Keep Calm and Tuesday On - Modesty, Chickens and Cool House

Sorry bout this...I was almost done writing this whole post out last night, when my computer shut me off of the internet and wouldn't let me get back on.  :(  

So...KEEP CALM AND WEDNESDAY ON, everybody!

Wow!  It seems like as soon as I finish blogging one week, the next week has already rolled around!  Craziness!!! 

Ok, I was eating cereal this morning (my all-time breakfast fav) . . . and is it just me, or are there other sisters out there who get tired of drawing little dresses onto the pictures displayed on cereal boxes???

Seriously!  I don't know, it might be that I'm becoming more aware of stuff like that as I get older, but it seems like risque pictures are popping up more and more all over the place!  I suppose the best thing we can do as sisters for both our brothers and brothers in Christ, is to not only protect their eyes from unnecessary pictures, but to also dress modestly ourselves.  Being cognizant of tight shirts and pants, short shorts, or low necklines can really make a difference to them - whether we think it does or not.
Hmph.  Ya know the quickest way for you to provoke the wrath of a cashier at the store?  (...not that you or I would want to willingly, of course... :P)
Turn the covers of magazines around when you are in line to check out.  They probably wont sell as many copies of them, but who knows???  You might have just saved someone from stumbling in sin, and that is so much more important.
. . .
Ok, I kinda went off on that point, BUT!  It is one of those things that I feel very strongly about, and have become more aware of lately.
~
...So, what happened this week other than drawing on cereal boxes?  Well, lemme see...I went to a wedding over the weekend with Dad and Ben, which was fun.  I didn't have a single dress to wear, so Caelen gave me this beautiful navy blue lace dress from Kohls that she happened to have an extra one of.   

With leggings and a wrap, it worked out perfectly :)
...Ben looked fabulous himself in his suit and bow-tie....disregard the weird face there.  I'm sure that deep down he liked wearing it....really deep down.  :D

~
After the wedding, we went over to Dad's cousin's house which was super cool - not to mention ginormous!
It was absolutely covered with hunting trophies from all over the world.  Kinda looked like an old hunting lodge with all of the animals on the walls.  It was really neat, I'm just not sure that I would like to have to sleep in there alone at night.  :)

Love these raised beds!!!

Pretty cool, huh?
~
Switching to this morning again; I was just getting ready to go down to the mailbox to mail a letter to a friend, when I saw a pile of feathers on the ground beside the chicken coop.  :(
Seems like a critter got one of our best layers last night . . . sadness.

Whatever it was that got in there, will be deeply regretting his decision to mess with THIS hen house!  Nate and Ben set a trap for it tonight, so we'll hopefully see some results tomorrow.
There was a time a while back, when I might have cried over the loss of a chicken, but...I soon learned that chickens are good for 3 things - laying eggs, making you laugh, and .... chicken nuggets.
:D

Til next Tuesday,  (....or maybe Wednesday...)

~Hannah

Pssst.  The new header for Devoted Daughter has never really grown on me :(  I'm thinking about changing...again....  Any suggestions?  ;P

Keep Calm and Tuesday On - Different Styles and Short Film

I really should name these posts, "Keep calm and WEDNESDAY on" because of how late I actually end up
publishing them!  Night time is pretty much the only free time that I have left in the day anymore.

Whenever I do find the time though, it's been super cool to get into making hemp jewelry.  Ya know, the braided rope necklaces and bracelets with beads intertwined:

{google images}

...

The one I'm working on at the moment is going to look just like this:

(At least, that's what the plan is..) 

{google images}

. . .

These kinds of jewelry are super fun to make, and they really do go with any style of clothing...especially if you find a good pendant for them. 

 {Walmart has tons in the craft section} 

Hmm.  It is always interesting to me to see the various tastes and styles among different gals.  Each one has a  distinctive style to her...even if she doesn't realize it!  I've figured out that my style tends more towards the natural/earthy look, while Caelen's leans towards an elegant/vintage type of look.  

For example:  I would probably be more likely wear an outfit that looks something like this:

{google images}

...While Caelen would probably wear something like this:

{google images}

Cute, right?  :)  

What is your style?  If you're not quite sure yet, (it took me quite a while to figure out mine) try checking out  Fresh Modesty's Blog.  She's got a whole lot of great outfit ideas that incorporate all kinds of styles, and they are ...of course... all modest!  

{Not to mention, downright cute}

~

Aside from jewelry making, I've also been making some more short films with the bro's, which is so much fun.  Just a bit of random silliness, but .... what can I say?  Life's too short to make a serious short film.  

Ya gotta laugh!

Hope this makes you do just that.

Well, it is now officially past my bedtime, and if I want to finish my science test by tonight, I'd better hop off and get to it!  

Lots of Luvs

          Hannah

Keep Calm & Tuesday On - Minnesota

Well as you all know, I was in Minnesota this past week . . . lemme summarize:  

FRIGID

~

So I step onto the airplane in Charlotte, and it is a cool refreshing morning of 60° outside ... not so in MN!  

Snowflakes the size of biscuits...not to mention ice cold wind blowing around all week.  Thankfully, the homeschool conference was connected by skywalks, so we didn't have to go back out into the weather for the rest of our time spent there.  Phew!  :D

Anyways, the conference itself went really well, although very busy....but busy is good, right? 

My uniform ..... looks a bit yellow ....  :D

Woke up to this view on the first morning.  It was kind of fun, because we didn't get any snow here in North Carolina this year.....NONE!  Had to travel all the way to Minnesota just to see some whiteness! 

~

OK! 

 **Record Scratch**  

SWITCH!

When I got off the plane on my way back to NC, I was surrounded by blue skies and green leaves again!  It was fantastic!  Yes, the snow was nice, but short sleeves and flowers are sooo much better in April!  I mean, come on!  It's SPRING!!!

~

At home, all of the azaleas had popped out, the grass had grown, and all of the leaves were on the trees.  It was gorgeous!   

 

I have ambitions to turn this little wooden shed into a guest house someday in the near future (...when money starts to grow on trees, tell me! ...)

Oh yeah.  Poison Ivy.  Can't forget that lovely part of Spring.

He almost looks like he's smiling, the trouble maker!

Til Next Tuesday, Folks!

PS: I tell ya what was sad ...While in the airport, my friend and I were trying to make it to our gate, and we heard a mother telling her little son, "No sweetie, Daddy can't hold your hand right now - he's texting."

...Ouch...

Have we really come to this?

Keep Calm and Tuesday On #1

Ah Ha!  I finally figured out what I'm gonna call these Tuesday posts....

Whatcha think?  At first, I was thinking somewhere along the lines of, "Terrific Tuesdays," but then again....uh...nope...not the brightest idea. 

  

So!  What kinds of things are going to be going on during these Tuesday posts? 

 In a nutshell, I'll just be recounting various things that I've been thinking about lately, random pictures that I've taken throughout the week (which will also be posted on BLOOM, along with some bonus pics), and also what I'm excited about for the upcoming week.  In addition, I plan to include some thoughts on what I've found to be convicting, or challenging to me spiritually this week     

Speaking of.... last Sunday, Dad filled in for our pastor, and preached a super good sermon on passion.         Basically, the point was - WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT?  

                               If you don't have anything that you are passionate about, WHY NOT?

If you are passionate about something, what in the world are you doing about it?

I really appreciated the sermon, #1 - because he's my dad, and I was so proud of him for stepping up and filling in the gap when our pastor was gone  ;)

and

#2 - because it was convicting to me in that I like certain things, and I have a strong opinions about things, but I haven't really become PASSIONATE about anything yet.  

So, right now, I'm praying that the Lord would stir up in me a passion for something.  Something AWESOME! 

#3 - He also reminded us that though we are be passionate, we are not to be passionate at the expense of our priorities.  (ie. God, family, friends...etc..)

Are you passionate about anything?  If so, what are you doing to CHANGE THE WORLD FOR CHRIST?  

~

After church on Sunday, Caelen and I got the opportunity to take almost all of the gals from our church, home with us for some chili and a hike....great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Love these gals!  :D

~

Whoa!  My trip to Minnesota is comin up fast, and I still don't have any good shoes to wear for the conference....Ahhhh!

I fly out on Thursday morning for my second homeschool conference of the year, working for Apologia, and if I don't have good shoes to stand on concrete all day.....I'm toast!  I looked around a bit today for something....ANYTHING!  But, little 'ol' Marion doesn't have a thing.  I did, however, find some interesting body spray at Big Lots, that made me smell like an overpowering pomegranate (nobody could stand to be around me for a while...I decided not to buy it)

 Oh well, hopefully our trip up to Asheville tomorrow will be successful.  :)  

~

Alright guys, that has to end my "Keep Calm and Tuesday On" post for the week.  Got things to do!  Places to go!  People to see!  

{In my dreams, as I'm heading off to bed now}

LoVe,

  Hannah**

Not Enough Time in a Day? - Accountability.

Ever feel like there isn't enough time in a day?  

{google images}

I certainly do!  Here (was) my solution:  WAKE UP EARLIER.... great idea in theory, but when it came down to it, I found that it was just too easy to jump out of bed, turn off my alarm, hop back in bed, and go right back to sleep.  

Ever do that?

Some people seem to find it easier to wake up and get going than others, and I used to be one of them!  I'd wake up at 5:30 every morning with no problem, but as I got older, bed just kept getting sweeter :)  

After many days of late starts and super late finishes, I found my solution!   Ready?

It's called:  Accountability

I now have Caelen come and jump on me when I refuse to wake up at a certain time, and it (usually) works. There is something about getting an early start to the day that makes me feel so much more refreshed and ready to go.  

But I've also found that accountability is soo helpful with almost anything that I am having a hard time getting motivated to do by myself.  Caelen keeps me accountable for being consistent in exercising regularly, and I've gotten my cousin to email me weekly to remind me to blog every Tuesday.  -(that's a new thing guys, so stay tuned for a new blog post every Tuesday!)  (Lord willing)  :D  

Now, you may be one of those people who is very self-motivated, and can just plug through and get things done - That's fantastic!  But for those like me, who want to get that one thing done so badly, but are just too busy with everything else to even get around to it - I would strongly suggest that you:

a) Make a schedule with a check list  - (checklists are my best friends!)

{This planner is AWESOME  for that!}

                   

b) Find an accountability partner (or two).....(or three)  :)  Siblings, cousins, friends, parents...

It draws those people closer to you, and helps you to actually get around to ALL the numerous important things on your (mile long) to-do list.  

So, instead of getting to the end of my day and thinking, "where in the world did all of my day go - the only thing I got done was school!" (which used to be the story of my life until more recently)

I've got people from all over, keeping me "in line", and encouraging me to get things done.  

I like that.  

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12 - Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.  For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!  ... And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Good grief!  The pups are gettin SO BIG!!!  I finally got the chance (in between lots of College Plus and Highschool which is what has kept me away for so long) to get in a few shots of them.  

Early February, we got the chance to adopt most of the others out, ending up with only 2;  Sampson (who we are keeping for my aunt until June) and Toby (my buddy).

Oh, did I ever tell you guys what kind of a mix we found out they were?  It's crazy!.....prepare yourself:

Border Collie

Australian Shepherd

Basset Hound

Dalmatian

Lab??

Crazy, huh?  So they've got the short Basset legs, some of the dalmatian spots, and Toby has the Border Collie coloring.  Some of the other pups definitely had the Aussie markings though.  

They look so weird....in a cute kind of way...

~

Before I took them out for pictures, I had to give em a bath...which they surprisingly LOVED.  Now, whenever I can't find them, It's pretty safe to look in the shower.  These guys are nuts about water!  They sleep beside their water bowl, try to jump in the toilet, play in the shower, and have the biggest webbed feet you ever 'done seen'!  That's what makes us think that they are part lab...

What do ya think?  Water obsessive pups? ....maybe??  :P

Sampson

Toby 

Gotta luv these kids.  

What about you?  Do what kind of dog do you have?  :)

Love, 

          Hannah

Awesome bro's

I really do think that I have the absolute best set of little bros in the whole widest of worlds...actually, there is not a doubt in my mind.

~

So, I go shopping with Mom this afternoon to pick up some ingredients for this AMAZINGLY moist chocolate cake, recipe that I was planning to bake for myself for my birthday (I almost like baking things more than I like eating them nowadays...I do believe that I have gone over to the dark side at last...)
  Well, when I come home, Benj walks out of the house with a majorly long face.  He says,
   
        "Don't, whatever you do, go inside the house."
Me:  "Why not, and what's up with you?"
Ben:  "We have a surprise for you, and I really wanted to light up the tiki lamps for you to come home to for your birthday, but Dad said no."
Me:  "Aww, thanks bud!  I appreciate it, but no worries."  :)

*walks into the house and sees Nate making a happy birthday sign, candles are lit everywhere, and the house is spotless.*

Me:  "Whoa!  Guys, this is sooo sweet!"

Nate:  "It was Ben's idea."

       *Ben is still kinda moping about the tiki lamps...*

Sweet things.....they are the beeest!!