while! I shall recount for you the day, but be prepared for boringness! :-)

I got up quite late, (10 a.m.!) after a very refreshing sleep. I had devotions, ate breakfast, and made bread. I tried the new oatmeal bread recipe, and I think I may like it better than the other bread I was making. I'll ask the others for their opinion. Anyways, while the bread was rising, I took a shower. Since my hair was all wet, I trimmed a few inches off, lightening the load that is put on my head every time I put it into a bun to dance. I cut it the length I wanted, then mother trimmed it, as I hadn't gotten it quite straight! :-) Then, it was time to make lunch! French toast... yum!

After lunch I got online, then did dishes. Amazing how many people can make in a morning! Jubilee was watching Pollyanna, so I turned it on the tv in the room off of the kitchen to listen to it while I did dishes. With the dishes all clean, I proceeded to start sewing an under skirt for one of my dance costumes. Sadly, it didn't work too well, and I had to take all I'd done out, to restart some other time. I learned that working with chiffon material is a bit tricky, especially when trying to attach it to an elastic waist band!

By the time I had rip stitched it, it was time to make supper! So, I made the cornflake chicken, then made a chocolate carrot cake to bring to the Turner's tomorrow. Once that was completed (I did a lot of cooking this day!), I started the potatoes 'a boiling and made salad. Then, I proceeded to straighten my room and put pages in my new scrapbook!

Alas, I got caught up in what I was doing, and completely forgot about the potatoes on the stove! I rushed out to find them... just fine! :-) I took out the things in the oven, made the mashed potatoes, and called everyone in to it! Daddy and Elijah had been working on the cars, and weren't quite done, so we had to postpone supper just a bit. Miriam (my sister) came for supper too, which was fun!

We played a game of Palace after supper, which Miriam won. A game of Rook followed, which Miriam won as well! She had absolutely no pity for her poor younger siblings! :-)

And now, I need to get to bed!

Blessing with bread

2006-04-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, while we were on our trip in Arkansas, we stopped by a really yummy homemade bread store. All the bread there was delicious! As I was savoring each morsel, I got to thinking... I could make bread like this for my family!

I pondered while on the trip and after I got home the question, "Should I make the majority of our bread or not?" I weighed the pros and cons, feeling that there were mostly pros. It was healthier, tasted better, didn't have added preservatives, and so on and so forth. The main con that I could think of was, "I don't have time to do this!"

Of course, I had said the same thing last summer when I began to make supper for the family each night. I thought that I didn't have 1-2 hours before supper each day to devote to cooking, but I figured out that I do! I just had to make time.

While pondering the question one morning, I read the verse from Proverbs 31 that I was going to ponder and try to put into practice for the month of April. Surprise, surprise, the verse was:
Proverbs 31:15 - "She gets up while it is still dark and provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls."

Gulp. Well, I decided then and there that it was a very good idea to start making homemade bread! Isn't it amazing how God affirms things you think you should do, even if they just seem like "coincidences"?

So, for the past two weeks every few days I get up at 6 a.m., have devotions, and start making bread! I have found a really nice recipe, and the whole family has enjoyed it immensly! It has been delicious to have moist, yummy bread, and I have actually found it very enjoyable to knead and bake bread. Not to mention the wonderful, bready perfume that permeates the house! It's amazing how much one can do if we just make the time!

Ice Skating!

2006-04-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

For Jubi's Birthday party, she chose to go ice skating with some friends, and family of course! It was a lot of fun!
The three sisters, Miriam, Anna, and Jubilee

I show off my owie after my dramatic fall

Here come the cupcakes!

Natalie, Anna, Miriam, Caitlin, and Emily enjoy skating

The birthday girl

Jubi zooms by as I help Dellenie keep balanced

Jubi and Suzie

Jubilee's 11th Birthday

2006-04-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 8th, Jubilee Rochelle turned 11 years old! We had the family party on Friday, and Rachael Morton got to come and stay the night. It's hard to believe that my little sister is getting so old!

Miriam, Rachael, and Jubilee, ready to eat Tuna Under Biscuits!

Rachael and Jubilee, opening presents

Jubilee grabs the horse from me out of the horse barn, where I'd hid it and sent her on a hunt to find. I mean, the horse barn's a logical place for a horse, is it not? Well, maybe not if it's plastic! :-)

Busy, busy

2006-04-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack in posts the last few days, but between Jubi's birthday, Miriam Hart unexpectantly spending the night, bread making, Ballet Magnificat!, and babysitting, not to mention scholwork and ballet, I haven't had much time! I'll try to post pictures soon.

A Tale of a Whisper Mill

2006-04-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, I got up early like I've been trying to do and began to make bread. The first thing I do is to grind wheat in our Whisper Mill so that I have fresh whole wheat flour to work with. This morning, I did things at usual. I measured out the wheat, made sure I turned the mill on before adding it, as the directions say, and poured some wheat in. Then, I noticed that the little spout the wheat went through after being ground wasn't stuck in all the way. So, without really thinking, I turned the mill off, with wheat still in the top. I stuck the spout in tighter, and turned it on.

Now, I figured out that there really is a reason the mill says "Turn on before adding wheat!" Anyways, the mill started sounding really bad! So, I turned it off, poured the wheat out, then turned it back on and added the wheat. And again, it sounded BAD! So, I did what every maiden in distress does, I called for my dear knight (daddy) to come and rescue me!

Elijah also heard the horrid sound and my plea for help, and came bounding down the stairs to see what was wrong. Together Daddy and Elijah diagnosed the problem, and Elijah began taking the mill apart. He unscrewed the bottom, found more screws, and unscrewed those so that the mill was in three pieces. We then called daddy, and found that the fan that turns so that the wheat will grind was stuck. We soon found that the side where the flour came out was clogged, and by moving the fan slowly, eventually everything was out of the inside.

So, Elijah put the mill back together. Then, we hooked it up, turned it on, added wheat.... and it sounded bad again! After much exploring, we finally realized that the spout was plugged. It had been a little damp when I'd put it together, and the flour had plugged the little spout, so the it just kept building up inside, making an awful sound.

So, we dug the flour out again, and turned on the mill. Well, I hadn't quite gotten all the flour out, and it ended up blasting Elijah with flour so he had it all over his shirt! Whoops! :-)

Then, Elijah, having the engineer mind that he has, decided that he could make something that worked just as well or better, resulting in this!

What a wonderful family I have... Thankful even when they didn't end up having fresh, homemade bread yesterday!

Sunday at Shakespeare Round 2

2006-04-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

Bekoh down by the pond

Anna hiding behind the pansies

Lizbeth enjoys the sun and wind

I peep out of the window

Bekah T enjoys the shade of the pavillion, with a window seat!

Sunday at Shakespeare Round 1

2006-04-02T16:25:00.000-07:00

Today we had home church at Shakespeare Park. It was really fun, to be out on such a beautiful day! Bekah T was there, so we of course took a lot of pictures! :)

Yours truly under a beautiful arbor in the Shakespeare gardens

Bekoh, Bekah T, and Leah on the children statues

Bekah T and I in front of a gorgous fountain!

Leah rides the girl with the pig tails

The men talking. I guess little Nathaniel thought he was old enough to join them!

Lizbeth and Bekah T, sisters in front of the fountain

A natural, purple carpet

2006-04-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

There's a reason mom named our property Wisteria Pines! The pine trees outside our house have wisteria entwined in the them, and they have been shedding for us a royal carpet. It's so lovely, I thought I'd share it with you! God is so amazing, in all the beautiful, natural things He does!

Isn't it lovely?

Me, enjoying the delicate flower petals

Announcing the arrival of...

2006-03-31T13:58:00.000-08:00

More Kittens!

Jubilee with Mouse and Sargeant

Me with Snowflake

Momma Grace with her three little kittens, born sometime while we were on our trip

Neice and Nephews pictures

2006-03-31T13:42:00.000-08:00

Mom and Dad, and four of their grandchildren

Jubilee, Alex, Josh, Me holding Zach and Nate, and Danielle holding Lily

We're all wearing clothes I made!

An Arkansas Adventure

2006-03-30T17:13:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 25th, 2006

The first day of our adventure to Arkansas! We were aiming to leave at 7 a.m., but, like it happens so often, didn't acutally leave until about 7:45 a.m. Well, that's okay, it's pretty good for us Lofgrens!

Our destination was Little Rock, Arkansas, to go to a surprise birthday-graduation celebration for my oldest brother, Luke. We made good time all morning and early afternoon, only stopping for essentials such as food and gas. Around the middle of the afternoon however, we got stuck in stop and go traffic for more than an hour! It turned out that two semi trucks had turned over, and while we were going so slow, I suppose they were cleaning up the mess. By the time we passed the accident site all looked fine, but we learned what had happened through Miriam, who had driven through with Maria, James, and Sara a few hours earlier.

Well, so far, so good. We had planned extra time, which was a good thing! We got to our hotel in Arkansas around 5:30 p.m., and after moving our stuff in, left for the party, which was being held at Luke and Michele's church. Evidentally, the city had grown more than expected, and we kinda got lost. Mom's short way turned out a little longer than we'd wanted, but after a little help from a member of Luke's church over the phone, we managed to get to the church. We were just a minute or two later than 6:30 p.m. A church member saw us, and tried to get us to the room in time, but we saw Luke coming and had to hide. Finally, we were told to go to the choir room where everyone was, but we were about 10 seconds too late to see the "look of utter shock" on Luke's face.

Luke was totally surprised! We thought that he may have figured it out, he being the calculating kind of guy, but he hadn't! Later he thought through all the times he could have suspected something, and was shocked that he hadn't pieced it together. He said that God must have wanted Michele to be able to pull it off, for usually all the weird happenings would have set his mind a whirling!

The party was beautiful! Michele and her friends had decorated everything very nicely, with tables representing the different stages of Luke's life. There was a word of encouragement from one of the church's pastors, and a time of sharing about Luke. Then, there was a time of fellowship. The food was really good too! There were even cute little chocolates, shaped like computers! Yes, Luke, like Elijah, is into computers quite a bit!

It was so nice to see Luke and his family, and Maria and her children! All the children had, of course, grown! They were so sweet as well! I also got to deliver the clothes I had made, and everything looked as though it would fit, although Maria would have to hem Sara's dress up a little.

We got back to the hotel a little late, exhausted from a full day of driving, around 10 hours on the road! Because the hotel didn't have a roll-away bed for Elijah like they had promised, they gave us a king-size room for the same price! It was so nice to have a huge room, with a king size bed, fold-down double bed, and pull-out double bed! Jubilee however, didn't want to share a bed, preferring the floor!

Sunday, March 26th

After breakfast at our hotel, we attended church with Luke and Michele and family at the Bible Church of Little Rock. Elijah and I attended the High School Sunday school class, which was a nice experience. It was so big though, quite different from our little home church!

When church was over, daddy took everyone out to lunch at Senora Tequila's, a Mexican restaurant. In addition to Luke and Michele and their four children, Michele's sister Jennifer, and her sweet children, Josh and Lily came along. Jennifer had come down for a week, to visit and to help with Luke's party! Danielle, Alex, Zach, and Nate all wore the clothes I had made, and we got a picture together. It was really nice to see them wearing clothes I had sewn!

After dropping by our hotel to change, we spent the afternoon at Luke's house. We had leftover cake (yum!), played with the sweet children, and played a few games, including Dutch Blitz, which I won, I might humbly add! :-) We also went for a walk around the neighborhood, stretching our legs after so much time in the car!

We attended Luke and Michele's small group with them, and then it was time to say goodbye. It was such a lovely visit, and it was sad to go. The children were all so cute... Danielle such a grown-up acting girl, Alex, a growing boy, Zach a sweetie, and Nate a cutie, almost to the walking stage! I know they're all going to change so much before I see them again!

It took some time to get to sleep, what with a bunch of cooing doves on the roof!

Monday, March 27th

Cooing doves woke me up kinda early in the morning, but I laid in bed until the others began getting up. We were a bit more leisurely this morning, since we weren't planning to get to the grandparent's house until sometime after lunch. By about 9:30 a.m. we were on the road again.

We didn't leave Little Rock right away however. We just had to stop at a wonderful bread store, and of course, the best Christian book store, Mardell's! Elijah also bought a little ear phone radio so that he could listen to what he wanted in the car.

We got to Bella Vista around 3 p.m., after quite a while in the car! I read quite a bit in the car, reading Born Again by Chuck Colson, and tried to sleep some, as I was very tired! We also listen a bit to Roy Moore reading his book, So Help Me God on cassette.

It was really nice to see Dad's parents, Grandpa and Grandma. They're doing okay, but Grandpa was a lot weaker than he has been. Grandma also, can't see too well, and is losing some of her hearing and sense of smell. It was a lot of fun to be with them though, and we even played a few games of Sequence with them!

After a yummy meal of spaghetti and salad, Jubilee and I did the dishes. Then, we were going to watch a movie, but the VCR was broken, so we played more Sequence instead.

Then, it was to a hotel for another night, this time in not such a big room, but still very nice. Jubilee actually consented to sharing a bed with me, instead of the floor! Amazingness as Elijah would say! :-)

Tuesday, March 28th

After another yummy breakfast at the hotel (with make-your-own waffles) we went to the grandparent's house to spend the day with them. Jubi and I played a few games of Spit, which didn't involve spitting, don't you worry! Elijah then played a game of Clue, then a game of Risk with us. Jubilee surprised us all and won Risk! Meanwhile, daddy and mother took Grandpa and Grandma to their exercise class.

For lunch we went to a Chinese buffet, where I probably ate more than I should have, but everything was so good! Especially the yummy sugared donut things! :-)

Mom, Elijah, Jubi and I then went back to the hotel for a swim, stopping by Helping Hands, a second-hand store on the way. There, I found a whole big bag of cheap doll stuff for Sara's doll house! The swim at the hotel was very refreshing. It'd been quite a while since I had swam in a pool! They also had a hot tub, which was really nice.

After our swim, we drove back to the grandparent's house, where Grandpa and Grandma soon awakened from their nap. We played around 8 rounds of Chicken Feet, then fixed popcorn for supper, since we were all still pretty full from the buffet! While we ate, we also watched a movie entitled In Love and War, since dad had gotten another VCR for Grandpa and Grandma.

Then, after saying goodbye, it was back to the hotel!

Wednesday, March 29th

We got up a little earlier, since we had a long day's drive ahead of us. After breakfast, we hit the road.

I read quite a bit again, finishing Born Again, and starting a novel about early settlers to the U.S. from Norway. I always enjoy good, Christian, historical fiction!

The trip was quite long, and we stopped a few times, to eat and so on. We also couldn't drive past a certain Walmart that we almost always stop at on trips like these. We can't break tradition now, can we? It was also quite a delicious stop, for we bought some Resse's Klondike bars to enjoy!

We finally got back home at about 8:30 p.m. after 12 hours in the car. It sure is good to be home!

So, there you have it. A close to yet another Lofgren adventure!

Sweet Home Alabama!

2006-03-30T06:32:00.000-08:00

Hi all! We arrived last night in sweet home Alabama, after almost 13 hours in the car! A post about our trip should appear tonight perhaps, if I get the chance to write it. Hope everyone had a good week so far!

You won't be hearing from me...

2006-03-24T17:14:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

You won't be hearing from me for a few days... We're going out of town tomorrow, and won't be home until late Wednesday night. So, don't expect any new posts between now and then!

Hope the week and weekend goes well for all of you!

Fare thee well!

Little Clothes are done!

2006-03-24T16:37:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, right before supper, I finished the shirts and dresses for Danielle, Alexander, James, Zachariah, Sara, and Nathaniel! Yes! And just in time, for we'll be going out of town tomorrow, and won't get back until Wednesday night! Here's some pictures

The four shirts. (my eyes are really squinty, but for some reason I can't seem to keep my eyes wide open when the flash goes off)

The two dresses

All together

Four shirts, two dresses. They were fun to make, but I'm glad they're done!

Moore for Govenor!

2006-03-22T12:48:00.000-08:00

Roy Moore, former circuit judge, and ousted Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, is now running for the Republican candidacy for Alabama governor. I believe that we should strongly support him.

In 2003, then Chief Justice Roy Moore, was on trial in his own courtroom. His crime? Publicly displaying a monument of the Ten Commandments in his own courthouse, and refusing to comply with orders that it be removed. He was then removed from his position, simply for honoring God rather than man.

This was not the first time he'd been sued for displaying the Ten Commandments. In March of 1995, the ACLU sued Judge Moore over the Ten Commandments plaque he had hanging in the courtroom where he worked as circuit judge. He won this case, but the ACLU kept going after him with different complaints, including prayer in the courtroom, and of course the display of the Ten Commandments on public property. This went on quite a bit while he was working as a circuit judge.

Moore was happy with his job as circuit judge in Etowah County, but in 1999, when the job as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court opened up, people began urging him to run. After much prayer, Judge Moore put in his candidacy for Chief Justice. It was a hard race, and many people tried to discredit him, but Moore won the race. The people of Alabama understood what he stood for, and had seen him go through many trials steadfastly, and they wanted him as their Chief Justice.

Moore had just been a little circuit judge when the ACLU went after him, and because of all the publicity he had received, he was elected to the highest judicial office in the state of Alabama! The ACLU however just couldn't seem to leave him alone. They went after him again for displaying the Ten Commandments, and this time they were successful in getting him fired.

Many people supported Moore. Many people, including my family, went to rallies to support him in the days leading up to his trial. Yes, he lost his job, but now he was extremely well known and supported, not just state wide, but nationally!

And now, Roy Moore has decided to run for the highest office in Alabama, that of governor. He is running a platform to Return Alabama to the people. First, he is hoping to stop the power of special interest lobbyists and return control of the government to the people of Alabama. Secondly, he wants to reform education, recognizing the freedom in it, and returning the control of it to the parents. Thirdly, he is for restoring a conservative policy of government, saying "no!" to irresponsible taxes and wasteful spending. Fourthly, he wants to secure Alabama citizenship, closing U.S. borders to illegal aliens. And finally, and in my opinion most importantly, he will work to preserve our moral heritage. He will work hard to uphold God and Biblical morality in the public arena.

He is a dedicated family man, and has proven experience. I believe that he is the right man for the job of Governor of the state of Alabama.

Now, I realize that a lot of you, like myself, are too young to vote! Others, don't even live in Alabama! If nothing else, you can still pray, and pray hard for Roy Moore and his campaign. And, if you can vote, make sure that you turn out to vote for Roy Moore in the primary elections on June 6th, 2006.

May God bless Roy Moore in this campaign for governorship, and give him wisdom, courage, and perseverance!

For more information on Roy Moore, you can visit http://judgeroymoore.net/ or read his excellent book, So Help Me God!

Moore for Governor!

2 down, 2 to go!

2006-03-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I finished James and Alex's shirts last Sunday night, and now I am working on Zach and Nate's. They will be done by Saturday, even if it means taking off a day of school, or staying up late! They shouldn't take too long... I've already started them, and things go a little faster since I already made two of the same pattern.

In other breaking Anna news... not much is happening! :-) Daddy's off on a business trip, and this afternoon we're going to a press conference that's open to the public, for Roy Moore. Then, we're going to meet Miriam and go out for supper. Yea! I don't have to cook tonight!

All band and ballet have been cancelled for spring break, but then again, what's spring break? :-) I'm still doing my school work, since I prefer to take my time off when we go on trips and the like. So, I'll probably be around home most of the time this week, which is good because I have shirts to so!

Adieu!

Time with Turners!

2006-03-19T14:30:00.000-08:00

My time with the Turners was so fun! On Friday morning, I drove with mom and Jubi up to the Turners house. It took about an hour and a half, but I was so looking forward to being up there, it didn't seem too long. Plus, as I was driving, I had to stay alert!

Bekah's party was so fun! Her room was full of balloons, and as usual she had decorated beautifully! Bekoh was there as well, but Miriam couldn't come and she was sorely missed. After Bekah T opened her presents, we did one of our favorite things... dress up! :) You're never too old, right? Anyways, we took tons of pictures!

Late in the afternoon, Bekoh left, and Bekah T and I dressed up a bit more. After supper, we spent time talking and talking and talking... til about 1 a.m.! I know, a bit late, but we had a lot to talk about! :) We finally decided to go to bed however.

We slept in a bit on Saturday, and can you guess what else we did? That's right! More prettying up for the camera! It was really fun to try to decide what we should wear and how we should pose for each picture.

That afternoon we went for a walk in the woods, as we had a bit of cabin fever! We explored some, and walked along the fence seperating their land from their neighbor's cow pasture. After a while, a whole bunch of cows came over, to see what we were doing. Then, they decided they wanted to see us up close, and began running straight towards us! Thankfully they stopped when they came to the barbed wire, but they kept trying to charge! It was fun trying to scare them off! :) Yes, we were a bit crazy... but just a bit!

Late Saturday afternoon the Turners drove me to where Elijah met us to take me home. I cherish the memories I made with Bekah T and Lizbeth. Friends are such treasures!

A walk in the woods

2006-03-19T14:13:00.000-08:00

Looking over the green pasture

It's a jungle out here!

Enjoying a beautiful spot

It feels so secluded!

Such a wilderness!

An oil painting look

Forever Friends!

Bekah T... it looks kinda erie!

Peeking through the leaves

On Saturday afternoon, Bekah, Lizbeth and I went for a walk in the woods... taking advantage of the photo-terrific spots!

Dress Up!!

2006-03-19T14:05:00.000-08:00

Rebekah Joy Turner

Anna the cowgirl

Somewhat of a 50s look

All black and white

Lizbeth and I, she was usually our photographer

Rebekah Faith Olm

Farewell for the weekend!

2006-03-17T05:44:00.000-08:00

So long! Today we're going to a birthday party for Bekah T, and then I get to stay the weekend at her house! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

A True and Godly Woman

2006-03-13T12:23:00.000-08:00

Today the roles of men and ladies
Are often blurred or shared
Leaving one to wonder,
"So, what has God prepared?"

Some people would try to tell us
That we're the same in every way
That girls should strive for equal rights
And not be stuck inside all day!

But I want to be a lady,
Following after God.
Striving to do what pleases Him
Though it might look rather odd!

I want to have noble character
Like the women in God's word
Worth far more than rubies,
And living by trusting in the Lord

I want to learn to bring my future husband
Good, but never ill
Honoring him in all I do,
Learning to submit my will.

I strive to teach my hands eagerness
In all the daily tasks
Working hard from dawn 'til dusk
To make a home where nothing ever lacks.

Learning to sew and cook and clean,
To make a home lovely.
Learning to be an excellent wife and mother,
So that everyone shall see

A woman delighting in the gift
Of graceful femininity,
Clothed with strength and wisdom,
And possessing dignity.

Dressing with grace and honor,
Radiating modesty,
Letting there be no doubt that I
Am a girl of propriety.

Knowing and showing that
True beauty comes from within.
Not caught up in my outward appearance,
But praising God with all I am.

Learning to develop a spirit
That is quiet, gentle, and kind.
Shunning gossip and idle chatter,
But speaking with wisdom in mind.

Glorifying God with every
Word, thought, and deed.
Living as God would have me live,
Helping everyone in need.

And as I live each day,
I hope that it'll show,
That I am a true and Godly woman,
Delighting that it's so!

Fun Sunday!

2006-03-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

Today was very fun! We actually had home church, for the first time in a while! We met with the Turners, Simons, and Paces in Wetumpka park.

It was so nice to finally see Bekah T and Lizbeth again after more than a month! Even though it was hot, we ended up playing capture the stick and my side, (Ben, Jubi, Emily, Caitlin, and I) won! It was fun, but very warm! And yes, my foot is all better, for I was able to run around without it hurting a twinge! Praise God!

We got home around 3:30 p.m. and I sewed until supper. I'm currently working on Alex and James' shirts. It's going well, but I enjoy sewing dresses more. I guess because they're prettier!

Praise God!

2006-03-11T07:53:00.000-08:00

Praise God I'm feeling better! Jubi's all well, and I'm feeling great! Mom's feeling better as well, but may be getting daddy's cold. Ugh. Thank the Lord I didn't even throw up once, something I hate doing. God is good!

And now, I get to look forward to another free day!

Not feeling well...

2006-03-10T15:58:00.000-08:00

Well, the stomach flu that's been going around has struck the Lofgren household. Jubilee had it yesterday and threw up a few times, and my stomach has been upset all day. This afternoon mom said her stomach is starting to feel bad as well. And, daddy is developing a cold, so we're all not in the best of health. I am starting to feel a little better though, praise God!

I didn't go to dance yesterday because of my foot... From walking around on tiptoe to not hurt my heel I ended up making my ankle hurt. And today, we had an extra praise dance class, but as my stomach wasn't feeling well I couldn't go. Oh well, a little rest is good sometimes!

On another sad note, gmail isn't working, so I can't get my email! Not fun at all!

They're on their way!

2006-03-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Good news, Daddy, Miriam, and Elijah should be here any minute! They called after they flew into Atlanta, and now are driving home. Miriam sounded really tired on the phone, they're probably dealing with major jet lag!

In other Anna news, I'm full of aches and pains right now. If anyone cares to know my woes, here they are: On Monday I strained my shoulders, made my side sore, and bruised my lower leg from carrying/wheeling Jubilee's bike home on one wheel. The fender was rubbing the back wheel, so I wheeled it on wheel down our long dirt driveway, and sometimes carried it because it was easier. Unbeknown to me, it strained my shoulders, and they sure do hurt! My thigh still hurts from where I fell on it last Thursday. And, my feet are now it pain! Yesterday while babysitting the Mortons, I played tag with them, and as my shoes were slipons, I ran around barefoot. Well, now my right heel hurts so much I walk around on tiptoes, and I had an ouchy splinter in the side of my right foot, which I finally removed earlier. My legs are also pretty sore from dance Tuesday... Sorry, you probably didn't want to hear all that, but that's how I'm feeling right now. But, I'll live, since being in sore is pretty much second nature for me. Hope everyone else is feeling great!!

And now, I can't wait to see my family!

My sisters!

2006-03-06T12:31:00.000-08:00

I've learned a whole lot from having 4 sisters... you see things in them that you know you either never want to do, or really want to do! Here's a little of how my sisters have inspired me:

From Maria I've learned to be the lover of all things beautiful. I've always wanted to be able to paint, and sing, and write poetry, and dance... just like her! She was a big inspiration in the area of artistry! When I was little, I was her baby, and I loved having her write me notes and things! Now, I love having talks with her when she visits, and playing with her sweet children!

From Miriam I've learned to be a good help around the house. She's excels at cooking, organizing, sewing, cleaning, and making crafts. I've also tried to be a good babysitter, just like she was! She is a fun sister to be with, and I still love doing things with her a lot, since she only lives about ten minutes away! She's also inspired me with her friendliness... taught me not to hold back, but try to reach out to others.

From Lydia I've tried to learn to have a gentle and submissive spirit. I remember when I was younger, I was always amazed that someone could be that submissive, but as I've grown I've understood the importance of it. She also inspires me with her sacrifice and love. I miss her as she's in Africa!

From my younger sister Jubilee, I've learned to just be a little crazy sometimes! :) She has taught me patience, as all younger sisters probably do to their older sisters, and has made me feel great when she looks up to me! With her love of animals and the outdoors, she's inspired me to spend a little more time outside... it's beautiful!

And, I couldn't leave out my sis-in-law Michele! She has been a very good example to me of a good mother and homemaker. I've stayed with her a few times, and it's been a joy to watch how she trains her children and makes a beautiful home. It's also been an inspiration to see the creative things she does with her children, and how she makes home school fun!

I thank God for blessing me with 4 wonderful sisters and a delightful sister-in-law! How blessed I am!

You're In a big family when...

2006-03-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

From my own experiences, you know you're in a big family when...

When in a Walmart checkout line, you have a hard time remembering which number sister you are

Yet another sibling leaves home, and you think that a family with two parents and only three children is way too tiny!

You wear clothes that have been worn by 3 different sisters before you (and later pass them on to your younger sister)

You find it easier to cook for 6-8 people than it is to cook for 2-3

You do 3 to 4 loads of laundry in one day, and there's still more clothes!

All of your parents, siblings, and neices and nephews stay in the same house, for a total of 17 people (and only two siblings have married so far)!

Your younger sister was born 19 years after your oldest brother

You shove a lot of tables together at restaurants so that the whole family can sit at one table

You have one other family over for dinner (after a few siblings from each have left home) and you have 14 people to feed

Your family used to use almost a gallon of milk per day!

You could almost always find someone to play with you as a child

You delight to tell people that no, there's not just 3 of you, you have 4 other siblings that have already moved out!

You want to have even more children yourself when you're married

Most of the food you buy comes in the mega sized packs

You love meeting equally large families!

I thank God for my big family!

My Brother, My Friend

2006-03-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

God has abundantly blessed me with two wonderful brothers! They have always been a special part of my life. I have 4 sisters, and I love them a lot, but it has seemed like I've been a little closer to my brothers.

When I was little, my oldest brother Luke was very special to me. He was my "Lukey". I remember one night when I was little and
got hurt, he took me with him to his 4-H club, just to make me feel better. Just being with him made me so happy!

Since he's about 14 years older than me, he went off to college when I was 4. I remember visiting him there. One memory especially stands out... we were waiting for Luke, then he walked towards us and I ran off to greet him with excited squeals! He was such a good big brother!

Soon after he went to college in Arkansas, we moved to Alabama. So, we didn't get to see him very much, but I still treasure the visits we have now. Now he has 4 sweet children, and is a great daddy!

My brother-in-law Ron, is also a great friend! When I was younger, I'd often get to go and spend time at Maria and Ron's house. They used to spoil me somewhat, but it was so fun! Ron was so nice to me... he's a good brother-in-law, and has such a giving spirit!

My older brother Elijah is probably the one I'm closest to out of all my siblings. We're only a year and ten months apart, so we kinda grew up together. Sure, we have our times as all siblings do, but we rarely ever fight. In fact, our biggest disagreements are about the definition or pronunciation of words... and he's usually right. (I know, we're a bit strange!)

Elijah's gentlemanly ways make me feel so special! It's nice to have him open every door for me, rarity in young men theses days.

Elijah's kindness is also so nice! He's heard all my tirades for home made food rather than store bought and is quick to compliment me on my cooking... even if I don't think it turned out that well! When asked his favorite food in an email survey, he responded, "the good homemade stuff that Anna makes." That lifted my spirits and made me feel so appreciated! He always seems to know what to say to make me feel special. He also works hard on little things for me... such a nice brother I have!

I enjoy the late night chats we have sometimes, when we're both kinda procrastinating bed. He and I are good friends in many ways!

I enjoy going places with him. I feel so protected as we walk, with him towering over me!

He is a godly young man, and has shown me that there are fine young men out there, that I needn't settle for anything less! Many times I've hoped that my future husband will be something like Elijah, then everything will be great! :) I shall miss him greatly when he goes off to college in the fall.

From what you've read, you may be in shock, wondering if there are such brothers out there! No, my brothers aren't perfect, for no human can be! But they are delightful, my brothers, my friends.

Ahh!! Relaxing days!!

2006-03-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

I sure do enjoy relaxing days! A nice break from the normal hectic pace of the week. This morning I scrapbooked mostly, pretty much finishing last fall's camping pictures. I'm out of tape and glue now though, so I'll probably have to wait until I can get that to continue.

Thursday was fun as usual! Band was great, and we went to the library, Walmart, and then dance class. I found more Dear America diaries at the library, I really enjoy them! Dance went well, but I had a nasty fall. I have two bruises from it! We were doing inside-outs, and instead of rolling up onto pointe as I should have, I kinda jumped up. Not a good thing to do in new pointe shoes, for they're pretty slippery. Next thing I know, I was falling through the air and slammed into the hard cement floor, on my side. It was pretty scary. I just hate the feeling I got as I was in the air, knowing I was about to hit the floor. It was awful! But, it was my own fault. I just need to be more careful!

Yesterday was another home day. We've had a lot of those recently, but they've allowed me to accomplish a lot. I scrapbooked some after schoolwork, and raked outside. Now my arms ache, and I've got a blister, but the yard looks a little better! I'm just full of aches and pains today!

Tomorrow we'll be going to a church in Millbrook since no one has offered to have home church at their house. We haven't met all together for a long time... I miss everyone a lot! I also miss Daddy, Miriam and Elijah... they won't be back from Africa for 4 days!

Right now Jubilee has her friend Rachael over, and I'll probably get off and go cut out the shirts for the boys. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Finished!

2006-03-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

I finished Danielle and Sara's dresses today! It didn't take too long... two dresses in two weeks, not too bad! I'll probably be adding a sash out of the green material, but other than that, they're completed. Now, onto the boys shirts! I'll be getting the buttons tomorrow, and then get started.

Today was a nice home day. I finished school work before lunch, and practiced flute right after lunch (and after playing a few rounds of Mastermind with Jubilee!). Jubi and I went on a bike ride after I practiced, which was fun. We went around in the neighborhoods after we came out of our dirt road, and we fairly set the neighborhood a' barking! At one time we had 2 or 3 dogs chasing us, partly because Midnight came along I suppose. After getting home, I went online for a while, then hemmed the dresses. They were just hems, yet they took quite awhile because of the width of the dresses.

After doing supper dishes, I pressed the dresses, and decided which kind of shirt I would make for the boys. After trying to do buttonholes on the sewing machine, and finding them extremely easy because of the nice setting my machine has, I decided on a button down shirt. It will make the shirts a little dressier, since they will be for church.

Sewing is fun!!!