Growing in Grace's August issue is out!  One of our contributors was interviewed-can you guess who she is? 

I wasn't able to post about it until now because we're just moving into our new home.  Today is the first day we have internet access. 

There is a Digi-Scrap contest at Growing in Grace Magazine!  It ends August 15th.  Please click on the button for details.

It's summer and time is often wasted in these months since official "school" is out for most.  But that doesn't mean you should stop learning or using your time wisely. 

Scheduling is helping me to keep on track and get more things done.  You can make a simple weekly or daily schedule for yourself; it can be as structured or flexible as you want. 

Is there something you've wanted to learn?  Do you have a project you started but didn't finish?  Now's the time to do all the things you didn't have time for during the school year! 

Some ideas:

First and foremost, I encourage you to spend time praying, reading the Bible, and hiding God's Word in your heart.

Cooking--A useful skill which can be fun too.  (Why not surprise your parents with a special dinner?  I'm sure they'd appreciate it!)

Homemaking-Learn a new skill that will help you be a better keeper at home. 

Playing an instrument--If you already do, great!  Continue practicing and improving your skills.  If you don't, perhaps you can teach yourself how to play an instrument this summer.

Drawing--BreezyTulip has started The Drawing Blog which has art lessons!

Non-fiction writing--I personally have not liked non-fiction writing (i.e. essays).  Therefore, I haven't done it much.  (I focused mainly on fiction/historical fiction writing.)  However, it's important to be able to clearly express your beliefs and ideas through writing.  So I encourage you to practice writing clear and concise essays this summer.

Story/Novel/Fiction writing--Mrs. Marlow's Writing Workshop is great!  It's fun and will improve your writing skills.

American Sign Language (ASL)--Sisterlisa is teaching sign language at Apples of Gold Ministries.

Please comment and share your thoughts.  Let me know your ideas and what you like to do during the summer. 

Growing in Grace's  July issue is out!  Once again, GGM has a great new template!  I encourage you to go take a look (not just at the template but at the articles too :)).

HSB Backyard is giving away a t-shirt from The Homeschool Boutique! 

You must be 17 or younger to enter.  All the rules are listed in the Homeschool Boutique Contest! post on HSB Backyard.

Note: You must be logged into HSB to be able to access HSB Backyard.

I am participating in Steps for Life (a two mile walkathon) again this year.  It is a fund-raising event for Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRC).  The event will take place on May 10th this year so please make your pledges before then.  Thanks!  I have a website where you can visit and make pledges online. The address is

https://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1383&AID=188&PID=22397


The Pregnancy Resource Centers of Greater Portland
help women and teens who face unplanned pregnancy.
They help meet their emotional, physical, and
spiritual needs, enabling them to CHOOSE LIFE.  They
have six centers throughout the Portland area, and
have ministered to over 110,000 women and teens since
1984.  They provide free services such as counseling,
ultrasound, adoption info., maternity & baby clothes,
parenting classes, spiritual encouragement, etc.

Please join me in saving the precious lives of unborn
babies by making pledges.  You don't need to pay right
now. You can choose to be billed later. Any amount
would greatly be appreciated! 

If you do not want to make pledges online, you can still make pledges by
emailing me your name, address, and the amount you
would like to give.  Donations to PRC are
tax-deductible.  For more info. about Steps for Life,
please visit http://www.stepsforlife.info/

For my email address, please private message me.  Thank you!

Growing in Grace Magazine's May issue is out!  It's great!  I encourage you to check it out. 

Please go here (or click on the graphic) to learn more: http://www.growingingraceonline.com/2008/03/attn-mothers-and-daughters.html

Thanks!

 (Big thanks to Mrs. Marlow and her son Ryan for making this graphic button for me!!!!)  If you would like the code, please let me know.  Thanks!

Do you know how to have fun without electronics?  Do you think you can survive a week without it?  I know I can!  I'm asking you to join me.  I think it will be fun to hear how everyone's week of entertainment without electronics went.  I think many American kids (and adults for that matter) are electronically dependent (they're bored without electronics).  Let's be different! 

Here are the rules:

You may use electronics (i.e. the computer) for things not relating to entertainment.  For example, you may use the computer for work and school but not just to have fun.

Here are some examples of things you cannot do: You cannot surf the internet, play computer games, play video games, read other people's blogs, chat on the telephone, listen to music on a boombox, radio, or ipod (create your own music!), blog (unless it's for work or school), watch TV, watch DVDs/videos, etc.

Just remember, if it has anything to do with the TV, computer, or any other electronic thing, you can't use it for entertainment (only work or school!).

When the week is over, please post about how it went.  Please tell us what you did instead of electronics.  Here are some questions (you don't have to answer them...these are just some examples of things you can talk about):  Did you get more constructive/meaningful things done with your time?  Were you able to have fun without electronics?  Was it easy or hard?  Now that it's over, do you think you will spend the same amount of time using electronics for fun or less (or hopefully not, more)?  Were you bored or not?  Would you do it again? 

The week of Entertainment without Electronics will start on March 17th (of course, feel free to do this any week).  Whether you start doing it on March 17th or later on, please comment and sign Mr. Linky so we all know you're doing it.  Thank you!

Hi, my name is Alyssa.  I am a 14 year old homeschooling girl who wants to live a life that's pleasing to God.   

I enjoy writing and (if it's God's will) I would like to be a freelance writer and author.  I also strongly desire to make films which honor and glorify God.  I have started working on a book (you can read the nutshell summary here). 

Some of my other interests include: missions (I am passionate about reaching the unreached with the Gospel), reading (especially historical fiction), and music (listening to music and playing the piano).

I hope you enjoy reading my blog and will choose to partcipate in the Entertainment without Electronics challenge I'm having.  Thanks for stopping by! 

By the way, there are many great prizes to be won at this year's Ultimate Blog Party.  My top 3 picks would be:

-#54: $60 gift certificate to Mikarose.com offered by Liza from Liza’s Eyeview,

- #117: $25 Target gift certificate offered by Angela at Mommy Bytes.

- #55: $23 cash offered Kristin of An Ordinary Life.

Other prizes I like are: 39, 140, 107, 63,129, 73, 72.

Hi!  You're invited to The Ultimate Blog Party that is going on right now.  Please click on the banner above or the button on my sidebar to go join the party. 

I participated in the Fearlessly Feminine Challenge this past week (starting last Monday).  Brooke started the challenge on her blog.  You can read the orginal post here.  Miss Jocelyn is continuing the challenge on the last week of every month.  You can read about it by clicking on the Feelin' Feminine Challenge button.   

I decided to do the extra challenge of wearing a different hairstyle each day.  Here are my pictures:

Day 1-I wore my hair in Heidi braids.                 Day 2-Braided tiara.

 Here's a close up!  Sorry,  it's hard to see!                                Day 3-Just a regular braid.

Day 4-A bun.                                                             Yet another close up :).

Day  5-I let my hair be its natural self (like I usually do)!        Day 6-Pollyanna

Here's another close up!                                    Day 7-Two braids.

I'm supposed to evaluate my week.  Here I go!  I felt/feel more feminine in skirts/dresses.  I was able to do everything that I had to do this past week (without pants).  Also, I decided to wear dresses/skirts more often.

Just because we wear dresses/skirts, it doesn't mean we are true ladies in the Biblical sense of the word.  Just because you're a woman/girl/female, it doesn't mean you're automatically a lady.  "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 Peter 3:3,4  "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgives you.  And over all these virtues put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14

And that concludes my week of the fearlessly feminine challenge...or does it?  Even though I decided to wear dresses/skirts more often, after a whole week of wearing dresses/skirts, I was ready (or so I thought) to wear pants again! 

Yesterday was the last day of the challenge for me so today I was going to wear pants.  Well.....I found out that......actually......believe it or not.....I wanted....to wear a skirt!  Why?  My pants were uncomfortable!  Before, I was just used to them but after the comfort of a skirt/dress, I don't really like my pants that much anymore!  Also, they don't feel feminine!  Oh, yikes...I'm someone who almost always wore pants (except to church).  Now, I still think pants (modest (not tight!) ones) are safer and more modest to wear when playing sports, hiking, etc. but I will be wearing skirts/dresses more regularly now.  

By the way, if you're looking for extremely cheap (ahem...I mean affordable) modest clothing, please check out my website called ModestyandMore.  Thank you!

Yesterday, I started my Keepers at Home "study."  (If you remember, I was going to do a Pioneer In-depth Study...well, I changed the name! :))  Since it was the first day, I took a day off of textbooks!  I started learning how to knit.  (Thank you, Grandma, for coming down on Saturday and showing us how to start!)  Who knew knitting could be so funny?  Well, my mom and I sure laughed!  I could not get this one thing to work but I finally did it right! 

I also learned something else...I enjoy cooking!!!  Usually, I just watch my mom cook and sometimes help cut up the vegetables and help make cookies.  As you can see, I ususally just help (ahem, I know it's awful...I'm 14 and I haven't cooked much at all...but I'm learning now!).  But yesterday, I did it on my own.  Well, I had a little help from my brothers (recipe finders, ingredient locators, and mixers :)).  I like doing much better than watching!!  I learn better that way, too.  First of all, I made Cinnamon craisin scones.  They were really fun to make (I love playing around with flour and kneading the dough!) and they turned out nicely.  (I doubled the recipe so I only baked half of them first and saved the other half for later.)  Here's a picture of them:

Then, I got really ambitious!  I wanted to surprise my dad with dinner!!!  My brothers and I looked up recipes (thankfully, we have a lot of cookbooks!).  We eventually decided.  I would make spicy barbecued chicken for my parents and since my brothers and I don't like spicy food, we would have creamy garlic chicken.  Also, I would make Asparagus au Parmesan (Asparagus is my dad's favorite vegetable).  Finally, I would bake the rest of the scones for dessert. 

My family enjoyed the dinner!!!!  I'm so glad!  The biggest hit was the asparagus...my dad loved it!  Well, everyone really liked it!  (And it's a vegetable! :))  We came up with our own seven star rating system (since I want to know which foods everyone really likes or doesn't like).  The asparagus got a seven!  The chicken dishes got a four (the sauce on the spicy chicken dish got a six) and the scones (I remembered to sprinkle the sugar on top before I baked them this time!) got a five.  Here's a picture of the food (minus the scones and rice (we had already made rice so I didn't need to cook it again):

This is probably one of the most important thing I will ever write about on my blog.  Please prayerfully consider what I have to say.

Reaching the Unreached with the Gospel

Many people say that Europe is a dark continent that must be reached. Well I have done research and found out that Europe is already reached! Pretty much every person on the European continent could, if they really wanted to, find out about God. They could listen to the radio, watch television, go on the internet, go to a church, buy a Bible and read it, or just ask somebody and they could find out the truth. The reason that there are non-Christians in Europe is that some people just don’t want to be Christians. It’s the same as in America, and sending missionaries is not going to help!  There are plenty of missionaries and Christians in Europe to share the Gospel.  The same is true for South America and most of Africa.  In several European countries and many South American countries, there are more Christians than in America!  

However, in Asia many people who are hungry to know the truth can’t. Most are way too poor to own a radio, television, or Bible (if there even is one in their language). Some are closed countries where Christianity is forbidden and a lot of tribes have no clue who God or Jesus is. Many people are desperate to find peace and would eagerly accept the Gospel, but they go without hearing.

Why is that?  First of all, many people don’t realize that Asia is the most unreached continent (which is why I’m writing this). Second, most missionaries don't go to Asia.  Finally, Asian languages are difficult to learn, the climates can be extreme, and Asia has really different cultures. I think people should try to change the fact that so many people in Asia die every year without ever hearing the Gospel. Of course, it doesn’t only have to be going as a missionary. People can give money to organizations like Gospel For Asia, which use 100% of donated money to reach people in Asia with the Gospel.  They use native missionaries who already know the language and culture of the country and who need only a fraction of the cost it would take for a foreigner to be supported. And even if people don’t want to do or are unable to do either of the things listed above, everyone whether young or old should pray that the unreached people in Asia are reached and come to know the Lord.

Now, if you still don’t believe me, here is the proof. Following are percentages of Christians in various countries and continents:

Europe: Ireland 95.35%, Moldova 95.39%, Luxemburg 93.90%, Norway 93.71%, and Malta 97.20%. 

South America: Brazil 91.43%, Chile 89.16%, Costa Rica 94.70%, Dominica 94.90%, and Colombia 95.45%. 

Africa: Swaziland 82.70%, Zimbabwe 71.71%, Gabon 77.93%, Malawi 79.98%, and Equatorial Guinea 95.12%.

United States of America: 84.53%

Asia: Mongolia 0.71%, Iran 0.33%, Yemen 0.05%, Turkey 0.32%, and Maldives 0.10%. 

The European Continent: 71.13% The Asian Continent: 8.58% The African Continent: 48.37% The South American Continent: 91.65%

SOURCE OF STATISTICAL DATA: Johnstone, Patrick and Mandryk, Jason. Operation World. Paternoster Publishing: Waynesboro. 6^th ed., 2001.

GOSPEL FOR ASIA

This is one of the best organizations for reaching the lost with the Gospel.  I also really like the Jesus Film Project.

Why do I like Gospel for Asia  so much?  It uses 100% of your money for exactly what you want your money to be used for.  For $1, you can buy 200 gospel tracts in a country's native language!!!!!  Where else can you make an impact on eternity with so little???  You can also buy 8 New Testaments in their language for $4 or an entire Bible for $3.

Let's think about this...$1 a day would add up to $30 a month...which would add up to $365 a year.  Now, how many Gospel tracts is that?  (It doesn't all have to be spent on Gospel tracts but this is an example)  That is 73,000 Gospel tracts!!!!!!!!  73,000+ people could hear about the Gospel because someone was willing to set aside a dollar a day.  What if every believer did that?  Can you imagine how many people could be reached with the Gospel????  Why did I put a + sign after the 73,000?  Because the tracts can be passed around and given to more people and because those who hear the Gospel and are saved can tell others orally...and they can tell others...so it could be way more than 73,000 people who eventually hear the Gospel.  Isn't that so wonderful and amazing?  I think that everyone should be so excited to be able to help reach the lost! 

I think most people can spare at least a dollar a day to help save souls.  Don't you?

Will you be a part of what Gospel for Asia is doing?  You may request a free copy of the book, Revolution in World Missions on their website.  I highly recommend it!  All I ask is that you read it with an open mind and heart.  Thank you!

Note: Please let me know what you think about the book once you have read it!

ServingtheKingofkings (my mom :)) has tagged me! 

Here are the rules:

~Link to the person that tagged you
~Post the rules on your blog
~Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
~Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
~Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website

Well, here I go.

1. I don't wear makeup.

2. I do not like talking on the phone.  (I would much rather talk in person or email).

3.  I can't swim.

4. I prefer sleeping on the lower bunk of my bunkbed. 

5. I do not like crunchy peanut butter (I like creamy peanut butter!).

6. I am a perfectionist.  I would like to get 100% (or more) on everything if I could; however, I know that's not possible (I am definitely not perfect!).

I tag:

Queenbee

Kate's Writings

A Searching Heart

Tulip's Corner

Booklover

David2

Anybody who wants to do it!

To those of you whom I've tagged: If you don't want to do it, that's fine!

To everyone who chooses to do it: Please let me know so I can read your answers.  Thanks!

Here is a classic writing idea for this week’s assignment. Take your favorite fairy tale but tell it from a different point of view.

I do not have a favorite fairy tale (I don’t like fairy tales).  I guess I’ll try to do Little Red Riding Hood from the Grandma’s point of view.

Knock...knock...knock...

"Oh, that must be my sweet grand daughter." Grandma thought.

"Come in, dear." Grandma welcomed.

The door was slammed open as the wolf walked in.

"Wow, you look different than I remember." Grandma squinted. "You sure have grown."

"Yes." the wolf said.

"You definitely sound different." Grandma wondered. "Maybe it’s just my ears."

Then, the wolf grabbed Grandma and put her in a closet.

To which she replied, "You’re a lot stronger than I remember! Are we playing hide n’ seek, dear?"

Chose a letter and write your own tongue twister using alliteration.  Make sure you write complete sentences.

Ben blows big bubbles by the beach.

Ben buys big black bags by the beach.

Ben bites biscuits by the beach.

Ben bumps blue boats by the beach.

Can you say those five times fast?

Many people make resolutions for the New Year. Here’s a switch. Instead of writing about the things you resolve to do, write about some things you don’t want to do. For example: I don’t want to eat grasshoppers this year. Have fun and get silly.

Here they are:

I don’t want to be unproductive.

I don’t want to do any less than my best at everything I do.

I don’t want to hurt others with my actions or words.

I don’t want to have wrong attitudes or thoughts.

I don’t want my priorities to be in the wrong order.

I don’t want to be at the same level of playing piano as I am right now.

Mrs. Marlow has posted about it here.  Mrs. Marlow, thank you so much for doing this writing workshop!!!!  It was fun...one of the most enjoyable (if not the most enjoyable) writing classes I've ever taken.  It used to be one of my least favorite subjects (imagine that!).  Now, I love it.  Also, thanks to your writing workshop, I have started working on a book which I hope to publish.  Thank you so much!  I hope you will continue to visit my blog.

To everyone else who has not already joined the writing workshop:  You still can!  It's a work at your own pace class (which I' m very glad of...another thing that made it fun and not stressful).  It's a great class which I think you'll enjoy!