One Year Ago...

...I married my best friend! In some ways I can't believe it's already been a year and in other ways, I can't believe it has only been a year. :)

I'm so thankful to God for giving me such an amazing husband one year ago. This past year has truly been a wonderful joy-filled experience.I never could have dreamed a year ago how fulfilling marriage would be. How it would be possible to fall deeper in love with my husband day after day after day.

This past year has had it's times of joys, times of sorrows, times of laughter, times of need, times of surprises, and times of sickness and health. But it's been one amazing year.

On our honeymoon in Colorado Springs

And I am more head-over-heels in love with my husband today than I ever thought possible! My love and admiration for him only keeps growing.

And now I'm off to go celebrate with my hubby. I'm kind of anxious to find out if the top of our cake from a year ago (that's been in the freezer) still tastes any good. :)

I love you, Joe!

I'm Back!

Wow! I didn't mean for my "week-long break" to turn into a 3-week long break! How did that happen? Maybe it's because there's been heaps of laundry to wash, no food in our house to eat, letters to write, phone calls to answer, a rehearsal dinner to decorate and serve, weddings to attend, and getting sick on top of all that.

In fact, this post will be quick as we have a wedding to attend this evening...in like one hour (and I'm not even ready!).

I had an amazing time with my sister and her family in Michigan! We did so many fun things in that one week besides just talking and catching up. :) I enjoyed every minute there and can't wait to see them again in less than a week at our annual "family" vacation at the lake.

Thanks for putting up with my random, sporadic blogging! I promise I'll try and do better this next week. Until then, if you like to crochet, knit, paint, quilt, weave, etc., check out this link for hundreds of free (yes, FREE) craft patterns.

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

Tiffany is the oldest of two children, a 2007 homeschool graduate, and now a twenty-year-old college graduate as of May 2010. She majored in English literature and has a passion for reading, writing, and discovering God's plan for beautiful womanhood. For over a year she has been blogging at True Femininity, which chronicles all the little things in her life as she journeys towards true femininity, such as her favorite interests: homemaking, cooking, fashion, frugal living, homeschooling, and theology.

8:25am--I'm awakened by a phone call from a friend. I drowsily chat for five minutes, and then immediately get out of bed because there is much to be done today!

8:30am--I grab my Bible and head downstairs to where it's cooler, so I can curl up and read for a while. I'm currently reading Judges, Proverbs, and Mark. Getting to read the Word and pray in the morning is so important in starting off the day right.

9:00am--After finishing my Bible reading, I pick up another book that I've been reading the past week: "The Doula Book." Doulas are trained labor companions that are there to provide both emotional and physical support to women giving birth, and I am just beginning to tackle the required reading list in the process of becoming a certified doula.

9:30am--I get dressed and do my hair for the day. I'm excited to be wearing my favorite dress--a bright red, retro 1950s housewife dress--and I put my hair in an old-fashioned updo. I love wearing older style dresses, and sometimes I wonder why I wasn't born sixty years ago!

10:00am--I call and set up an interview with a potential employer. I've been searching for jobs for well over a month now, and this will only be my second interview. Nevertheless, I am thankful that God has answered my prayers and that I'm at least getting an interview!

10:10am--I go outside to help my father with the gardening. My dad loves gardening and its been part of my brother's and my routine to help him with the garden every Saturday for as long as I can remember. I help out by watering and fertilizing the plants every week. This year, our backyard is looking especially green (for California, at least), because it hasn't been excessively hot yet!

11:55am--Dad helps me screw on my alumni license plate cover on my car. I can't believe I've graduated from college!

12:00pm--After two hours working outside, I come inside and eat lunch with my dad, and we play a game of cribbage.

12:45pm--I set my camera up and take some picture examples of modest dress for feelinfeminine.com. This is by far my favorite:

1:30pm--I set to work learning how to create my own blogroll. When it comes to working with HTML, google is my best friend! I'm not at all a tech-savy person, but with google's help, I can almost do anything.

3:30pm--The blogroll is up and running and I'm happy that I was able to conquer all the problems that presented themselves!

4:30pm--I begin making pizza dough by hand. I'm trying out a new gluten-free recipe, but once I taste it, I decide that food has gluten in it for a reason...

6:00pm--After dinner with my family, I play another game of cribbage with my dad, and we watch AFV with the rest of the family afterwards.

7:00pm--I open up my mail and find some printed pictures from graduation. It's so hard to believe it's almost been a month already.
8:00pm--I join my brother in doing an excercise program that he's been doing recently. Ever since I got home from college, he's been doing an awesome job of motivating me to push myself to workout.

9:00pm--I go upstairs to my room and answer emails from blog readers while listening to two sermons: "Obey the Master's Call" and "Praying in the Will of God."

10:30pm--I talk to some friends and then read Calvin's Institutes and a book about autism before going to sleep. Reading is the perfect way to slowly wind down from the day, and I think ending it with reflections on theology and the Lord makes for a peaceful night's rest!

Is this something you would like to be a part of? I'd love to hear from you. We are in need of people who are willing to chronicle a day in their life to post on this blog. If you are interested, please email me: modestpatterns @ sbcglobal.net (remove spaces)

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

Hello! My name is Jenna and I am 16 years old; a twin to the oldest of 8 children. I have 5 sisters and 2 brothers and we are all homeschooled by our two wonderful Christian parents! We reside on a small 3 1/2 acre farm where we have some goats, a cow, a horse, pigs, chickens, cats and a dog. I enjoy making dairy products (butter, kefir, cheese, buttermilk, yogurt etc.) from the milk that we get and learning more about agriculture! Some of my other interests include reading, sewing, cooking/baking, crocheting and herbs. I am a Christian and pray that the Lord will use me to further His Kingdom in all that I do - I am so thankful for His strength and saving grace!

6:45am - I woke up late. I seem to be doing that a lot lately, but instead of getting upset at myself, I am trying to remember that my body must need more rest than I'm allowing. Downstairs, I clean the milk equipment and prepare to go outside for chores.

7:00am - Barn chores! I milk the goats and take care of that, then head back to the barn to milk the cow. One of her quarters is hard so Josh makes a peppermint/garlic balm to put on her udder. We are done and all cleaned up by 8:45am, so I sit down to eat a quick breakfast of granola.

9:00am - I help get Anna, Natalie and Laura dressed and ready for the day. They are so cute and have been letting me get them dressed in some cute jumpers which I also think are adorable. :) Then we help Dad, Josh and Caleb get on the road to pick up a new-to-us refrigerator and dishwasher.

9:30am - After a week of letting the weeds take over the garden, I finally get out there and weed around my 30 plants of cucumbers!! I planted sooooo many of them because I plan on making some Lacto-Fermented pickles and preserving some sweet and dill pickles too. Yummy!

10:45am - I am out in the garden for over an hour and Grace kindly helps me give all the weeds to the hogs...they love them. :) Momma made some more granola and I help her finish it. I also start culturing some buttermilk.

11:00am - The Fair is coming up very quickly, so I start working on my hog notebook...I get 1/3 of it completed.

12:15pm - Laura needs some one-on-one attention, so I take a break and play with her for a little bit. We go to the barn to see the animals, read some books, and then I push her on the swing.

12:45pm - We eat lunch together - the boys are still gone so it was just us girls which made things a bit more quiet!

1:00pm - I take a quick shower to get all of the dirt from the garden off of me. After that, I run around the house tidying up the kitchen, dining room and living room.

1:45pm - Mom brings me into town for my weekly volunteer work at a local food pantry. It is run by a Christian couple and we pray and do devotions before we start. Yesterday we talked about forgiveness, which I was able to apply later that day (the Lord is so faithful to bring encouragement while I try to apply what I learn!!).

6:45pm - I come home from the food pantry exhausted. :) It was a good exhausted though, because I was able to serve about 100 families there and hopefully bless them and be a testimony while I was at it! Most of the time I was bagging everyone's groceries, although I did a little bit of stocking shelves and helping people through their shopping.

7:00pm - Barn chores again. Lucy's (the cow) udder is much better and everything goes smoothly.

8:30pm - I visit for a few minutes with a family who stopped in to get the Algebra book that we used last year and then I finish chores.

9:00pm - After washing a few milk supplies, I get ready for bed. Then I read Psalm 19 - I love the last verse (14) that says: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer." That is my prayer: that everything I say and think will be acceptable in my Saviour's sight. I know that whenever I am bossy to my younger sister(s) or get annoyed at my little brother it is not acceptable in His sight, but through the Lord's grace and help, I will say encouraging things to them instead!

Recent Photo Shoot Pictures

I promised I would post more pictures of my photo shoot for the bachelorette party I did last week and here they are. Just a few of my favorites. :) If you'd like to see these in better quality, just click each picture and it will make them larger, and MUCH better quality. I am still trying to figure out how to post pictures with good quality in blogger. Maybe they're too big or something?

Matron of honor and bride and a fun pose!

Bride with new sister-in-law...this is one of my favorites.

Bridesmaid and bride (notice the old truck in the background...you'll see that one later)

Tree fun! I edited this one to look somewhat "funky"...on purpose, of course.

IN the fountain...yes, they wanted their photo to be IN the fountain. I told them I would do it, as long as I didn't have to be the one responsible when we got in trouble. :) We didn't, and it made for some great photos.

Okay, so this one might seem weird, but I love it. Totally a girl thing. And they went along with my crazy idea for a pose...even better than I had imagined it. :)

Bride with her new sister-in-law

"The old truck"....I was a little nervous the owner was going to appear, but he/she never did so we took advantage of it.


Shoes!

I shot this while they were all trying to figure out which foot to put forward for the picture. It's seriously cute.

I love how this one turned out. Bride is in the front.

The "album cover" photo...I told them all to pose like their favorite music artist and this is what it ended up looking like. Fun!

It had been a while since I had gotten to do a photo shoot of any kind (with people) so I thoroughly enjoyed doing this. What was more fun was the fact that I had great subjects to work with and who did everything I asked for and more. :) I forgot just how much I love being a "photographer".

In other news, I'm going to visit my sister this week so I don't plan on blogging until next week. And hopefully I'll have lots of pictures to share next week of my time with her and my adorable niece and nephew! :) Have a wonderful week!

Weekly Poll - July 9th

Here are the results from last week's ice cream poll!

Which of the following is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Vanilla - 10%

Chocolate - 8%

Cookie Dough - 26%

Cookies 'n Creme - 16%

Mint Chocolate Chip - 31%

Strawberry - 3%

Butter Pecan - 5%

Anyone hungry for an ice cream cone??? :)

Now for our new weekly poll...
What is your favorite day of the week?

My favorite day is Friday. Why? Because I know that means I'll get to have my wonderful hubby all to myself for the next two days! I guess I like looking forward to something more than the actual thing. :) Friday means that I get to look forward to the next two days of Joe being home. Plus, Joe and I usually do something fun on Friday evenings which makes that day even more special. I love spending time with my husband! Plus, knowing that he doesn't have homework due or work the next day makes Friday evenings really nice and relaxing. (You guys should feel so loved, because I'm writing this on a Friday evening...of all times!)

So which day is your favorite, and why?

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Sneak Preview...

Last night, I spend the evening doing a photo shoot with a bride and her bridesmaids as part of their bachelorette party. They were a great group of girls and made my job super easy. I'm planning on posting more pictures later (there ended up being over 300 pictures!), but I thought you all might like to see a "sneak preview". And since we're talking photography here, would anyone like to explain to me why in the world blogger downsizes my pictures so the quality looks really bad when I post them? I can't, for the life of me, figure out why so if anyone has tips for me, I'd love to hear them. :)

And the Winner Is...

We've picked a random winner (using random.com) from our giveaway!

Maria Murillo (chaveli3@)

You should have received an email from me with further information.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Page from My Journal: Chronicling A Day in the Life of A Reader

Hello! My name is Erin, and I’m getting married in a month to the man that I love, Christopher. I blog regularly at The Sliver Lining, and am a really happy person. I’m the most laid-back bride you’ll ever meet, because I have the best support system of friends and family helping me out. I chronicled a day that I spent running wedding errands with a good girlfriend, and hope you enjoy experiencing my day with me!


7:30am—I wake up; later than normal, but still early considering the really loud fireworks that kept me up past midnight last night.

8:30am—Time to get out of bed (it takes me a while to actually get up because I have to stretch before I get up due to my rheumatoid arthritis). First things first, coffee! I type up a quick blog for the group blog I write on, Fit by Twitter. Then I catch up on the blogs I read and draft one on my blog to complete later this week.

10:00am—Phone call from Sarah to confirm today’s plans. Wow, I wasted a lot of time doing nothing this morning!

10:10am—Time to get moving. I search the house for Mod Podge—but I fear it’s packed already! Note to self: pick some up while I’m out today. That’s the danger of coming up with a crafts project while getting ready to move. I spent the weekend packing a lot since I will be moving to the place Chris and I will share in just two weeks! After debating whether the project will work if I use a “craft-bond, acid-free” glue stick, I decide instead to just play with the layout, and wait on the Mod Podge to finish it up right, hopefully this evening.

10:25am—I'm back online searching for a quote about good music or something musical by someone famous as well as drinking another cup of coffee. I also eat a cup of cereal (as all my bowls are now packed!)—it’s much later than I normally get started, but I have a fun day planned and did work on the house packing all weekend.

10:45am—Now it's time to get ready for the day. I’m meeting Sarah at “lunchtime”—but does that mean 11:30, or 1:30? I better just get dressed and go head towards the shopping.

11:45am—After watering my herbs with a bucket of this weekend’s rainwater, I head to meet Sarah for shopping and lunch. Boy, did we get a lot of shopping done in a short time! I had to get some things for the wedding, and we spent time looking at clothes for her little boy, since he’ll be our ring bearer.

4:45pm—We stop for drinks and appetizers and to discuss wedding details. Seeing as this is not something I have a ton of experience with, Sarah is a HUGE help—reminding me things that I’ll need to bring to the wedding, who will do what for me, what time things will happen…

7:00pm—Dinner with Sarah is finished and I'm off to go do a few more errands on the way home. I stop by WalMart for the replacement Mod Podge! I also try to get some blue thread to fix a friend’s pair of pants, but this store doesn't have any thread.

7:30pm—I'm back home and now I get to finally work on my artsy fun stuff! I was really interested in how this project would work, because I’ve only done decoupaging a few times—but it’s turned out great so far.

8:30pm—I sit down to review Ephesians 4-6 before calling Chris to discuss it together. We’re working through the book of Ephesians together and this finishes off the book.

9:30pm—Time to shower and get the day off me. It was a really busy, but fun, day—and I’m definitely ready to go to bed. I do have to get up early again tomorrow for work, so I go to sleep shortly after my shower tonight—no staying up to read because I’m too plumb tired.

On Contentment

My Mom loaned me a book a while back by Joni Eareckson Tada and Steven Estes called "When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty". It was only recently that I started reading it and so far, I am thoroughly enjoying it. The following is an excerpt from the chapter entitled "Gaining Contentment".

"When you realize you are among the least, the littlest, the last and the lost, God becomes everything. To be caught up in His superior happiness, is to see His love infused in and entertained around everything. Absolutely everything.
You find your heart drawn nearer to God by the smallest of enjoyments. 'When your husbands are at sea,' says Jeremiah Burroughs, 'and they send you a token of their love, it is worth more than forty times what you already have in your houses. Every good thing the people of God enjoy, they enjoy it...as a token of God's love...and this must needs be very sweet to them.'
To the contented person, the God-given token can be an hour of listening to Bach by the fireside. Sitting under a tree on a blustery day. Pulling over on the road to take in a kaleidoscope sunset. You find yourself peeling an onion only to stop and marvel at the beauty of its concentric rings, all perfect and delicate. You see a kitten wrestling with a sock and giggle over God's sense of humor. Our duties are sweet when seen as service to Him...When everything becomes a token of God's love, you feel as though you possess everything; yet you have nothing!"

Are you truly enjoying every good thing God has given to you? We are so undeserving and unworthy of even the smallest of His blessings. Take time to delight in each token of love God gives to you. Don't let even the smallest one go unnoticed. Each one is a special gift. Just for you. From the Creator of the Universe.

Fun with Photos

I discovered a new photo editing program this week and am loving it. So today, I dug out some old photos and had fun messing around. Here's some edited pictures that bring back special memories of my time living in the Minnesota twin cities as a nanny.

Ahhh...the daily traffic there. I'm pretty sure I don't miss that, but it was a fun challenge learning to drive a 12 passenger van in this crazy traffic. This was a normal picture of traffic no matter what time of day you were driving.

Just in case you're wondering, I don't usually take pictures while I'm driving. At least...not too often. :) Actually, these were taken with my old camera which wasn't near as big as the nicer camera I now own. It was much easier to take a photo back then than it is now. :)

Two of the little girls in the family I nannied. I loved the fact that Minnesota had some sort of lake literally every place you went. We spent a lot of time swimming that summer. :)

Just because I'm curious, for you photographers out there, I'd love to know what photo editing program you use and why. Or do you even use an editing program? Am I just nuts in thinking that photographers edit most all their photos?

Strawberry Soup/Smoothie recipe

What's more refreshing on a hot summer day than an ice-cold fruit smoothie?

I've been enjoying my blender this summer. A few days ago, I remembered a recipe for Strawberry Soup that I used to make for lunch on hot days. Once I had the thought in my head, I could almost taste it. I had to make that soup again.

So I pulled out my recipe and started dumping the ingredients into the blender. When it was finished, I took it outside. You can't drink an ice-cold smoothie and thoroughly enjoy it unless you're sitting outside in the hot sun, right?

Chilled Fruit Soup

1 bag frozen strawberries
1 tbsp. vanilla
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. yogurt
1/4 c. sour cream
whipped cream

Blend thawed strawberries in food processor or blender until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla and sour cream. Blend very well, then blend in yogurt. Serve in chilled compote dishes. Garnish with whipped cream and a slice of strawberry. Serves 6.

It is definitely a very refreshing treat on a hot summer day! (And a bit healthier than ice cream!)

Our Recent Visitor

Last week we had a visitor. It wasn't your usual kind of visitor.

It was late in the evening. Our cat, Molly, was sitting in her usual spot by our patio door. (She sits there for a lot of the day. I think she's hoping something interesting will happen.)

All of a sudden, she started going crazy. Meowing, running around, scratching at the door, running to the front door and back, and meowing again. Joe decided to go see what the deal was and when he did, he discovered this.
It was a little "baby" opossum! I'd never seen one so tiny...it was almost cute. I grabbed my camera and got a bunch of pictures. It seemed to enjoy hiding in the corner by my ivy plant.

I got a good laugh over Molly's excitement. She has sat at that patio door ever since we got her, and finally, she actually got to see something exciting.