Happy Birthday to three....

                      A Big Happy Birthday to the best little sister ever!!!
 I can't believe how old your getting Lydia,its just so crazy how time flys.


 Another Happy Birthday to the most amazing friend and pen-pal ever,Desiree!! I could have never guessed what an awesome friend I was getting when I began to write you over 2 years ago....it actually might be longer. =)  Who knew we would have 'clicked' the way we did.....pop over to her blog and wish a Happy Birthday.


And Happy 'belated' Birthday to my big brother Kyle.
I can't believe your gettin married this summer,thank you for having me be in the wedding party.

                  "Love you Lydia,Kyle and Desiree."

==============================================
Hello to my awesome followers it has been what feels like forever since I posted {Thank you to all my most amazing guest posters *applause*},so other then my blogger account won't save any photos unless I'm one of my parents laptop and since our WiFi is broken it might be a while I'll be posting soon...... life has been beyond busy,I thought it couldn't get any busier {I've been proved wrong once again 0_0}.   Lately I've been;

    -Being a goat care taker/milk maid for about 2 weeks so far,my sisters been nannying for a family while the parents are adopting for the Ukraine.

                            -Celebrating birthdays.
  
                 -Going teach V.B.S this coming week.
   {1st graders...*scared face*.lol,just jk I know it will be fun,just a wee bit nervous about it.}

                -Starting on a blog design for somebody

         -Finishing up a design for the birthday girl,Desiree,
   
           -Bridemaid stuff... like I got the fabric for my dress.

   -Setting up a online Boutique with an amazing web designer.

 - School...Geometry and Chemistry. Boy,do I need to catch up!
         
            So,other then that Life has been pretty normal.

  After my to do list has been completed,I've going to take a long rest and partcipate in nothing until I feel sane....but just wanted to let you all know that I love you,miss posting and hearing your thoughts,and I'll be back ASAP to catch up.  

For A Purpose {a guest post by Rachel Nicole}

Those little things.

Everyone knows what they are, but they take them for granted.

When it thunderstorms, you don't think about how God is refreshing the ground, or how rain keeps things growing, or how without rain, we would all be non-existent. You think about how it ruined your fun picnic, or your walk with a friend. Anything you were planning to do that day now has a new turn to it.

When you look at a birds nest, the first thing you think is 'gross'.

Yes, true, they might be gross, but think about all the time it takes for the bird to collect all the pieces for that nest, and then puts them all together with mud and saliva. This can take more than a day to build, not to mention all the hard work, and the fact that they do this every year. 

They do this all for their little chicks to stay protected.

They sacrifice their lives day in and day out to protect their young. Building nests, getting food, and they hardly think about themselves when they're doing this.

God designed each animal, plant, and human differently.

They all need those little things to keep them alive.

Like, humans need rain, animals need protection, and plants need water.

Without them we cannot survive.

Without rain, we would get no food. Plants (like corn, tomatoes, wheat, etc...) would die, animals (which we use for meat) would have no protection, and would eventually go extinct, and oxygen would ultimately end with no photosynthesis from the plants which need water to survive. 

You see, God designed those little things to keep us alive.

Every single one of them is for a purpose.

God is an awesome designer. He made us perfectly, and then put things around us so that we may survive in this world.

So, the next time something ruins your day, think about what it would be like if that were never to happen again.

You might just find yourself in awe.

xoxo,

Rachel Nicole

ps- I would like to thank Blythe for extending her vacation for one day to include me as a guest poster. Thanks!

About the author

I come from a family of eleven people in all, I'm a blonde, blue eyed girl. I daydream a lot, and take pictures even more. But most of all, I love God. He is my Savior, my Rock in whom I trust.

I hope you enjoyed my post as much as I loved writing it.

My blog is called Summer Breeze, and the link is here.

Go ahead and check it out, leave a comment, and if you like it, you're invited to follow.

Journaling-Guest Post By Desiree

About a year ago I received a lovely journal and after a while I started to really enjoy journaling and scrapbooking.  I have been able to record so many special events and thoughts; and will continue to do so for years to come. 

 Journaling and/or scrapbooking are great ways to remember all the lessons God had taught you and His faithfulness in your life.  And one day if the Lord wills you will get married and have children and then you will have a record of all God has done for you.  Psalm 145:4 says “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.”   Why not start “declaring” Christ’s mighty acts in your life by journaling and/or scrapbooking?!

These are a few ideas to get you started; but there are so many more ideas for journaling and/or scrapbooking, just be creative and keep your eyes openJ!

-First, you will need a journal or scrapbook.  Either you can buy one or make one.  Whichever one you choose make sure it will be large enough for all that will go into itJ.  The best paper to use in this situation would be acid free paper, which will keep nicely thorough the years and also any pictures you put in it.  The first page tells what you would like this journal to mean and how you would like it to be used.

-Next, the fun part, filling it!   There are so many ways to do this and these are only a few ideas: wrapping paper from a birthday or Christmas, stickers, photos, poems, quotes, thoughts, prayers,  magazine clippings, dried flowers, your favorite books, letters to future generations, special letters you have received, Bible verses, and Godly images.  Keep in mind to keep all entries God honoring, you want this to be a light for future generations and also remember to include why each entry is special to you, seeing as future generations might not be able to tell.  I also have a page to write everything I am thankful for.  From Jesus to the Bible to my family to pink!  And it is growing by the dayJ.  Make up a page for each of these and fill it with quotes and Scripture pertaining to the subject.

- When a special occasion happens have an entry just for the time.  A special occasion would be: a birthday party, a shower, Christmas, a sibling’s wedding, your weddingJ, etc.  Make sure to include pictures and any little object that had something to with the occasion.

- Choose a Godly lady from the past or still living and read a biography about her or look her up in an encyclopedia or the internet.  Then write an article about her, tell about her life, how she demonstrated Godliness, what you think she is a Godly role model, and Bible verses that describe her life.  Some ladies to choose from would be Amy Carmicheal, Elisabeth Elliot, Susannah Wesley, Gladys Alyward, Florence Nightingale etc.  There is so much we can learn from ladies in the past and why not help others learn these lessons that taught us so much?

-Write about your home and why you love it.  If you have a favorite room, tree, bush, your spot at the dinner table, or anything else that it special in your home; write about it.  Include pictures or draw a picture.  If you have a special family tradition that you enjoy and want to carry on, write about it.

-Have a kitchen section where you can include your favorite recipes or recipes that were a favorite in your family.  You can include stories on how they came to be a favorite or any other reason you can think of to include the recipeJ.

-Have a page for each of your siblings.  Tell about memories you had with them, about their good character qualities, Bible verses that they lived out, why you think God gave them to you as a brother or sister, and what you will miss about them one day when you are both older.

-Finally, write some letters to God, your father, and your future husband.  First, write to God, telling Him you are placing your future in His hands.  Ask Him to help you guard your heart and purity for the one he has set apart for you.  Then, write a letter to you father, telling him that you are entrusting to him your heart.  Ask him to help guard and keep you pure for your future spouse.  Another idea would be to buy a symbolic heart or a heart and key to give your father, which he will later give your husband (since Father’s Day is coming this would make a wonderful gift).  Ask your mom or sibling take picture of this moment and then include them in you entry.  Lastly, write a letter to your future husband telling him that you will remain pure and guard your heart for him and him alone.  Tell him you are trusting God to write your love story.

I hope these are ideas are helpful in either starting a journal or keeping one.  What a beautiful remembrance this will be one day for your children and who knows maybe be your great-great- grandchildren! 

Note: After I wrote this I thought that recording all this can be a little overwhelming.  But take your time with each of these projects; don’t rush when writing and recording all of these.  Each of these projects may take years, when you think you’re done there might come up another project.  Be sure to take all of a time as you need to make this a wonderful memory book.  One day looking, back you won’t regret it!

                                                  

Desiree is the,almost 17 year-old, daughter of The Kings of Kings.  She loves to be with her family of 10, sew, crochet, read, make people smile, study her Sword (aka.the Bible), and live for Jesus.  She blogs at Ransomed Princess.  

Raindrops in Oregon

When Blythe contacted me, asking that I guest post for her blog, I heartily agreed.  I love guest posting!  It's always so much fun.

I asked her what she'd like me to write on and she said: '...fun things about the rain (since you live in Oregon, that idea just kinda popped into my head)...'

:)

Yes, I live in Oregon. 

I live where it rains. 

I love it when it rains.

It's beautiful here.  I am constantly amazed that I was blessed to live in this amazing place.  So many blogging buddies have told me how they wish they lived here too:)  Well...how about I give you all a little taste of it?

I want to find this sign and put my own sticker on it.

Oregon is very green.  It's green almost all year round.  Well, except for the southern (and some parts of eastern) Oregon. 

...and when it snows.  But even then, you can almost always see some green:)

There are tall evergreen trees almost everywhere you go.  The rain keeps everything looking so beautiful...and fresh...and green...

Not to mention that it keeps everything smelling so nice.



A lot of people don't like the rain.  And if you do like rain (like me), you're considered 'kinda crazy'.

Okay, so I do like sunny days, of course.  Who doesn't?  It's just that I'm not a complainer when it does rain, because...well...there are advantages to rain!  I gave a few examples above ^, but also...there are so many things you can do indoors too.

A few personal favorites are:

>> making a hot cup of tea and cuddling up in my favorite blanket with a good book.

>> writing in my journal 

>> baking (who likes anything better than chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven on a chilly day?)

>> falling asleep to the sound of rain 

Portland {Ptown}, Oregon at night

Oregon is known for having some beautiful sight-seeing spots.  Such as this one ^.

Elowah Falls, Oregon

Or this ^

It's a beautiful state.  Despite all the criticism some people give us by saying that we're known for being the state with the most rain.  Given, that is very true.  But we also have the most advantages over other states. 

I was actually just talking to some friends of mine about this!  We were saying how Oregon has so many different places just about an hour from our reach.  The beach...the desert...the mountains...the forest...seriously!  And we don't have hurricanes...or tornadoes...or sandstorms... ::shrugs::  Oregon for the win.

{All photos via Raquel's Pinterest}

---

Miss Raquel is a love of words, beautiful photographs, twirly dresses, bowties, Converse, frozen yogurt all things Western and romantic sayings.  She blogs at God's Daughter, where she writes on a variety of different topics.  Feel free to stop by any time and leaver her a comment!