Defective Compositions

Jul. 19, 2008 - VOM Prayer Band

Posted in Serving and Thinking About Him

As most of you probably know, the Olympics are coming up, and this time, they are in China. Voice of the Martyrs Persecution blog is inviting everyone to take part in the occasion by praying for the persecuted Christians in China. You can also get a free bracelet that can help remind you to pray. Even if you don't get a bracelet, remember to pray, because those people desperately need it. There is a button on my sidebar, with a link, just in case this post gets buried. (Yeah, right!) This isn't just any old freebie folks.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Jul. 16, 2008 - New Blog Widgets

Posted in Tags, Quizzes, and More

I doubt any of you have noticed this, since the button is way down at the bottom of my sidebar, but there is something new. Go on, take a look. Do you see it? No? Well, even if you did, I'll tell you.

Whilst searching for widgets today, I came across AnswersTips from Answers.com. After you insert the button on your blog, readers can double-click on any word in your posts, and a defintition will pop up in a bubble. Pretty neat, huh? I think it does way more than that, too, so make sure to check it out!

Just as a note, it doesn't work on the links, because when you double-click on links, it opens the links. Did that make sense?

Also, the post below this one is a Bible Search. You probably have already figured that out by now, or would have if you had looked at it. It is really nifty. Just type in a word that you want to find in the Bible, and it will do the work for you! My Mom got it a while back, and I thought it was kind of silly. Then, I found myself using it more and more. Finally, I had to get one for myself. There is also a Bible Search bar in my sidebar, so you don't have to search for the same post through all the rest of them.

The neat thing about the Bible Search, is it will also search certain parts of the Bible, such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, or even the books of history, poetry, and law.

Anyway, I thought I would point out these swell new features on my blog. I hope you use them!

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Jul. 15, 2008 - Bible Search

Posted in Serving and Thinking About Him

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Jul. 15, 2008 - Rosa Of Linden Castle ~ Chapters 7-9

Posted in Reading, and Books

I finally read the next three chapters in Rosa of Linden Castle. Three chapters is good I guess for a busy life. It is just enough to make reading it a treat.

The first thing that I noted was the way the small family lived. Oh, how I longed for a sweet and simple life like the one that Rosa had while she lived at the collier's. What a wholesome way to live.

Also, I noticed that the entire family showed deference to Rosa, remembering her position. Yet, she still willingly worked alongside the family, and learned so much from their ways.

The next thing that I noticed was that when Rosa arrived at Kunerick's Castle, she immediately befriended the stewards children. I was awed by the kindness and manner in which she treated them. I don't feel like I am very good with children, so "watching" Rosa was very interesting.

Finally, Rosa is such a hard worker! Even though she doesn't know how to do some of the things that are required of her, she is willing to learn. The other thing is that even though her mistress was always finding fault with her, Rosa bore it all in silence. What an example for me, who always thinks that I must keep a good name, and repair it where damage has been done. Next time, I should remember Rosa, and Jesus, and follow their example.

If you would like to join our discussion, or read other discussions, click here.

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Jul. 3, 2008 - Rosa of Linden Castle ~ Chapters 4-6

Posted in Reading, and Books

Arrg! While trying to post this just a few minutes ago, I accidentally clicked a button, and lost the whole thing. Since time is short, I will only post a tiny thought.

I loved what Gertrude said near the end of the sixth chapter, and really, it was the biggest thing that stuck out to me. She told Rosa, "When your father built this house for us, he little thought he was preparing a home for you; yet so mysterious and gracious are the ways of Providence, that he causes our acts of kindness to others, in many cases, to be the very means of blessing us in turn. Yes, yes, that passage of Scripture, 'He that watereth shall himself be watered,' is true in more than one sense."

Click here to join our discussion!

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Jul. 2, 2008 - A Long, Slow, Boring Read About My Quilt-in-Progress

Posted in Sewing

After my Mom wrote an facinating post on absolutely nothing, saying she wanted to start blogging on her personal blog more, I figured it was about time I come up with something that I hope sounds interesting. If not, which is what I expect, please don't sue me.

I am working on a quilt out of scraps of fabric that a friend gave me. I was excited when I first started, because I thought for sure it would beautiful. It is not anything fancy, just squares in a paricular pattern, but the example that I had seen was so cute, that I had wanted to try it.

I guess I should also say that this is going to be my first real quilt ever, if I ever finish it. The other day, Bluejane came in and told me "You should go work on your quilt". It baffled me, so I asked her, "Why?" She said, "Because, I can't wait for you to finish it, so that I can see it!"

That made me excited, because it's not very often that I can get her excited about any of my projects.

Yes, I do plan on posting pictures, but again, that depends on whether or not I finish it. You never know with me!

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Jun. 27, 2008 - Rosa of Linden Castle ~ Chapters 1-3

Posted in Reading, and Books

Yes, I am quite behind in the HSB Literary Club's discussions, but I think they are too! We are reading Rosa of Linden Castle, by Christoph von Schmid.

Wow. I have only read the first few chapters, and this story is impressive! Rosa's Mother is the perfect picture of how a mother should train her children. Her methods are definite and sure, and the best part of all is that practices what she teaches! What a beautiful example for Rosa to follow. In such a setting where she is taught to trace everything back to God, to care for the poor, to give up her own desires, and to obey every command, there is no doubting that Rosa grows up to be an estimable young woman. No doubt this is the most noted part of the first three chapters, because this is the way we all wish we lived our lives. Or at least I do!

Later when Rosa's mother dies, I thought it was quite a display of devotion and love for Rosa that, even though Rosa was a "practically perfect" child, Matilda still asked her husband to correct any faults that Rosa might have.

There are more events also, but even though they too were really good, I don't have any special comments on those.

Click here to join our discussion at the HSB Literary Club.

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Jun. 25, 2008 - Adorable Apron Giveaway!

Posted in Contests

I know that this isn't a real post, but when I saw this adorable apron that The Apronista was giving away, how could I not do all I could to enter?! You will start to salivate when you see the other adorable goodies the creater has to offer, as well!

So hurry over to the this giveaway to try and win this adorable apron!

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Jun. 13, 2008 - My Tribute to My Daddy

Posted in Thoughtful Thinks

It was the Tribute to a Dad contest winners in the recent TOS magazine that got me to thinkin' about it. I have decided to post this in honor of Father's Day.

As sad as it may sound, I don't think that I am very close to my Daddy. I tell just about everything to my Mommy, and Bluejane. I love my Daddy fiercely, though. If I were to lose him...well.

I want to tell you some things that I admire and love about my Daddy. The first one is the one that is most obvious if you know him like we do. He is always cracking the corniest jokes. A couple of months ago he came to us kids and asked, "What is brown and sticky?" We all kind of stood there blankly, not quite sure what answer was expected of us. We finally said that we didn't know, and he gave us the answer, "A Stick!" Oh, he laughed so hard! We laughed with him, because he was laughing, not because of the corny joke. Now, whenever we ask him what is brown and sticky, he gives us a different answer every time. "A dog." "Your little brother after he has played in the mud." "Syrup." I love that about you Daddy.

I love my daddy because he works so hard to provide for us. My Daddy protects us. My Daddy protects us from the evils of this world. He agrees that homeschooling is one of the ways to do this. He wants us kids to do things together so that we will be safe. He protects us from poverty. He protects us from feeling hungry. He protects us from the cold. It is my Daddy going to work that makes it possible for us to have a house, clothes, animals, toys, crafts, hobbies, and play days. He works, and that means that we can travel, we can eat out when we need or want to, we can buy candy and snacks on a trip, we can buy souviners when we get there.

Now, all of that is great, but it gets better. My Dad isn't afraid of work. He is dilligent and gets things done. He doesn't complain about going to work, except on special occasions. My Dad goes to work, works hard all day, and then comes home. He would be a great example in dilligence for my brother, if only my brother would see it that way. If something needs to be done, my Dad gets up and does it. He doesn't really procrastinate. That is something to be proud of.

On the subject of dilligence, man, is my Dad dilligent. He has been working on building his own little t-bucket (a classic car, for those who don't know) for years. Of course we don't have the money for him to be constantly buying car parts for his car, and so he has dilligently done what he could. He has saved money to buy the parts he needs. He has made many of the parts himself. It will still be a while before the car is done, but I know that he will keep working on it, and someday, we will be able to ride through town together in his car.

Now, me, I gain and loose interest in my hobbies. A while back I was crazy about doll houses and miniatures. I still do enjoy stuff like that, but the interest has faded somewhat. My Daddy, however, still likes cars.

My Daddy likes to cook. Many guys don't, or don't think that they should, but my Daddy likes to cook. In fact, he watches cooking shows almost as much as he watches car shows! One of our absoute most favorite meals that he makes we call Sausage and Rice. Mommy cooks the rice, but Daddy makes the sausage. I honestly couldn't tell you what he puts in it, because he changes it every time. He seasons food like crazy. Flavor is important to him. The sausage is always loaded with flavor. Sometimes he even puts honey in it. Then we put the sausage over the rice and mix it up. We kids only did this to flavor the rice, then ate all of the rice first, saving the sausage for last.

Cookies is another one of my Daddy's favorite things. When he wants them, first he will come to one of us girls and ask, "Are you going to make cookies?" We kind of slyly look at him and say, "not really". Then he goes to the other girl and asks the same thing. If neither of us agree to make cookies (which doesn't usually happen!) then he will make them himself! His favorite ice cream is cookie dough.

My Daddy likes to do fun things. My Mommy likes to stay at home. I cross between the two sometimes. When Daddy is gone, everything seems to be in black & white. When he comes home, however, it is like going from black and white movies to VistaVision!

He almost always wants to be doing something, or going somewhere. A favorite family pasttime, it to go for drives. Daddy calls it "going for a nap", but not everybody naps! We try to drive ways that we have never been before, but trying to avoid Dead Ends. My Dad is the dead end king. Somehow, he always finds them.

My Daddy cares for us and loves us. When my sister starts to freak out about the required state test, my Daddy always reassures her. She always feels better when he is at home and not traveling for work, when testing comes around.

My Daddy is practical. Well, sometimes anyway. He always follows the logical steps. If something breaks, how are we going to fix it? If something spills, how are we going to clean it up? Then he does it. For him, "no use crying over spilled milk" is absolutely true.

I love you Daddy. I am so glad that you are with me. Sometimes I wish that I could just be a little girl again, laughing in my silly way while you tickled me. Small and carefree. Not burdened with the affairs of this life. Content to let you take care of me forever.

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Jun. 6, 2008 - Graduation Speech

Posted in Thoughtful Thinks

This is the speech I read for my first graduation ceremony. Mommy, and several other people thought it was really good, so I thought I would share it with y'all.

This ceremony signifies the end of thirteen years of homeschooling for me. It is rather a startling thought that I have been through school, am now ending it, and am looking ahead to what God has in store for my future.

One special memory from my homeschooling years was when we did our medieval dinner, and invited our grandparents. The guests were greeted with a castle façade over the front door, and joyful shouts from a rather feminine looking King Arthur (me), and an adorable little Queen Guinevere (my little sister). We ate period food, or, at least as medieval as we could get, played games, recited essays, and displayed our handiwork. The Middle Ages is one of my favorite time periods, so that feast was very enjoyable to me.

I have had my good days, and my bad days of homeschooling, just like anyone else, but all in all, I am so thankful that I have been homeschooled. All of you are still homeschool students, pleas realize what a blessing your parents have given you.

For my graduation, we created a slide show with pictures from my life, and to tell you the truth, I cry almost every time I see the sweet, innocent face of a little girl that used to be me. I almost cry when I see my Mom crying. I am finding it hard to actually realize that I am done, and that, although I can still be learning, school isn't something that I will have to worry about everyday.

People are continually asking me the inevitable question, "What are your plans for after you graduate?" I answer with, "I do not legitimately sustain a conceptualization of my contiguous prospects!" How's that for a mouthful? Who else would say that they don't really have any plans in such a complicated manner except a homeschooler?

This fall, I will be helping my Aunt take care of her foster children for a few months. I am really looking forward to that as yet another learning experience. After that, I truly don't know what I will be doing.

Hopefully, I will always seek the Lord's will, guidance, and council. The future may look uncertain, but as long as one trusts in the Lord, it can never look bleak.

One of my favorite verses is 1 Timothy 4:12. It says, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and in purity". We need to be an example to the world, even though we are young. These next years of our lives will be one of the best times to focus on serving the Lord and others. The energy and enthusiasm in our youth are gifts from the Lord that we need to use to bring glory and honor to Him.

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Jun. 4, 2008 - Well, I am Gradiated!

Posted in Official Eyebright Updates!

Sometimes, well, no, all the time, my parents like to say things as if they are “uneducated” country bumpkins. So, in their words, I am now "gradiated"!

Yes, one BBQ, and two ceremonies later, I am now among the ranks of “Homeschool Survivors”, Homeschool Graduates, Homeschool Alumni, and whatever else.

The BBQ was busy, and exhausting, but fun. We invited 90 families, and about 90 people showed up. It was a full house! Especially when it decided to rain, and everyone tried to move inside. We prepared to feed more than 100 people, so a week and a half later, we are still eating leftover hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken.

The first ceremony was very nice, and I learned a lot about some the young men and women that I knew. The second ceremony, however, was much more colorful and way less formal. We had slideshows depicting our lives, and tables set up with objects, pictures and collections that represented us. You got to learn a ton more about each individual.

All in all, I have been extremely blessed. I have received a lot of money, and I am saying this not to boast, I hope, but to show how blessed I am! Also gifts! I don’t know how many of you know this already, but I received a laptop from my parents. It is a pretty empty piece of technology at the moment, but I still sometimes look at it and think, “Wow, I can’t believe I have this!”

Another gift that I received that I really appriciate is a “Joy Journal”. It is a journal to record only joys in. You are supposed to do it daily. I was really excited about it, because I need to look back at joys in my life. It is really great idea, and I already have 4 joys since I got the journal.

So, now that I am “gradiated”, I really don’t know what to do with myself! I feel like I am on school break. I have been doing some textbook stuff, like Polished Cornerstones, and reading my Bible quite a bit. I need to get some sort of industrious schedule going, so that I don’t feel useless, and don’t get bored! Right now, I am just looking ahead to what is coming up next. What we are doing in the next couple of days, and of course, my trip to help my Aunt. I would appriciate prayers now that I am at this next stage of my life.

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Jun. 2, 2008 - Growing In Grace Giveaway!

Posted in Contests

Yes, that is right. Growing In Grace Magazine is out, and is hosting numerous giveaways. Isn't that exciting?

The giveaway that I am excited about is for culottes from MyCulottes.com. If you run (don't hurt yourself!) over to Growing In Grace's giveaway, you can enter and maybe win!

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May. 24, 2008 - Happy Graduation Eyebright!

As most of you know my beloved sister Eyebright is graduating today! I think this would be a perfect place to celebrate!

Did I mention that this is also my gift to you! It comes with all the servants you need, a stable with horses. (mind if I ride for awhile?) I am also getting you all the furniture you will need to make it home, but I thought you might like to choose that. (I see a shopping spree in my near future!)

"Speech, Speech!"

I have done a lot of thinking about what I would say in this post, and I guess this is about the whole of it.

Eyebright, you mean so much to me! I am very happy for you, but I am also very sad. You and I have always been together and done the same things (except when you went to Europe and I went to Disney Land)

You have taught me so much. I know it does not seem like it, but I guess that's just because I have not put all of it into practice yet!

I have looked up to you and admired you for as long as I can remember.

I love to stay up at night and talk with you, girl talk, I know you love it too! I love to make you laugh, and no, it's not just because I like to think that I am funny!

I am always looking at you wishing I was more like you, wishing I could be as good as you!

You mean so much to me Eyebright, and I don't really think that this post shows exactly what I mean. I was reading back over it and I think it sounds really tacky and silly, but I'll just have to hope that you know what I'm talking about! I wish this had been a bigger party with more pictures of food, but I didn't have the time to make it that big. I hope your BBQ makes up for it!

My real gift to you is a party from all of your blog friends! I hope you have great graduation, and don't go away for to long, or to soon!

I was not able to get the Mister Linky to work so if you have blessed Eyebright with a blog party, or even if you havn't, please leave a comment!

Your Sissy May

Thank you FreeFoto.com for the castle picture!

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May. 21, 2008 - Plans for Post-Graduation

Posted in Official Eyebright Updates!

Dear SuperAngel is having a contest, a really cool one I might add! If you are a homeschool senior, or the parent of a homeschool senior, then you can enter this contest to win a t-shirt from the Homeschool Boutique. I thought that these particular t-shirts were really cool, maybe partly because I am a senior!

One of the requirements of entering, is to write a post about what I plan on doing after I graduate. Well, I have said it once, and it happens to be the smartest way I know how to answer this question, "I do not legitimately sustain a conceptualization of my contiguous prospects!" In other words, I have no fixed plans. I really do not plan on going to college, except for maybe a couple of classes at the local community college. Pretty much college is what everyone is expected to do after they graduate, anymore. I am not saying it is a bad thing, I know that some people think it is. I do think that it is okay to go to college. Many of the women on my Papafather's side of the family, have been certified nurses, before they were married, and you have to have a college education for that.

However, I do not plan on being a nurse, and any occupation that I might consider does not necessarily need a college education. I might like to own a yarn shop. I might like to delve into photography. I might like to have my own template design business. I might like to combine the skills from the last to occupations an make greeting cards with verses or quotes on them.

Immediately after I graduate, I will probably help my younger siblings with school, and work on a few books myself. Those will probably be Polished Cornerstones, and some sort of language course.

In the fall, I will be going to my Great Aunt and Uncle's to help take care of their foster children. I will probably be there for several months, which means that I will not be posting very often, as they have no Internet. That doesn't mean, I won't post, just that it won't be very often.

Mostly, I don't know. I don't have a major goal that I am working towards. Just remember that those are my plans. God's plans for my life may be, and probably are, majorly different than mine. Actually, it is rather an intimidating thought that soon I will be finished with something that has been the largest part of my life for the last thirteen years. Not learning, but school. Also, I am entering the realm of adulthood, and even though when I was little, I wanted to be an adult, now I am wishing that I never had to grow up, and never had to leave my parents. How wonderful to know that my future is in the Lord's hands! It just happens that I worry about it sometimes.

We seniors need your prayers. This is one of the biggest milestones of our lives. Probably, a lot of us don't really know where we are going, although some of us do. The future is a blank page, waiting for a script, and that writers block is kind of scary sometimes. How wonderful that I am not going to be the author of that page, God is.

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May. 19, 2008 - Graduation Preparations

Posted in Official Eyebright Updates!

The time is drawing near. My graduation is almost at hand, and here I am, frittering my time writing this post. Is it frittering? Naw, I know that you guys are interested.

Yes, graduation preparations have begun in deadly earnestness. There are exactly five days until my Graduation Barbeque, eleven days until my first graduation ceremony (done so that I can "graduate" with a lot of the people that I have grown up with), and thirteen days until my graduation ceremony with the homeschoolers from my county. It is going to be a busy and fun-filled next two weeks!

One of the things that I am working on is a display table to set up at the Barbeque and one of the ceremonies. It will be full of objects and pictures that represent the things that I have done, or things that a very much a part of me. On it I will have a photo album of my trip to Europe, which I still need to finish.

Also I will have my Sparky vest, which is weighs about five pounds because of all the plastic pieces; pins, crowns badges, and the like. I was quite the memorizer when I was little. In fact, I memorized one entire Sparky book in a week, so that I could get a certain badge before I was too old for Sparkies anymore. Maybe not the best reason for memorizing scripture, but I did it!

I will also have my fair ribbons on a board. I have several Grand Champions for crocheting. I also have a Best in Show award for a doily that I crocheted. Another Grand Champion award that I received is for my goat, Eyebright. We won it in our very first show. I was ecstatic!

I will also have some of my choir pictures on the board. Choir has been a big part of my life for the last eight or nine years. I was even the Co-President in my last year of choir! I absolutly loved it. We sang songs from history, and about history. We also did skits. Some of the kids that I know are so talented! The can just send the entire choir into gales of laughter, and can act even when they forget their lines. Unlike me. :)

Another thing that I will have on my table is my Addy Doll. She was one of my biggest investments. I spent two years trying to save $84 dollars just to buy her. We lived in an apartment building at the time, and after we had picked up the box from the office, some boy's saw the box and cried out, "What's in there? Ammo?" I almost cried, I was so upset and furious. How could anyone think that my beloved Addy doll was ammo? Not to mention, I didn't even know what ammo was! When we got back to the apartment, my hands shook as I opened the box. I have since found out that that is a family trait, but I think I get it worse than everyone else.

My blanket from when I was little also is going to be on the table. I have had this blanket from since I was born, I think. When I got too big to lay under it normally, I would lay it over me diagonally. Not quite as comfortable, but it worked! I told Mommy just the other day, that I can remember when I was little enough to lay my blanket out flat on the ground, curl up on one half and fold the other half over on top of me. Ah, those were the days.

And, finally, I will also have a large binder full of my drawings, stories, poems, and the like. Some of them I am rather embarrased about showing, but Mommy insisted. I might scan some in and show you, but it will probably be after I graduate!

We are trying to totally clean the house. This is sad to admit, but this is the first time that we are actually "spring cleaning". Never before have we gone through the ENTIRE house and cleaned everthing! Except when we were moving, of course. This friday is when people will start arriving from afar.

I have to write a one to two minute speech for one of my "graduations", so I might post it on here, too. Also, I plan on posting pictures of our recently remodeled bathroom! This is the first room we have ever "remodeled", and we think it looks incredible! Now we are making plans for the laundryroom. Just know this, more posts are on the way!

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May. 16, 2008 - Protecting Little Knees

Posted in Thoughtful Thinks

How many of you are older siblings? I think that my subject may interest you.

We have an amazing responsibility as older siblings. It is a responsibility that sometimes we desperately wish that we didn't have, but one that we are stuck with nonetheless. You see, we are, in part, responsible for the way our little brothers and sisters behave, and for what they become as they grow older.

I am not saying that we share the resposibility of raising our siblings with our parents. No, ultimately, that is our parent's duty, but we do have a small part to play.

Everything that we do and say affects someone. If we invite the family for a game of croquet in the front yard, then that affects their plans for the day. If we consistantly ignore our chore of taking out the trash, then everyone else has to suffer the effects of an overflowing trash can. Thus the things that we do, also affect our siblings.

One big thing that sometimes can happen is NOT spending time with your siblings. You can never spend too much time with them, but not spending enough time can be disasterous. My sister and I are very close, but my brother and I have a rather strained relationship. One of the biggest reasons for this is that I didn't enjoy spending time with my brother. I didn't like the way he played. I didn't like the way he wanted to play. I didn't like how he talked, and I didn't like what he talked about. Now, because of that, we are not the best friends that we should be.

I didn't spend time with him, and because of that, I didn't really know him inside and out like I know Bluejane.

We are suffering because of my selfish actions, and now it is a very hard habit that I am trying to destroy, not to mention repair the damage that has been done.

So, again, what we do will affect our siblings, not just ourselves. What we do will also be reflected in our younger siblings.

I have a very sharp tounge. I wouldn't be surprised if no man wanted to marry me because of my mean and nagging speech. I have an awful history of making derogatory remarks, and putting my siblings down constantly. I have been very rude. Now, I can weep as I see the exact same thing in my oldest younger brother. All that my brother has seen out of me was rudenes, so he didn't have a good and kind example out of me to follow. Now he is going to have to struggle to bring HIS speech under control, just like me.

The biggest thing that we, as older siblings, have to deal with is the fact that our younger siblings look up to us. They want to do the things that we do, and be like us. Although that can be rather flattering, sometimes it can be a major stumbling block for our siblings.

Let's say that you go to camp, and while you are there, you pick up a couple of phrases that your camp pals used, and that your parents aren't pleased about. Of course, you come home saying those phrases. Eventually, your little sister starts to say them, too, and your parents reprimand her. Now they are having to deal with the problem in both you and your sister.

Here comes the revealing part. I have heard this so many times from my own siblings, that I ought to know.

Little sister now says, "But why can't I say that? Big sister does!"

Whenever I hear that phrase it makes me pause and examine myself. Do I really do that? How awful if I do! How can I stop?

Does this show you that we do have a resposibility to our siblings? We should love them, and if we love them, we should want to protect them, and if we want to protect them from sin and the evils of this world, then we need to look at our own selves. What things are we doing and saying that could cause our precious siblings to stumble?

Have you ever seen a toddler stumble as they are walking along? They trip, fall, scrape up their knees, and run to their comforter. Isn't it painful to watch? How much more painful to realize that it was your foot that they tripped over?!

The term to describe all of this is example. This is my one of my favorite verses. One of my youth pastors e-mailed it to me once. I think that I still have a copy of the e-mail, because it meant a lot to me.

~1 Timothy 4:12~

Let know man despise thy youth; but be thou

an example of the believers, in word, in conversation,

in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

We have to be good examples to our siblings. We have to protect their little knees from getting scraped up and scarred.

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May. 16, 2008 - Pointing to the Naturale Light

Posted in Official Eyebright Updates!

Everyone, I would like to point you to my photoblog, Lumen Naturale. I just recently re-did the template (which I think is kind of neat, if I do say so myself!), and I wasn't sure if I had ever told you about it or not. Anyway, you should go take a look-see!

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May. 13, 2008 - Givaway on The Backyard!

Posted in Contests

Everyone, I would like to announce The HSB Backyard's first givaway! The Homeschool Boutique graciously donated one of their fun t-shirts as a prize to the winner, so make sure you go on over there, read the requirements, and enter to win!

(By the way, I am not entering, just trying to get the word out!)

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May. 12, 2008 - Hot Dog Mush

One of our old favorite dinners is Hot Dog Cassarole. Many a person has looked at us askance as we state this, but you would be surpised at how good it really is!

The recipe, or at least the method, is as follows:

First, you brown some hashbrowns. We always do it in an electric skillet. I suppose it is possible to do it in a frying pan, but the skillet has nice high sides. A little before you deem the hashbrowns to be done, you add some sliced hot dogs. Cook until hot dogs are plump and starting to brown. Everything should be rather crispy.

Then, put the hashbrowns/hot dog mixture into a large bowl, and add the following to taste:

MiracleWhip

Mustard

Vinegar

and pepper.

We used to make this constantly, and we never grew tired of it. Like I said, we love Hot Dog Cassarole! Then, one day, we tried to make the cassarole, and totally and utterly failed. The hashbrowns just would not crisp. The cassarole became a mush, and we all looked rather dubiously at our plates. Truly, Hot Dog Mush is not pretty. Ever since then, we try and fail to get crispy hashbrowns, to make our beloved dish.

I feel kind of like then Ents from the Lord of the Rings, you know, they lost the Ent Wives! Well, we have lost the secret to making Hot Dog Cassarole. Have you seen it? If you come across it, will you let us know? Don't ask me what it looks like, because I don't remember!

My Mommy has also posted about this. Unlike the Ents, we are trying to get the word out, you know, hanging up lost posters, and the like.

I would like to know how you liked the Hot Dog Cassarole anyway. Truly, it is not as disgusting as it sounds!

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May. 10, 2008 - Happy Mothers Day!

Posted in Training for Godly Womanhood

This is a poem that I wrote for Mothers Day. It is (obviously) dedicated to my Mom. Some of the lines don't quite rhyme, but I like it anyway.

There is a certain person,

In almost every human's life,

That made me what I am today,

And protects me from much strife.

This person wants to teach me,

To determine right from wrong,

Upon the path that God has set,

For me to travel on.

From baking yummy cookies,

To singing hymns all day,

This person is so special,

To me in every way.

With love that cannot ever end,

This woman tries to raise me,

To follow God throughout my life,

And to love everyone I see.

Although I often go astray,

We will always love each other.

This wonderful person in my life,

Is none other than my Mother!

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