WIFD~Day Two

Spring cleaning the kitchen was our afternoon project today!

Here I am cleaning the upper part of the kitchen, I usually do the top parts and the floors. I really just like standing on the counters!

Here is my Mom washing the tins that I'm handing down to her.

Megan got to wipe down the dining set and clean the china hutch. Don't you love the butterfly camo skirt? I have plans to make on as well!

Why do you........

There is no one question that I dread answering the most when I get asked it by girls then why do you wear skirts or dresses all the time? I hate that question, I shouldn't because it is a chance to share about my relationship with Christ. Never the less, my tummy hurts when it is brought up. Why you may be asking! Well, it's because about 90% of the people who have asked me that question have acted offended and hurt by my answer and never talk to me again! There have been some good reactions, but most of the time it ends up badly.

What should I say? Should I tell them it's because my legs are stumpy, my butts big and I can't find anything with a 24" inseam? Those things are all true, and I think very good reasons, but they always want more(Looking like a jean clad sausage isn't enough reason!?!) I have come to realize that I can't avoid this question, so I will answer it to the best of my abilities. Hopefully I will learn how to say what I believe with out offending people!

All joking about stumpy or large body parts aside, I do have a biblical reason for dressing like I do. I believe that we should strive to be modest in our dress: 1 Timothy 2:9 -10 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works
This seems pretty clear about modesty, but pants can be modest as well. I mean skirts and dresses can be as far from modest as anything!! I just don't happen to like pants very much. Besides it much easier to imagine that I'm a princess or Anne of Green Gables in a dress! Twirling about in pants just can't ever compare, life is just more enjoyable for me in a swirly skirt! I believe that girls should look like girls and that boys should look like boys, it's as simple as that. God separates and defines our roles as men and women in the bible, non of that gender neutral stuff!

Verse 10 is the important part that we girls forget about sometimes, modesty in dress is not the most important part. It's far more important to act modest and Christ like. If we are dressing modestly but acting worldly what kind of message are we sending? We get so bogged down by rules and legalism, we forget what's really important!

1 Peter 3:3-4 - Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 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.

That last verse says it all, it matters far more what your heart looks like, rather then what your wearing. The outside will change to reflect the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. What a thrilling idea! I strive to have that gentle and quite spirit, what more could a girl ask for then to be very precious in the sight of God?

Week in Feminine Dress~Day One

This is the first WIFD that I've had a blog for and I'm excited! From left to right it's, my Mom(Happy B~Day Mom!) my sister Becca and me Katy. I'm looking forward to sharing this week with you gals!

Young at Heart

I don't wanna grow up was the Toys R' Us theme song when I was a kid. I loved that commercial and would sing along every time it came on. I still love that store, even today it fills me with child like awe and the need to push all the TRY ME! buttons in sight! I love Disney movies and cartoons like Sponge Bob. I find that I like childrens books better then most grown up ones. Couple these things with the fact that I am very easily amused and as mentioned in a pervious post rather gullible, I find it hard sometimes to fit in.

For the first time since I've become a "young adult" I am regularly hanging out with a group of my peers. The last time I'd done that was when I was 15, it's totally not the same! I'm still talking about little siblings, chores and Blues Clues. When did my peers grow up with out me!?

I just sit and listen with my mouth agape when they all talk about collage, driving across country, trips not with their family's but with friends and pepper their conversation with "bad" words. I makes me want to hold out the cuss jar and collect quarters. It's even worse when it's just the girls, the talk ALWAYS turns to boys and past relationships. Ummmm, I had a plan to marry Mark Summers and run our Family Double Dare empire together. That's as far into a relationship as I have ever gotten. But, I mean honestly how many times can we talk about your old flames. It could be it's not as fascinating to me because I can't join in the talk, but as someone who's had to listen to it a lot...... I hope not!

I know that I've lived my life how God wants me to and that I'm right where He wants me, but I feel left out and about 12 sometimes! Then something will happen like a mom will ask me for advice about her sick kid, or the fact that the middle aged Sparks leader is looking to me for what she should be doing. Leading the bible study that I'm in, I've found that teaching my peers is just as unscary as teaching kids. What was I worried about? Then the talk will once again turn to something that seems to be the norm among the people my age. Then I am once again reduced to feeling 12 and like maybe I should try harder to let go of my childhood and "grow up".

Do I need to let go of my love of things not grown up? Can I be mature and still laugh at Sponge Bob and Finding Nemo? Should I seek out those experiences that would make me feel like I fit in? Or just learn to be different and continue to day dream when the talk turns to the things I have no experience with? I've gotten both yea and nay answers to these questions! I know God has lead me where I am, if He wanted me to have those experiences He would have lead me down those roads! Yet, sometimes it would be nice to fit in!

He Will Teach My Heart to Sing

I love to sing, or at least I love the idea of singing! For whatever reason I was not blessed with the ability to sing well. Oh, I can make noise, but that's the kindest thing you could call it(or so I've been told!) And no matter what a dear friend of mine said recently the only difference between someone who can sing and someone who can't is not just training!

Growing up in church I thought that worship was singing and that singing was worship, that's all I'd ever heard about the subject. I was pretty much miserable, like I was lacking in some way. It wasn't until we joined the church that we are in now that I started to learn something. Worship is not just the part of church where you sing! Worshiping is giving glory to God and you can accomplish this through singing, but it's not the only way.

God doesn't care what I sound like! I could set the dogs to howling everytime I open my mouth and God will still love to listen if I'm lifting my voice in His name. I still sing quietly all the same, God doesn't care, but the people around me might!

Praise Him through prayer, serving Him and living your life according to His plan. These are all ways of worshiping the Lord.
Ecclesiastes 9:10a Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might
Colossians 3:17a And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus

I love the second verse, whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of Jesus. What a task we've been given, what a noble quest! To bring glory to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! As christians no matter what we are doing, it will reflect on His name. Give that a thought and tell me it doesn't send shivers up your spine! So, whether we are serving in kids church, fighting with our siblings, helping out at a homeless shelter or saying that bad word it all reflects on the name of Jesus. What king of "fame" are you bringing to Gods name?

My Way or the Highway?

Is there really only one right way to do anything? Or does the old saying there's more then one way to skin a cat hold true for the other things in life(besides skinning cats that is!) My Mom would tell you yes there is only one way to do most things, but I'm not so sure. I've been raised conservatively, not as sheltered as some and not as in the world as others and some of it by choice. I had always been told that I could start dating at 16, but didn't you date to find husband? I didn't want to get married at 16! I was going to wait until I was ready to get married(This was before my family decided that we would court and homeschool and all that jazz)

I've been raised that there is really only one way that God tells us to do most things, and that we should try our hardest by word and example to make people see it our way. Is there really only one way that God tells us to date, raise our kids, worship, and all of the other things that we fight and divide ourselves over? No! I don't think so, God has called me to make some unconventional life choices, but as long as you let me live the life God has laid out for me, your welcome to your own opinions.

There are obviously guide lines laid out in the Bible for all these things and we should strive to find out what God is telling us to do. As for things that the Bible isn't specific on? Like kids church, my family doesn't put the kids in Sunday school during church(if you would like more info on why, contact me!)but I still love to help out in kids church and may put my own kids in. A lot depends on what my husband has to say about the issue.

Call me a people pleaser and PC but God calls us all to walk our own road and as long as you are following Gods will and seeking guidance in His word for the things He does tell us to do I don't see a problem in doing things differently! That's part of what makes this world a wild-wonderful-exciting-beautiful place to live, wouldn't it be boring if we all did everything exactly that same?

I would like to say once again though, that there are things that God tells us to do a specific way and that we should never compromise on. Just to make it clear I'm not starting a free love, do whatever makes you happy type group or anything!=)

Feel free to share your thoughts or tell me I'm wrong, I always like to know when I'm way off base!

May Day

My family started to celebrate May Day after I read about it in a book. I bothered my Mom enough and we started giving out May baskets about 5 to 6 years ago. Now the whole family loves it and we have fun every year. Here are some of the things we've learned.

1. When making the may baskets start before 10pm the night before May day!

2. Adding water to the jars is NOT an option when the candy is already in the jars (Go ahead and ask me how I found that one out!)

3. A giant red 15 passenger van is the most stealthy car in the world! Nobody can see us we are the blend masters!

4. Kids are prone to be tired at 6am, so making them run around outside in the dark holding glass jars is a wonderful idea.

5. Barking dogs sound much louder at 6am, though they do make the kids run back to the car much quicker.

6. When you've been spotted out of the front window dropping to the ground and army crawling to the front porch is probably not the most subtle way to avoid further detection(But does that stop us? Nope, the army crawl is here to stay!)

7. When you have a long driveway to go down ducking your heads in the car so it appears to be driving it self is a sure fire way to make the man innocently eating his breakfast; at the table right in front of the window, with a perfect view of his 1/4 mile long drive, not wonder what on earth the Pillsburys are doing now!

8. And the final thing we've learned is have fun and always use your oldest sister as the May Pole!