Patience Rewarded

This is a post I wrote for our family blog, and thought maybe you girls might enjoy it too:

Here at our lovely home, we were sure that there must be hummingbirds around. We had seen a few even at our old house in a subdivision, and one would think that here, with so much open land and fewer houses, we would find more wildlife.
Well, we were right.
We have two hummingbird feeders out, and have had them filled for quite some time. We've waited and waited, and then we saw a hummingbird a month or so ago, but it didn't seem very interested in the feeder. So we added more sugar, which proved more effective. We now have a little "resident" hummingbird who stays around all the time, and what is more, we see every day what is apparently rather unusual. We see it sit. Most people spot hummingbirds in flight, but our little friend has a favorite perch on our Japanese maple, right by the deck, and we see it sitting there quite often.

Here are 3 shots of basically the same view:





It was very fun for me yesterday morning, which is when I took the first two shots. The hummingbird was sitting on her usual branch, and so I grabbed the camera and decided to go outside and see if it would fly away. It did, but was back in a moment and I was able to get those pictures with our "super zoom" lens. Then it flew off again, so I moved closer and waited to see if it would come back. I was standing about 2 feet or so away from the feeder, and then the hummingbird came right up to it! What a neat experience to be so close to one of these amazing creatures. Unfortunately the camera would not focus fast enough and I was not able to get any close-up shots.
It is amazing how fast their little wings go - when they hover, they don't make much sound, but when they move, it makes a whirring noise. Very neat!

God's creation is MARVELOUS!!!

Another Contest!

Well, girls, it's time to start sewing! Modest Handmaidens is now offering a sewing contest for young ladies ages 9 to 19 (three separate categories). All you have to do is send in 2 pictures of one of your sewing projects with a submission form!
The deadline is October 15, 2007.

Click here for more info!

P.S. The winners of the essay contest put on by Modest Handmaidens are now announced! Click on the same link above to see the results!

"Nice Blogger Award"

My mom tagged me for the "Nice Blogger Award" which is:
“This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you’ve been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award."

So now I am supposed to pass it on to 7 others, but I don't know 7 bloggers, so here's what I do have:

My friends:
Anna Joyce

Megan Rose

Lauren

Mrs. Guenther at Teacup Talk

Miss Taylor at Godly Girlhood ~ Taylor's Blog

Lovely blogs, ladies... now it's your turn to tag!

If I find 2 other good blogs, I'll add them too! :-)

New Poems!

I Will Live for My Redeemer
By Miss Baylie W.

I will live for my Redeemer ~
All earth’s joys are but a name,
When compared to Christ my Savior,
Through all ages still the same.
Oh, how can I help but love Him,
Who for me God’s judgment bore!
Showered love and blessing on me,
Bid me fear and weep no more.

I will live for my Redeemer ~
He and only Him I’ll praise,
Who has purchased my salvation
And who keeps me with His grace.
O the joy of sin forgiven,
Hell and death I fear no more!
Death for me holds no more terror
For it opens heaven’s door.

I will live for my Redeemer ~
‘Tis the debt to Him I owe.
Oh, I can withhold Him nothing
Since He deigns to love me so!
O what boundless grace and mercy;
His own life for me He gave.
Out of love I pledge forever
To be His most willing slave.

I will live for my Redeemer ~
‘Till my life on earth is o’er,
And throughout the endless ages
I’ll adore Him more and more.
Laud and honor to the Savior!
Praise and blessing to the One
Who did purchase my redemption
By the death of His own Son!


Deliverance and Patience
By Miss Baylie W.

In a wee and stout fort
On the shore of the James,
Lived a small group of settlers,
Determined and brave.
They had battled the natives
And suffered much pain;
Now starvation threatened
To dig them their graves.

Discouraged and weary,
They gave in to despair.
Setting sail for their homeland,
They left Jamestown there
Amidst their dashed hopes and dreams.
On the shore frontier
They had tried, and now failing,
Old England looked fair.

But lo! In the distance
Two ships did draw near,
With supplies and provisions
To last them a year.
God had, in His providence,
With safe passage blessed
The Deliv’rence and Patience.
History tells the rest…

So ‘oft in our lives
We begin to despair,
And abandon the vision
That once seemed so clear.
Then God lovingly sends us
Deliverance from fear,
And Patience, the fruit of
Our trials and tears.

Press on, weary pilgrim!
Never fear or despair.
Deliverance is coming,
I see her just there.
And Patience along with her,
God’s promised reward
For those who are faithful.
Stand strong in the Lord!


My Girlhood
By Jill Novak

My girlhood is a pleasant place
Where life and love abound,
For here it is that all I am
Is waiting to be found.
In play I spend an endless time
Where only I can go,
A child still inside the girl
A pure-white, budding rose.

My girlhood is a time for God
His hand, His voice, His face,
His steady stream of steadfast love
Within my days I trace.
I rest assured of this one thing
He'll never leave my side,
For in my girlhood heart of hearts
He always will abide.

My girlhood home is all I need
To learn of servant-hood,
For here my Father and my Mother
Seek only what is good.
They take the time to teach me well
And help me understand,
That girlhood is a time of life
To lend a helping hand.

My girlhood is a priceless gift
A training ground, you see,
Where love for others, sisters and brothers
Will always be the key.
For God will cover my girlhood years
In all I do and say,
'Till someday a woman I will be
When girlhood passes away.

Taken from The Gift of Family Writing by Jill Novak
Used by permission of Remembrance Press • www.RemembrancePress.com

This is Adorable!

Someone sent this to my mom, and it is so cute I just had to post it here! This little girl is precious!
Click the red arrow to play.

Summery Salads

Since summer is definitely upon us, a salad is the perfect meal for a hot day. Refreshing and healthy, salads are one of my summer favorites! Here are couple of my most-liked recipes:

Southwest Layer Salad
Serves approx. 6 to 8 people

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup salsa (chunky works well)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
2 to 3 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup diced red onion OR thinly sliced green onion (with tops)
12 to 16 oz. (or about 10 cups) iceberg lettuce salad mix
1 to 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced black olives

Instructions:
In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and salsa. Mix well and set aside.
After preparing the vegetables, layer the beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and lettuce in a large bowl (shallow is better). Evenly spread the sour cream/salsa mixture over the top and sprinkle on the cheese. Top with the black olives and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Note: Because of the layered nature of this salad, it is easiest to serve it with a large flat spatula, as you would serve lasagna. If you prefer, you can toss it all together instead of layering it.

Miss Kathryn's Pasta Salad
Serves approx. 6 people

Ingredients:
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
3 cups penne pasta (or other pasta), uncooked
20 pitted black olives
16 cherry tomatoes
1 medium cucumber
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
In a small bowl, whisk together mustard and basil. Gradually stir in dressing and whisk until smooth. Set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain in colander. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Place pasta in large bowl.
While pasta is cooking, cut olives and cherry tomatoes in half. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise, peel, and remove seeds if desired. Cut cucumber halves crosswise into slices. Add olives, tomatoes, and cucumbers to pasta in the large bowl. Pour dressing over pasta mixture and mix lightly. Add Parmesan cheese and toss. Cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes, and serve.

Enjoy!

New Resource

I started another resource site to go with Maidens of Virtue and this blog. It's made with a site builder called Squidoo. There's a kitchen section, and a sewing section, (and more!) plus you can buy books, CDs, and other products. I update this site monthly so be sure to check back! Take a look here: www.squidoo.com/maidensofvirtue.