Books Read in 2009

Home-Making by J.R. Miller (completed 12/09)

Legendary Brides by Letitia Baldridge (completed 12/09)

Passion & Purity by Elisabeth Elliot (completed 12/09)

Her Hand in Marriage by Douglas Wilson (completed 12/09)

Jesus the One and Only by Beth Moore (completed 12/09)

A Perfect Wedding by Eric & Leslie Ludy (completed 11/09)

Susanna Wesley: Servant of God by Sandy Dengler (completed 11/09)

A Full Quiver by Rick & Jan Hess (completed 10/09)

Already Gone by Ken Ham & Britt Beemer (completed 10/09)

Holy Cows and Hog Heaven by Joel Salatin (completed 09/09)

Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul (completed 07/09)

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss (completed 07/09)

The Duggars: 20 and Counting by Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar (completed 07/09)

Radical Womanhood by Carolyn McCulley (completed 06/09)

Stop Dating the Church by Josh Harris (completed 04/09)

Answering the Guy Questions: The Set-Apart Girls Guide to Relating to the Opposite Sex by Leslie Ludy (completed 04/09)

Humility: True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney (completed 03/09)

What He Must Be If He Wants to Marry My Daughter by Voddie Baucham (completed 03/09)

Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney (completed 02/09)

Get Married by Candace Watters (completed 02/09)

Rediscovering God in America by Newt Gingrich (completed 01/09)

Getting Serious About Getting Married by Debbie Maken (completed 01/09)

Set-Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy (completed 01/09)


Click here to read the list of books I read in 2008.

"We read to know we are not alone." ~C.S. Lewis

Top Ten Blog Entries of 2009

(According to the amount of comments received)

1. Big News!
2. My Room's "After" Pictures
3. Pictures of Our New (Or Not-So-New) Farm
4. Final Cake Decorating Class
5. To My Precious Sister
6. Drinking Muddy Water
7. Renewing My Purpose in Blogging
8. Finished Quilt
9. Farm Video
10. Tribute to A Young Man With Vision

Sourdough Bread, Quilting, & Good Words

Over the past few weeks, I've had opportunities to resume several enjoyable "homemaking projects" that had been put on hold during the recent busier months. During the weekend, I finally made sourdough bread for the first time. I was shocked that it actually turned out and was very light and fluffy. I used this recipe for the starter, this recipe for the bread, and watched this separate YouTube tutorial (by one of the daughters of the founder of Above Rubies --one of my favorite magazines). I thought I was embarking on the art of baking sourdough bread and would have to practice several times before it was even edible, so I was thrilled (and very surprised!) when it turned out beautifully the first time. I have also been repairing many tears and holes in the following unfinished quilt top. It is rich with history, as it was begun during the Civil War era and never completed. I found it inexpensively on eBay and am eager to finish it with fabrics appropriate to that time period. Below is the opposite side. Notice the perfect, tiny hand-stitching from long before sewing machines were invented! Although I want to maintain the vintage look of the quilt, I am not finishing it by hand... It would never be finished if I was!I have also been reading several excellent books. I came across the following challenging quotes and encouraging verses and wanted to post them here so I can reference them in the future:

"The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of Your hands." Psalm 138:8

"I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do." Isaiah 46:10-11

"For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light." Colossians 1:9-12

Elisabeth Elliot:

"God spoke peace into my emotional turmoil because I was asking for it and looking for it and being silent enough to hear it."

"I realized that the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able honestly to pray: Thy will be done. Acceptance of whatever that means is the great victory of faith that overcomes the world."

"If my yearnings went away, what would we have to offer up to the Lord? Aren't they given to us to offer? It is the control of passion, not its eradication that is needed. How would we learn to submit to the authority of Christ if we had nothing to submit?"

"To the Christian who has prayed for years to be led to the right partner and who believes that the one he marries is indeed God's choice for him, it is reasonable to conclude that the personality given is the one that best complements his own, the one that meets his needs in ways he could not himself foreseen or chosen."

"It is the woman's delighted yielding to the man's lead that gives him freedom. It is the man's willingness to take the lead that gives her freedom. Acceptance of their respective positions frees them both and whirls them into joy."

"Think of the self that God has given as an acorn. It is a marvelous little thing, a perfect shape, perfectly designed for its purpose, perfectly functional. Think of the grand glory of an oak tree. God's intention when He made the acron was the oak tree. His intention for us is "...the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Many deaths must go into our reaching that measure, many letting-goes. When you look at the oak tree, you don't feel that the "loss" of the acorn is a very great loss. The more you perceive God's purpose in your life, the less terrible the losses will seem."

Jim Elliot:

"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."

Ronald Reagan:

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

"I'm convinced that today the majority of Americans want what those first Americans wanted: A better life for themselves and their children; a minimum of government authority. Very simply, they want to be left alone in peace and safety to take care of the family by earning an honest dollar and putting away some savings. This may not sound too exciting, but there is something magnificent about it. On the farm, on the street corner, in the factory and in the kitchen, millions of us ask nothing more, but certainly nothing less than to live our own lives according to our values — at peace with ourselves, our neighbors and the world."

John Adams:

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain."

J.R. Miller:

"Words seem little things, so fleeting and evanescent, that apparently it cannot matter much of what sort they are. They are so easily spoken, that we forget what power they have to give pleasure or pain. They seem so swiftly gone after they have passed the door of our lips, and to have vanished so utterly, that we forget they do not really go away at all, but linger, either like barbed arrows in the heart where they struck, or, like fragrant flowers, distilling perfume. They seem to us, as we carelessly speak them, to be insignificant, and powerless for good or ill; and we do not stop to think, that, as they fly, they either tear down or build up fair fabrics of joy and peace in the souls of those to whom we speak. There have been words quietly spoken, which have broken like the lightning-flash, bearing sad desolation on their blighting wings, which years could not repair. On the other hand, there have been simple words which, treasured in memory, have hung like bright stars of joy and cheer in long, dark nights of sorrow and trial."

Alexander Christmas 2009

We had a wonderful Christmas filled with relaxing, visiting, laughing, eating, opening gifts, and remembering Jesus' birth.

All four of the boys received laser tag guns:

Sheridan was given many sweet girly gifts. Unfortunately, she hasn't yet learned the importance of being thankful for all of her gifts. With great excitement, she began to open her final gift:

She immediately realized it was two replacement "woolies" ("Woolies" are satiny blankets that our mom sewed for each of us when we were newborns. Sheridan's original woolies are nearly in shreds from being carried around so much):

She was obviously expecting a toy. Her demeanor dropped drastically and she sadly exclaimed, "That's not a present!":

We spent Christmas Day visiting with many relatives. Sheridan helped Nannie open her present:

Sheridan with our grandmother:
A few days ago, Harrison, Sheridan, and I baked and decorated Christmas cookies. I was given cookie cutters on my birthday for my hope chest, but decided to use them early. :)

Harrison, who asks to be referred to as "The Fist", is convinced that he's the strongest "man" in our family, but still loves helping me with Christmas cookies each year. A few of the 10-12 year old girls from church planned a lovely Christmas Tea Party for the little girls a couple weeks ago. Sheridan had such a fun time and continues to talk about her tea party.

In the following video, Sullivan and Harrison recite Exodus 20:1-17 (The Ten Commandments) and Sheridan, the star of the show, follows up their recitation with Luke 2:1 and her own versions of her favorite Christmas songs. We hope you enjoy it!

Merry Christmas!

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests." Luke 2:14

Merry Christmas, friends!

Surprise Carolers

Just a couple hours ago, our cozy farmhouse was humming to the tune of Christmas carols beautifully sung by our very kind Mennonite neighbors who unexpectedly stopped by to bless our family.

In that moment, as we all stood in our small dining room, I thought of the beauty of the unity in Christ we share. Although we appear strikingly different-- the Mennonite women in their simple dresses and head coverings contrasted to Mama and I in our blue jeans and my dangly earrings, we find common ground in the lyrics about the birth of our Savior. What a neat thought that this is what the music of heaven will be like... People from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and denominations gathered together singing praises to the Lord!

Year In Review: According to Facebook

This collage is supposedly a collection of my most popular ("most popular" as in receiving the most comments, I guess?) statuses from 2009:

The Weather Outside is Frightful

But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow, let is snow, let it snow

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes! I had a wonderful 22nd birthday and your thoughtful comments contributed greatly to my lovely day. Although I have already thanked Oliver for his blog entry, I want to publicly acknowledge his kindness in writing such a sweet post for me. I am certainly not the most talented cook in Virginia, but I am happy that he thinks so. :) I spent my birthday with my family. In the evening, Mama and I went shopping in Richmond. I spent the birthday money I received on a gorgeous off-white pea coat (below). It was originally $260, but between the clearance price and a coupon, I paid only $105. It is such a classy coat and I am confident that I will be wearing it for at least 3-5 years, so I feel it was a very good investment.
Also during this past week, I have been baking many cheesecakes to fill farm orders. It has been more stressful than baking for the restaurant because the restaurant can work around my cheesecakes' imperfections (occasional cracks), but I hate selling cracked cheesecakes to individual customers for their holiday parties!

Oliver and I began working out this past week. We've been to the YMCA's gym three out of the past four days and are liking it a lot. We are trying to get well acquainted with the equipment before the gym becomes very crowded with people trying to get in shape after the holidays.

.:.:.

My cousin, April, flew in from Nashville and has been spending time at my grandparents' home two hours away. I was looking forward to spending time with her this weekend, but unfortunately the huge amount of snow has cancelled my plans. Instead, we have had a snowed-in day at home spent reading, watching movies and basketball (the Texas/UNC game and the Duke/Gonzaga game), the boys and Sheridan played outside in the snow, and I baked gooey cinnamon rolls (thank you, Abigail, for the recipe). I am very pleased with the way they turned out and I hope to make them again very soon. :)

The roads are too snowy to attempt to make the two hour drive to church tomorrow morning, so we will be enjoying another delightful, restful day at home!

Happy Birthday Meredith!!!

Hello! This is Oliver. I have successfully hacked into Meredith's blog and am limited on time before I am found out so I'll make this brief.

Today is Meredith's birthday!!!!!

Meredith, along with all the qualities you all know she has, is a cheerful, sensible, and amazing young woman. There are many things you do not know about Meredith. She is the most talented cook in all of Virginia. Daily, Meredith teaches Sullivan & Harrison, bakes multiple loaves of bread for orders, prepares meals for our family, and much more. Our family is very blessed to have Meredith.

Oliver

Final Cake Decorating Class

Earlier, I completed my final cake decorating class. I am very happy with all of the techniques I have learned in such a short amount of time (even though my roses still barely resemble roses!). I have come to the conclusion that I need a lot more practice before tackling any wedding cakes. My final cake is simply serving as my birthday cake since today is my birthday. :)

Cupcakes

We decorated cupcakes at tonight's Cake Decorating Class. I learned how to create different flowers, stars, and piping: I also learned how to do roses, but they didn't end up on any cupcakes because they were incredibly pathetic. They didn't even resemble roses! My icing's consistency was too stiff. I hope to thin my icing and try again before my final class, which is on Wednesday. I look forward to posting a picture of my final cake after it is finished!

Edenton Candlelight Tour

Our schedule unexpectedly allowed Mama and me to drive down to Edenton, NC yesterday (Mama's birthday!) for the annual Christmas Candlelight Tour. I went last year with my grandmother, but it was Mama's first time on the tour. The houses featured this year were very beautiful.Edenton was the first capital of North Carolina and is said to be the south's prettiest small town. The day was a filled with some of my very favorite things... touring old homes, admiring the decorating, and spending time with Mama. I enjoyed the six hour round trip to Edenton as much as the tour! I treasure the hours spent with Mama and gleaning from her wisdom. Following are a few of my favorite scenes:

Bold Marketing Tactic

This ad for mens pants by Dockers makes quite a bold statement:I just emailed Dockers' customer service department and voiced my approval and support for their controversial new ad campaign. Dockers' Vice President of Global Marketing comments on the new marketing strategy in this interview with Brandweek.

Rainbow Cake

This is my first cake using the new techniques I am learning at my Wilton Cake Decorating Class. Obviously, I'm not ready to do any wedding cakes yet (haha), but I have already learned so much in my first two classes. I am eager to learn how to do roses in my next class and hope to have time to practice over the weekend.

Cake Decorating Class

Last night I began attending a Wilton Cake Decorating Class! I enjoyed it so much and left the class feeling so inspired. I have very little experience in cake decorating (I've only decorated two cakes before!), but I have wanted to learn the art of cake decorating for a very long time. I would love to have the ability to create extravagant-looking cakes for my childrens' birthdays and it could possibly be a profitable future home business idea. And... I know this is so crazy to be thinking about after only one class, but doesn't baking and decorating your own wedding cake sound so "Proverbs 31-like"?! As you can see, I am very inspired.Course 1 usually lasts one month, but because of the holidays it is being condensed into less than two weeks! My next class is tomorrow evening. My homework is to bake and ice a cake in preparation to learn new icing techniques tomorrow night. I really hope I catch on quickly. I am not the most artistic person, and I don't want to be the one holding up the rest of the class! There are three more difficult courses over the next three months that I hope to attend as well. The teacher has 13 former students who now own cake decorating businesses, so I feel very confident in her teaching ability.

I will try to post pictures of the decorating techniques I am learning (if my work isn't too embarrassing!).

Festive Blog Voting & Pretzel Snowmen

Oliver's blog is only opened to invited viewers now, so he decided to hold the voting for his "Most Festive Blog Contest" at my blog. If you enjoyed reading Oliver's blog before it was closed to the public, you are welcome to leave your email address as a comment after this entry so he can consider your request. So, on behalf of Oliver, I am asking you to please check out the following blogs and vote for your favorite, most festive blog on the sidebar poll! Links to the contestants' blogs follow:

~Abigail from Tweety Tweets
~Annabeth from Live Laugh Love
~Emily Anne from The White Way of Delight
~Morgan & Katie from Full Quiver Farm Blog
~Oliver from The Refiner's Fire
~Rachel & Sarah from Our Family View from Us Two
~Sarah Anne from Simply Sarah Anne
After we put up the Christmas tree this afternoon, Sheridan, Harrison, and I dipped pretzels in white chocolate to create snowmen.
Our snowmen had miniature chocolate chips for their eyes, Life Savers and spice drops for their hats, and sliced Fruit Roll Ups for their shaws.
They were unusually skinny snowmen, but my little helpers and I were happy with the way they turned out and enjoyed our project. When Elliott first saw them, he asked if they were supposed to be telephone poles decorated for Christmas. ;)