Well, my dear Blogging Friends, I have returned to ciber space after almost two months absence!  I have decided that the way that I am going to share my memories of the trip to the United Kingdom is by journal entries.  Over the next few weeks, I will post a journal entry with pictures from that particular place which I am journaling about.  However, as I only actually journaled twice while we were in the United Kingdom, I will have to do some serious writing.

Thanks for your patience!

Meg

I am sorry that I have not posted recently.  I honestly have not had the time to blog because we have started school and that is taking up most of my time. 

Speaking of time, I will be changing time zones for two weeks!  My family is taking the vacation of our dreams... We are going to England!  In fact, at the time I am writing this post, I am less than 24 hours away from leaving!!!  I won't say much about the places we are going to now; I'll save that for when I get back.

So until I return.... Happy Blogging!

Meg

  Jocelyn is hosting another feminine challenge.  The challenge is to tell your story about how you came to believe in modesty.  My testimony is not a life changing one. In other words, I did not go from wearing halter tops to full length skirts, but I thought I would share my testimony anyway to share what the Lord has taught me about modesty.

  For as long as I can remember, Marmee has trained me to dress modestly.  When I was a baby, she did not dress me in spaggetti straps or little two piece bathing suits.  The reason being that she did not want to get me used to wearing clothes like that and then have to explain when I got older that it was not ok to dress like that anymore.  For years, I had no idea why we were not allowed to wear certain t-shirts or bathing suits.  Modesty was just something that was not an option but an essential.  As I grew up and began to learn about purity, I came to realize why my mom and dad cared about what we wore.  I began to realize that when a young lady is not dressed modestly, it can cause her brothers in Christ to stumble.  Unsaved girls desire to flaunt their bodies before men and receive the wrong kind of attention.  They are looking for happiness in a way that will not satisfy them.  But we who are born again do not need that kind of attention to fill the hole in our hearts.  Christ lives there, therefore we are called to be different than those who do not know Christ.  They are to see His mark upon us and desire what we have.  I think that many young ladies think that if they do not dress in the latest fashions, they will not attract a guy.  My response to this fear is to ask what type of young man are you hoping to attract.  A godly man will pray for and will be attracted to a modest, feminine young lady.  These are my foundational beliefs about modesty.  The way I apply these beliefs which are rooted in God's Word stem from a desire to honor the Lord.  It is Him I will one day stand before.  It is to Him I am called to be faithful in the way I guard my body, my mind, and my heart.

In closing for this post, I thought this verse to sum up the core reason of modesty.

Galatians 5:24-25

And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Today, I got on the Botkin sisters blog and read their latest post which I very highly recommend!  Elizabeth gave practical advice on how to handle boy/girl relationships in a mature, godly fashion.  Personally, I have to say that talking to guys has just about always been a pretty nerve racking experience.  (I don't even have a brother to practice on!)  I thought Elizabeth's advice was very sound and helpful and recommend it to all, including guys!

Note:  I do not agree 100% with all of the content on the Visionary Daughters website.  I thought this an excellent read which is why I am recommending it.

A lady in our church brought me a book yesterday that she thought I would enjoy.  She was so very right!  I have just read the first two chapters, but I already love it!  It is a  very encouraging and inspiring read.  Sometimes I need a reminder of what I should be occupied with during this stage of my life, and this book is a good reminder.  I saw that you can order it off of Biblical Womanhood Online if you are interested in buying a copy.  Please check it out!

Love as always,

Missie tagged me!  I am tagging Kate, Anne, Lady Arwen, Roseleona, and Katherineleigh.  I can't wait to see your answers!  As all ways here are the rules:

Well, well, I am blogging, and I need some post ideas.  What would you like to read about?  Are there any questions you would like to ask me about anything?  Just leave me a comment and let me know.  I might take a summer break and write posts on this blog just every now and then.  I'll be reading your blogs though!  I will continue to post on the The Man I Seek blog, so check for updates in that regard!

Have a great summer!

Meg

Whew!  This month has flown by!  I am finally finished with my biology, Latin, and English classes.  I was disappointed that I did not get a gold medal on my National Latin Exam, but I did get a Magna Cum Laude certificate which makes me feal pretty good.  My Latin studies are finally over.  I have taken Latin for three years with a group of homeschoolers.  I am so thankful that the Lord allowed me to take Latin for that time.  I learned alot, and met a really sweet girl through that class!

My summer is so busy!  Our comunity is having a patriotic celebration that my sister and I are participating in.  This celebration is held every other year and "celebrates God and country" in the highest form.  Last  time I sang in the children's choir, but this year I have taken the leap up to the Adult choir.  I am very excited about this and all my other summer activities which will hopefully include blogging,  writing my book, running, learing how to cook and sew, and music.  I hope all of you are having a wonderful summer as well! 

  Hurrah!  I'm finally back!  A very happy belated birthday to you, Jocelyn dear!  I hope your seventeenth year is greatly blessed by the Lord.  I have greatly enjoyed getting to know you these past several months, and I am looking forward to getting to know you even better! 

Someone shared this hilarious video with the homeschool digest for our area.  I thought I would share it with all of you!  Enjoy!   See here.

I am so sorry for not posting in so long!  I am finally going to write about the F & D retreat! 

The retreat was held at beautiful Callaway Gardens this year like it has been for the last four years.  We arrived a little after three on Friday.  After checking in, we headed out to the games.  They had four games you could play, but we only did three of them.  Lauren, my sister, did the best at the three legged race with Daddy.  I, on the other hand, blush to say that not only were Daddy and I the last ones to finish the three legged race, but we also tripped and fell making huge grass stains on our clothing!!!  After that, I attempted jumping rope.  The last game that we played was an obstacle course where Daddy had to instruct Lauren and me what to do.  We did a good job of working together as team with our eyes blindfolded.  I thought that game taught us a very good lesson; that even though we may not always be able to see where and why our father is leading us and our family in a certain direction, we should still trust his leadership because the Lord may have revealed something to him that He has not revealed to us.

After game time, we enjoyed a delicious picnic supper of fried chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, and potato salad.  Each family got their own picnic basket with their silverware and napkins.  The baskets were for the attendees to keep!

Following supper, we enjoyed an ice cream social inside where I got to meet some other sweet likeminded young ladies.  After that, we went into conference.  Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin played a few melodies on their harps, and Mr. Phillips introduced the conference.  They did a showing of the Botkin sisters' "Return of the Daughters" documentary that came out last year.

We left as the film was coming close to an end, and headed for the bed!

End of Day 1.

  Last Saturday, Kate, our moms, and I went to Bob Jones University's  The Living Gallery performance.  Wow!  What a beautiful experience!  The story plot was very evangelistic, and deep as it portrayed a lady who is dying of cancer and her search for the Living Water.  After every act, a painting or sculpture portraying some event in the life of Jesus was seen while beautiful hymns were played or sung in the background.  The whole performance had a deep and worshipful feel to it, which was enhanced by the request for no applause during or after the program.

  Afterwards, Kate, our moms, and I enjoyed touring the campus and going through the university's art museum.  I especially enjoyed shopping at the bookstore where I found several good books! The whole day was very blessed, and I hope that I will be able to go back soon for another of their productions.  Click here for more info on The Living Gallery.

  Special thanks to all you sweet friends who prayed for my sister's rabbit!  All your sweet comments meant alot!

  On Monday, my mom took Sugar to the vet.  Sadly, they could not fix his leg, and he had to be put to sleep. 

  We are all very sad to lose precious Sugar.  Because we live in the woods, we think that a racoon reached through into his cage and grabbed his leg.  His struggling to get away is probably what broke it.  My grandfather has come up with a plan to build a more secure cage for our next rabbit.  Lord willing, this will NOT happen again!

This must be quick, but I was wanting everyone to please pray for my sister's rabbit Sugar.  We think he has a broken leg which is very bad.  My sister is heartbroken, so could you please pray for her comfort and our rabbit's healing.

Meg

Dear Fellow Muscians,

  I recently discovered a jewel of a family, the Miller sisters, who formed the Eden String Quartet six years ago.  I watched the dvd about them this past Sunday and was pleased to become aquainted with their family and their music ministry.  I hope that many of you will be able to watch this inspiring dvd in which they tell their testimony about homeschooling, their family unity, etc., and which also features them playing in a live concert.  They really inspired me with their sweet testimonies and their beauiful music.  I put a link to their site on my blog.  Please check it out!  Marmee ordered their cd yesterday, and I can't wait to listen to it!  It encouraged me to persevere with the cello!

Meg

  My cousin and I are dyeing our Easter eggs this year naturally.  We are using the methods described in the Girlhood Home Companion, Volume 5, Issue 1.  We are doing pink and yellow.  We attempted to do green with grass from the yard, but it did not work.  Hopefully, our other attempts will be more successful!

  My cousin raises chickens, so we are using her eggs that she gathers.  She has a pretty good herd of laying hens, and she recently got ten more chicks to add to her collection.  Her chickens have some character, which make them very enjoyable to watch!  I'll have to take some pictures of them to show you!

  I hope each of you is blessed during this time of remembering what our Savior did for us!  It is so easy for me to take my eyes off of the real meaning of this holiday.  It's a lot more than eggs and bunny rabbits.  (Actually, last night I found out that rabbits and eggs do not have any Christian significance.  They were sacred to the Babylonians who worshipped the goddess Ishtar from which our word Easter comes from.)

  So during this special weekend of gathering families and fun traditions, pause with me to consider the great price and then the awesome victory of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Meg

  Recently, I've really been wanting to do a post on how to be a counter-cultural woman.  I absolutely love this topic, and it is something that the Lord has laid on my heart to write about.  My grandmother has Nancy Leigh DeMoss's cds titled The Counter-Cultural Woman so you might say that inspired me!  (Well, the title,  I've never listened to the audio).  I was thinking that it would probably benefit everyone a lot more if instead of just writing about why you should be counter-cultural; it would be of a much more practical approuch to just give practical ideas on how to live it out!  Here are some of my ideas, but I really want your input and ideas.  The Lord works in different individuals in unique ways, and you probably have some ideas that I don't.

Here's a start!

1)  Hold your daddy's hand in Wal-mart, the grocery store, etc.  How often do you see a daddy and his daughter holding hands?  Believe me, people will notice!

2)  Smile!!!!!!!!!!!  A girl with a smile on her face at all times is a rare and beautiful jewel!

3)  Always pray over your food no matter what the situation is!  I have to say that I notice it when I see someone praying over their food in public!

4)  Don't be afraid to talk to strangers!  Adults love it when children talk to them!  I had the opportunity to talk to a lady in Christopher & Bank's yesterday.  She was waiting for her friend to finish her shopping.  I found out that she is a widow,and that her only son is away at college.  She was a very sweet Christian lady, and she teachs a Sunday school class for older ladies at her church.  I told her that I would be praying for her.  You never know how God could use you in someone else's life.  We should always be ready to shine forth for Him!  (I do realize that in today's society you have to be careful with anyone you don't know.  Be friendly with discretion!)

5)  Be quick to say "I'm sorry!"  The young lady who is quick to admit that she was wrong and apologize will be loved and admired by all.

6) To be continued.................

1. What's your name spelled backwards? geM hcraM

2. If your name is added up two digits? no,8

3. What did you last eat?  M&M's

5. What is your favorite website(s)? Sense and Sensibility (Mrs. Chancey's website)

6. Do you know how to do the hula? no

7. What's your favorite color? pink, brown, and blue; seperate and together

8. What are your initials?  MM

9. What's your favorite Scripture? Psalm 131

10. What was the last movie you saw? Summer Magic

11. Do you floss first or brush your teeth? brush

12. What shoe do you put on first? It varies.

13. Ketchup or mustard? Ketchup

14. Who did you last talk to? Marmee

15. What's your favorite season? spring

16. What is the weather like outside? cool and sunny

17. Soup or salad? salad

18. Chair or booth? Chair

19. What is the color of you pajamas? gray, brown, and black (different pairs)

20. Right now what time is it? 6:10 p.m.

21. What did you have for breakfast? yogert and a roll

22. Look left what do you see? a window facing a neighbor

23. How many window's are in your house? 25

24. Do you wear glasses, contacts, or neither? contacts

25. Flip flops or gym shoes? flip flops

26. Favorite place to take a vacation? beach and Williamsburg

27. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? Egypt and the United Kingdom

29. How old will you be in the next leap year? 18?

Yep, I am learning cello!  I went for my first lesson on Wed.  I love my teacher!  She is an older lady who is striving to serve the Lord by giving free cello and violin lessons.  She has thirty students whom she teaches for free, talk about a time- consuming ministry!

It is a little awkward at the present moment.  This so different from piano!  (For one thing, you don't have to hold a piano!)    I am not naturally gifted in music, so it is harder for me to grasp it, and many hours of practice to sound good.  However, given enough time I really enjoy it!  Are any of you celloists?  (Did I spell that correctly?)

Our first Bright Lights meeting went extremely well!  I think the girls really enjoyed it!  We learned about being strong for the Lord in your youth, a solid foundation to begin with! 

Ever your own,

 Meg