I have been incredibly busy for the last two months!  I thought I'd give y'all an update :).

-I finished at least two months worth of 11^th grade.

-More Than Conquerors Magazine was "published" on September 20^th. Sadly, it will not be continued. There are too many other things that I should be focusing my time on. I will simply keep posting here.

-I joined an Apologetics/Speech club and have written and given speeches. Also, this club offers a writing course which I am participating in.

-Two new videos were created: GFA video and Agnus Dei worship video.

-Quite a few storyboards were drawn and a screenplay was revised.

-I wrote and sent out over ten articles (including but not limited to my articles for GGM).

-A very rough draft for a novel was completed and I worked on my other writing.

-I practiced piano, taught my younger brothers piano, and learned The Sweetest Name of All.

-A short story for the Match That Artwork contest was written and entered.

-I read Pajama School, Voices of the Faithful book 2, Redefining Beautiful, Take Your Best Shot, The Land of Calais, and The Bible Answer Book.

-And more!

Why are all those books lying on my desk?  Answer: I've joined a Speech/Apologetics club and those are books I thought would prove helpful in my research.  Obviously, not all of them will apply to every topic :). Most of them I have not read yet (even though I should have) so I'm excited to finally get to it! 

Note: The CD is NIV Bible Library.  This is a very useful tool!  It contains many versions of the Bible for easy comparison and allows you to go back to the original Greek and Hebrew.  It has other resources as well.

My first assignment is to give a speech explaining the meaning and significance of the Trinity.  I have one week to prepare.  Here is a picture of my desk an hour or two into beginning my research:

The open book is Baker's Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics by Norman Geisler...very good and informative so far!  The little pink card is my working outline, the yellow card is filled with Bible references for me to look up and of course, the notebook is for all my notes.  The books above are Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem, The Bible Answer Book by Hank Hanegraaff, The NIV Complete Concordance, and the Bible.  While other books are helpful, the Bible must be the final authority on all matters!

I encourage you to be involved in apologetics, whether you join a club or not.  Every Christian should be well-equipped to defend his/her faith. 

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect." 1 Peter 3:15

By God's grace, I'm looking forward to furthering my knowledge and understanding in the area of apologetics. 

I recommend that you read Part 1 and Part 2 first.

How do we become accomplished?

First of all, the only way we can ever become truly accomplished or make a lasting difference in the world is by God's grace and His power at work in and through us. 

Therefore, the number one thing to do is pray, seek His will, and grow in your relationship with Him. 

Here is a passage from Pride and Prejudice:

 Mr. Darcy spoke with affectionate praise of his sister's proficiency.  (Note: In piano playing.)

"I am very glad to hear such a good account of her," said Lady Catherine; "and pray tell her from me, that she cannot expect to excel, if she does not practise a great deal."

"I assure you, Madam," he replied, "that she does not need such advice. She practises constantly."

"So much the better.  It cannot be done too much; and when I next write to her, I shall charge her not to neglect it on any account.  I often tell young ladies, that no excellence in music is to be acquired, without constant practice."

Practice, patience, persistence, perseverance...they really do matter.  They can often make up for a lack of natural talent in an area.  For instance, I wasn't born knowing how to draw.  I wasn't like those who can just pick up a pencil or paintbrush and do something amazing with it.  But I wanted to be.  In August, I became more determined to succeed in the area of drawing.  Guess what I did?  I drew.  I started an art journal and  I went from drawing only on special occasions when I "felt" like it to drawing nearly every day and sometimes several times a  day.  I drew and drew and drew.  Some of my drawings were fairly good and some were horrible.  But the point is you'll never draw well if you never draw.  A funny thing happened.  I started to love drawing more.  I "felt" like drawing more the more I drew.  Funny, huh?  But it was wonderful to look down at a sketch and think Not bad.  It was special to record my days through art.  I used to not draw for awhile and then suddenly decide to tackle a big drawing project that would take hours and leave me not wanting to draw again for days and weeks...and months.  It can be better to start slow and work your way up.  I kept to sketches before finally finishing a "bigger" project I started last year. 

Pick a skill you want to learn (or improve) and make a determined effort to practice deligently for a set amount of time.  It could be a week or a month.  At the end of that time,  I think that you'll find you've improved...especially if you keep pushing yourself.  In piano, for instance, it will not do much good to keep practicing songs you already know well again and again.  Once you have learned a song, you must move on to newer and harder songs.

Again, we must not forget character.  Pick a character trait to work on for a set amount of time as well.  I really need to do this.  Every day we should ask ourselves, "How am I doing in the area of ____?"  Improvement in character is much more important than improving your skills. 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men," Colossians 3:23

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

If you haven't read part 1 yet, please go do so. 

Let's start with a couple relevant definitions for the word "accomplished".

From Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary:

2. Well endowed with good qualities and manners; complete in acquirements; having a finished education.

From The American Heritage Desk Dictionary (1981):

2. Skilled; expert  3. Sophisticated; polished 

In part 1, I wrote: "If they simply mean she does her best to be graceful, modest, gentle, and generally act and carry herself in a ladylike manner, then I think that is commendable."

I would like to see more ladylike girls (myself included) nowadays. It would set us apart from girls who are flirtatious or who try to behave as boys, etc. But we shouldn't be set apart for the wrong reasons (i.e. to puff ourselves up).  We should do so for God's glory, not our own.  That is the same reason we should strive to be accomplished.  In America today, you can find thousands of girls who act just like everyone else.  Live just like the world.  Is that how you want to be?  I want to be different.  Not only will it be so much better, it may give us the opportunity to share why we choose to be different from the world.  There are so many other benefits as well but let's move on to our other question for right now.   

So what does it really mean to be accomplished? 

We must start with character.  You can be the most talented, skilled person in the world and still be a mean, unpleasant person.  For example, in Pride and Prejudice, most people considered Miss Bingley "accomplished" but I couldn't call her that.  Sure, she may have been skilled but her character was mean and manipulative.  So we must start with the heart and character of a person. 

First of all:

"Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."  Matthew 22:37-38

Many of us know about the fruits of the Spirit but it can be so hard to put them into action daily. 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

Also, some specific instruction to younger women:

"Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the Word of God." Titus 2:4-5

People may think this applies to married young women...which it does.  But there is also a lot of application for us, unmarried young ladies.  After all, if we do not learn to love and submit to our dad (and mom), how will we ever love and be subject to our husbands?  Whether or not we ever marry, we are already commanded to obey and honor our parents (Ephesians 6:1-3).  Moving on, we see, once again, that we should be self-controlled and kind.  We are to be pure.  Finally, we are to be busy at home.  The home is not supposed to be a place of boredom or idleness but a place of industry.  It is also in the home where character is first formed.  There are so many wonderful things that can be done in the home!

Perhaps now we should all go and ponder our character before moving on.  It's too easy to skim right over all the most important things and go right to the outward accomplishments...which are normally easier to accomplish.  So please take a break before coming back and reading the rest.  Go do something nice for someone.  I'm going to go take a break, too. 

*3 days later*  Let's move on!

One of the definitions for accomplished is skilled; expert.  Have you ever heard someone say, "That person is an accomplished pianist?"  It shows that the person they're talking about is skilled/an expert in the area of piano playing.  What should we aim to be skilled in?  (Note: This first one applies especially to young ladies :)).

We should aim to be skilled keepers at home.  In other words, we should be competent in the art of homemaking.  Everything from raising and teaching children to cooking to cleaning and so much more we should know how to do.  I am actually compiling a list of things I need to learn how to do well in order to be a capable keeper at home.  Once again, I would like to note that character is much more important than being able to meticulously clean a house.  How you live will have more influence in the atmosphere of your home than anything else.

We should also aim to become more and more skilled in the gifts God has given us.  No matter how talented you are, there is always room to improve.  We should be continually honing our particular talents.  If you are good at something, all the more reason to study hard at it!  Do not coast.  Do not become complacent. 

And last but not least, we should aim to have a good, thorough education that leaves us truly skilled and equipped.  Or as Noah Webster put it "a finished education."  By this I do not refer simply to classroom learning though that has its place. 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." Proverbs 1:7a

Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary defines education in this way:

The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.      

I will not elaborate here since I already wrote a post in January regarding education.  You can read it here: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/lifeoffaith/649198/

The last post in this three part series will be: How do we become accomplished?

Summer 2009 is the first summer that I truly made an effort not to waste.  The other summers were simply a time for fun and relaxation to me.  I did have fun and relaxation this summer, too but it was not my main focus.  I didn't accomplish nearly as much as I would have liked but it was an improvement :).

Three things I did that come to mind are: 1. Reading good, thought provoking books 2. Writing. 3. Drawing

1. I made a summer booklist this year.  It has received its final update.  You can see it here.

2. Writing...it never ends!  Novels, articles, short story, blog posts...on and on it goes :). 

3. Drawing...well, a picture/drawing is worth a thousand words, right?  Here is one of my sketches/drawings: 

There were also Scripture memorization, homemaking, learning some html, rough draft of a picture book, some great new filmmaking ideas, and just living, laughing, and learning together.   All in all, it was a pretty good summer!

I recently watched and read Pride and Prejudice for the first time.  It was very interesting.  One thing that I've been thinking about is this piece of conversation:

"It is amazing to me," said Bingley, "how young ladies can have patience to be so very accomplished, as they all are."

"All young ladies accomplished!  My dear Charles, what do you mean?"  (Note: This is Darcy speaking)

"Yes, all of them, I think.  They all paint tables, cover skreens and net purses.  I scarcely know any one who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished."

"Your list of the common extent of accomplishments," said Darcy, "has too much truth.  The word is applied to many a woman who deserves it no otherwise than by netting a purse or covering a skreen.  But I am far from agreeing with you in your estimation of ladies in general.  I cannot boast of knowing more than half a dozen, in the whole range of my acquantience, that are really accomplished."

"Nor I, I am sure," said Miss Bingley.

"Then," observed Elizabeth, "you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished woman."

"Yes; I do comprehend a great deal in it."

"Oh! certainly," cried his faithful assistant (note: this is Miss Bingley), "no one can be really esteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with.  A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved."

"All this she must possess," added Darcy, "and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading."

Okay, back to the present.  Isn't it interesting how many young ladies at that time were, to one degree or another, "accomplished"?  How about nowadays?  How many skills does the average young lady (or teenager as they are now called) possess?  I'm not just talking about from their list.  How many girls of today have the skills necessary to properly care for a household?  How many can hold intelligent conversations, write essays, read deep non-fiction books, take care of children, defend the faith, sew, knit/crochet, etc, etc.  I'm not saying I can answer 'yes' to all of the above!  They are just questions to consider.

Also, let's take a look at their list:

-Paint tables, cover skreens (I think that translates into screens), and net purses  Interesting skills :).  Who knows?  They may come in handy but I would not put them near the top of my list. 

Thorough knowledge of:

-Music   I personally think it is a good idea to at least have a knowledge of music even if you don't play.  If you have the chance to learn an instrument, I would encourage you to do so!  It is truly wonderful to be able to play music.

-Singing  I think most people can sing though not equally well :).  It is nice to sing but I wouldn't put much emphasis on studying it.  (Unless this happens to be your special gift)

-Drawing  Drawing can actually be quite useful.  Many people use it: illustrators, cartoonists, designers (clothing, car, house, etc.), and more.  Even the police have use for it (criminal sketching)!  I personally have grown to enjoy drawing.

-Modern languages  This can obviously be useful; more so for some people than others (ex: missionaries in foreign countries, evangelists, import-export business, etc.).  For me, I'm learning Thai but I don't plan on learning a lot of different languages.

-and she must possess something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions.  It depends on what they (and we) mean by this.  If it's a proud (haughty) way of walking, talking, etc., then it's wrong.  We shouldn't be putting on "airs".  If they simply mean she does her best to be graceful, modest, gentle, and generally act and carry herself in a ladylike manner, then I think that is commendable. 

In addition:

-Extensive reading  I definitely agree with this one!  There is so much you can learn from reading a variety of books.  Everything from apologetics to missions to how to write fiction to cooking to drawing to world religions to history and so much more! 

Part 2 will be How do we define "accomplished"?  And why care?  

For week 1, I'm supposed to share what subjects I will be studying in the upcoming semester (or school year, in my case :)).  If you're interested, you can go here to read what I did last year. 

For this year (2009-2010):

- Bible: The Kingdom of God: A Guide for Old Testament Study, Rooted & Grounded: A Guide for Spiritual Growth

- Math: Teaching Textbooks Geometry

- Science: Apologia Exploring Creation With Chemistry

- History: Streams of Civilization Volume II (CLP)

- P.E.: Hiking, playing sports with the family, and running/jogging around our property

- Literature: A Beka Beginnings of American Literature (Classics for Christians Vol. 3), A Beka Literature of the American People (Classics for Christians Vol. 4) and lots of other books! 

- Writing: Lots and lots of writing will be going on.  Novels, short stories, essays/research papers, articles, and perhaps even a poem or two :). 

- Fine Arts: Filmmaking, drawing, homemaking skills, knitting, and perhaps cross-stitching and sewing.

- Music: Piano

- Foreign Language: Thai

Besides the Bible, here is a list of some books I hope to read this summer:

-Come, Let's Reach the World by K. P. Yohannan Done!  Excellent book!  A Must Read for Christians!

-Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper I am reading this one with Daddy. Done!  Wonderful book!  Recommended!

-The Supremacy of God in Missions by John Piper This is the one book on the list we didn't own but I thought we would be owning it soon so I put it on :).  It turns out we're not going to have it just yet so I wasn't able to read it.

-The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel Done!  Great book!

-Christian Modesty and The Public Undressing of America by Jeff Pollard Done! 

-Scientific Facts in the Bible by Ray Comfort Done!

Research books (for my novels):

-Children of the Gold Rush by Claire Rudolf Murphy and Jane G. Haigh Done!

-From Fields of Fire and Glory (Letters of the Civil War) by Rod Gragg Done!

-The Civil War For Kids (A History with 21 Activities) by Janis Herbert Done!

In the fiction realm, I am reading the allegorical Kingdom Series by Chuck Black Done!

If I have time, it would be nice to also read The Case for Faith and/or The Case for Christ; both of them are authored by Lee Strobel.  I didn't get around to reading these this summer but I still plan to read them eventually. 

All of these books will be "first-timers" for me so I'm excited :).  There's something special about reading (and therefore, discovering) a really great book!

7-21-09 update: I have also read three other Civil War books for research.  I continue to work on finishing Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions by James A. Beverley.  Done!

8-7-09 update: I am going to add some books to my list!  Here they are:

Pride and Prejudice Done!

A Young Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George Done!

Knockout Entrepreuner by George Foreman Done!

8-24-09 Final update: It was really nice to have the opportunity to read these books and I'm glad I was able to check most of them off!  Hope y'all go read some excellent books!  My most recommended are:

K. P. Yohannan's books, Lee Strobel's books, and John Piper's books.  A Young Woman After God's Own Heart was really good, too.

Note: This was written soon after returning from the conference on Feb. 7, 2009; I waited to add the photos to this post.

Wow...my head is packed full of education.  But then again, that's not exactly true since there's a theory that you only use 10% of the capacity of your brain in your entire life.  Now that's something to try to wrap your brain around :)!  Anyway, the conference was wonderful!  The speakers were very good and humorous.  They were God-fearing men who shared the Gospel and were pro-homeschool, pro-second amendment, and of course, pro-creationism...my kind of people :).  I'm so glad that our church gave out free tickets to the conference.

I seriously don't know how anyone can believe in evolution!  Then again, a lot of them simply believe evolution because they don't want to believe the only alternative.  They don't want to admit that God exists, that they are responsible for their actions, that there is a heaven and a hell, etc. so they stubbornly cling to a faulty theory which has no real evidence.  The others are brainwashed in public schools and colleges.  For the most part, these places are not places of education but of indoctrination.  Karl Marx realized that the way you conquer a group of people/country socially, culturally, economically, etc. is to infiltrate their schools (and media).  These schools and teachers (except rare ones) do not teach students how to think and reason but instead, they teach them to believe what they want them to believe which includes humanism, socialism, Marxism, feminism, etc.

Everyone who believes in evolution should think about all the evidence for creation and the clear lack of evidence for evolution.  It's absolutely astounding!  My finger was hurting from so much note taking :).  I think the circular reasoning which evolutionists use is funny but sad.  For instance: What animals survived?  The fittest.  How do you know which animals are the fittest?  They survived.  What animals survive?  The fittest.  How do you know which animals are the fittest?  They survived.

Here's another example:  How do you know how old the layers in the geological column are?  We know because of the fossils that are in it.  How do you know how old the fossils are?  We know because of what layer in the geological column it is in.  What they are (falsely) saying is that they know a layer of rock is 600 million years old because it contains a certain fossil.  They know that the same fossil is 600 million years old because it was found in that rock.  Okay, so how do we know that the layer of rock or the fossil is 600 million years old??  We do not!  In fact, the complete geological column is found only in textbooks and/or posters.  That's it.  No one has ever seen it in real life.   

There is so much evidence for creation...I'm not going to attempt to include it all in this post.  I plan to write many essays and research papers on a variety of topics which will include creation vs. evolution.  I will try to post them here.  I will have to post some of them in parts since I recently learned my research papers should be at least 10 pages long.  At first, I thought...Yikes!  That's long!   But then, I realized it would be a wonderful challenge and I'm excited to do it!

Here are some of the pictures that were taken:

I had an interesting, fun day of education yesterday.  I shedule my own schoolwork and decided to have a "different" day yesterday.  A normal schedule for me would be the following:

-Bible

-Math (Saxon Algebra 2)

-Science (Apologia Biology)

-World History (Streams of Civilizations)

-Writing

-Literature (ABeka)

-Thai or P.E.

Yesterday, however, my schedule looked like this (it was kid's day at the SWYMC):

-Bible

-Audio CD: A step by step look at producing an independent Christian film by Rich Christiano

-Read Under His Wings by Jon Lewis

-Say What You Mean Convention Episode #1 

-SWYMC #2

-SWYMC #3

-SWYMC #4

-SWYMC #5

Note: I also practice piano and often teach my brothers piano.  I try to learn at least a couple new songs a week.  This week I am learning a song by Keith Green (a great Christian singer) entitled, "O, Lord, You're Beautiful."  It is an easier-to-play version of the song but is still quite challenging.  It seems to me that the challenging songs turn out to be some of the most beautiful sounding.  (If you can learn how to play them well :)). 

Here are my thoughts on the various Say What You Mean Convention episodes:

The first episode was a disappointment.  It was supposed to be the kickoff where everyone got to know each other.  I didn't like the way they went about it.  The topic was everyone's "purseonality".  No, I didn't spell it wrong.  The episode was spent talking about different people's purses and how that shows their different personalities.  I rarely carry a purse; I have no need to.  That doesn't mean I have anything against purses.  I just don't think we should spend an hour of our life talking about them.  I felt it was a waste of time.  Also, it seemed awfully vain the way they talked.  Some said they couldn't live without their purses and that, I believe, is wrong.  We must never depend on things.  I think it would shock most Americans how little it actually takes to survive or "live". 

The second episode was better.  The main idea was that listening is important and you can "hear" without "listening".  You can hear a noise but not really be listening to it.  There is also a difference between simply listening and active listening.  In addition, there was a game/contest called, "Name that sound."  We didn't win :). 

The third episode: "Writing Vocabulary".  It was about building your child's vocabulary.  Speaking of which, even though today was "kid's day"...it seem as if they are speaking to adults.  Oh, well, it helped me learn how to teach vocabulary to my future children.  This was the only episode I took notes on. 

The fourth episode: "Finish the Famous Sayings".  We didn't do too bad especially considering all the technical difficulties.  It's interesting how many different "famous" sayings there are.  We laughed a lot reading all the funny endings that people came up with :).

The fifth episode: "The Keeper of Memories".  This was about being a family historian via taking photos and writing (a.k.a. photojournalist).  

I took notes while listening to the audio cd by Rich Christiano.  It was good; I liked it better than all of the above episodes :).  Here's a quote (regarding writing scripts), "It's not what you say...it's how you say it." 

Also, I was thankfully able to check off some of the things on my "To do" list for today (i.e. dishes, writing this blog post :), etc.)

You can check out my other post regarding education here.  Have you ever had an "unusual" day of education? 

Wow...2008 has been such an incredible year!  Here are the top seven things that have happened to me personally this year.  (My mom did a great top ten highlights for our family for 2008 here.)

1. I have a better Biblical worldview and have been able to discern many of our culture’s lies.

2. I have realized I am a young adult and must grow up; I am not a child anymore.

3. If it’s God’s will, I want to be a freelance writer, author, and film-maker. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had, since February, to write for Growing in Grace magazine for ladies.  The January issue is out!

4. In God’s timing, I now desire to be a wife and mother of a large family.

5. I have decided not to go to college.  After graduating from formal homeschool, I will remain at home and will continue training to be a capable keeper at home while using my God-given talents for the furtherance of God's kingdom.

6. I fully embrace my femininity.  I am so glad God created me a girl!  As an outward expression of femininity, I now normally wear dresses or skirts.

7. I have realized how wonderful home really is and how much can be done from home.

    Wow!   It's December.  The last month of 2008...time goes by so quickly! 

    Growing in Grace Magazine has published its eleventh issue!  I think the template is really pretty.  In fact, it's snowing at Growing in Grace!  Yippee! 

    Unbelievably, it will soon be CHRISTmas!  Let's not forget why we celebrate this holiday...it's because Jesus came to earth, died on the cross, and rose again so that we could be saved!  GGM contributors got the chance to express what it means to them that Jesus came to earth to die for our sins in the article: In Rememberance of Him.

The theme for this month's issue of Growing in Grace Magazine is gentleness.  We should all do our best to be gentle for it is pleasing to God.  Being gentle does not mean being weak.  You can be strong and gentle at the same time; in fact, it often takes strength to be gentle.  "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart...And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient." II Timothy 2:22,24

The October issue of Growing in Grace Magazine  is here!  The young lady on the cover is Miss Amanda who is a contributor; you can read more about her in the GGM interview.

Growing in Grace's August issue is out!  One of our contributors was interviewed-can you guess who she is? 

I wasn't able to post about it until now because we're just moving into our new home.  Today is the first day we have internet access. 

It's summer and time is often wasted in these months since official "school" is out for most.  But that doesn't mean you should stop learning or using your time wisely. 

Scheduling is helping me to keep on track and get more things done.  You can make a simple weekly or daily schedule for yourself; it can be as structured or flexible as you want. 

Is there something you've wanted to learn?  Do you have a project you started but didn't finish?  Now's the time to do all the things you didn't have time for during the school year! 

Some ideas:

First and foremost, I encourage you to spend time praying, reading the Bible, and hiding God's Word in your heart.

Cooking--A useful skill which can be fun too.  (Why not surprise your parents with a special dinner?  I'm sure they'd appreciate it!)

Homemaking-Learn a new skill that will help you be a better keeper at home. 

Playing an instrument--If you already do, great!  Continue practicing and improving your skills.  If you don't, perhaps you can teach yourself how to play an instrument this summer.

Drawing--BreezyTulip has started The Drawing Blog which has art lessons!

Non-fiction writing--I personally have not liked non-fiction writing (i.e. essays).  Therefore, I haven't done it much.  (I focused mainly on fiction/historical fiction writing.)  However, it's important to be able to clearly express your beliefs and ideas through writing.  So I encourage you to practice writing clear and concise essays this summer.

Story/Novel/Fiction writing--Mrs. Marlow's Writing Workshop is great!  It's fun and will improve your writing skills.

American Sign Language (ASL)--Sisterlisa is teaching sign language at Apples of Gold Ministries.

Please comment and share your thoughts.  Let me know your ideas and what you like to do during the summer. 

Growing in Grace's  July issue is out!  Once again, GGM has a great new template!  I encourage you to go take a look (not just at the template but at the articles too :)).

Growing in Grace Magazine's May issue is out!  It's great!  I encourage you to check it out. 

I participated in the Fearlessly Feminine Challenge this past week (starting last Monday).  Brooke started the challenge on her blog.  You can read the orginal post here.  Miss Jocelyn is continuing the challenge on the last week of every month.  You can read about it by clicking on the Feelin' Feminine Challenge button.   

I decided to do the extra challenge of wearing a different hairstyle each day.  Here are my pictures:

Day 1-I wore my hair in Heidi braids.                 Day 2-Braided tiara.

 Here's a close up!  Sorry,  it's hard to see!                                Day 3-Just a regular braid.

Day 4-A bun.                                                             Yet another close up :).

Day  5-I let my hair be its natural self (like I usually do)!        Day 6-Pollyanna

Here's another close up!                                    Day 7-Two braids.

I'm supposed to evaluate my week.  Here I go!  I felt/feel more feminine in skirts/dresses.  I was able to do everything that I had to do this past week (without pants).  Also, I decided to wear dresses/skirts more often.

Just because we wear dresses/skirts, it doesn't mean we are true ladies in the Biblical sense of the word.  Just because you're a woman/girl/female, it doesn't mean you're automatically a lady.  "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 Peter 3:3,4  "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgives you.  And over all these virtues put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14

And that concludes my week of the fearlessly feminine challenge...or does it?  Even though I decided to wear dresses/skirts more often, after a whole week of wearing dresses/skirts, I was ready (or so I thought) to wear pants again! 

Yesterday was the last day of the challenge for me so today I was going to wear pants.  Well.....I found out that......actually......believe it or not.....I wanted....to wear a skirt!  Why?  My pants were uncomfortable!  Before, I was just used to them but after the comfort of a skirt/dress, I don't really like my pants that much anymore!  Also, they don't feel feminine!  Oh, yikes...I'm someone who almost always wore pants (except to church).  Now, I still think pants (modest (not tight!) ones) are safer and more modest to wear when playing sports, hiking, etc. but I will be wearing skirts/dresses more regularly now.  Update:  I wear skirts/dresses practically all the time now and I've found that I can wear skirts while playing sports and hiking...it just depends on the situation.   I wouldn't recommend it on steep, dangerous hikes. 

By the way, if you're looking for extremely cheap (ahem...I mean affordable) modest clothing, please check out my website called ModestyandMore.  Thank you!