Input and help requested! :)

Hi, all!

I'm looking for a great apricot pie recipe. Do any of you have one you could share with me that you recommend?

Thanks! :)

Please Participate!

As you can see, there are now 3 new polls up and running! Please vote in each one!

Once the days are up for the courtship and stay-at-home daughterhood polls, I will (Lord willing) be posting an article series on coursthip and the long awaited one on stay-at-home daughterhood. Once those have been published on here, I will reopen the polls and see if anyone's thoughts on courtship and stay-at-home daughterhood have changed after reading the articles!

Thank you so much for participating and letting your voice be heard!

Happy Anniversary to a match made in Heaven!

Happy 20th Anniversary, Mama and Daddy!!

Twenty years ago today, my dear parents covenanted together in marriage. Twenty years and two (so far!) children later, they grow closer each day. They've lived and grown, by God's grace, through the high times and the low ones, through sickness and health, through riches and poverty, through good and bad.

They have been an inspiration to me, and their marriage is a beautiful picture of Christ and His bride. They have such a strong commitment to one another and have thus provided my brother and I a warm, secure home-a blessing that many children today sadly do not have. The Lord has been so merciful in the life of our family-a family which began twenty years ago today (but was planned out by God before the foundation of the world!).

Thank you, Mama and Daddy, for your beautiful example and love for one another. May our gracious Lord grant you at least twenty more bright and beautiful years together!

We love you!!

~Bekah and Andy

Fun Game!

I recently came across this fun little game and thought I would post it here! :) It'll hopefully prove to be a fun way for you all to get to know me better!

~~~~~~~~~~FOOD-OLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is your salad dressing of choice? The ranch dressing at Golden Corral and Ryan's! It's the best!!
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Either Olive Garden, Fiesta Grill or the two mentioned above!
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? My great-grandma's yeast rolls!!
What are your pizza toppings of choice? extra cheese, sausage, olives
What do you like on your toast? apple butter or peanut butter and honey
Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate!

~~~~~~~~~~~~TECHNOLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~
How many televisions are in your house? Sadly, 3! But they don't get watched a whole lot! :) Although, I must say, there are some good things to view on TV-you just have to be very selective and self-controlled with the amount of time you watch it and what you watch!!
What color cell phone do you have? Well, Mama and Daddy have a black and tan one, but I personally don't have one

Do you have a laptop? No, but with all my writing projects for this blog, etc., I hope to maybe get one soon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~BIOLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are you right-handed or left-handed? right
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? yes, my wisdom teeth 2 years ago.
What is the last heavy item you lifted? my 32 lb. dog
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? I don't think so. I hit the back of my head on the coffee table when I was a baby and had to get stitches, but I don't think I was knocked unconscious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~DUMBOLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~
How many pairs of flip-flops do you own? 3
Last person you talked to on the phone? my Nanny(great-grandma)
Last person you hugged? my brother

~~~~~~~~~~~~FAVORITE-OLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~
Season? spring and fall
Holiday? Christmas
Day of the week? Sunday
Month? April, December or July (my b-day month!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~CURRENT-OLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~

Missing someone? Yes-my great-grandparents. But I will be able to see them in about 3 weeks! :)
Mood? Content
What are you listening to? The hum of our computer. :)
Watching? My letters appear on the computer screen.
Worrying about? nothing

~~~~~~~~~~~~RANDOM-OLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~

First place you went this morning? the bathroom
What's the last movie you saw? Love Finds a Home(a Hallmark movie-the last one of the Love Comes Softly series)
Do you smile often? yes!
Do you always answer your phone? Well, sometimes Mama gets to it first! :) When we're really busy, we just let the answering machine answer it.
If you could change your eye color what would it be? I don't think I would change my eye color. If I had to though, it would probably be blue-I had blue eyes until I was 2, and then they switched to green.
What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? I usually have strawberry slushes at sonic and don't add any other flavors
Do you own a digital camera? yes
Have you ever had a pet fish? Well, they weren't mine personally, but we've had fish.
Favorite Christmas song(s)? Carol of the Bells, Joy to the Word, Silent Night, We Three Kings, O Holy Night
What's on your wish list for your birthday? a laptop!
Can you do push-ups? not really-I don't have much upper body strength
Can you do a chin up? no!
Does the future make you more nervous or excited? I think more excited than anything. I wonder what the future holds!
Do you have any saved texts? Mama and Daddy's cell phone has some from members of our church
Ever been in a car wreck? yes
Do you have an accent? Some people think I have a Texas accent, but I don't know if I do or not. :)
What was the last song to make you cry? "She was Watching" by Mark Schultz
Plans tonight? Playing a game with Mama while Daddy and Andrew are at the men and sons meeting at church.
Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? yes-when we were about to move here to Tennessee from Texas 4 years ago. But the Lord was so merciful-this move has been such a huge blessing to us in numerous ways.
Have you ever been given roses? Daddy's given me flowers before, but they weren't roses.
Current hate right now? The pride that's in my heart all too often.
Met someone who changed your life? Yes-my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, my great-grandmother, and Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin
How did you bring in the new year? watching the ball drop with family and friends.
What song represents you? In Christ Alone, Be Thou My Vision, and Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Would you go back in time if you were given a chance? absolutely!
Have you ever dated someone longer than a year? I don't date!!!
Do you have any tattoos/piercings? I have my ears pierced.
What songs do you sing in the shower? hymns and spiritual songs.
Ever had someone sing to you? my brother and my Daddy. :)
Do you like to cuddle? yes-with my doggy. :)
How fast can you run? not all that fast. Especially now, with my hip condition.
Have you held hands with anyone today? no
Who was the last person you took a picture of? Nicole and Laura at the Father Daughter Retreat! :)
What kind of music did you sing in elementary school? hymns and children's songs with Mama here at home
Are most of the friends in your life new or old? new
Do you like pulpy orange juice? sort of
What is something your friends make fun of you for? sometimes I laugh too much. Some people say I wear too much pink.
Have you ever ridden a elephant? no
Do you like to play Scrabble? yes!
What are you saving your money up for right now? nothing in particular at the moment
When is the last time you ate peanut butter & jelly? it's been quite a long time-I usually eat peanut butter and honey together
What were you doing at 12am last night? sleeping and possibly dreaming.
What was the first thing you thought when you woke up? I don't even remember! :/ I guess it's been a long day.

If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged!! :)

How did you find me?

Dearest readers,

It truly blesses me to know that you're reading my posts and following my blog! I would love to get to know each and every one of you!

Please introduce yourself and share with me how you came across By His Grace and For His Glory. Give me some feedback about this site, as well. This would be most helpful, as I'm always here to serve you!

So, who are you and how did you find this blog ministry?

A Young Maiden's DayBook Entry #9!

Click here for lots of DayBook fun!! :)

Today is… Monday, April 20th, 2009

Outside my window... is a new bird bath that we are just dying for cute little birds to come visit!! :)

I am wearing.... a coral and tan top with a brown peasant style, tiered skirt.

I am reading… many books at once, of course. ;) They include: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Beloved Bride: The Letters of Stonewall Jackson to His Wife by Bill Potter, Marriage to a Difficult Man: The Uncommon Union of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards by Elisabeth Dodds(I've actually taken a short break on these three books, as I've been so busy with school reading lately!), How to Dethrone the Imperial Judiciary by Dr. Edwin Vieira (available through Vision Forum), The Justification of God: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Romans 9:1-23 by John Piper(this is one deep book!), How to Be a Lady: Useful Hints on the Formation of Character by Harvey Newcomb(this book is from 1850!), Systematic Theology by Robert Duncan Culver(I'm studying this with Daddy, but we've taken a break),etc. Daddy is currently reading to us The Genesis Record by the late Dr. Henry Morris, founder of ICR; Spurgeon: A New Biography by Arnold Dallimore(he reads this to us on Tuesday nights; this is the really great book that the men and sons of our church are currently discussing at their Wednesday night meetings) and Scetches from Church History: An Illustrated Account of 20 Centuries of Christ's Power by S.M. Houghton(available through the Banner of Truth Trust). Daddy reads this to us on Saturday evenings, in preparation for the discussion on it during our Sunday meeting with the Church. As for what books I'm reading in the Bible: Romans, Genesis and Proverbs(among other various individual passages).

I am creating… this blog post! :)

One of my favorite things…. gardens and farm land! (but I guess that's actually 2 things! ;))

For education this week… government/history, theology, writing and literature, consumer math, Apologia chemistry, valuable homemaking and motherhood skills, growing in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning... getting things for free at the store by using coupons along with sales ads! ;) This will definitely come in handy when I (Lord willing) am the mother of many precious blessings!

A spiritual lesson I’m learning… pride is so disgusting! I'm so tired of the pride I find creeping up in me all the time. What's worse is that I have no reason for which to be prideful! I'm just a wretch that my merciful Savior choose to redeem.

A godly character trait I plan to work on… humility!!

Scripture I am memorizing… Daddy is having us dedicate this week, as well, to reviewing our first 14 verses.

I am praying for… Various family and church requests, prayer for God's guidance as to how this blog will be arranged and led this year, His guidance as to some writing projects that I feel He has laid on my heart-I pray that He would truly reveal His will to me. Health and strength for two ladies who will be giving birth soon. Prayer for this nation!

For the rest of the week… I plan to be writing for this blog, Lord willing. I have school, will(Lord willing) be responding to the numerous blog comments and e-mails that I haven't been able to answer yet, will be busy caring for my family, deepening my relationship with the Lord, furthering my education, a doctor appointment with an orthopedic surgeon(it's next Monday, but is in the morning, so will be over by the time I'm able to do that week's daybook entry. Therefore, I though I would mention it now!), etc.

A picture I’d like to share… is this:

On November 30th of last year, Gov. Mike Huckabee and his wife Janet came to one of our local bookstores for a book signing. Here we are with Janet Huckabee (photograph taken by Daddy).

More photos from Sunday!

More squinty eyes! :)
I love this picture!!

Special thank you to Mama who made my beautiful new skirt! :)

A Young Maiden's DayBook Entry #8!

Has it really been almost a month since I posted anything on my blog? Oh, how the time flies!

Just two days after my last daybook post, my grandmother called to tell us that she would be here in two days(on that Friday). That sort of caught us by surprise, so we had to scurry around preparing for her visit. She was here through that Sunday, March 22nd. Then, from Monday the 23rd through Thursday the 26th, we had to scurry around to prepare for the 2009 Vision Forum Father and Daughter Retreat(which, by the way, was amazing!!! A post with pics from the retreat will be coming soon!). We were at the retreat until Sunday afternoon, March 29th. Daddy and I had numerous great and much needed conversations while there, which left us with only 4 hours of sleep Friday night and 4 hours of sleep Saturday night. :) So, needless to say, we had to catch up on sleep when we returned home! This, of course, messed up my days a little, so there was some time needed to get us back on track. The past couple weeks have been very busy and I've been wanting to post for quite sometime, but the opportunity never really arose until now. I'm sorry for the lack of posting lately, but thank you for the patient understanding! :)

And now, without further ado, here is this week's DayBook entry!
Today is… Monday, April 13th, 2009

Outside my window... is a hanging pot of beautiful pink flowers.

I am wearing.... a short sleeved denim shirt with a multi-colored peasant style skirt.p>


I am reading… many books at once, of course. ;) They include: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Beloved Bride: The Letters of Stonewall Jackson to His Wife by Bill Potter, Marriage to a Difficult Man: The Uncommon Union of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards by Elisabeth Dodds(I've actually taken a short break on these three books, as I've been so busy with school reading lately!), God and Government Vol. 3: The Restoration of the Republic by Gary DeMar, The Justification of God: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Romans 9:1-23 by John Piper, How to Be a Lady: Useful Hints on the Formation of Character by Harvey Newcomb(this book is from 1850!), Systematic Theology by Robert Duncan Culver(I'm studying this with Daddy),etc. Daddy is currently reading to us The Genesis Record by the late Dr. Henry Morris, founder of ICR; Spurgeon: A New Biography by Arnold Dallimore(he reads this to us on Tuesday nights; this is the really great book that the men and sons of our church are currently discussing at their Wednesday night meetings) and Scetches from Church History: An Illustrated Account of 20 Centuries of Christ's Power by S.M. Houghton(available through the Banner of Truth Trust). Daddy reads this to us on Saturday evenings, in preparation for the discussion on it during our Sunday meeting with the Church.



As for what books I'm reading in the Bible: Romans, Genesis and Proverbs(among other various individual passages).

I am creating… my blog's 2009 Mission Statement. The Lord continues to expand my vision for this blog, so the writing of this mission statement has been (and will probably continue to be for some time) expanded! I hope to see it finished very soon, though! :)

One of my favorite things…. Vision Forum Father and Daughter Retreats!

For education this week… government/history, theology, writing and literature, consumer math, Apologia chemistry, valuable homemaking and motherhood skills, growing in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning... using sales ads and coupons at the grocery store! :)

A spiritual lesson I’m learning… We must be careful to redeem our time faithfully, for the days are evil. If we don't, we are stealing from God, for the time He blesses us with is really His!

A godly character trait I plan to work on…diligence!! Whether this applies to when I'm cleaning the bathtub, doing schoolwork, or attempting to redeem my time wisely, I desperately need to learn diligence!

Scripture I am memorizing… Daddy is having us dedicate this week to reviewing our first 14 verses.

I am praying for… Various family and church requests, prayer for God's guidance as to how this blog will be arranged and led this year, His guidance as to some writing projects that I feel He has laid on my heart-I pray that He would truly reveal His will to me. Comfort for a lady in our church who recently miscarried, and health and strength for two ladies who will be giving birth soon. Prayer for this nation!

For the rest of the week… I plan to be writing for this blog, Lord willing. I have school, will(Lord willing) be responding to the numerous blog comments and e-mails that I haven't been able to answer yet, will be busy caring for my family, deepening my relationship with the Lord, furthering my education, a church social on Saturday(if it doesn't rain!!), etc.

A picture I’d like to share… is this:

This picture of my beautiful mother, Angela, very handsome, manly brother, Andrew(he's just growing up so fast!), and me was taken by Daddy on Sunday. It was really bright; sorry for the squinty eyes! ;)

To participate in the Daybook fun, click here!