Announcement

Hey everybody!  

First off, I wanted to say . . . MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Secondly, thanks for being patient with me as I skipped the last two Tuesdays of blogging.  (like I've said before: life happens!) :)

Thirdly, I've got an announcement to make concerning this blog:

Since last....let me see...was it March???  I've been trying to keep up with blogging once a week on Tuesdays which has been super good for me, but now with 2014 coming on, graduation coming up, and more school/work/life to do, I'm gunna have to say goodbye to 

Thanks to all of you faithful 'Keep Calm and Tuesday On' readers, and for all of your awesome comments!  

Loves to you all, and God bless!

I'll talk to ya again soon!

Hannah

My Christmas To Do list

(almost) 2 weeks until Christmas, and still no snow!  :(  

Oh well!  In the foothills, we kinda live in a pocket to where we can see the whiteness covers the mountains, but never (ever) get any ourselves...

Anyways.  

Here is my to do list for the rest of the season:

BAKE! BAKE! BAKE!

Lady Fingers, Cheese Pennies, Sausage Balls, Reese's Cups, cookies....yup.  I'm gunna be busy, and the house is going to smell goooooood!

SCHOOL

Ugh.  gotta finish it up by this Friday....(maybe...I can't find a testing center near me that administers Dantes tests!! HELP!)

DECORATE

Deck the halls with LOTS of boughs of holly (and evergreen :)

CHRISTMAS SHOP

We are doing a new thing this year:

Everyone draws a name from a hat (or cheap plastic cup) and whoever's name we get, we make or buy presents for.  I drew Ben's name this time, so I've gotta figure out what to get him.  I really like the idea of filling a big bag with boyish odds and ends, and what's nice is that stores generally carry a bunch of little doodads that an 11 year old would love ;)

BALLET

Guess what's coming up tomorrow evening in Asheville?!?!  THE MOSCOW BALLET is performing the NUTCRACKER!!!  I've never been to a real ballet before, so I'm super stoked about this thing!  

So much to do, and yet I still managed to get sick with a sore throat and fever yesterday :(

Oh well, I'm sure I'll be better by tomorrow night....I don't think anything could keep me away from the Nutcracker
;D

Gearing up for the Holidays

Being on Thanksgiving break has afforded me the opportunity to blog a bit earlier today...so nice :)  

**

I've got a question; what kind of feeling do you get when you see this picture?

I know for me, it brings a nostalgic feeling that reminds me of cinnamon, warmth, jingle bells, Christmas songs, red and green, hot chocolate, snow, sitting by the fire in my pajamas reading a book, and the smell of Christmas trees. 

I don't know what it is, but this year I just absolutely can not wait for the whole Christmas season to start.  

Actually, I take that back....I think I do know why.  Over the last 2 years or so, amidst all of the craziness, God became a reality for me, and you know what is crazy?  After thinking (and I mean really thinking) about whether I believed what I said I believed or not, I came to realize that for the longest time, I had been riding on my parent's beliefs and not making them my own.  Yes, I knew all of the right answers to the Shorter Catechism, and Bible stories, but I think that's all they were to me; just stories.  Ya know, that word, stories, can get to you after a while - you can almost start to think of truths as fables.  I did without even realizing it.  

Well, I had always heard that at some point in your walk with Christ, you would have this moment when you come to a crossroads that made you decide to either follow Him fully, or follow the world. 

I guess I was expecting a huge defining life crisis that would bring me to this point, but that's not what happened with me.  

It really has been a gradual process within the past 2 years that God has been super kind in taking me through.  It's a cool thing to be able to say:

"I am not the same person that I was even 2 months ago."

He continues to sanctify me daily (and let me clarify something.  None of this is because of anything that I've done....it's God waking up my dead heart!)

and so that is (the long version :) why I think that I am looking forward to Christmas this year more than ever before.  I believe that I am finally beginning to understand and be thankful for the this season of celebrating Christ's birth.  

Oh!  Haha.  Why am I talking about Christmas, when Thanksgiving hasn't even come yet!?!  (some of my family members would shoot me....NO Christmas until after Thanksgiving type of thing....)

SO, I want to end this post with Thanksgiving.  I've got a huge list of things that I'm thankful for, 10 of which I'll list here:

1. Salvation

2. My family 

3. That group of guys from our Church who came over this past weekend to help us work on our basement

4. Christmas

5. My new iPhone that I got for 99¢ (whoohoo!)

6. All of the family that will be coming over for Thanksgiving (can't wait guys!)

7. Cozy, icy, gray weather like this

8. Friends

9. The chance to relax and think about plans for the future

10. The fact that I have never been in any REAL need of anything.  

In America, we are blessed more than I think we'll ever know or truly realize.  

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Log Cabin Weekend

In our Church, we have a Titus 2 woman who has been super good to a group of us girls in teaching a Bible study on Romans over the Summer which has benefited us all so much!  

This past weekend, our study group went up to one of the girl's families cabin and kind of did a recap on the study, sharing what had impacted us the most, as well as spending time with each other, hiking and so forth :)  

I'm so grateful for this group of fun, but solid people who get together to both enjoy each other and keep one another accountable!

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."

~Provers 27:17

Breakfast - best meal of the day....orange juice, hot chocolate, eggs, Pillsbury Doughboy biscuits, sausage and fruit!  Can you get any better than that?!?

 Sitting on the porch in PJ's to talk until lunch time...

Hiking up to 'the bald' on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina.

In our Bible study, we divided the book into 5 main sections: 

Sin, Salvation, Sanctification, Sovereignty, and Service.  

sooo, this is us on top of a mountain, demonstrating the 5 different sections in Romans:

What can I say?  It was awesome!!!  

:)

For consistency's sake, I'm blogging tonight, but I've gotta warn you - It's nothing special.  I've got only 2 days to try to cram a whole College Algebra course in before I don't get credit for any of it, so I'm off to studying again!  

до свидания

(Dosvedanya)

{google images}

Keep Calm and Tuesday On - Carowinds

Heeellllooooo everybody!  Man, I have been just pumped full of energy today; I don't know what is up with me????  I can't seem to sit still for very long, and so consequently this post is not going to be very profound ... or lengthy.  :P 

All I've got for youz guys this week are some iPhone pictures from our trip to Carowinds this past Saturday, which was a blast!

Poor Ben....This was his first time to ever ride a big roller coaster.  He looks kinda sick.  

:P

{But!  He ended up riding almost every, single coaster in the park for the rest of the day.  Such a trooper}

For lunch, we had an all American meal of hot dogs, fried chicken and beans....not the best idea for going on loop-the-loops afterwards, but anyways... 

{Uummm....what other kind of ketchup is there????}

And then for dinner, we ate Chinese.  

Best part of Chinese food is the *Fortune Cookie*!!!

{What a letdown}

What a good weekend that was!

Now I've got a whole new week full of school, apple picking, birthday celebrating, and brothers coming home from a big fishing trip with even BIGGER stories, to look forward to :) 

I couldn't ask for a better week!

Keep Calm and Tuesday On - Love, Joy, Peace Challenge

There is always something to work on in your character, whether you be 17, or 71!  

I personally know, after looking back at how I wasn't patient with this person, or not all that humble in that situation, {the list could go on and on...} my character flaws can sometimes seem overwhelming!  

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm one of those gals who likes to have practical ways to help me to overcome difficulties.  So, I was remembering what it says in Galatians 5:22-23 about the fruits of the Spirit:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law."

. . . and I started to think, "Now how can I practically apply this verse?"

What I came up with was a sort of challenge to myself:  

The LOVE, JOY, PEACE Challenge

Generally, it takes about 21 days to form a habit, so what I'm doing is taking 1 "fruit" a month (a couple extra days for good measure :) to focus on and pray that God would cultivate that character quality in me.  

So, for example, this month's "fruit" is love!  

That means that for the rest of this month, I am praying that I would love others with God's kind of love, and then actively look for ways to show and cultivate that love throughout the month.  

From there, I'll take the other fruits of the Spirit and do the same thing with the hope that by the end of 9 months, I will have formed unshakable habits based around loving others, being joyful in all circumstances, having complete peace in my heart, . . . and so on.  

Now, why exactly did I tell you all this?

I told you so that prayerfully you and many others will join me in actively working on our weaknesses, because, 

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."

-2 Timothy 2:15

And of course, it is because of God's grace and through his Holy Spirit that we have the power to overcome our weaknesses - one step at a time.  

***

Now, before I leave you for this Tuesday, I'd like to share something that really encouraged and inspired me today.  Its a really short, 4 part video series called, "FABULOUS LIFE OF A TEENAGER" by Alex and Brett Harris - founders of the Rebelution movement, and authors of the book, Do Hard Things.  

Enjoy and BE CHALLENGED!

Keep Calm and Tuesday On - God is still God through business

Mmmmm . . .  Fresh Muffins

Old Disney songs on Pandora

A sunny morning (very rare these days)

New day ahead

Quiet time with Jesus to look forward to

~

Man, to all appearances, my day is made!  But believe it or not, I went to bed last night thinking and worrying about everything I have to get done this month - from school to keeping the house clean - which is a whole other challenge in and of itself.  

(yes, my home is normal too)

:)

My aunt is here from Colorado with her 2 little boys for the month of July, so that should keep us all plenty busy . . . but of course, that's the good kind of busy.  

After that in August, Mom has a big 'ol' surgery that she's gotta get over with, and our family takes our annual beach trip with dad's fam later that month as well.

. . . maybe in September, our life will slow back down to a more normal speed.

Whew!

I don't ever remember a more busy year!  

However, I sometimes get the feeling that with all of this extra stuff that has come up in my life, I am kind of skimping on my devotions in the morning in order to fit in everything else that I've gotta get done.

 Not good!  

So I've started reading this book that I found tucked away in one of our bookshelves that is really helpful and addresses these issues.  It's called; Life Management for Busy Women.

Now, some of the topics are geared more towards the busy Mom/Wife, but even then - most of the points are applicable to me in one way or the other.  

I wasn't quite sure what I would find when I opened the book, but then I saw the very first chapter:  Developing a Passion for God's Word. 

So I though, "hey!  How bad can that be???"

I started reading, and came across something that really hit home for me:

It said, "Somehow, at some time, for some reason, God's Word took a secondary place to other pursuits.  The lesser choices were made regarding how time was spent, until time was not taken each day to develop a passion for knowing and following God's plan.  

At the heart of a woman seeking to live out God's plan for her life is a passion for God's Word.  And when we fail to purposefully and willfully develop this passion, we begin to spend our precious time and days on lesser pursuits . . . which can lead to wandering off the path of God's purpose for our life and out of His will."

Then the author went on to give 10 practical ways in which to develop a passion for God's word.  They were;

1. Refuse to miss a day of quiet time with the Lord.

2. Pray as you approach God's Word

3. Consume God's Word in various ways. (i.e. songs, memorizing verses, placing scripture around the house.  etc.) (basically surrounding yourself with the Word)

4. Find a rhythm or a pattern that fits your lifestyle.  (i.e. when is the best time to have your quiet times.  Mine is in the morning.)

5. Be a woman of one Book - the Book ("Make it a rule to read what honors God's standards and glorifies Him.  And if you only have time to read one book, make sure that book is the Book." )

6. Be accountable

7. Beat the family. ("aim at getting up before your family gets up"

8. Teach your children.  (well....since I don't have any children of my own to teach ;)  I take this and apply it to teaching/encouraging/mentoring younger siblings, or friends)

9. Purpose to get up ("Surely any woman with any passion for anything makes sure she gets up to enjoy that passion!")

10. Aim for more time in your devotions.  

**

I just thought that those were super helpful and encouraging to me, so I wanted to share them with all of you who might just be going through some of the same things as I am . . . especially this Summer.  

Remember!  God is still God through business, and we/I can't just put him on hold while trying to fit "everything else" into our schedules.  

Besides . . . Isn't He the one who gave us these busy times in the first place?

KC&TO - Book Store in the Mountains

 I've had a cozy rainy day filled with College Plus degree consultations, memorizing Philippeans 2:5-11, watching old Westerns with Grandaddy, and keeping Caelen company as she worked at my Grandfather's surveying buisness.  

So nice.  :)

The other day, we took a trip up to Little Switzerland NC for the afternoon where we visited the little chalet and book store.  It was simply beautiful.  

 

There is nothin like the smell of old books, eh?

That's another thing that I love about living up in the mountains . . . there are so many quaint little shops tucked away in there!  Of course, I never actually end up buy anything from them, but I always come back inspired.  They are usually selling some nifty lil trinket that I figure I can make myself....if I ever find the time to  :D

Have a great rest of your Tuesday evening!

{Oh my!  It's the 4th of July in only 2 days!  I almost forgot!}

{How do you usually spend the Fourth?}

Keep Calm & Tuesday On ~ FRIENDSHIP

 

Just finished listening to this song on Pandora, and thought, "oh, how fitting!" 

In the not so far gone past, I struggled with not having any friends, and when I say struggled, I mean struggled!  It bothered me, I tell ya!

When I was younger, making friends was always easy for me, but as I got older and we moved from VA to NC, it started to get harder and harder. 

Ever seem like everybody is either much older or younger than you? 

Well, that's how I felt until I (finally) realized, 

"God has a good reason for this.  I bet that I have been put in this hard place in order to get closer to my family, and become more dependent on God before he gives me "outside" friends."

And do you know what?  I was right!  My family members became my bestest of best friends, and God became more real to me than ever before!  It was an amazing work that He did in my heart to make me refocus my thoughts from what I didn't have, to what he had already given me.  

Then, and ONLY then, did he bless me with what I had been longing for so badly;
Friendship.
That is why the song by Francesca Battistelli was so applicable to my thoughts today :)

"But when I fix my eyes on all that You are

Then every doubt I feel

Deep in my heart

Grows strangely dim

All my worries fade

And fall to the ground

Cause when I seek Your face

And don't look around

Any place I'm in

Grows strangely dim"

Until everything else starts to look dim in comparison to Christ, all of our longings and desires are simply going to eat us up, like they did for me.

Phlippians 4:11-13 sums it up perfectly:

~

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

~

Just 2 years ago, we became members of Burk Community Bible Church in Morganton NC, and not only did they teach the Bible, but they also taught their kids Biblically.  

They are a really neat bunch.

Happy Tuesday!  

(Wow, and I actually got this posted on Tuesday!  BONUS!!!)

:)

Keep Calm and Tuesday On - NCHE Homeschool Conference & Memorial Day

Good afternoon everybody!  Hope you are having a super fabulous Tuesday so far.  

At the moment, I am looking outside at the clouds of pollen that are passing by in waves . . . it's crazy!!!  

I feel really sorry for whoever has allergies with that kind of stuff...ugh.

So, what did you do this past week?

Mine was spent in finishing up the last bits of school (which I am now done with until July :D !!!) and attending the NCHE homeschool conference in Winston Salem.  

To tell you the truth, I've never been to a homeschool conference other than to work in one of the Apologia booths, so it felt kinda weird at first to walk around in the book fair and see all of the other vendors hard at work without me.  :)  But at the same time, it was nice to have the freedom to go to the workshops with one of my friends, and cousins.  

One of the talks was especially thought provoking, and I can't for the life of me, remember the guy's name who gave it!  

Basically, it was a challenge to teens in particular to have enough faith in Christ to be able to share the gospel in any given situation that might come up. 

 I had to ask myself, "have I searched the scriptures thoroughly, and do I know them well enough to be completely ready when situations do come up?" 

. . . very thought provoking for me.  

Another good talk that was given (and that I do remember the name of that speaker), was by Scott Klusendorf on abortion, and how to argue convincingly against it.  

Actually, what he had to say was so convicting to me, that when I came home, I looked up our local Pregnancy Care Center to see if there was anyway that I could volunteer to help around the Summer.  

Here is a small piece of what I read on the their website:

Volunteering would be a wonderful way to support McDowell Pregnancy Care Center for those who feel they cannot afford a donation.  There are always items in the "store" to take care of, or calls, or sometimes just keeping someone company.

Extra smiles being around when these young women come in go along way in setting the mood and the atmosphere.  We know your time is valuable, but assisting us in our efforts is "priceless."

That kinda sealed the deal for me, so I emailed them this morning.  We shall see what comes of it.  :)  

~

 Then....Came.....Memorial Day.  

A very relaxed day full of planting seeds, lizard hunting, grilling out, arm wrestling, and watching Nate do some pretty awesome flips.  

At the end of the day, as we were having devotions together, Dad mentioned something in his prayer that reminded me of why we celebrate Memorial Day in the first place.  He prayed,

"Thank you for the men who have fought and died so that we have the freedoms to do all of the things that we did today."

A lot of times, I forget exactly why we celebrate this or that holiday, and just enjoy the day instead.  

I don't want to be one of those people who celebrates the celebration rather than the reason for it.  

I want to remember and BE THANKFUL!