The Girlhood Gazette

Sense & Sensibility Sale!

2011-12-26T08:32:00.000-08:00

I know I have practically neglected this blog of late, but... just wanted to make sure you all know about Sense & Sensibility Pattern's annual year-end sale that started today! 15% off EVERYTHING! The sale is in effect until midnight of the 31st... so start shopping!

American Duchess Devonshire 18th Century Shoes

2011-08-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

My sister found this shoe company that makes beautiful 18th century shoes! They've just released their new "Devonshire" shoes, made of leather (they have the same style shoe in silk as well, the "Georgiana"). These are just so gorgeous!! They are on sale for the pre-order now! If you're like us, you LOVE historical gowns and these would just be perfection with a colonial dress. I think shoes really can make or break your look for historical accuracy!

The Devonshires are a leather 18th century shoe based on museum examples from the 1760s through 1780s. They're made of top-grade dyable leather, with a beautiful, smooth Italian leather sole for dancing, and are hard-wearing, water- and mud-proof, for even the toughest of outdoor re-enactments.
Pre-Order the Devonshires through August 10, and get the special $100 price. We're only making 200 of these shoes, so don't miss the chance to own one of only a couple hundred pair on the planet! Visit www.american-duchess.com to order.

Win free desktop calendars!

2011-01-29T13:20:00.000-08:00

Enter to win a set of pretty floral computer desktop calendars over at my photography blog, kathryngracephotography.blogspot.com! Two winners will be chosen, and if there is a high number of entries, three winners will be chosen.

Hurry - it ends at noon on January 31, 2011! CLICK HERE to read the rules and enter!

Photography Contest Results!

2011-01-15T06:43:00.000-08:00

I am so thrilled to announce the winners of the first ever Maidens of Virtue Photography Contest! All in all I received nearly 100 entries, which was far more than I had expected! In fact, I had such a time trying to narrow it down that I decided to award not just one prize, but 1st, 2nd and 3rd, plus finalists... plus honorable mentions. :-) I know you are itching to see who won, so scroll on down to see the wonderful photos that placed, along with what I loved about each one. On some I am including what the photographer said about their photo. Amazing work, everyone!

1st Place: Laura A.

What is not to love about this incredible photo? It's absolutely gorgeous. I loved how crystal clear the water is - just solid blue the whole way. The composition and lighting are beautiful and of course the action captured is amazing.

Laura wins a Blogger design from Prairie Rose Designs and a free Fracture frame!

2nd Place: Wendy H.

I loved the soft colors in this photo and the beautiful light coming on to the mother's face. The sweet, pure love between mother and child is just precious. This photo is so genuine and unposed. Beautiful!

Wendy wins a Blogger design from Prairie Rose Designs!

3rd Place: Kamirin C.

This is such a unique photo. I was intrigued by the interesting composition and crop, and I loved the restful feeling. The colors are beautiful as well, and I like how your eye travels across the photo, finally resting on the bride. Wonderful work!

Kamirin wins a custom header, banner and button set from Prairie Rose Designs.

Below are the finalists that came SO CLOSE to making it in the top three! Outstanding work, all of you!

Laura A.

Gorgeous lighting and colors in this... such a sweet picture of innocence.

Erica B.

Freshly fallen snow! What could be more pure than that?

Laura L.

The love between daddy and daughter... precious. Loved the color and light coming through her hair.

Allison M.

Great composition and focus, and I like the contrast of the pure pearls against the dirty rock.

"Purity also reminded me of pearls. As you know, oysters make pearls by coating bits of sand with soft layers. What a great analogy for us to use when we get irritated! Soft answers to others, relinquishing our 'rights' to One Who laid all His down, and the list goes on! By putting a few pearls on the dirty stone step, I wanted to visualize how we are to look to the world around us. Remaining pure in God's sight, regardless of the dirt of sin that surrounds us, and thus pointing the way to the Savior Who can cleanse us of sin."

Laura L.

Beautiful splash of sunlight coming through the flower petals!

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." James 1:17

Even though this picture is of a flower, the focus is the light shining through it. It reminded me of this verse about the light and purity of God."

Wendy H.

God's creation is marvelous. Love the vibrant blues and greens in this one.

And, just because I was having such a hard time deciding which photos would make it into the finals and win the top 3, I'd also like to feature some honorable mentions, who exhibited creativity in using theme.

Elizabeth A.

Love the beautiful pink in this and the dew/rain drops.

Savannah L.

Very neat! I really like the sparkles in this.

"Those who are pure don't hide themselves away from the world but must live amongst this impure world. We are to be "in the world, but not of the world" and this photograph illustrates that. These beautiful tree buds are in the world but yet protected and kept pure by a thick layer of ice. This can represent our family and church and God, protecting us from harm and corrupting influences."

Allie R.

This has great focus and I liked the heart pendant she used to highlight the word!

Kathryn I.

Very clever! Great pure, crisp reflection.

Hannah B.

Good clean soap! I liked how the bubbles are coming out of the bowl.

Congratulations everyone! And a big thank you to our sponsor, Fracture! (And Prairie Rose Designs, but that's my business so it hardly does to thank myself. :-))

What did you think of the contest? Did you enjoy it? Should I do another one in the future? Leave a comment and let me know!

Photography Contest - Last Chance

2010-12-29T10:55:00.000-08:00

Well, folks... I'm still amazed the year has gone by so quickly. There are only 2 more days left of December and then we enter 2011. You know what that also means... yes, the photography contest is ending!

I've received some beautiful entries thus far and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes in at the last minute. You are free to submit as many photos as you like before midnight on December 31, 2010! (Ok, and I won't turn you away if you happen to get your entry in at 12:01 am on January 1, 2011! :-)).

Remember, there is no entry fee and you could win a free blog makeover (for Blogger) from PrairieRoseDesigns.com and a free photo frame from FractureMe.com!

Click on the banner below to read the rules and enter your photos!

For only a dollar...

2010-12-16T10:54:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you are familiar with Sense & Sensibility Patterns. If you do not follow their website frequently, however, you may not know about their Dollar Downloads, which are downloads of period articles on fashion, etc. that are actually from the era. There are a lot of early 1900's and 1940's-50's available. These would be very interesting for anyone who loves historical fashion, especially for use in research if you are making an authentic gown. Each one is only a dollar! Check it out!

P.S. Like historical sewing and old fashioned things? Check out this new blog (and leave her a comment!): A Lass of Yesteryear

Photography Contest... Last Weeks!

2010-12-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

Time is running out for the Maidens of Virtue Photography Contest! The deadline for entries is December 31, 2010... that's less than 3 weeks away! You can enter as many photos as you wish for more chances to win our great prizes! Click on the banner above to visit the contest page.

Please pass this on to your friends!

Movie Review: The Runner from Ravenshead

2010-11-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

I just had the opportunity to watch The Runner from Ravenshead, a feature film by Little Crew Studios from the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. The movie won the Audience Choice award and was runner up for both Best Feature and Best of Festival.

This film features an all-child cast, ages 9 down to 2, and there are only 5 kids in it. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting much. This was the family's first attempt at film-making, and besides, how good could a bunch of kids be at acting?

Well... was I in for a surprise. The movie was FANTASTIC! It was extremely well done, well acted, and well written. The storyline is similar to Pilgrim's Progress. Sam has escaped from Ravenshead Prison and is running away from her warden, but no matter how fast she runs or how she tries to outwit him, he is always right behind her. Meanwhile, the City of Refuge Guide Service has run out of trained guides to help escaped prisoners reach the City of Refuge, so they send their cleaning boy, Henry, to help Sam.

The movie is humorous and endearing. Henry runs into all sorts of trouble and had me rolling on the floor. The youngest two kids are absolutely adorable. All of them are wonderful actors especially considering their age. I wish I could act that good. :-)

The filming quality was great and very professional and there were some great stunts involved too. All the sets were perfect - all kids' size! There are also several scenes where the same actor will be playing different roles and talking to himself, or where there is a crowd of people, but it's all the same 5 kids. Very impressive!

The music was phenomenal; they hired a professional orchestra to play the soundtrack and it lends a lot to the movie.

This film gets a 5-star rating from me - there wasn't anything I didn't like about it! Great for the whole family - if you're looking for a good, clean, wholesome Christian film, this is it! You can watch the trailer and buy the DVD at Vision Forum.

Pretty Please...

2010-10-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

I'm very sorry for posting another advertisement-style post, but I'd like to ask for your help. I've entered a toddler's bedtime story contest, and in order to win the contest, I need to get people to vote on my story. In short, I am trying to catch up to some people with over 2,000 votes (haha, I know... well, I can at least try). So I'm asking that if you read this, you would take a second to vote. AND if you are really nice, you'll come back and vote multiple times - you are allowed to vote once every day! All you have to do is visit the link below and click the "vote" button. I'd also appreciate it if you would share this with your friends and/or family if you think of it. Thank you! :-)

http://www.naturemadesleep.net/stories/285

(End of commercial).

Communication Crisis?

2010-10-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been thinking about the developments in technology and how it's changing the way we communicate. I'm not on Facebook and I don't intend to get on, but pretty much everyone I know IS on Facebook. People joke about how they are "addicted" to it... but I wonder if they ever really think about whether that is true or not. Facebook (and Twitter) is accessible 24/7 now with its availability on phones. Some people will update their statuses all the time with trivial information. A friend of mine was saying how she had blocked so many people on her Facebook because she just didn't need to know that they have smelly feet or that they ate pizza for dinner. A while back my mom announced she was deleting her Facebook account, and she got a message from a friend who said, "But... how will you communicate?? This is how people talk now."

It is a delightful Autumn day today... the sun is shining brightly, and the air is crisp with the scent of falling leaves. Every year I am reminded how much I love fall! I think I may love it a teensy bit more than spring. I have been very (very, very, very times 10) bad about posting here and haven't posted any really meaty posts in a while. So here's an attempt... :-)

Is it? What happened to picking up the phone, or writing a letter? Or better yet, having someone over for lunch just to be together and chat? I don't mean to say that Facebook and Twitter are inherently evil or wrong. They're not. But if it becomes such a priority in your life that you can't imagine what you would do without it, and you must be able to check it everywhere, all the time, something's not right there. Texting is right up there with FB and Twitter. All these avenues of "convenient" communication teach us to disregard basic rules of communication, like spelling (wht's sp nywy?). :-)

And another thing about texting, and social networking on phones. It's distracting. Both for the user and the people they are around. Apparently nobody realizes anymore that it's rude to be in the middle of a conversation with someone, and suddenly whip out your phone, and start typing away, acting as if you are ignoring your companion (whether you are really listening or not is not the point). The other person feels as though you don't care to talk to them, and you are just too caught up in checking your texts to listen and hold a conversation.

Some of my friends tell me, "You should get a Facebook! I can keep up with my friends so much better on Facebook!" Hmmm. I'm not so sure that Facebook really helps you keep up with your friends. After all, there isn't much that's personal about Facebook. You type what you are currently doing at the moment in that little box, hit "share" and it's visible to everyone that calls themselves your "friend" in the FB world (and that could be hundreds of people!). Of course, it is still fun... why else is half the world on Facebook? One reason I'm NOT on it, is I know I would like it too much!

It seems like there is a lot more worldliness in Christian circles than there used to be. Conversations revolve around secular topics - movies, sports, and politics. I have a feeling this is related to Facebook... teaching us to value the things that don't really matter. We don't talk about what's going on in each other's lives anymore. We just talk about little nothings, hardly any different that what we talked about the last time we saw each other! And again, I don't have a problem necessarily with talking about movies or politics... but when it seems like that is ALL you talk about, there's a problem.

This is an introductory post to a series of posts I would like to do about writing letters... why we should and how we should, maybe with some fun tutorials thrown in as well. Make sure to come back!

Joyfully At Home... The Book

2010-10-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

I just found out today that Jasmine Baucham's new book, Joyfully At Home is now available from Vision Forum! If you are not familiar with Jasmine, she has a blog with the same title as the book, where she writes encouraging articles for young women. If you have not visited her blog before, I highly recommend that you hop over there and read the archives!

At any rate, I have not yet read the book, but if it is anything like her other writings it promises to be a great blessing! Lord willing, I will post a review of the book at a later date after I have read it. :-) For now, grab a copy for yourself!

Apple Cinnamon Clafoutis

2010-10-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this look divine? This was the recipe we made for Cross Country Bakers last month. It's a French dessert made with apple custard-like filling. Mmmmm... I thought it was about time I posted a recipe for you all, so try this one out for your next dessert (or have it for breakfast like we did!). Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Clafoutis

Ingredients:

* About 3 or 4 apples
* 2 large eggs + 1 yolk
* 1/2 cup blond cane sugar
* 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
* 3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
* 1 cup whole milk, cold
* 1 vanilla, seeds removed (I didn't have vanilla seeds so I used 1 tsp. vanilla)
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* ground cinnamon

Steps:

* Preheat your oven at 350ºF.
* Peel the apples and cut into cubes or slices whatever you feel is best for the oven dish you are using (I used ramekins)
* Beat the eggs and yolk with the sugar.
* Add the vanilla seeds and mix.
* Dilute the cornstarch in the cold milk.
* Add the flour and cornstarch to the previous preparation, with the cream. Mix well until homogeneous. Add ground cinnamon to your liking.
* Grease small ramekins (or a larger dish) and sprinkle with sugar. Remove the excess.
* Divide the apples between them and pour the cream over.
* Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and place in the oven for 40 to 45 min, until golden. Remove. Eat warm or cold.

Original recipe from Jungle Frog Cooking.

New Contest Sponsor: Fracture

2010-09-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled that we have a new prize added to our photography contest, generously donated by our new sponsor, Fracture! If you haven't heard of Fracture before, you need to check it out. It's a neat new way to "frame" your photos. You upload your photo, choose a frame (or no frame) and Fracture actually prints your photo ON GLASS. My mom got one of my sister and me and the quality is amazing. The colors are so vivid, it looks as vibrant as when you view the picture on your computer!

Fracture is awarding a free photo print in the size of your choice to the winner of the photography contest! How exciting is that? Start entering now! :-)

Photography Contest Reminder!

2010-09-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

I know, you all just *love* my reminder posts. But, it's been a while since I have mentioned the photography contest I have going on at the main Maidens of Virtue site! It is hard to believe that what started out as "all year left" is now only just over 3 months left in the contest!

We've also finally announced the beginnings of our prize list! In addition to your photo being featured on Maidens of Virtue, the first place winner will be receiving a full Blogger site design from PrairieRoseDesigns.com!

I'll continue to post updates as we go along... but time is quickly running out. Remember, you can enter as many photos as you want, at any time. And it's FREE to enter, so what do you have to lose?

Vision Forum Sale

2010-09-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

I just found out about this... Vision Forum has a brand new look for their website and until the 18th, they are having daily $1 deals on select products, free gifts with certain orders and free shipping! Click the banner below for details:

Interview with The Joy of Jewelry

2010-08-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of getting to know Joy, a lovely young lady who has recently started up her own jewelry business called The Joy of Jewelry. Her products are just *beautiful* and I am so pleased to be able to interview her! Enjoy the interview and when you're done, hop on over to her website and check out all the scrumptious gems she has to offer!

Kathryn: Can you tell my readers a little about yourself?

Joy: I am going to be turning 21 this year, I am a homeschool graduate and a pastor's daughter. I have done several years of independent studies on Nutrition, and am now attempting to learn to speak (and understand!) Irish Gaelige.

Kathryn: When did you start designing jewelry and why?

Joy: My sister and I always loved making dress-up jewelry when we were younger, and as I got older I began to buy some beads that were a little more 'grown up' than the plastic O's we used to string on thick, stretchy white string. I also read 'The American Girl's Handybook' that was in publication during the early 1900s, and became fascinated with the 'language' of flowers and colors. When I found a list of different colors and their significance in the Bible, that clinched my interest! I love the idea that we can be reminded of different truths, revealed to us through Scripture, by our jewelry.

Kathryn: How did you get the idea to start a business making jewelry?

Joy: When I was 16, one of the ladies we knew payed me to make two necklaces for her daughter's birthday and left the design up to me. Since then I have had many people tell me that I should sell my jewelry, and as I got older and saw the lack of really beautiful and sturdy (affordable) jewelry, I began to think that perhaps I might be able to do it after all. But it wasn't until a mutual friend introduced me to you - who offered to design a template for me in exchange for some jewelry - that I actually believed that it would ever happen.

Kathryn: What are your goals for your business?

Joy: My goals for my business are to glorify God as I create and sell jewelry, and to bless ladies across the country with beautiful reminders of purity and other truth.

Kathryn: You design each piece intentionally with certain colors or beads to represent things. How do you get your ideas?

Joy: I was fascinated when I discovered that there was an official 'language' to colors and flowers, and when I discovered a website that had a list of colors and their significance in the Bible, I couldn't resist incorporating different color combinations into my jewelry.
I get inspired by period films, nature, and modern fashion, and my jewelry is an attempt to combine the finer styles with purity and beauty.
As far as the truths that are represented by my jewelry, they are convictions and conclusions that I have come to as I read the Bible and learn more about Jesus. I try to give a little glimpse into my inspiration for each jewelry collection on my website.

Kathryn: What are your most popular pieces?

Joy: It would be difficult to pick the most popular piece because different ones appeal to different people. The Purity for Life pieces have been very popular - with many people commenting particularly on the delicacy of the chain that I use for the Exquisite Chain and Crystal Necklace and Bracelet - but probably the most popular piece is the Heart and Key Bracelet.

Kathryn: Thank you so much for allowing me to interview you, Joy! Keep up the good work!

As she mentioned in the interview, I designed her website template in exchange for some jewelry. I received the Purity for Eternity Sapphire Crystal Necklace and the Purity for Life Double Stranded Bracelet. I am VERY pleased with both! The quality is excellent and they both fit beautifully. Joy's service was wonderful as well! I am a big Swarovski crystal fan so I love my two pieces! Below are some photos of the pieces I received (click on the picture to go to Joy's website and buy one for yourself!).

Feelin' Feminine Jane Austen Tour

2010-08-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

Miss Jocelyn over at Feelin' Feminine is hosting a fun Jane Austen blog "tour" and giving away some great prizes! As you'll see from that button there, it ends today... so I'm participating rather last minute. Ah well, better late than never, right?! (Click the button to see more details).

The premise of the "tour" is to create a Jane Austen related post(s) on your blog and enter them into one of the several categories listed on Feelin' Feminine. I decided to go with the Digital Art category since that was the easiest for me, being that I am a graphic designer. :-) I created a wallpaper for your desktop, featuring Jane and Elizabeth Bennett (from Pride & Prejudice of course!).

One reason I went with Jane & Lizzy is because everyone seems to focus so much on Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, and everything revolves around them in most graphics, pictures, etc. But one of the things our family most enjoys about Pride & Prejudice is the relationship between the two sisters. They are obviously very close and they are each other's confidantes and - gasp - they actually.... like each other! Which is something of a foreign concept in today's society.

You are welcome to download the wallpaper for your own personal use; I just ask that you respect my copyright of the design and do not sell or distribute it (if you want your friends to have one too, just send them the link to this post). Please comment and let me know if you use it! Unfortunately those were the largest images I could find and so they are a little pixelated - my apologies for that!

How to download: Click on the image. It will open up in a larger size. Right click on it again (Mac users hold Control while clicking) and select "Save Image As..." Save it to your computer and apply as you would any other desktop wallpaper.

(Credit for photos: Eras of Elegance. In addition, images in this graphic are displayed in good faith as a fair use under 17 U.S.C. 107. Any copyright infringement is unintentional, and will be remedied immediately.)

2010 Essay Contest Results!

2010-07-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not getting the results of the essay contest up here! I've been busy and haven't had time yet. Below are the winners, runners up and excerpts from their essays (links included to continue reading the complete essay). Congratulations to all the winners and runners up!

9-13 Age Group Winner: Miss Johanna W.

9-13 Age Group 1st Runner Up: Miss Carrie A.
9-13 Age Group 2nd Runner Up: Miss Robyn G.

14-25 Age Group Winner: Miss Rachel D.

14-25 Age Group 1st Runner Up: Miss Ginelle V.
14-25 Age Group 2nd Runner Up: Miss Kayla H.

Representing Christ - 9-13 Category Winner
By Johanna W.

True Modesty is not found in a man made set of rules, regulations or guidelines, but springs forth in a heart living for Christ. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says~ “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.”

In the absence of biblical convictions, most people find them selves going the way of culture. This is true even in the realm of modesty. Most young woman these days think that beauty is found in the most revealing outfit, or the latest fashion—the way of culture. But the bible says that true beauty is found in a gentle, quiet, or in other words; a modest spirit. Modesty is like a tree, rooted in purity, branching forth in many aspects of our lives. A few of these branches include the way we dress and the way we act.

Our Dress represents our heart. If we dress ourselves in immodest clothes, we are displaying an impure heart. But if we dress in modest apparel then we reveal a virtuous heart.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says~ “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body...”

Honor God with your body! We need to glorify God in every thing we do, including the way we dress. Dressing modestly not only represents Christ, but~ you, your family, your parents and your Christian community.

Continue reading this essay.

A Remedy - 14-25 Category Winner
By Rachel D.

During the 20th century there was a wide spread plague. Few people were left unaffected by this infection and the consequences have been devastating. This epidemic caused society as a whole to exchange the old-fashioned practice of modesty for the stylish concept that revealing your body is glamorous. Our generation’s loss of modesty is only an outward symptom of this gruesome disease, which is a grievous lack of purity, chastity, humility, and self-control, to name a few. As people have rejected the biblical standard accepted by our fore-fathers, they have lost all the blessings and rewards of the righteous. With lust, immorality, and selfishness having long been planted in the hearts of a nation, the harvest is to continue bringing dissatisfied hearts, broken lives, and ruined relationships. Long have we been reaping these consequences already. “Be not deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap.”

Famously, the Good Samaritan once undertook an immense challenge to reach a wounded man. He “bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine.” In the same way, young women today have the enviable opportunity to reach a wounded world. By recapturing God’s sacred design for us as young women, we can have a resonating impact on the degenerating lives around us. Knowingly, God designed ladies to guard their bodies and heart, to be elegant and dignified, and to showcase femininity. Modesty of spirit and expression are oil and wine that the dying can little afford to be without.

Summer is staring at the side walk time. As soon as June rolls around, it seems as though skimpiness is the new dress code. Not to say that there aren’t ample representatives of this popular style all through the year. Today, ladies treat their bodies with little respect, all the while claiming to have won themselves honor by breaking free from societies “sexist restrictions”. Showing parts of the body intended to be kept private and sacred sadly demeans an individual. Why trade mystery and dignity for cheap, momentary attention from dishonorable men?

Continue reading this essay.

The Value of Modesty - 14-25 Category Runner Up
By Ginelle V.

What is modesty? According to the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary, modesty is, among other things, “propriety in dress, speech or conduct.” Nowadays when we discuss modesty, it is usually in relation to what one wears. In fact, the only time we discuss modesty at all is in relation to how immodest our society has become. Does anyone even really know what modesty looks like anymore? How can we possibly know true modesty in our ever changing world?

The only way we can truly know the right standard of modesty is by looking at the place where the standard never changes: God’s word. There are a few verses that show exactly what God thinks of modesty and of those who are immodest. For example, Proverbs 11:22 says, “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discression.” As unflattering as this verse is, it presents an undeniable truth: no matter how beautiful a woman is, she loses the respect of those around her when she dresses herself immodestly.

Continue reading this essay.

A State of Being - 14-25 Category Runner Up
By Kayla H.

Click. Eye contact. (I smile.) Eyes go down. And back up again. She walks away. Such is the scenario which plays over and over again in my day-to-day life – at the grocery store, at the fairground, at the post office. Yes, I am wearing a long skirt and a loosely-fitting shirt. It’s an outfit which I consider cute, but definitely not “normal” by worldly standards. I stick out – almost as much as a sore thumb – but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Nearly every individual on planet Earth makes an important decision each morning. No, it’s not what to eat for breakfast. The decision I’m referring to is what to wear. Most individuals do not realize the weight this decision holds. They conclude within the recesses of their hearts and minds, "It simply depends on my preferences. At the end of the day, no one else cares; what I wear only affects me." However, the Bible sings a different tune.

Continue reading this essay.

The Service of Modesty - 9-13 Category Runner Up
By Carrie A.

What is modesty?

It’s many things. It’s why we don’t walk around without clothes on. We all have jobs and duties in this world, a loyalty to others and to the Father.

The same way that we should keep the world clean and the water pure we should keep our souls clean and our body’s pure.

Have you ever gone by a park, small road or town that has trash lying around and looks like no one cares about its appearance? When you walk out of the house in an outfit that EVERYONE at school is wearing but your dad would freak if he saw you in, you are demonstrating that you don’t care how others feel. Immodesty is a selfish act.

Continue reading this essay.

What is Modesty? - 9-13 Category Runner Up
By Robyn G.

What Is Modesty?

The Greek word for modesty is “adios” that literary means bashfulness, reverence and shamefacedness. Today in this day and age many woman are not shamefaced about their modesty. They do not cover themselves like the bible commands us to in 1 Timothy 2:9 says, “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.” KJV There you have it! God commands us to be modest and not to think about the way we look unless we are making sure we are modest.

Continue reading this essay.

Click HERE to view complete contest results

Congrats, everyone! See you next year!

Essay Contest Prizes!

2010-06-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

Well, we have less than a week left until our Essay Contest is closed to entries! I'd encourage you to check it out and write an essay (and enter it of course!). It's always good to push yourself to write and you never know - you just might win and receive a really wonderful bundle of goodies!

I thought I'd detail the prize list here with descriptions and pictures (where I have them!).

The first person to contribute to our prize was Amelia's Aprons. Amelia's Aprons has supported our contests in the past and was so kind to do so again! The 9-13 year old category winner will be receiving the Amish Apron Pattern, which is an adorable pinafore style apron - very cute and very practical! Perfect for using to be a "prairie girl" or just for wearing around the house to keep your clothes tidy. The 14-25 age group winner will receive the Ruffles & Curves Apron Pattern; another super cute style with a curved hem and ruffles! (surprise!). Both patterns come with a child's size, adult size and a doll size, so you can make some for all the ladies in your family!

Next up is a Sense & Sensibility ePattern! I have the Afternoon Dress pictured here, but you will receive the ePattern of your choice. Sense & Sensibility is a widely recognized and respected pattern company for historical gowns. If you visit their website, you can see dozens of beautiful gowns made from the patterns (and get ideas for making your own dress!). The ePatterns are printable PDF versions of the pattern that you print and then tape together. It is perhaps more work than a regular pattern, but you have the advantage of being able to download it instantly (no waiting for it to ship!) and you will have it on your computer if you lose a piece or need to make it again in a different size.

Our third contributor is Roses and Teacups, one of my favorite online stores! And guess what they have given to our prize... yep, a lovely china teacup for each category!

Seasons at Home is a lovely magazine for keepers at home, filled with tasty recipes, craft projects and encouraging articles. They have graciously donated one issue to each winner! The subjects covered in this issue are: Flowers of Virtue, Stitching Old Fashioned Flowers, Summer Rag Quilting, Little Ladies Victorian Tea, Make a Hope Chest (Father project), Whole Grain Flat Breads, Ice Cream Cones and Pasta! This is a beautiful magazine and after you get this sampling you just might want to subscribe. :-)

***Here's where it gets different. I have two completely different prizes for the different categories:***

The younger group will get a knitting kit for making mittens! It includes yarn in a fun variegated purple and green yarn, knitting needles, and of course, instructions. Knitting is such a fun and practical skill to learn - you can easily make gifts, things for around the home or to put in your hope chest! (photo to come!)

The older category will be receiving a beautiful pair of earrings from The Joy of Jewelry. The Joy of Jewelry is a new business that creates gorgeous handmade Swarovski crystal jewelry (I admit I have a weakness for Swarovski crystals!). I have a necklace and bracelet from them and they are both high quality and look great! These lovely little droplets are from their "Passionate Purity" collection and are hand crafted from gold-plated surgical steel, deep red Swarovski crystals, and Grade A Swarovski pearls. You'll love them. :-) The winner will have a choice of pierced or clip-on earrings.

So now... doesn't it make you want to enter?! It makes me want to... but it would hardly do to enter my own contest. So head on over to read the rules and get writing! You have till June 30, 2010, to enter!

Tell Me... Uh, Monday - My Harp!

2010-06-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

Last Wordless Wednesday I posted this photo:

I meant to post my Tell Me Thursday about it on Thursday like I was supposed to, but didn't have time. So it's coming late... on Monday.

Those of you who have read my blog for a while know I play the harp and I have been saving for my own bigger harp. Well, a little over a week ago I had a wonderful surprise. Back in March, I was able to order the harp, but the company was backed up on orders and told me it would be 6 months before it would be done. So I was prepared to wait till September to get my harp, and I was praying hard for patience (and at the same time praying that somehow it could be finished earlier - say, August).

Well, the Lord loves to answer prayers and He answered that one far beyond my hopes. A week or so ago I was working on a sewing project in the basement, and I heard a lot of screwing, banging around, and general racket going on upstairs. I, however, was deeply engrossed in making a ribbon flower, and absently thought my mom and sister must be hanging pictures (which would be very odd and besides, there was far too much noise to be only picture-hanging. But you must understand, ribbon flowers take a lot of focus).

Well, my mom called me to come up and "let the cat in." When I came up, Mom had a video camera in her hand. That meant something was up! I still was clueless and had no idea... I walked into the family room and there... was... I'm sure you can never guess. :-) Yep, my harp!!

Isn't she a beauty? It sounds beautiful and I LOVE the deep, full bass notes. It's been so much fun playing through all my old songs and hearing how much fuller they sound! Once again, a huge thank you to my friend, Raeanne, who let me play her little harp for nearly two years while I waited for this one... it was an immense blessing.

The Lord is good!

Wordless Wednesday - My Harp!

2010-06-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

The Essay Contest! Finally!

2010-05-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, today I finally got things up and running for the 2010 essay contest! Our subject is one that, surprisingly, I haven't covered yet in any of my contests. It's a popular and controversial one, so we should get a lot of good entries. Want to know what it is? You'll have to check the website and see!

Now, I got over 30 votes on my poll about what kind of contest to do (figures, it was tied again, so I had to pick myself!). So I'm expecting at least half that number in entries... just for your information. :-) Hey - it's free to enter, it will challenge you to write, and if you win, we have some great prizes as usual! (more on that later).

Ready? Here's the link - happy writing! http://maidensofvirtue.com/essay_contest.html

Cover Your Hair Giveaway

2010-05-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Miss R.J. at VirtuousGirlhood.com is having her very first blog giveaway from Cover Your Hair! CYH carries cute hats, scarves, headbands, and more hair accessories. I personally like the berets and headbands with tails!

Check out THIS LINK and find out how to be entered to win a free headband!

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P.S. I just realized it is May and I still haven't announced any details on this year's writing contest. I can tell you one thing - I am thinking it will be another essay contest. I know many of you wanted a poetry contest, but here are my reasons: I am just better at writing essays myself, and feel I can judge it more fairly. I prefer rhyming poetry, which is not fair to those who write free verse. So... I promise, there WILL be a writing contest some time this year. :-) Thanks for your patience!

Sorry!

2010-04-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

I apologize if you tried to visit my blog or website the last 2 days and got a "This account has been suspended" notice. Somebody hacked my site and started sending out spam, and thus everything was shut down while we resolved it. Thanks for your patience!

Contest Update

2010-03-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

I just realized that it is March and this is usually the time of year that I host either a poetry or essay contest (did you vote on which one it should be? If you didn't, click here to do so - but please don't vote again if you already did). Life has just gotten in the way and I have not had time to organize details for that right now. I will (Lord willing) try to have the contest in April sometime, so be looking out for news on that!

In the meantime, check out the photography contest that is going right now!

IHF Photo Contest

2010-02-23T10:01:00.000-08:00

I'm entering another i heart faces photography contest! This time the theme is hands... Here is a photo I took a few years ago. I really didn't know hardly anything about photography, and yet it still remains one of my favorite photos. You can read the story below.

I had received my own camera for my 16th birthday, and we were out one weekend just doing yardwork, burning brush, etc. and I had my camera on me, as usual. I was out in the yard, and my mom was up on the deck off the back of the house, when she started calling me to come up and bring my camera. This little bird, which we later identified as a Ruby Crowned Kinglet, must have flown into the window and was laying on the deck, stunned. I took a few shots and then mom put on her gloves and picked it up. It didn't seem nervous or anything, but just sat there, and I got this wonderful photo. After that it fluttered off and landed on my sister's shirt and camped out there for a while. :-) Apparently it wasn't too badly injured because later it left. I love looking at this picture because of that memory and just because I like the photo - I like how the lighting came out, and the gray tones. When I decided to enter this one in the contest I tried editing it with Photoshop, and it looked nice... but I decided to go with the original photo after all.

Review: My Favorite CDs

2010-02-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

I love music. I really do! I love playing it and I love listening to it. My sister is even more of a listener than I am probably. We get in the car and we're not even out of the garage before she's asking, "Can you turn on the music?"

Today I thought I would share with you some of my favorite collections of music to listen to. Ready? Here we go!

The Baroque Harp

This is a perfectly lovely CD by Judy Loman, a master harpist. If you saw my last post, you will know that my musical love is the harp. This CD has a marvelous selection of music, ranging from bright and cheerful to slow and soothing. I would listen to this every day, but my sister gets tired of it (she's not as crazy about harp as I am :-) ). You can click on the album image there to buy the mp3 download of the album and you can also listen to samples! I just love the clear tones of the harp (some harp recordings sound tinny - not this one). Highly recommended and completely worth listening to!

What Wondrous Love

Unfortunately I do not have an image for this one. This is a beeeeautiful CD of hymns by the Eden String Quartet, a quartet made up of 4 sisters. Their music is truly uplifting. You turn it on and it really feels like you are being picked up and carried away. The music features the strings and a variety of other instruments play along on some songs, including penny whistle, guitar, and flute.

String Serenades

I got this CD from my dad. It's kind of special, because it has all the string serenades that we heard when he took just me out for a concert and dinner. This is more "intense" music than the two previous CDs but it is beautiful as well. It includes string serenades by Tchaikovsky, Elgar, and Dvorak, which are the three we heard at the concert, as well as two others by Vaughan-Williams and Suk. All of them are very pretty. You might think a serenade would be all very quiet, soothing music, but this CD has it's share of fast and, as I mentioned, intense music.

Music for Solo Harp

Please bear with me as I add one more harp CD. I only have two... so in the future, maybe you can expect to see more harp CD recommendations. :-) This is another fine collection of harp music. This one has more subdued selections, I would say, but certainly no less beautiful. I can only hope someday I will be able to play some of these pieces!

Tell Me Thursday - Harp Heaven

2010-02-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

I posted this photo yesterday for Wordless Wednesday. Amazing isn't it? It's not everyday you get to see a whole room FULL of harps.

Last weekend some friends of ours whom we had not seen in 3 years came up for a visit! Hannah, the older of the two, is an amazing harpist. I'd love to call myself a harpist - perhaps I can - but I have only been playing just over a year and am teaching myself. I have a small 27-string lever harp, which you can see to the right there. I am borrowing it from my incredibly generous friend, Raeanne, who is letting me use it until I can save up for my own harp.

Anyway, back to our guests. Friday morning we somewhat spontaneously decided to make the trip up to visit the Lyon & Healy harp factory. What a place! Perhaps it's just that I am in love with harp that made it so wonderful, but this place is amazing. We toured the factory and got to see how the harps are made. Did you know it takes about a year to complete a harp?! Now I know why they are so painfully expensive. :-)

After touring the factory (no photography allowed - sorry!), we were taken to the harp showroom, which was my WW photo this week. Dozens of harps all lined up in every size, color and kind. We were given a "salesperson" and a little room to the side, and any of the harps we wanted to play, they would wheel in for us! And we could play as long as we wished (it was a good thing we got hungry for lunch or we would have been there a really long time! :-) ).

Hannah requested to play a pedal harp designed by Carlos Salzedo, a modern harpist. This is not my favorite harp from L & H for its looks, but of course I wasn't going to NOT play it! The sound was just amazing and as you see from the pictures, it is HUGE, especially compared to what I am used to playing!

If you are wondering the difference between a lever and pedal harp, lever harps have - guess - levers on them, which allow you to play your notes sharp or flat. Pedal harps use - surprise - pedals to play flats and sharps, and you work them with your feet which frees your hands. You can play more complex music on a pedal harp, and they are much larger with more strings (concert grands - what I am playing in the photo - have 47 strings).

Below is a photo of my favorite harp. I would probably have to save up my whole life to buy this, but it was amazing to play it even if just for a while!

The harp I am currently saving for is a 36 string lever harp from Harps of Praise. Below is a picture of it:

Want to help me get my harp? Of course you do! :-) If your blog needs a fresh look or maybe you are just starting a blog...or maybe you just need a signature to end your posts or a button; head over to www.PrairieRoseDesigns.com. Or you can check out the Maidens of Virtue Shoppe. You can know you are helping the harp fund. :-)

Thanks for visiting!

Wordless Wednesday - Harp Heaven

2010-02-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

Come back tomorrow to read the Tell Me Thursday for this photo!

Photography Contest!

2010-01-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

All right, here's the information on the photography contest I'm hosting! It's going to be open to entries all year - that leaves you plenty of time to take LOTS of photos (you can enter as many as you want at whatever time during the year!).

This contest is open to all ages, and there is only one category, as I think that children are quite as capable of taking photos that can compete with adults.

The theme for this contest is one word: Pure. I wish I could enter this contest myself because I've been thinking of all the different ways this word can be portrayed in photographs! Be creative and use your imagination; think outside the box and come up with as many different ways to apply "Pure" to a photo subject.

Entries will be judged on photo quality, composition, lighting, and originality of interpreting the theme.

We will award one First Place winner, and several runners up. First Place prize information is forthcoming.

You may enter as many photos as you want, at any time during the year (so you could enter photos as you take them, or save them and submit them all at the end). You will only be eligible to win one physical prize, though multiple photos of yours may be awarded runner up.

This contest is FREE to enter; we would, however, appreciate a small donation to go toward the first place prize (this is not required to be entered in the contest). You can make your donation at the contest page.

We will be accepting entries through December 31, 2010 and the winner and finalists will be announced January 15, 2011.

Please visit the contest page HERE to read full details that are not included in this post!

I am counting on lots of fabulous entries!

Want to put that banner on your blog? Grab this code:

Note: Image will be deleted when contest is over.

i heart faces contest

2010-01-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

I am entering a photography contest over at i heart faces, hoping to win a free Tamron lens!! The likelyhood of that happening is very slim, since there are some fabulous professional photographers entering, but at least I can say I tried, right? In order to be entered, I have to post these pictures here on my blog. Here goes...

Photo #1:

This is my lovely sister playing her new panflute outside by our pond (how romantic, isn't it?). This is a beautiful instrument with a pipe for each note.

Photo #2:

This is a little kitten we rescued, named Eppie. We named her after Eppie in "Silas Marner" because she was black (if you know the story, Eppie has to go in the coal shed as punishment for disobeying - hence the black part). She has flattened ears ready to pounce in this photo (I love it when cats do that)!

I am submitting these photos into the I Heart Faces logo photo contest. By entering, I am granting I Heart Faces LLC permission to consider my photos for use in the marketing and promotion of their website.

P.S. This is not the photo contest I mentioned before - more on that coming soon!

Contest coming soon...

2010-01-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

Keep your eyes peeled for some news on a photography contest I'll be having! I'm getting all the details organized and I'll post here when everything is set to go. You can also check the home site, Maidens of Virtue, where I will post the full details.

I've been thinking I should do a photography contest because it seems like photography is very popular right now; at least I seem to be running into a LOT of people who are interested in it.

Feel free to comment and let me know if you think this is a good idea and if you would be entering! (By the way, all you writers out there - this is not to replace the poetry/essay contest I hold in the spring. This is a separate contest and I will still be holding the writing contest, Lord willing. Cast your vote if it should be an essay or poetry contest here).

Wordless Wednesday - Forest of Ice

2009-12-30T09:52:00.000-08:00

Decadence!

2009-12-26T09:51:00.000-08:00

I looked up the word "decadence" in the dictionary and the definition it gave was "luxurious self-indulgence." That just might describe your experience when you make - and more importantly, eat - these little bits of chocolate delight.

This is a winter tradition of ours that my sister and I make chocolate truffles every year. We've experimented with different flavors, like orange and almond, but we've found that our favorite by far (and the most popular among others) is the peppermint. Chocolate and peppermint seem to have been made to go together! Try these out and you'll see why.

Peppermint Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:
1 8-oz.(eight ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 1/2 tsp. pure peppermint extract (or extract of your choice, such as vanilla, orange, almond)
Crushed peppermints for rolling, optional

Instructions:

1. Beat cream cheese until smooth in a large bowl. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until well blended.

2. Stir in melted chocolate until no streaks remain. Mix in peppermint extract. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in crushed peppermints. Store in parchment-lined candy tins in a cool place. Makes about 60 truffles.

P.S. I'm having a year-end special over on my graphic design website! You will receive a FREE custom button with ANY purchase - even if all you buy is a signature or a pre-made Twitter background for $5 (buttons are $7! That's getting $12 worth for only $5!). For those who want lots of work done, if you purchase $50 or more in graphics you'll get the free button PLUS a free custom Twitter background! These offers expire at midnight, December 31st, 2009. Go to www.PrairieRoseDesigns.com to take advantage of this special! :-)

Tell Me Thursday - My Goofball

2009-12-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

Once again, I apologize for the lack of posting. Sometimes life gets in the way and blogging is not always my top priority!

I decided that once in a while I will do Wordless Wednesday as I LOVE photography and this would be a good way to actually use some of the photos I take. :-) (Please note that my photos are copyrighted and may not be reused without permission).

And then the Thursday after, you can come back and read the story behind the photo - if there is one!

I posted the above picture yesterday for WW. This is my kitty. Her name is Gavana - fancy name, isn't it? That's because she is from Russia; she is a special breed which is (mostly) hypo-allergenic, which is important because both my sister and my dad are pretty severely allergic to cats! But with this breed, they are fine - strange, isn't it? The reason is that this breed doesn't have dander, which is the cause of most cat allergies.

Gavana is an extremely talkative, social cat as long as it is only the family around. The second she hears a car in the driveway she bolts upstairs and doesn't come out until the company has left!

She is quite the goofball sometimes, as you can see from the photo. :-) She enjoys sunning herself in very strange positions that look decidedly uncomfortable to me, but seem to be satisfactory to her. She gets in lots of trouble but we love her anyway! :-)

Wordless Wednesday - My Goofball

2009-12-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

Come back tomorrow to read the Tell Me Thursday for this photo!

Sale!

2009-10-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

I hope you'll forgive me for inserting a little commercial here. :-) Over at our home site, MaidensOfVirtue.com, I've marked down my custom-made boa scarves for the chilly weather season!

These fun scarves are warm and feminine and a stylish accessory to add to your fall and winter wardrobe. Hand-crocheted in a cozy homespun yarn in the color of your choice, they make great gifts or get one for yourself! (Or both! Hee hee).

If you are interested in a different type of yarn, like a chenille or chunky yarn for example, just let me know and I'll see what I can do (this may cause the price to be different depending on the yarn).

Please feel free to pass this on to your friends and family who may be interested, or if you're REALLY excited (as I'm sure you all are :-) ) you can post it on your blog. Want that cute graphic? Here's the code (will be deleted after the sale is over):

It's October!

2009-10-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it?"
- "Anne of Green Gables" by L. M. Montgomery

Apples!

2009-09-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of my sister.

Our apples on our trees are starting to become pick-able, and picked they have been! We have two trees, and we're waiting on the other tree as the apples are smaller. These are green, those are red and green. We don't spray our trees (or at least we haven't yet so far) so lots of them have bad spots but you can always cut out bad spots. :-)

And then, this morning, Mom whipped up this WONDERFUL breakfast with our freshly picked apples:

A German apple pancake, baked in a cast iron skillet... OH. YUM. Wish you could have been here to enjoy it with me! (On second thought, maybe not, more for me! :-) ).

Anyway... just a little snippet from our daily life... I have some more serious posts mulling around in my head - I realize it has been quite I while since I did one of that nature. Thanks for stopping by!

Refreshing Summer Cooler

2009-08-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for not posting in so long... things have been busy around here. The weather has been unseasonably cool this summer, though yesterday and today are warmer. On those very hot days, it's always nice to have a little pick-me-up.

Something we have enjoyed lately are watermelon slushies. These are super easy to make and very co-o-o-ld to cool you down on a hot day. This is a recipe we really just make up as we go, so there are no real measurements.

Cut up watermelon into cubes. Most watermelons are seedless nowadays but if you have one with seeds, make sure you get those out. Put your watermelon in your blender. If you are looking for amounts, probably 1/3 full is good. Then add some ice. We start with a bit less than the amount of watermelon we put in. Blend that together. Continue to add more ice until you have reached a thick slushie consistency (no longer runny). Spoon into glasses and enjoy! Oh, and a word of caution - it's a good idea to scoop instead of pour the slushi into the glasses... take it from me, you will end up with a mess on your counter if you don't. :-)

Though we haven't tried it this way yet, you could experiment with flavors too - add a little lemon or orange juice to give it some zing, or maybe mint?

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity."
- John Adams

Book Review: Stay in the Castle

2009-06-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to review this book for some time now but hadn't gotten around to it till now. My dear friend sent me this little booklet, called "Stay in the Castle." It is a short story - I think only 24 pages and easily read in one sitting. For those of you familiar with "The Princess and the Kiss," this is similar.

The book begins with a true story, about the author and a young 16 year old Mexican girl, whom he encourages to stay pure till marriage and in addition, pure for a Christian man, not just anyone. She is struggling with this, so he tells her a tale of a princess who has lived in the castle all her life. Her father, the King, tells her that someday, a young prince that he has already met and chosen, will come to marry her. She believes him for a while, but she begins to yearn to leave the castle and visit what appears to be the merry, glad village below. Her father warns her against this...

And here I will leave you hanging to find out what happens. :-) Isn't that sweet of me? I enjoyed this little book very much. You can order it HERE for only $2.50. It is the first book on the page (I have not read any of the other books listed there and do not recommend them in providing the link).

An Update

2009-06-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not posting in a while. I have been busy with life in general! This is a very short post just to let you know about a couple of things:

1. My new graphic design business is now open! I make website/blog headers as well as banners and buttons. Right now I am having a grand opening SALE, 20% off all normal prices including my already-marked-down package deals. The sale goes through July 10th, 2009. Visit www.PrairieRoseDesigns.com if you are interested.

2. And for all you seamstresses out there who like Sense & Sensibility patterns, all S&S e-patterns are 15% off through midnight of July 5th! Click HERE.

Thanks!

Next Year's Contest

2009-06-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

I figured I would start a poll going now so more people will vote on it. :-) *Update: Poll results are below.*

What should next year's (2010) Maidens of Virtue contest be?

Poetry Contest (35.0%, 14 Votes)
Essay Contest (35.0%, 14 Votes)
Either one! (10.0%, 4 Votes)
I don't like writing poetry OR essays (20.0%, 8 Votes)

Total Voters: 40

The Hope Chest Record Book eBook

2009-06-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

We have a new product over at Maidens of Virtue - an eBook version of The Hope Chest Record Book! Our runners up in the essay contest all received this as their prize (I hope you all are enjoying it! :-) ).

Anyway, it's now available for sale HERE. It's only $3.00 and includes two files; one to print a full page size and the other to print a half page size book. And with an eBook, you can print as many pages as you need!

Click HERE to buy this book or the original print book!

2009 Essay Contest Winners!

2009-06-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce the winners for this year's essay contest! We received so many wonderful entries as you will see when you read the winners and runners up. I'll post the winners/runners up with the titles of their essays and the actual essays will be posted below. I'll not keep you waiting, so here they are!

(Please remember that these essays are copyrighted by their authors and may not be copied to other sites without permission).

9-13 Category Grand Prize Winner:

Miss Hannah H.

"True Beauty"

1st Runner Up: Miss Robyn G. ~ "What is True Beauty?"
2nd Runner Up: Miss Desiree M. ~ "Beauty That Counts"

14-25 Category Grand Prize Winner:

Miss Emily C.

"A Matter of the Heart"

1st Runner Up: Miss Toria H. ~ "Real Beauty?"
2nd Runner Up: Miss Danielle S. ~ "True Beauty is God's Way"

True Beauty - Grand Prize Winner (9-13)
By Miss Hannah H.
There are two types of beauty. There is the way the world sees beauty and the way God sees beauty.

The magazines tell us that the world looks at you, to see your beauty. It looks at your body, makeup, clothes, and hair. It says you can't be fat and you need to show your body. You can't look old and you have to wear makeup. You also need to color your hair. They even like it when you wear tight clothes, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.

The Bible tells us that God looks in you, to see your beauty. He looks in your heart and in Matthew 23:27 He warns us you can "outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness." Psalm 129:14-16 tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and we don't have to worry about being fat. We are made by God. 1 Timothy 2:9-10 says, "likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness." Proverbs 14:30 tells us, "A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot."

Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control." These things in our heart are what make us beautiful. God wants us to know that. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth." Joy means to be happy and content. Peace means to be clam. Patience means being able to wait. Kindness means to be nice to other people every day. Goodness means to be good. Faithfulness means being trustworthy to do what you say. Gentleness means to no be harsh, rough or loud. To have self control means to keep your body from doing what it shouldn't. These are all things we need to work on.

It's ok to be not perfect on the outside in your eyes, it's your heart that matters to God.

What is True Beauty? - 1st Runner Up (9-13)
By Miss Robyn G.
What is true beauty? Well, the world’s definition of beauty is not at all like God’s type of beauty! The world seems to think that beauty is looking like the cover of a magazine. 1st Peter 3:3-4 NKJ says: “Do not, let your adornment be merely outward- arranging of the a hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” I would much rather NOT look like a star, and have a meek and quiet spirit, than look like a star, and not have a meek and quiet spirit. I have nothing against beauty, but we should ultimately be more concerned about how our heart condition is than what color we should dye our hair this week!
Webster’s 1828 dictionary’s definition of beauty is this: 1. “A beautiful person, the chief dignity or ornament.” 2. “Joy, gladness, order, peace, holiness, purity.”
It doesn’t say, “Beauty is looking like a celebrity,” no, but beauty is a beautiful person or ornament. Did you notice the second definition? Yes, it basically says that, True beauty is: “Joy, gladness, order, peace, holiness, purity.” Now, let’s look at the Merriam Webster 1988 version:
Beauty- “Loveliness.” It, says nothing about Joy, love etc, etc! So, as you can see, the world’s version, and God’s version are clearly two very, very, very different things! Take for instance the Proverbs 31 woman, Proverbs 31: 10 says: “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” The Proverbs 31 woman is truly, a virtuous, wise and loving woman! She may not look like the world’s standard of beauty, but her character is truly a beautiful woman! Proverbs 31:30 says: “Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” Once again I would rather be that Proverbs 31 woman, whose character is greatly to be praised then a celebrity, who yes, may be pretty, but what about her character? What about her heart condition? What about her attitude? Yes, I would much rather be that Proverbs 31 woman! 1st Samuel 16:7 says: “For man looketh on the out-ward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”
So, we have defined and found out that God does not look on the out-ward appearance, but the heart. However, what are exactly some characteristics of True Beauty? Well, here are just a few:
1. A heart devoted to God.
2. A heart that cares.
3. A heart that loves.
4. A heart that is marked by purity.
5. A heart that serves and many, many more!
Sadly, though in this day and age, most girls are more concerned about their clothing, hair, how they look, etc, etc, and could care less about True Beauty. When one day we stand before the King of Kings, and he asks about True Beauty are you going to be able to say: I served others, I cared, I loved, I am devoted to you, I kept myself pure, etc, etc??? Or, will we fumble and say, “Oh, I bought 5 cases of makeup every week, or I ONLY dyed my hair every Monday.” Really? God, cares more about our hearts and if we have true beauty than if we “ONLY dyed our hair every Monday.” This world really is a lost and hurting nation! So, my challenge to you is this: Try, just try for 1 week, how it is to serve others, love others, care for others, and be devoted to God. And not think so much about how you look. Now I am not suggesting that you go out looking like a raga-muffin, no, not at all! Just try not spending 50 minutes in front of the mirror just to go shopping!
So, let’s try to be more like Jesus and caring more about True Beauty, than looking like the cover of a magazine.

Beauty That Counts - 2nd Runner Up (9-13)
By Miss Desiree M.
True Beauty, what is it? How do you get? Where is it found? How do you see it? What do you need it for? There are so many questions surrounding it. But through this I hope that I will help you find answers.

So what is it? Well for one it counts! Most others think you beauty on the outside, but does that really count? Will people really remember your makeup or your “True Beauty”? It is what God sees and he sees your true beauty and that counts. “... Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). You may put on makeup, perfume, nail polish, jewelry, and make your hair nice and cute and make others think you look pretty. But God does not see that. He sees the INSIDE!! He wants beauty that truly counts! It is the heart that he wants to make beautiful.

“You’re 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 quiet sprit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3:4-5). If you looked deep down in your heart what do you see? Discouragement, anger, discontentment, bitterness, lying, fear, sadness, or selfishness. If you see these things inside your heart then go to God’s Word and see how He will help you change that. On the other hand do you have True Beauty: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control? That is what God see, and to Him all that counts. God’s Word clearly states that we need His help to have True Beauty. Nowhere else can we find True Beauty. But we are around people all the time that have this view that it is the outside that counts. We need to stay close to God’s Word. I have already stated two very clear verses that show what God thinks on this matter. But God truly wants to see it. So I want give you some ideas on how you can have True Beauty. For one ask, God

He is always VERY happy to help. Read good books that will help, they are such a help. You can see how God can use other influences. By seeing how they struggle, we can see how through Christ they have overcome the world, and you can too! Next, work with other young ladies that might be struggling with this problem, then you can strive to encourage each other. This can be not only encouraging, but also fun! Talk with parents; they see things that we need to improve. They can help by showing us how we can improve in a certain quality and encouraging us. I am sure that they and God are happy when they see us striving to please God. There are many more things that can help us, so pray and see how God wants to help you. Then as we strive to be more Christ like, we can truly say (no matter how we look) “I am beautiful”!!

A Matter of the Heart - Grand Prize Winner (14-25)
By Miss Emily C.
Every year People Magazine issues a special edition called “100 Most Beautiful People.” The physical allure of celebrities, actresses, and models is promoted as the epitome of beauty and the ultimate goal for every young girl in America. Yet, the moral decline of America’s youth exemplified in the rise of teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, and eating disorders seems to prove quite the contrary. Since these beautiful people, the “cultural gods”, if you will, have been set up as role models for America’s children, we have seen a generation of young women arise who have not become any more beautiful, but in fact increasingly morally repulsive.

As America moves more towards an image based culture it is perfectly logical that the way one looks makes a difference. In order to become the face to represent America, women tout their charms in beauty competitions such as the Miss America pageant every year with killer television ratings. However, beauty is not a new obsession, if one will recall the Biblical account of Esther. In order to find a new queen, King Xerxes collected the most beautiful women in his kingdom and held an episode of “extreme makeover” in his palace so that these women would look their best for him. People throughout the ages have always been enamored with physical beauty, but the extent of the obsession has become ingrained in some cultures more than others. Usually, the cultures which value beauty the most are the cultures that are highly developed and sophisticated; such as ancient Greece, Rome, and the modern day United States of America and Great Britain, to name a few. These countries have all created a lofty, and often unattainable ideal image and the women of their cultures have suffered greatly for it. Television corroborates this point clearly. From commercial actresses to movie stars it is rare to see an unattractive woman in the bunch. And yet, when one investigates the lives of these women, they are often riddled with immorality and heartache. Yet the culture doesn’t seem to care what is in your heart as long as you look good. Why is this? It is because beauty sells. Smart advertisers know that to catch people’s attention it is advantageous to use a beautiful woman. Because of this, children and young women alike are constantly being assaulted with a Grecian ideal of physical allure. Nevertheless, this ideal beauty does not make its bearer any happier. Models starve themselves to fit into the latest trends, actresses become addicted to plastic surgery, and many young women in America admit to feelings of inadequacy and desperation at not being able to attain this paradigm of loveliness.

So in truth, it seems that though the world’s view of beauty sells, it does not fulfill. The reason for this being that no matter what one’s outward appearance may be, a heart bankrupt of Jesus Christ and His righteousness can never attain true, unfading beauty. The true unfading beauty described in God’s Word does not come from the outside, but from within. Isaiah 61:10 says, “... My soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness...” Thus, beauty begins when a sinner looks to Calvary, where Christ made it possible for everyone to be reconciled to God and to wear the robe of His righteousness. Though it is true that beauty comes from within, it is not self-perpetuating; and the external force is not makeup, surgery or expensive clothes, it is Christ. With His sacrificial death, Christ paved the way to true beauty and true fulfillment in a life led serving Him.

True beauty starts in the heart, but is to be constantly emitted through one’s actions and words to others. One example of this is Jane Austen’s unlikely heroine, Anne Eliot, of Persuasion. Still unmarried at twenty-seven, poor Anne has lost her bloom. Her vain father finds little attractive about her appearance and thus ignores her, turning his attention to his eldest and most attractive daughter, Elizabeth. Anne is not much more than a servant in her own home, yet she bears it all with grace and patience. Instead of going to parties, she stays home and watches her nephew; instead of visiting royalty with her father and sister, Anne chooses to visit a sickly friend. Anne’s selfless attitude in the face of a disagreeable situation endears her to the reader and creates a picture of true beauty to which women may look for guidance and encouragement. Another example of true beauty is the woman described in Proverbs 31. She is described as a positive influence on her husband, a hard worker, an entrepreneur; wise, compassionate, kind, and strong. Note carefully that the woman’s physical stature is not mentioned at all, but her heart attitude, actions, and reputation are. We do not read that this woman is suffering from poor self-image, nor do we read that she is touting her perfect size 0 figure in the gates. Proverbs 31:26 states that “in her tongue is the law of kindness”, and verse 28 says that her family rises up and praises her. Proverbs 31:31 says, “Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates”. She is a clear representation of the principle set forth by Christ in Luke 6:45 which states, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good... for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” The beauty of the Proverbs 31 woman is manifest in her heart, and then demonstrated through her words, actions, and reputation.

It is clear to see that God’s idea of true beauty is far different from the world’s standard. People magazine’s “100 Most Beautiful People” may be attractive to the eye, but let us leave true beauty for God to determine.

Real Beauty? - 1st Runner Up (14-25)
By Miss Toria H.
Her complexion was smooth and creamy, and her eyes were vibrant with color.

Long tresses of silky hair graced her head and formed ringlets around her fair face. Her cheeks had a healthy blush to them, but no blemish was upon her. Rosy lips and pearl white teeth graced her sweet mouth, while her hands were soft and white and her slim figure glided softly on dainty feet…

Every girl dreams of possessing perfect qualities. No girl wishes to have blemishes, red, chapped hands, or frizzy hair. We all get upset at the appearance of a pimple, and many wish our eyes were brown instead of blue.

The mirror is a girl’s best friend, along with her cover-stick, of course.

You see, every girl wants to be beautiful, lovely, and stunning, but the fact of life is that very few are the perfect image of beauty…or are they?

You see, the image of beauty has been corrupted in this world we live in.

According to the world, you have to “fit in” to be beautiful by wearing the hottest name-brand clothing, styling your hair the way the movie stars do, and acting like the most popular girls. If you don’t bend to the trends, you’re out of the “in” group...and out of beauty. Beauty to them is twig figures, painted faces, blackened eyelashes, and clothing that pushes the comfort zones. But is this real beauty? Or is it something else?

Unfortunately, the world entraps many a girl looking to be beautiful.

The world’s girls practically feel naked without makeup…yet they feel no shame when wearing low-cut shirts. But what about God’s girls? Can God’s girls be really beautiful compared to the world’s high…er, “low” standards? Let’s take a look!

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing for 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. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.” -1 Peter 3:3-5, NIV

I think the above verses speak plainly by themselves. If you’re God’s girl, your beauty shouldn’t come from the outside. In other words, people shouldn’t be attracted to your appearance, but rather to your devotion to God. God doesn’t want your eyes to be blue instead of brown…He made them that way! He doesn’t care if your clothes aren’t up to the world’s standards; rather, He cares about your inner self.

“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” -1 Samuel 16:7b, NIV

Again, it’s clear that our Master doesn’t look at the outward appearance. Beauty doesn’t come from the outside in His Mind like the world thinks it does. So, if we’re God’s girls rather than the world’s, why are we worried about being beautiful? I think it’s fine to fix up our hair, coordinate our skirts with our shirts, and maybe don a necklace, but we shouldn’t believe that’s where our beauty is coming from. Instead of focusing on being beautiful on the outside, we should be more concerned about our beauty on the inside, for this is where real beauty comes from!

We need to decide who we want to please, whose attention we want to draw to us, and who we want to accept us. Who do you think is more important to please? Would you rather live your life for the world in order to be called beautiful for a little while, or would you rather live your life for God in order to be called beautiful forever?

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” –Proverbs 31:30, NIV

We won’t always have a smooth and creamy complexion, or eyes that are vibrant with color. Our hair won’t always be silky and curly, and our cheeks won’t always have a healthy blush. We won’t always have rosy lips and pearl white teeth, or white, soft hands. We won’t always have a slim figure and dainty feet. We may never be perfectly beautiful without blemishes on the outside, but we can definitely work towards perfection on the inside. After all, the inside is where true beauty… real beauty, comes from.

True Beauty Is God's Way - 2nd Runner Up (14-25)
By Miss Danielle S.
“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain.” (Proverbs 31:30, ESV)

What is charm?

“Charm is the power of pleasing and attracting, as through personality or beauty.” (Webster’s American Family Dictionary)

Charm is not necessarily a natural thing; it can be created on purpose.

Some people often put on a front of charm around particular people who they want to please and attract. They do this because they realize the person will not be pleased by their true character. If a girl has not taken the time to develop an upright and beautiful character and if she wants to be liked and admired, she must deceive.

Charm often deceives those who are attracted by it, as the charmer intends.

Sometimes this happens because the girl isn’t around them often, and they do not have the opportunity to watch her carefully. Someone might also be deceived because they are also shallow and foolish, looking only at the outward manners and not the inward character.

Unfortunately, charm will sometimes also deceive the charmer into forgetting the ugly character that lies behind the front. She might become so influenced by the complements and remarks of those who see her false charm and believe that is what she is really like on the inside.

What is beauty?

“Beauty is the quality present in a person that gives intense aesthetic pleasure or deep satisfaction to mind or senses.” (Webster’s American Family Dictionary)

But beauty which is merely on the surface is vain—it is futile, it doesn’t give deep satisfaction to the mind or senses, it has no real value, and it is unsuccessful in its goal of giving intense pleasure, for two reasons.

1) Outward beauty fades. No one has found the fountain of youth, and it isn’t likely that anyone will. False beauty can deceive—but not forever.

“For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes.” (James 1:11, ESV)

2) Outward beauty is usually not proportionate or seemly. True beauty is apt, it fits the person and the occasion and creates a beauty out of that seemliness. False beauty tends to be immoderate and overdone.

An example of this can be seen in Shakespeare’s play, King Lear. This king had three daughters, and he asked them how much they loved him. King Lear’s two oldest daughters were prideful and had no true beauty. They answered in exaggerated words, saying all their happiness depended on him, nothing gave them more joy than being with him…but his third daughter said she loved him according to her duty—no more, no less. This reply outraged him, but the king eventually discovered her sincere love for him after the other two daughters deserted him.

On the other hand, true beauty does not need to be exaggerated to be appreciated. A person with true beauty has no need to put up a false front, their character shines forth for all to see and admire.

The woman of Proverbs 31 simply did her work, she did it with all her heart and that was enough.

She wasn’t too concerned with the latest hairstyles to plant a vineyard for her family, “…with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard,” (vs. 16b).

She did not mind that she might have dark circles under her eyes after being awake during the night, “Her lamp does not go out at night,” (vs.18b).

While many women get manicures and nail polish, this woman didn’t hesitate to use her hands for rough work, “She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands,” (vs. 13).

Instead of going on diets and exercising so she would look good at the beach, this woman “dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong,” (vs. 17) so she can work hard and not become tired.

She is concerned about all those around her, and is not self-centered.

Proverbs doesn’t say she made sure to have “me-time” every week, or every day. She does her husband good, all the days of her life, and wants to make sure his character is respected in the town. She provides food for her own household, including her servants. She is worried about the poor in her town, and shares some of her hard-earned fruits with the needy.

This is true beauty because it is the beauty which God intended. The world and Satan have created a “pseudo-beauty” that they want everyone to have. Their beauty is self-centered, and unseemly.

True beauty is beautiful because it is God’s way, and for us to accept the world’s standard of beauty would be to reject God’s plan for human beings.

“A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (Proverbs 31:30)

I would like to thank the following companies for their generous contributions to the grand prizes:

Please comment and congratulate the winners and runners up on their wonderful work! Or, if you ARE a winner/runner up, you can comment with wild exclamations of delight.... :-)

See you all for next year's contest.... whatever that may be!

Essay Contest Wrap-Up

2009-05-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

Well, the contest is now closed to entries and we are in the process of judging and evaluating all the wonderful essays we received!

This post is to say that if you submitted a snail mail entry and as of May 21, 2009 have not received an email confirming that we received it, please email me.

We are looking forward to announcing our winners and runners up on June 1st!! Check back then!

Calling all bakers!

2009-05-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

I want to let all of you know about a fun baking club! It's called "Cross Country Bakers" and was started by two Christian sisters who want to help other ladies expand their baking repertoire. They are looking for more people to join!

It is open to Christian ladies of any age. Each month we pick an overall theme, and a recipe within that theme for each week. Every week everyone in the club makes the recipe (you are free to be creative and substitute ingredients, or even change the recipe around into something else - we've had coffee cake turned into yeast bread before... :-) ). Everyone takes a photo of their finished product and on Saturday posts it on the CCB blog along with their synopsis of how they liked it, what they would do differently next time, and any changes they made.

All you need to join this club is a camera, a Blogger (Google) account (which is free!), an oven and a love of baking! :-)

You can visit the CCB blog HERE. If you have any questions, or to sign up, email Hannah at crosscountrybakers (at) yahoo.com.

A Reminder!

2009-05-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

Don't forget that FRIDAY, May 15th, is the deadline for entries to the essay contest!!

Electronic essays will be accepted through midnight of the 15th and snail mail entries must be postmarked by the 15th.

Enter soon! We will not be extending the deadline again!

Another Giveaway

2009-05-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

Well, there are just chances for you to win stuff all over the place! This time it's a DVD of Ken Ham giving a message titled "Top 10 questions about Genesis and Creation."

This giveaway ends on Monday, May 11th. Hop over to Quiet-Mom.com to get the details and enter for your chance to win!

Oh, and the graphic giveaway on PrairieRoseDesigns.com ends at midnight tonight (May 8th).

Hope you win!! :-)

I'm in love with crabapples!

2009-05-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

The tree, I mean. :-) I've never tried an actual crabapple but around this time of year, the trees are bursting with blooms. I don't think it's possible to squeeze more flowers together. These trees are just loaded with flowers!! This is one of my favorite times of the year because I can go out with my best friend - my camera :-) - and take millions (that is almost not an exaggeration) of floral pictures! I'm sharing some with you. All of them are crabapple varieties except the fourth and last pictures, which are of our cherry tree, which I love just as much as the crabapple trees.

Images are Copyrighted © Kathryn Grace Photography

Essay Contest Deadline Extended!

2009-04-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

Apparently Maidens of Virtue cannot have a writing contest without extending the deadline. :-) We have had to with both previous contests and this one is no exception!

The new deadline is May 15th, 2009. Winners will now be announced June 1st, 2009.

So if you haven't entered yet, you still have a chance! Click here for the contest information!

I was interviewed...

2009-04-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

April from Once Upon a Qpon interviewed me about Maidens of Virtue and at her blog you have a chance to win a free copy of The Hope Chest Record Book!

Check it out! :-)

One week...

2009-04-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that it is only 1 WEEK till the deadline for essay submissions to the contest! May 1st... email entries must be received by this date and snail mail entries must be postmarked by it.

I'll let you in on a little secret... there's a great chance for winning. In other words, the first three entrants in each category will receive a little gift from us, and you have a very good chance of getting in the first three (in plain English, we need some entries... we have some really great prizes and they need to go to winners!).

So... start writing and pass the word on!!

Here's the link to the contest details if you haven't seen them yet:
http://maidensofvirtue.com/essay_contest.html

Win a free custom graphic!

2009-04-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

I just started a new website for graphic design, making custom headers, banners and buttons. I haven't opened up for paid business yet because I need more experience working with people and doing what they want, instead of just me picturing something and making it. :-)

So I am having a giveaway, and am giving away a free graphic - your choice. To be entered in the drawing, go to www.PrairieRoseDesigns.com and enter your name, email and website/blog (whatever site you would use the graphic for). You can get more entries when you tell your friends and they enter and mention your name.

I'll announce a winner probably sometime in early May... exact date is not decided yet!

Seeking Starchless Recipes

2009-04-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Our family is trying to cut out flour, starch and sugar from our diet... not permanently (I hope!! :-) ) but for a while. For someone who LOVES pasta and bread, it's been really tough planning menus. I went through my recipe box and there are barely any recipes that don't have some form of starch in them (flour, potatoes, etc.).

Soooo... I'm wondering if anyone reading this has any good starch-free recipes, specifically main dishes, though sides are helpful too. If you do, PLEASE leave a comment with your recipe!

Cauliflower Wraps

2009-03-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine sent this recipe to me and it's become one of my favorite lunches.

And here's how to make it!

Ingredients:
approx. 6 flour tortillas

and....

Filling:
1 large head cauliflower
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard (I love dijon mustard, so sometimes I add more... :-) )
1/2 to 3/4 cup Almond Spread (recipe follows - you can also use mayonnaise, but the almond spread is really good!)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt

Cut the cauliflower into chunks and steam until very soft - about 15 minutes from the time there is actually steam. Meantime, make your almond spread. Drain the cauliflower if necessary and mash it with the remaining ingredients (I like to mix the remaining ingredients together first, and then add to the cauliflower). Set aside.

Almond Spread:
about 1/3 cup raw almonds
about 1/3 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, pressed (optional - my sister thinks it's too sharp with the garlic raw)
pepper or cayenne pepper if desired

Boil about 2 cups of water (separate from the 1/3 cup). Place the almonds in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let them sit for about 3 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water to cool and then squeeze the almonds to pop them out of the skins (fun for little kids who want to help :-) ). Place the almonds in a blender with the 1/3 cup of water and blend well. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until creamy, about 2 minutes.
(This will make more than you need for the wraps - you can save the excess as use as a healthy substitute for mayo on sandwiches, etc.)

Toppings:
1 to 2 tomatoes, chopped
lettuce leaves, torn
1 grated carrots
1/4 cup black olives, sliced (optional)
(you can add any other toppings you like)

Spoon cauliflower filling into tortillas and top with veggies. You can serve this warm or chilled. Fold up and enjoy!
Serves 3 to 4.

Regency: Modest?

2009-03-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

Lately I have seen a lot of Christian young ladies, particularly homeschooled ones, who are very enthusiastic, you might say, about Regency style fashions. I've been wondering if this style is really modest or not. Obviously most of the original gowns of the period were not, being very (very) low necked, but most girls these days are making them with higher necklines. But is the shape of the gown modest?

This is not going to be a long post about my opinion since I am still rather undecided myself. I have a poll up, and I would love it if you would vote and afterward, comment on this post with WHY you voted that way (why you think it is/isn't modest).

*Update: Final poll results are below.*

Do you think the Regency (empire waist/Pride & Prejudice style) is modest?

Yes (55.0%, 28 Votes)
No (29.0%, 15 Votes)
Haven't thought about it (16.0%, 8 Votes)

Total Voters: 51

Dress Up Your Letters

2009-03-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share a cute way to seal your letters that my sister did recently. Even if you are putting them in an envelope and mailing them, this is a cute way to fancy it up a bit.

If your letter paper is 8.5 x 11 inches, fold it in half lengthwise and then in thirds. Then cut a piece of colored paper or cardstock to 5.5 x 7 inches. Place your letter on the cardstock and fold the cardstock over it in uneven thirds, so that the top flap comes to the middle (as in the photo). Then you can just place a sticker to seal it, or do as we did and punch out a circle, write the recipient's name on it, and attach it with adhesive such as double stick tape. My sister added a little bit of whimsy to the sticker by putting little dots all around the circle.

Of course your paper can be any size - just adjust the measurements as needed.

The Maidens of Virtue Essay Contest!

2009-03-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is! Our first essay contest!! *cheers* I hope you all will enter! :-)

This year we have 2 categories as usual (9 to 13 and 14-25) BUT this year they will both write on the same topic. Each category has different word limits so make sure you check which category you are in.

This year's topic is True Beauty. It was a bit harder coming up with an essay topic than a poetry topic - but hopefully this one won't be too hard for you and will allow you plenty of room for creativity.

We'll be awarding one grand prize in each category, along with several runners up - the number depends on how many entries we get! Prizes are to be announced...

AND the first three entrants in each category (that is, the 3 earliest postmark dates or email dates) will receive a little gift... So get busy!! :-)

CLICK HERE for the complete contest info!!

Please tell all your friends about this! Oh, and if you want to put that button on your blog or website, you can grab this code (it's on our sidebar and website too so you can always come back and grab it again):

(The button will be deleted from our server after the contest is over and will no longer be visible on your site).

If you have any questions you can email me or you can always leave a comment. HAPPY WRITING!

And the verdict is...

2009-03-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a week since I posted the contest poll and the results are that essays and poetry tied! That put me pretty much back where I started - not really, since now I know there's interest on both sides. I did a random drawing between the two and so... this year we will be having an essay contest!

For those of you who voted for poetry... please don't go away. I'm sure we will do a poetry contest again!

Stay tuned for more information on the contest coming up soon... and thanks to all those that voted! :-)

Essays or Poetry?

2009-03-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

It's March and March is usually the time when I announce my Maidens of Virtue Poetry Contest. This year, however, I started thinking about whether or not to continue doing poetry. Both times I did the contest I didn't really get great response - I got enough to actually do the contest but still comparatively few entries.

So I was contemplating doing an essay contest this year instead of poetry. I'm looking for feedback - if those of you who visit my blog and website would prefer to enter an essay contest, or a poetry contest.

Please comment with your opinion - the more feedback I get, the more accurately I can decide which type of contest I should do this year! I'd like to get as many opinions as I can within the next week or so. Thanks for your help!

Doll Dresses on Sale!

2009-02-20T14:52:00.000-08:00

Just letting you know... the doll dresses at Maidens of Virtue are now on sale - save $3. Please head over and check it out!

Remember, these will be discontinued on February 28th!

(By the way, I apologize for all these "announcement" style posts... yes, some more thoughtful posts WILL be coming soon!) :-)

Another chance for a free ePattern...

2009-02-17T14:51:00.000-08:00

A little while ago I posted about the e-pattern giveaway at A Pondering Heart. In case some of you entered and didn't win, you can have another chance as Miss Jocelyn is giving away another one!

All you have to do is comment with your favorite Sense & Sensibility e-pattern to be entered in the drawing.

Click here to check it out! :-)

Last Chance for Doll Dresses!

2009-02-12T14:51:00.000-08:00

It's time to say good bye to our charming doll dresses in the Maidens of Virtue shoppe. :-(

Due to the recent child product law, we can no longer carry them. But instead of them going to waste, we would love to get them into people's hands.

So this is it! By the end of February they will be GONE! Hurry over and pick one up - there's only two in stock and they are one of a kind.

Napkin Folding Tutorials

2009-02-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let ya'll know that I updated my napkin folding instructions on Maidens of Virtue. There are three new folds, and all the instructions have been updated to video tutorials instead of pictures. Here's a sampling of one of my favorites - and check out the others for some fun ways to dress up your dinner table tonight!

Real Girls Shoot Guns

2009-02-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

All right, I'm not sure if that is necessarily true but I had to think of a title for this post. :-)

The reason I am posting this is because on Saturday something happened... I shot a gun for the first time in my life.

My dad has been "studying" guns and all the laws regarding them, etc. a lot lately and recently purchased a few BB guns. So on Saturday he took us out to "sight in" the rifles.

And I had to shoot one. *gasp*

Sometimes I wonder if there is a particle of tomboyishness in me. Sure, I like to ride bikes and be outside, but shoot a gun? That's taking it a little far. Plus I had just been interrupted in the middle of writing a letter - to go shoot a gun. Really, I don't see what amusement there is in it. You look through the little hole (and by the way, I hate the face I have to make in order to see through that thing :-) ), and after a long time of trying to get it lined up, you pull the trigger - and that's it. What a reward - a little hole in a piece of cardboard!! :-)

Ok, I do have a point to make in this post, beyond establishing the fact that I don't care much for guns. I know there are a lot of girls out there who enjoy shooting - I know some of them. And I think that's ok.

Some people have a distorted view of femininity, that says you can only be feminine if you wear lace and frills, sit in a rocking chair knitting all day, scream when bugs land on you and faint at the sight of blood. That is not true femininity. Sure, feminine dress is an important element and young ladies should learn to sew and knit - but it's much more than that. It's more a way of thinking and a way of life. Feminine girls can get down in the dirt and still be feminine. They can climb trees and still be feminine.

And they can shoot guns... and still be feminine.

New Look

2009-02-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

I was getting a little tired of the purple design, so I decided to go with this one. What do you think? Like it better? Wish I would go back to purple?
:-)

Words of Wisdom

2009-01-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

One of the ladies at our church once shared a little piece of wisdom that she would tell her children when they were younger and were less than enthusiastic about doing a job.

"You can do it happy, or you can do it sad. Either way you have to do it, so you may as well do it happy."

This sounds like just a good piece of advice to give little ones - but it applies to "big kids" too, and I don't think it exempts adults either. Much too often I find myself complaining or grumbling about a task I find disagreeable. I may not be outwardly "doing it sad" but in my thoughts I am thinking, "If only I didn't have to do this. I would much rather be _________(fill in the blank)."

Two Sundays ago our elder challenged us all to really evaluate how much we complain and make it our goal that week not to do it. Did I? Welllll.....

Remember why you are doing those seemingly mundane tasks. Remember to do it as unto the Lord. After all, as the quote above explains, you have to do it whether or not you want to; so while you're at it you may as well have a cheerful attitude.

Faithbooking

2009-01-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

The past couple weeks we have started a new ongoing project - faithbooking. A faithbook is basically a scrapbook centered on your faith. We have expanded it to include family history, and things about us so that we can pass these books on to our children and grandchildren - and great grandchildren!

We've been using a faithbooking kit called "This is My Story" as our base and working off of it. The kit comes with a book and pre-made, fill-in-the-blank pages, but we are just using the workbook and creating our own pages. We're only 2 weeks into it. Each Friday we plan a set of pages in our "draft book" - just a marble notebook where we can jot down our ideas before creating the actual page. Then the rest of the week we turn those draft pages into the real thing.

It's a lot of fun; this week was very... um... interesting as we had to do a few seemingly random things. Things like:

• If you were a type of fruit, what would you be and why?
• If you were a room in a house, which would you be and why?
• If you were a musical instrument, what would you be and why?

It was rather weird to have to come up with answers to these - it took me forever to think of what fruit I'd be and eventually I gave up and did a flower instead. :-) What kind of fruit would you be? Or room or flower or instrument? Why? :-) (I was thinking, why do we need to write this down? But just think how funny it will be for my great grandchildren to read it...)

But then of course there's the meaningful things too, like favorite childhood memories, people who have influenced my life, writing a letter about myself to the next generation, and things about me like the meaning of my name, etc. Those are the kinds of things we are doing now, though I'm sure down the road we will be making pages about what we believe and why.

Scrapbooking is a lot of fun, though I am a hopeless perfectionist. My mom and sister have finished three pages in the space of time it takes me to make one. :-)

I would encourage you to create your own faithbook in some form. It doesn't necessarily have to be a scrapbook, though I think the scrapbook idea is the most fun (you can put pictures and everything in it and make it look nice); it could be a journal, or my mom had the idea for the scrapbook-phobic people to just do the draft book - even if you don't make the actual pages, at least write it down! Future generations will thank you. Oh - and do it in your own handwriting. You may have beautiful neat writing or horrible sloppy writing - but either way it will be much more meaningful to have everything in your own hand instead of some nice - but impersonal - computer font.

ePattern Giveaway!

2009-01-21T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hop on over to A Pondering Heart and have a chance to win one of Sense & Sensibility's E-patterns of your choice!

Click HERE to enter!

Make sure you also check out her other items being given away - there are a LOT of great things on there!

Have a great day!

For God So Loved the World

2009-01-17T14:44:00.000-08:00

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

This is one of the most widely quoted verses in the entire Bible. If you've gone to Sunday School, you've heard this verse. You've probably learned it as one of your memory verses. It's considered one of those verses that you read when you are witnessing to someone.

Generally the verse is read and you hear something like this, "See, God loved the world so much that He sent His Son to die for us." But here's the interesting thing - rarely is the verse quoted in context. With the context, it actually doesn't mean that "God loved the world so much."

With the surrounding verses, it reads:

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:14-17)

The root word for "so" in verse 16 doesn't mean "so much." It means, "in this way," or "in like manner." So it might read, "For in this way God loved the world."

I had always thought that it meant God loved the world so much, from everything I had learned and been told, until a year or two ago our elder at our church preached on this and pointed out the difference.

All too often I think we read a verse without the context and get a distorted view of what it means. Though even with this set of verses, I don't know if I would have gotten the correct meaning if I didn't know what the root word means. I know there are Bible programs out there that allow you to look up the actual Hebrew or Greek words and what they mean, which is very helpful for getting down to the true meaning of verses such as this one.

Movie Review: Fireproof

2009-01-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

This post is a bit overdue... we went to the theater to see "Fireproof" on its opening day. I was eager to see it, having seen both of Sherwood Pictures' previous movies, "Facing the Giants" and "Flywheel," and really enjoyed them.

Fireproof definitely lived up to my expectations!

It's the story of firefighter Caleb Holt, whose marriage with his wife Catherine is falling apart. They are about to get a divorce, when Caleb's dad challenges him to hold off on it for 40 days and do "the love dare" - a booklet he sends him with specific things to do for 40 days. So Caleb sets out to win back his wife's heart.

He isn't a Christian at the beginning and his heart isn't really in the challenge, though when you watch the movie you will see that changes. :-)

Fire and rescue scenes make it exciting, and there are several comic relief characters that had me nearly falling off my seat laughing.

The whole movie communicates a message a lot of people need to hear. Marriage is worth saving! And of course the gospel is presented in the film as well (I can't remember exactly, but I think it may have a bit of an Arminian bent to it). It's probably the best movie I watched last year!

Due to the mature nature of the film, dealing with marriage issues, I do not recommend that children under 12 or 13 watch it (though of course that is up to the parents' discretion). In the beginning, Caleb and Catherine have a very heated argument which could be disturbing to young children. Caleb also deals with pornography, though it is very discreetly handled (my 14 year old sister didn't even catch on to it).

In summary
Pros:

• Theme of the movie is great - marital fidelity, marriage that honors God
• Clean - no swearing or bad language of any kind (YES!)
• Good balance of humor and seriousness

Cons (if there are any :-)):

• I would have liked to see the women dress more femininely. They generally wear pants. Towards the end of the movie Catherine wears a fairly low-necked dress (not terrible but not great either), and at the very end wears a halter-top dress.
• I don't remember seeing Caleb read the Bible after he becomes a Christian - he mostly reads the Love Dare book. I think it would have been better if he would have read his Bible more.
• There is a section where Catherine is becoming a bit partial with a doctor at the hospital where she works. Thankfully, however, his true character is revealed, Caleb confronts him about it, and he backs off. So I wouldn't say it's necessarily a bad part, it's just that it IS there, fyi.

You can preorder Fireproof now, and it comes out in stores on January 27th! I would highly recommend you get this movie; both because it's a good movie and to support Sherwood Pictures in making God-honoring films.

CLICK HERE to order Fireproof online.

You can also get a 3 DVD set of Fireproof, Facing the Giants, and Flywheel when you click HERE.

Winter Bundle Giveaway

2009-01-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

Miss Jocelyn over at A Pondering Heart is having a fabulous giveaway! She just posted week two of the giveaways and you have two days left to enter the week one giveaways. There are a ton of great prizes to be won; head on over and check it out!

Click here for the complete giveaway info!

Miracles Happen

2009-01-03T14:40:00.000-08:00

And sometimes it's your mother who works them.

This morning I asked mom if she would upgrade my version of WordPress that I use to the latest version. She had just upgraded one of her blogs with no problem so she went ahead and did mine. WITH problems! My entire blog was lost, except for a couple of posts and the ones I still had on the old blogger blog.

In short (not really) my poor mother has sat in front of her computer almost all day trying to recover my blog for me. She tried everything it seemed to no avail - but finally she was able to rescue it!

It seemed nothing short of a miracle! :-)

THANK YOU MOM!!!

Another Year Has Gone

2009-01-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

2009 is here! It does seem as though every passing year goes by faster than the last one, doesn't it? Looking back on 2008 I see many blessings and a few hard times that we've gone through.

We celebrated living in our "new house" for one year in February. It's been wonderful. We live on six lovely acres, 3 of which are beautifully landscaped (by the previous owners). This brings its joys and its sorrows since we have to try to keep it looking nice and have a LOT of trees that always seem to need trimming. :-) We are surrounded on two sides by a golf course and in the winter season it's beautiful because you can't tell it's a golf course. :-) This year Dad bought us snow shoes so we have enjoyed snow shoeing out there.

Also in February my grandparents (on my mom's side) celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary - what a blessing! We see less and less of that these days. My grandparents are a wonderful example to us of a strong marriage. In May we had a grand party and it was great to see so many people get up and honor my Opa and Oma (grandpa & grandma in Dutch) for their commitment to each other. We love them dearly and look forward to seeing many more years of marriage for them!

Oh, let's see... what else? I turned 16 in April and had the pleasure of being bombarded with questions about if I am driving yet. :-) I am not - probably this year!

In 2007 my Nini (grandma in Chinese - Dad's side) was diagnosed with colon cancer and went through a very trying series of events to get rid of it. This year we were so glad to see her recover and gain back strength. Praise the Lord!

Toward the fall we were saddened to lose Tara's cat Scamper after a very long illness. We miss him a lot as our kitties are very dear to us. He was very sweet and lovable and we have many fun memories of him. Sweetest of all was that the night before we had to put him down, he climbed the stairs even though he could barely walk and climbed in bed with Tara for a snuggle, and did it again in the morning, though she had to pick him up because he couldn't get up on the bed himself.

We enjoyed celebrating our nation's independence with friends from church. Though our country is far from perfect, we are grateful for the liberties we enjoy.

In August I was immensely blessed by my friend, Raeanne. I have for a long time wanted to play the harp but I didn't think it would happen for a while (if ever) due to the expense. Raeanne is from our church and has played harp for several years and a few years ago upgraded from a small, 27 string harp to a larger one. When we were over at her house one day she offered to let me borrow her old one, as it was just sitting in her closet. I accepted. :-) I am so grateful for her generosity and for the opportunity to start learning much earlier than I would have if I had waited till I had saved enough to buy my own. Thank you, Raeanne!!

I'm sure there's a LOT I am leaving out but this is getting rather long. I can't forget to mention blessings such as, Dad still having a job when so many are losing theirs, blessings in our church - especially the babies that were born this year (including one born New Year's Eve!), and homeschooling, etc.

I am looking forward to what God will do in 2009!

New Custom Boa Scarves

2008-12-26T10:50:00.000-08:00

I am now offering my plush boa scarves in the Maidens of Virtue Shoppe as custom made - you pick the color. I had been selling these before but with a few set colors from which to choose. But I decided that it would serve my customers better if they could request the color they wanted, and then I could give them some specific yarn colors that match their request.

All the scarves will come in a homespun style yarn (an example is on the site). I will, however, try to accommodate requests for other types of yarn, such as chenille, bulky, feathery, or cotton, etc. (Depending on what type of yarn, this may necessitate a price change - therefore, default yarn is the homespun, and if you want a different yarn, make a note of it in the note section when ordering).

What do you think? I would appreciate any comments on whether you think this is a positive or negative change.

Singing the Psalms

2008-12-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

A while ago our church purchased a bunch of Psalters and we started singing them in our services each week. We as a family also purchased one and use it in our personal family singing.

These are literally the entire book of Psalms set to music. We have really enjoyed learning them in 4 part harmony (I am soprano, my sister is alto, my self-sacrificing mom sings tenor when possible, and Dad is bass).

Singing the Psalms are a great way to memorize them, and these are not "childish" tunes as many Scripture songs are; these are more like hymns - some of the Psalms are actually set to hymn melodies. Of course, the Psalms are "edited" to fit the verses (not word-for-word out of the KJV).

If you have not already purchased this book, I would strongly recommend that you do so! You can buy it from Vision Forum HERE.

Also, if you want to learn these in 4 part, you can get tutorial CDs. Each CD has the Psalms with the full-harmony, and then afterward the parts are broken up so each person can learn their part. Great for learning the Psalms in the car! (We have volumes 1 and 2, and I can't remember which one it is but one doesn't have very good audio quality - still it's helpful if you do better learning by ear):

O Sing A New Psalm: Learn to Sing the Psalms in 4 Part Harmony, Vol. I

Songs of the Remnant (Vol. II)

Nations Praise (Vol. III)

Thoughts on the Temperance Movement

2008-12-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

Before you think, "Where on earth did she get the idea to write on the temperance movement?" let me explain. My sister just celebrated her 15th birthday and for that special occasion she received a huge stack of Isabella Alden books. We love these books and between the two of us, we are already well on our way to finishing the whole lot of them. :-)

Ok, so how does this tie into temperance? If you have read many of Isabella Alden's books, you may know. Ms. Alden was very fond of incorporating this subject into her stories. It was something she was obviously passionate about. However, I find that I disagree with her stance on the topic, though she errs on the side of caution.

In reading Ms. Alden's books you will find that many of her characters hold the view that all dancing, card games and drinking is a sin. There are no exceptions to the rule; in fact the reader gets the impression that anyone who does any of these three things is not a Christian. I do realize that dancing and card games back then were probably different than now - card games were played exclusively for money, for example - and therefore the characters have good reason to choose to not do them. Ironically, Ms. Alden's Christian characters are very much in favor of women speaking and praying in prayer meeting; so it is interesting to note that while the Bible does not speak of dancing, card games or drinking (in moderation) as sin, it is very clear that women are not to speak in church!

The Bible clearly condemns drinking in excess.

"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." (Prov. 20:1)

"Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags." (Prov. 23:20-21) (Winebibber = a habitual drinker of wine)

"Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again." (Prov. 23:29-35)

"Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!" (Isaiah 5:11)

Yet it does not condemn the drinking of wine in moderation (with the exception of those in the role of priests, elders, etc.). In 1 Timothy 5, Timothy must have been prone to some illness, and Paul recommends that he take wine for it.

"Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities." (1 Tim. 5:23)

"[The Lord] causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart." (Psalm 104:14-15)

"Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always." (Deut. 14:22-23)

That said, there are those who do not believe you should drink wine and the Bible does not wish us to drink it if when we do it we cause another to stumble.

"For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak." (Rom. 14:20-21)

Ok, so you get the point. Now we can get to the temperance movement. :-) (Long intro, eh?)

The temperance movement actually began by advocating the moderate use of alcohol, rather than total abstinence. Later it changed to a complete rejection of alcohol, which is the stand that Isabella Alden takes. The temperance societies would hold large rallies with lectures on the evils of drink from all angles. They also endeavored to shut down as many saloons as possible. They saw the damage these businesses were doing to men's health and family life as drunkeness was often the cause of abuse.

Now, all these things are good; it is good to get rid of saloons and it's good to educate people about the effects of alcohol; but the problem with the temperance movement was that, though many churches and Christians were involved, they were so preoccupied with alcohol itself that they missed the root problem: sin.

If they had focused more on addressing the issue as sin instead of treating the surface problem by shutting down saloons, this and a host of other problems would have been resolved. If you simply treat the symptoms and not the root issue, you won't get very far. Suppose they had succeeded in closing every saloon in the country and completely abolished the manufacturing of alcohol. The alcohol problem would have been "solved"; but sinful men who are addicted to something will not simply give up on their own. They would go and find something else equally as disastrous or more so.

So all this to say that though the intent of the temperance movement was good, I think they went about the business incorrectly. Signing the total abstinence pledge will not keep an addicted man (or woman for that matter) from drinking; only Jesus can!

(All that said, I still heartily recommend Isabella Alden's books. :-) Just be aware you will encounter this subject often in reading them!).

I hope you will forgive my rambling on so long about this - it just happens to be the topic that I've been thinking about the last couple days since reading the books! :-)

Tagged Again!

2008-12-05T10:45:00.000-08:00

And guess what... it's Sarah from Destiny of One who did it - again! :-)

However, this one I like because it's not just the usual "random things about me"...

6 to 10 Things that I do daily:

1. Have my quiet time (read the Bible, pray, journal)

2. Do chores

3. Check my email

4. Pet and spoil the cats

5. Make lunch

6. Check blogs

7. Generally write something - letters, stories, blog posts, nature journal

8. Practice my instruments (piano & harp) - sometimes this gets missed but I'm trying to do better about doing it EVERY day

9. Wait eagerly for the mail

Now I am supposed to tag 5 people (this is usually the hardest thing for me - I always end up tagging the same people!)

R.J. (virtuousgirlhood.com)

Savannah

Emily Jo

Miss Jocelyn (aponderingheart.com/blog)

Jessica McDonald

For those of you who have been so amazingly blessed to be tagged :-), here are the rules:

*Post the six to ten things that you do on a daily basis
*Link to the person who tagged you.
*Tag five other people
*Leave a comment on the blog of the person that tagged you letting them know that have posted this to your blog.

New from Sense & Sensibility

2008-12-03T10:44:00.000-08:00

E-patterns!

That's right. Patterns that you download instantly after payment. You purchase, download and print them yourself! Obviously some pieces that are larger will need to be taped together since you can only print what will fit on 8.5 x 11" paper (unless you have a special printer...) BUT I think it's worth it since the e-patterns are priced MUCH lower than the regular patterns. Besides, Mrs. Chancey's regular patterns come printed on heavy paper and you have to trace them onto tissue anyway, which isn't that different than taping pieces together.

This is a great option for someone who needs to make a last minute project and can't wait for a printed pattern to ship. Almost all the regular patterns are available in the e-pattern format. Check it out!

Things for which I am thankful

2008-11-27T10:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is a very random and by no means exhaustive list of the things for which I am thankful to God. They are not in order of importance, but just as I think of them.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

• Salvation & Forgiveness of sin • A roof over my head • A dad who loves and protects me • Food to eat! • My sister who is always there for me • Warmth in cold weather • The beautiful land we live on • My wonderful mom • My wonderful extended family • BOOKS • The freedom to worship the one true God and read His word without fear • The fact that my dad has a job and provides for us • Chocolate (especially when it's hazelnut flavored...) • All my fabulous friends • The United States Postal Service and those who send me letters through it • Coffee • Air to breathe and water to drink • The beautiful flowers, trees and plants God has created • And in light of that, for cameras • Cookie dough • Clothes to wear • My parents choice to homeschool us • The way God always provides • Libraries • My parents' forcing me to keep playing piano when I was ready to quit • Music • Babies (and their moms who let me hold them) • Sewing and the ability to do it • Garlic • The harp that God graciously provided for me to learn on, through my sweet friend Raeanne • Quite appropriately, the smell of roasting turkey wafting through the house • My ability to write and all the other gifts God has given me • Creme brulee • Gardens in which we may grow our own food (and some weeds to boot...) • Vacations • History • My cat, Gavana • Mom's cat, Basha • The memory of Tara's cat, Scamper • And all other cats who have played a role in my life :-) • Good bread •

I could sit here all day and just keep adding to this list... but I will refrain from doing so. This is probably already so long that you didn't even read the whole thing. :-) Oh, well... it was fun for me anyway!

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

Fresh Irish Soda Bread...mmmm

2008-11-25T10:41:00.000-08:00

Nov. 26 update: For Miss Jocelyn and the rest of you who would like to taste this fabulous bread for yourselves:

Mrs. C.'s Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:
4 cups flour, plus more for kneading
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup raisins
2 Tbsp. caraway seeds (optional)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1½ cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a baking sheet.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, raisins, caraway seeds, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs and 2 Tbsp. butter. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients to form a dough.
Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 4 minutes; add more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Form dough into a 9-inch round; place on prepared baking sheet. Brush loaf with remaining Tbsp. of butter. Using a sharp knife, score an X on top of loaf.
Bake until skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on wire rack before serving. Enjoy!

This is one of my absolute favorite breads! It mixes up pretty quickly and has a sweet flavor - sometimes we like to sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar (or other "large chunk" sugar) before baking. YUM!

6 Things About Me

2008-10-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

Sarah over at Destiny of One tagged me to tell 6 random things about myself. So....

1. My favorite music types are classical, hymns, and some celtic.

2. My favorite sounds are fallen leaves crunching under my feet, rushing water, cats purring, birds singing, and wind whispering through the trees (my sister, who is sitting with me as I type this, says, "You're so poetic!" - jokingly, of course *smile*).

3. My favorite scents are bread baking in the oven, roses, pine needles, ground coffee (or coffee in any form, come to think of it - except black).

4. If you can't tell, I'm going with favorites here - favorite colors: rose pink, pale green, lavender purple, various shades of blue, dark red... um... I think that's all!

5. I love sewing, especially historical outfits.

ONE MORE! I can do this!!!

6. Ummmmmmm....... OH - favorite flowers: roses, lilacs, irises, and apple and cherry blossoms.

There! I did it. Now I am supposed to tag 6 (ish) other people.

R.J. at Virtuous Girlhood

Miss Taylor at the Godly Girlhood blog

Raeanne Ailene

Lauren

Wendy

Well.... that was 6-ISH all right. :-)

Here are the rules for those I tagged (if you all want to do it, of course!) :
*Link to the person who tagged you.
*Post the rules on your blog.
*Write six random things about yourself.
*'Tag' six-or-so other people at the bottom of your post-
*And leave comments on their blogs letting them know they've been tagged.
*Let the person who tagged you know when you've written the post.

Have fun! :-)

Movie Review: Felicity

2008-10-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

My dad is out of town on business, and when he is gone we girls usually watch movies more than we normally would. Yesterday we watched "Felicity: An American Girl Adventure."

Though my sister and I are a little old for American Girl dolls now, several people we know had said the movie was good, so we thought we'd give it a shot since we love the Colonial time period, and we figured that since it was put out by American Girl and geared toward younger girls, it would be pretty clean (which it was).

On the whole, the movie was very well done, with much higher quality than I expected. There were some cute parts, notably the ones with Felicity's little sister, Nan, who is just so cute you could eat her up. But we found some major problems with the story line.

In the very beginning, Felicity "falls in love" with a beautiful horse owned by a grouchy old man, Jiggy Nye who abuses her. So the horse is mistrustful of humans in general, but Felicity determines to tame her. So far so good. But then the problem comes - Felicity sneaks out at night and feeds an apple to Penny (as she calls the horse). She does this multiple times, once getting caught by Mr. Nye. Then one morning Felicity's grandfather tells her that he saw her coming back to the house, and she pleads with him not to tell. He agrees, but admonishes her to not do it anymore because she is fooling with someone else's property. Felicity says, "Yes, grandfather." And I was thinking, "Phew, now she'll stop this nonsense."

Or not.

That night she goes AGAIN, despite her grandfather's command. Oh, and meanwhile she takes her father's apprentice's Sunday breeches from the mending basket, and rides Penny at night. Then Ben (the apprentice) catches her putting on the breeches in the barn, and of course demands a reason for her taking them. So she takes him to see Penny, and while they are there, Jiggy Nye comes out and they duck behind the fence. Mr. Nye is in a temper for some reason, and is about to beat Penny, when she rips the rope and gallops off. Mr. Nye is in a rage and yells, "Well, anyone who can ride ye can have ye! I hope ye never come back!" and stomps into the house.

Now Felicity thinks she has the right to own Penny, because she can ride her. So she goes off and finds her, takes her home, and of course Mr. Nye shows up and takes her back. Felicity flees to the barn in tears. Then her father comes in and is all sympathetic. Instead of punishing her for stealing a horse, he praises her for "helping" it! And he tells her, "You've done everything you can." She responds,"Not everything."

Here I think she has to be done sneaking out there, but noooo.... off she goes again in the middle of the night, and frees Penny - without permission from anyone.

Later Penny is found by some horse sellers, and Felicity's grandfather buys her for Felicity. That seems like it's fine, and now Felicity lawfully owns her but it's not. She let the horse go, not Jiggy Nye!

The other thing that had us disagreeing with the film was the whole spirit of independence that is promoted throughout the movie. I could call it feminism. When the subject of Patriots versus Loyalists comes up, Felicity's family is Patriot, but her grandfather (and best friend) are Loyalists. In bed one night, Felicity asks her mother, "Mother, what should I be?" And - can you believe this - the mother says, oh so tenderly, "You'll have to decide that for yourself." Uh, beg your pardon? She's TEN!

One other less noticeable, but still there problem was the dresses - Felicity's gowns are VERY low cut. Of course, she's ten, so it's not showing anything, but still... There are also older ladies in the film who have low dresses and there is some cleavage.

And one last thing we noticed - though it is VERY subtle - is the fact that Felicity and her father's apprentice Ben always "happen" to be thrown together - he escorts her to her lessons, and for the ball her father suddenly can't escort her, so Ben goes with her, etc. And while it's not that big of a part, you still get the impression that Felicity and Ben probably get married when they are grown up! And remember - she's TEN.

After we finished watching it, my mom said, "And this is the girl that is being touted as someone little girls should look up to?" I mean, in an hour and a half they show her breaking the 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th (you might even say the 1st...) commandments, and imply that it's okay! I wouldn't have minded it if she got a good hard spankin' after being found out, but instead she is praised!

Here's some comments from others that I found on Amazon's listing:

"...For [the] story's sake, it might embellish on some truths such as little girls disobeying their parents without retribution (although I'm sure most of today's youngsters will not follow Felicity's lead in this)."

Not sure where she gets that idea. Kids WILL follow examples, and there are many little girls out there who idolize Felicity.

"...I have been a costumes researcher for several period plays, and I can vouch that these costumes have been "modernized" (in terms of the low cut) as have the costumes worn by the actors in Williamsburg and most other historic sites. You can't judge by such sites. I have to agree with the two previous reveiwers who mentioned it; the mother's costumes in this piece are pretty far fetched, historically speaking. This point, btw, has got nothing to do with moralizing, but just being historically accurate. The upstanding mother of small children and the wife of a township store proprietor wouldn't dress like a floozey and get away with it (the townspeople would have more reason to boycott his store than loyalist politics!!)."

Preach it! :-)

"...I have heard so many great things about this series, that I was really looking forward to sharing the movie with my kids. The sets and costumes were beautiful to look at, but I sat opened mouthed as I watched this little terror of a child in action. I don't see anything heroic or daring or admirable about her sneaking out of the house night after night to get into a pen with a dangerous horse, that isn't hers. She steals the horse, and when she is finally forced to return it, she lets it go. The consequence of her behavior? Her indulgent grandfather finds the horse and buys it for her. It just seemed like whoever wrote it was trying to fasten their ideas to historical characters, and it just sounded overtly preachy. I have a hard time believing a child in colonial times would have gone around sounding like a mini-Betty Friedan. Ultimately, Felicity ends up learning to do housework and drink tea, and gets all excited about getting dressed up to go to a ball...so I'm not even sure what message the movie was trying to get across, other that it is OK to steal from mean ugly people with Scottish accents."

Had to laugh over that one... but she's right...

"FELICITY is a beautiful film and a loving recreation of an era which one doesn't often see on the screen. The cast is great and the film is entertaining. BUT the main idea presented to kids via the main character is indeed 'disobey your parents and all will turn out well'."

So, I suppose it is needless to say that I wouldn't necessarily recommend this movie. :-)

The Importance of Dating

2008-09-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

Now, please don't just click out of the screen in disgust. I am not talking about dating vs. courtship or anything like that. What I mean is putting the date on things.

What kind of things? Well - anything. Journal entries. Drawings or paintings you do. The letters and cards you write. The linens you make for your hope chest. For those of you mothers reading this, the little pictures you save that your children give you when they are little. You can find an inconspicuous spot on nearly anything to put a date.

Why? For generations to come. Hundreds of years from now, things you have made and written may have survived. How disappointing it would be for one of your great-great-great grandchildren to find them and know that they are old, but don't know HOW old! Beatrix Potter, for example, wrote many letters and dated most of them; but only two, written to her father, survive from her childhood and they are UNDATED. I love finding things that have the date written on them so that I know exactly how old it was. When looking at old books in antique stores, the first thing I almost always do is look at the publication year - the older it is, the more chance that I will buy it. :-)

That said, I would also encourage you to write the full year. Instead of writing "September 6, 08" write "September 6, 2008." Why? Because in a couple hundred years, people may not know which "08" it is! They may be able to guess based on the actual item, but it is only a guess. For instance, we have an antique woodstove dated Jan. 06. Well, it must have been from 1906 since it couldn't possibly be from two years ago! But you see we use the same abbreviation for 2006 as 1906.

I hope this helps you to remember to take one more second to add the date. It's important! :-)

Crock Pot Recipes

2008-08-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

Herb Potato Orange Roughy
Ingredients:
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup water
4 fresh or thawed orange roughy fillets
2 cups diced & cooked potatoes
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
Lemon wedges for garnish

Instructions:
Combine the soup and water. Pour half into crock pot. Place the fillets on top, and put potatoes on top of the fillets. Pour the rest of the soup/water mixture over the top.
Mix cheese and herbs and sprinkle over the other ingredients in the crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 1 to 2 hours, being care to not overcook the fish.
Serve with lemon wedges if desired (squeezing lemon over the top really enhances the flavor).
Great served with acorn squash!
Serves 4.

Apple Raisin Lamb Chops
Ingredients:
6 lamb chops
2 apples, chopped
2 onions, sliced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:
Place chops in crockpot. Top with onion slices, apples & raisins. Mix water, salt, brown sugar and cinnamon together. Pour over top. Cook on high about 4 to 6 hours or until meat is tender. Enjoy!

Food for Thought

2008-08-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

Lost
Somwhere between sunrise and sunset
One golden hour, set with sixty diamond minutes.
No reward is offered, for it is gone forever.
- Unknown

Natural Beauty

2008-07-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

2008 Poetry Contest Results

2008-05-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

The day is here - time to announce the winners of the Maidens of Virtue Poetry Contest! We got some very good entries and it was difficult to choose!

Here are all the "announcements" and the actual poems follow:

The Grand Prize Winner in the 9-12 age category, "Having Joy in My Heart," is:

Miss Kiah C.!

Honorable Mentions for this category are:

Miss Rebecca G. & Miss Robyn G. (sisters! :-) )

The Grand Prize Winner in the 13-25 age category, "A Sister's Role in Her Sibling's Life," is:

Miss Kathryn I.!

Honorable Mentions for this category are:

Miss Heather E. & Miss Moriah O.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for the poems...

Joy - 9-12 Grand Prize Winner

By Miss Kiah C.

Joy is as heavy as a hug

And as light as air.

Joy is in serving your family.

It is uplifting

And a trial to hold

And may be a sunbeam to carry

But most of all you find your joy

In the Lord. He gives it to us through

Friends and neighbors.

Joy is in the Lord Jesus.

Having Joy in My Heart - 9-12 Honorable Mention

By Miss Rebecca G.

I have joy in my heart with His love and His kindness,

I have joy in my heart with His mercy and grace,

I have joy in my heart with His loving care,

I have joy in my heart with His outstanding power

I have joy in my heart with His outstanding care,

Oh I have joy in my heart from Him!

Let's Remember Paul - 9-12 Honorable Mention

By Miss Robyn G.

When I’m feeling low I turn to the bible and that gives me joy!

God wants us to read His word so we can have joy!

The book I love most is Philippians; I love all the verses in it!

Paul tells us to rejoice in all things and that we should count it all joy!

He also says to think on right things, so when we grumble and complain,

Are we counting it all joy? No.

So let's remember Paul when he was sitting in chains in a Roman prison,

If he can count it all joy so can we.

We who live in comfortable houses and don’t have to wear chains!

So when we are tempted to grumble about doing the dishes or just doing our chores;

Remember Paul and have

JOY!!!

Blessed Sisterhood - 13-25 Grand Prize Winner

By Miss Kathryn I.

There is a special role, which only girls can fill,

Created by the Lord, part of His Sovereign will.

A mighty power have we, who have sister for a name,

A role to be desired, much more than wealth or fame.

We as sisters must be gentle, - patient, loving, kind,

Not thinking of ourselves, but having others on our mind.

Whenever you speak, seek to build up another,

Give loving praise, to your sister and your brother.

We must submit to authority, and respectfully obey,

Carrying fully out with joy, all that our parents say.

For we set an example, we are watched in all we do,

May our actions honor Christ, our words please Him too.

I tell you dear maiden, with siblings in your life,

Be a blessing unto others, not to them a source of strife.

Embrace the role of sister, thank God that you can see,

That He’s placed you where you are, in your own family.

When eager little hands, wish to join you in a task,

Do not sigh within your heart, and wish they did not ask.

Instead, pause and pray, that God would give to you,

Patience and forbearance, for those who follow you.

Speak of the Lord, and all that He has done,

From the beginning of each day, to the setting of the sun.

We are told to remember, the mercies of the Lord,

So speak often of His deeds, the blessings He’s out poured.

How often we forget, who’ve been blessed with sisterhood,

What a help we can be, a blessing if we would.

God’s given us a task, may it be our great delight,

To embrace this noble call, serve Him with all our might!

A Sister's Influence - 13-25 Honorable Mention

By Miss Heather E.

A sisters role is needed,

To make the home a happy place;

To gently guide and encourage,

Her vital role can never be erased.

Her siblings depend on her instruction,

They look to her to lead;

To be the example of obedience,

The cornerstone of the family.

O Sister, I know your life is busy,

With many burdens along the way;

Do not neglect your duty,

Care for them day by day.

You have the power to influence,

Use it wisely and you shall see;

The fruitful vines rise up,

Around that olive tree.

Sister's Place - 13-25 Honorable Mention

By Miss Moriah O.

A sister sits -

hands covering face.

What is my duty -

where is my place.

Little does she know

her place sits all around.

Her siblings lives

is where her duty's found.

A kind word -

a cheerful smile,

these things can lighten

a sibling's trial.

Her encouragement

and her grace,

bring a smile

to a sibling's face.

Oh, sister

look and see

what kind of person

each aims to be.

Encourage them

along life's way.

Encourage them

in Christ to stay.

Congratulations everyone! You all did wonderful work!

Deadline Extended!

2008-04-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like we will be having a repeat of last year, and the Maidens of Virtue Poetry Contest deadline will have to be extended! I will let you in on a little secret and tell you that I have had an amazingly low number of entries. I won't tell you how many, :-) but I will say that chances of winning are extremely good as of today.

If possible I do not want to have to cancel the contest... and it is that bad... so I beg of you, if you enjoy poetry, PLEASE consider entering! You have nothing to lose except 41¢ (unless you submit electronically, which is free!) and there are fantastic prizes...

The contest is now in effect until Tuesday, May 20th, 2008. And if you need to see the complete contest details, click here.

Don't Forget!

2008-04-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that the deadline for the Maidens of Virtue poetry contest is just one week away!

Get your entries in soon!

(Haven't heard about it yet? Click here to find out more!)

Send Someone a Letter

2008-04-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Do it today - send a letter or even a short note to someone you know. Letter writing is becoming a lost art in today's world of fast, free email. It's sad, because letters are such wonderful things, both for the sender and the recipient. Who doesn't like getting "real" mail - something other than catalogs and bills? Sure, it costs 41¢ (and counting...); but think about it. You're paying 41¢ for a relative miracle that will bring joy to someone else - I mean, really, isn't it amazing that you can simply write a person's name, and some more words that are represent where they live, and it will get there even if it's somewhere on the other side of the world (most of the time...)?

So, that said, write a letter to someone. It can be a simple note card or a volume that's bordering on breaking the world record. Just do it. When you mail it know that you are sending off a day-brightener - and it only cost you a little time and 41¢.

(End note: Rumor has it that letter writing can be a double blessing - if you send mail, you are more likely to receive it! Makes sense to me...)

Thought for the Day

2008-04-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

"Some people complain that God put thorns on roses, while others praise Him for putting roses on thorns."
- Anonymous

Home

2008-03-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

By Miss Melanie K.

Home is where a traveler can find a place to stay,
Home is where the children gather at their play.
Home is where a mother works and oversees,
Home is where God's word brings gentleness and peace.
Home is where a baby coos in soft delight,
Home is where the husband comes back to every night.
Home is where the lawn shows special loving care,
Home is where flowers are sprinkled everywhere.
Home is where a new life begins and where it ends,
Home is where you gather in safety with your friends.
Home is where History is taught and where it's learned,
Home is where forgiveness abounds, where apologies are returned.
Home is where the daughter trains to be a wife,
Home is where the son prepares himself for life.
Home is where families begin and where they end,
Home is where Jesus is found the best of friends.

Poetry Contest!

2008-03-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been a year, and I am excited to announce the 2nd annual Maidens of Virtue Poetry Contest!

Like last year, there are two categories: ages 9 to 12, and 13 to 20. This year's topics are, respectively,

"Having Joy in Your Heart" and
"A Sister's Role in Her Sibling's Life"

You can find out more information by clicking here. This contest is open until April 30, 2008.

I look forward to receiving your entries!!

Friendship Quilt

2008-03-08T10:13:00.000-08:00

For my last birthday, my sister gave me a friendship quilt, though it wasn't all put together yet. It's one of the best gifts I've ever been given - a quilt made up of squares that my friends embroidered for me! Tara (my sister) organized the whole thing, and my friends each handmade a square. It was very neat to open each one out and see how each reflected the personality of the giver! Anyway, I am writing this because yesterday my sister finished sewing it all together, and I thought I'd post a couple pictures of it.

Here she is basting in the batting (that's the back of the quilt)

The finished quilt (sorry the picture is a little dark)

And there was an unexpected benefit that came with this quilt as far as Tara is concerned - she's found that she's hooked on quilting! :-)

Presentation is Everything: How to Serve a Simple Meal in Elegant Style

2008-02-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

Did you know that you can make even the simplest meal special by the way you serve it?

The secret is summed up in one word: presentation. My aunt was a caterer at one time and she lived with us a for a few years, and one of the things that she continually impressed upon us was that "it's all in the presentation." We kind of made a joke out of it at the time, but it's true.

So, how can we dress up our meals to appear at their very best? Let's look at a couple of ways to make the dishes we serve appealing.

1. Attractive Arrangement
Don't just dump the food you have made on to a plate to serve it. Look for ways that you could tastefully arrange the food on the plate to make it more attractive. For instance, see what kind of garnishes you could put on the side to give it a little "oomph." Just a little sprig of parsley or rosemary can change the whole look of the dish. For soups, they look amazingly more appetizing when you add a garnish. The type of garnish will of course depend on the soup (or dish), but I made baked potato soup, and garnished it with a sprinkling of cheese in the center and a little chopped green onion. There are lots of fun garnishing how-to books out there as well that can teach you more elaborate, creative garnishes. Another point is that it does matter what kind of dish you serve the food in! We have one dish that I love because it is very pretty and somehow always makes it look like there is a lot of food in it even if there isn't! (It also fits asparagus perfectly :-)) Now, I realize that sometimes we just don't have time and it's all we can do to even get dinner on the table, let alone dress it up. That's okay! But when we do have the time, we should try to make it a little fancy.

2. Dress Up the Table
Aside from the actual dishes, presentation includes your table. Put a tablecloth on, and maybe a couple of tall candles in the center. It's amazing how this can transform the whole feel of your table - especially if you choose a richly colored tablecloth. If you don't have time for attractively arranging your dishes, this takes mere seconds. Another fun thing that really adds presentation is creative napkin folding. There are some instructions for a few simple napkin folds here. This really impresses guests too!

So there are my thoughts on presentation... it's the way to make the plainest meal delightful!

The best thing since sliced bread is...

2008-01-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

...soft, fresh butter to go on it!

Our family has just discovered a wonderful little kitchen accessory - a butter keeper. Ever heard of it? It's a device that keeps butter fresh at room temperature, leaving it soft and spreadable. It's two pieces, one piece being the dish that holds the butter. This piece then flips upside down into a slightly larger dish, which you fill with about 1/2 inch of cool water. The water then seals in the butter to keep it fresh!

Clever, isn't it? We have found, however, that you do have to consistently change the water every few days, and it helps to use the butter up fairly quickly, as it only stays fresh for so long. It keeps fresh for about a week, I would say, before it starts to turn rancid. Most butter keepers that I have seen hold one stick of butter (1/2 cup).

Here are a few butter keepers I found on Amazon.com. For a more extensive selection, click on this link: Butter Keepers on Amazon (note that there are a few other butter-related products listed that just came up in the search results).

Butter Keeper

White Floral Butter Keeper

Floral Butter Keeper with Knife

Of course, to be frugal you can also pack the butter into a regular bowl, and then fit it into a larger bowl filled with 1/2 an inch of water as well. It just wouldn't be as "pretty." :-)

The Thrifty Seamstress

2008-01-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

Lately we've been doing a lot of sewing. And lately we've noticed something:

Every time you want to sew something, it costs money.

And some projects are more expensive than others. So, here are a few tips for pinching your pennies when it comes to sewing.

• Fabric: Don't buy it. Now, don't get me wrong here, I do realize it helps to have fabric when you are sewing. I just mean don't buy fabric from the fabric stores. You can often find good fabric at very inexpensive prices at thrift shops. And here's another thing - you can use sheets! Generally sheets can be found at thrift stores too, but even some brand new sheets are cheaper than new fabric. Of course, I'm not laying down the law and saying that it's a sin to go and buy new fabric from the store! That's fine too. But if you're pinching pennies and/or don't have any particular fabric in mind, the options already mentioned just might save you a little cash.

• Buttons: Buttons can really add up especially if you need them for the front of a skirt or dress. Next time you "purge" your closet, before throwing out clothing that is too worn to be given away, rip off any buttons that might be on them. Most button-up sweaters will have 5 or 6 buttons, while dresses and skirts could have 10 or more! If you save these, you will have a handy store of matching sets of buttons for use in your future sewing projects. Oh - and thrift stores come in handy here too. If you have a project where you need a large amount of buttons but don't have any worn out button-up clothes, head to the thrift store and pick up a dress with buttons that you like (it can be the ugliest dress in the world - as long as the buttons are nice! :-). An average dress at a thrift store would cost between $4 to $10, and 10 brand new buttons would have easily cost you $20 or more.

• Boning: I'm not sure how often you would need boning, but if you're like me you love making historical costumes - and those generally seem to call for boning. And boning is ex-pen-sive! Well, a friend of ours let us in on a great tip: go to the hardware store and pick up a bag of those plastic tie-wraps. They are about the perfect length for boning in a bodice (and could always be trimmed). You can get a bag of around 100 tie-wraps for less than $10 - and that sure is cheaper than boning!

I hope this is helpful and if I come across any more money-saving tips I'll be sure to pass them on! Happy sewing!

The Girlhood Gazette

Sense & Sensibility Sale!

American Duchess Devonshire 18th Century Shoes

Win free desktop calendars!

Photography Contest Results!

Photography Contest - Last Chance

For only a dollar...

Photography Contest... Last Weeks!

Movie Review: The Runner from Ravenshead

Pretty Please...

Communication Crisis?

Joyfully At Home... The Book

Apple Cinnamon Clafoutis

Apple Cinnamon Clafoutis

New Contest Sponsor: Fracture

Photography Contest Reminder!

Vision Forum Sale

Interview with The Joy of Jewelry

Feelin' Feminine Jane Austen Tour

(Credit for photos: Eras of Elegance. In addition, images in this graphic are displayed in good faith as a fair use under 17 U.S.C. 107. Any copyright infringement is unintentional, and will be remedied immediately.)

2010 Essay Contest Results!

9-13 Age Group Winner: Miss Johanna W.

14-25 Age Group Winner: Miss Rachel D.

Representing Christ - 9-13 Category Winner

A Remedy - 14-25 Category Winner

The Value of Modesty - 14-25 Category Runner Up

A State of Being - 14-25 Category Runner Up

The Service of Modesty - 9-13 Category Runner Up

What is Modesty? - 9-13 Category Runner Up

Essay Contest Prizes!

Tell Me... Uh, Monday - My Harp!

Wordless Wednesday - My Harp!

The Essay Contest! Finally!

Cover Your Hair Giveaway

Sorry!

Contest Update

IHF Photo Contest

Review: My Favorite CDs

Tell Me Thursday - Harp Heaven

Wordless Wednesday - Harp Heaven

Photography Contest!

i heart faces contest

Contest coming soon...

Wordless Wednesday - Forest of Ice

Decadence!

Peppermint Chocolate Truffles

Tell Me Thursday - My Goofball

Wordless Wednesday - My Goofball

Sale!

It's October!

Apples!

Refreshing Summer Cooler

Happy Independence Day!

Book Review: Stay in the Castle

An Update

Next Year's Contest

The Hope Chest Record Book eBook

2009 Essay Contest Winners!

Miss Hannah H.

"True Beauty"

Miss Emily C.

"A Matter of the Heart"

True Beauty - Grand Prize Winner (9-13) By Miss Hannah H.

What is True Beauty? - 1st Runner Up (9-13)By Miss Robyn G.

Beauty That Counts - 2nd Runner Up (9-13)By Miss Desiree M.

A Matter of the Heart - Grand Prize Winner (14-25)By Miss Emily C.

Real Beauty? - 1st Runner Up (14-25)By Miss Toria H.

True Beauty Is God's Way - 2nd Runner Up (14-25)By Miss Danielle S.

Essay Contest Wrap-Up

Calling all bakers!

A Reminder!

Another Giveaway

I'm in love with crabapples!

Images are Copyrighted © Kathryn Grace Photography

***Essay Contest Deadline Extended!***

I was interviewed...

One week...

Win a free custom graphic!

Seeking Starchless Recipes

Cauliflower Wraps

True Beauty - Grand Prize Winner (9-13)
By Miss Hannah H.

What is True Beauty? - 1st Runner Up (9-13)
By Miss Robyn G.

Beauty That Counts - 2nd Runner Up (9-13)
By Miss Desiree M.

A Matter of the Heart - Grand Prize Winner (14-25)
By Miss Emily C.

Real Beauty? - 1st Runner Up (14-25)
By Miss Toria H.

True Beauty Is God's Way - 2nd Runner Up (14-25)
By Miss Danielle S.

Essay Contest Deadline Extended!