Books

I know I've been posting about books quite a lot lately. I promise I'll post about something else soon. :-)

In my last book post I was reading Simple Secrets to a Beautiful Home by Emilie Barnes, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally, Sir Kendrick by Chuck Black, Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke, A Young Woman's Call to Prayer by Elizabeth George, and Ida Scudder by Janet and Geoff Benge.

Since then I have read The Inheritance by Louisa May Alcott. Now I'm reading;

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis. I've read all but two of The Chronicles of Narnia books. I hope to finish the Chronicles soon. :-)

I finished Before You Meet Prince Charming and will be starting So Much More by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin. I've heard that So Much More is really good. I can't wait to start it!

I also finished Ida Scudder and have started Rowland Bingham by Janet and Geoff Benge. I really like biographies and this one sounds very promising! :-)

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I have been reading The Lord of the Rings for a curriculum called Literary Lessons from The Lord of the Rings. It's by far my favorite subject! I am almost done with The Fellowship of the Ring.

A Young Woman's Call to Prayer by Elizabeth George. I read A Young Woman's Walk with God and enjoyed it very much so I could resist reading A Young Woman's Call to Prayer.

Sir Bentley by Chuck Black. My Mom and I finished Sir Kendrick and have started Sir Bentley. We have really enjoyed reading these books together!

Raising Maidens of Virtue by Stacy McDonald. My Mom and I have also been reading this book together. It is very good! :-)

Love Comes Softly

As the title and the picture to the left may hint this post is about the book Love Comes Softly written by Janette Oke. As I have mentioned in previous posts I was reading Love Comes Softly under close speculation. Reason being I didn't want to be reading romance novels that would awaken love in me before its time. I am pleased to announce that Love Comes Softly is a winner on my book list. I didn't really find it to be much of a romance story. Instead it was more like a biography.
My criteria for books:

~Understandable
~Interesting
~Glorify God
~Clean
~Good plot
~And of course, a happy ending! :-)

Understandable- Love Comes Softly was very understandable but I must say that the characters in the book could use a little refining of their speech. Here is an excerpt from the book.

On the way home Marty got up the nerve to voice a thought that had gradually been taking shape. She was a bit hesitant and hardly knew how to express it.
"Do ya s'pose-I mean, would ya mind iffen we had the Grahams come fer Christmas dinner?"
"All of 'em?" Clark's shock was evident.
" 'Course, all of 'em," Marty rejoined stoutly. "I know there be thirteen of 'em an' three of us; thet makes sixteen. The kitchen table, stretched out like, will hold eight. Thet's the four grown-ups an' the four youngest of the Grahams. Missie'll be in her chair. Thet leaves seven Graham young'uns. We'll fix 'em a place in the sittin' room an' Laura an' Sally Anne can look after 'em."
(Chapter 18, Christmas Preparations)

Like I said, they could use a few English lessons. :-) Janette Oke was a genius though, to write the characters speech the way she did. It really adds to the story.

Interesting- How could Love Comes Softly be interesting? It is excessively interesting! There are fires, deaths, close calls, etc. I really enjoy books that keep my attention, this one did!

Glorify God- Often in Love Comes Softly, Clark prays and relies on God to provide for their needs.

Clean- What do I mean by clean? What I mean is no bad language or inappropriate actions. Love Comes Softly meets this criteria as well. Except for the use of the word, at least I think it's a word, dad-blame.

Good Plot- Love Comes Softly has an outstanding plot. Here is a woman from the East that moves to the West with her husband. When they arrive in the West her husband tragically dies, which leaves her in the middle of nowhere on the verge of winter with out a penny to her name. Then a man who attended her husbands funeral proposes for only a few purposes. 1. So that she will have a roof over her head. 2. So that his little girl will have a 'mama' for a little while. 3. So that she can return to her family in the Spring. I won't go any further for I don't want to give the whole book away should you chose to read it.

A Happy Ending- I won't talk much of this criteria or I would have to give the ending of the book away. In fact, I won't talk about it at all. I wouldn't want to spoil the ending should you chose to read the book.

Unfortunately, the movie is significantly different from the book. All in all, it was a fantastic book. I am now reading Love's Enduring Promise which is book two of the Love Comes Softly Series. I will give a book review on Love's Enduring Promise when I complete it.
I pray you'll have a blessed day and happy reading!

Hello

Hello strangers! :-) I know I haven't posted in a long time. I don't have time to do an actual post right now but I will (hopefully) post one soon. One reason why I haven't posted in a while is because I've been busy and I've also been sick. Anyway, I will try to post in the next few days! :-)
Oh by the way, I did a poll and I would love it if y'all would vote! Thanks.

Awakening Love Before Its Time

What does it mean to awaken love before its time? How can I be awakening love? What can I do to stop it? What's so important about it? This post goes along the lines of purity except instead of liking someone you are awakening something. Don't get me wrong, awakening love can eventually lead to liking/loving somebody prematurely. But lets go back to the first question, what does it mean to awaken love before its time? It simply means that you are letting emotions take hold of your heart and life before you should. The world has told us that it's alright to like a guy when you're in kindergarten. Thus, it spirals into a premature love when in your teen years. Okay, on to the next two questions. How can I be awakening love? What can I do to stop it? Awakening love is an easy thing to do. You can awaken love by watching TV, reading a book, talking to friends, listening to music, and so on.
Watching TV can awaken love in the blink of an eye. If you are watching a romance movie or chick flick you can pretty much guarantee that a piece of love will awaken. Reading a book can also awaken love very quickly.
Reading romance novels is very dangerous!! They will build discontentment in your heart over time, and soon you will be asking yourself why you haven't experienced that kind of love, or what's so bad about a little kiss? Be careful! Don't fall into the enemies temptation. Resist discontentment. I am reading Love Comes Softly, but let me assure you that it is under a microscope. :) I have talked with friends and family about Janette Oke books. I have a very good friend that is a few years older than me who has read them. She liked them and said that they didn't bother her in awakening love before its time. BUT, let me warn you as she warned me. Every girl is different, just because they didn't awaken love in her doesn't mean they won't in me, so keep it under close speculation.
Talking to friends and listening to music can also be dangerous. There is a saying that says, choose your friends wisely. That is what you need to do. Don't hang around friends that are always talking about how cute he/she was, or spreading the boy friend/girl friend gossip of the neighborhood around. Music is another powerful tool that Satan can use against us. I really like music, but I need to guard what music I listen to. Love songs can awaken love before you know it. Avoid these types of music! Listen to music that glorifies our Maker! :) Prayer, reading God's word, and reading books that will help you grow spiritually will help you a lot in your fight against awakening love prematurely.
What's so important about it? What this question means is why do I have to keep this love asleep? Well, you are special and precious in God's eyes. He wants you to save yourself for who he has for you! Wouldn't it be awesome to look into your spouses eyes on that special day when you say "I Do" and be able to say with a clear conscious and a clean heart that you saved everything for him/her! :) What an amazing thought!

I Witnessed a Murder

At around 2:30 this afternoon, in a small southern town, a tragic event took place! As I walked out my door with my dog on her leash I looked to my left to see the tragic incident unfolding. A baby mouse who moments ago had been frolicking in the sun, unaware of the impending danger, was now the victim of a cat wanting to play with a possible afternoon snack! It was a cute innocent mouse minding its own business before my cat, Delilah, spotted it. Of course, I instinctively rushed my dog to the safety of the indoors and turned quickly to get back to the scene. At first, I wanted to help the poor innocent mouse but then I saw it biting at my cat. So, I decided to let nature take its course. The unfortunate mouse was tormented for half an hour before my cat decided to slowly devour it! The horror of it all!!!
I will spare you the horror of seeing the gruesome pictures of this tragedy, but I would like to show you a picture of the murderer so that you might know what the killer cat looks like.

Name: Delilah
Weight: Approx. 9 lb.
Color: Gray with black stripes.
Gender: Female
Eyes: Green
Location: Last seen on the front porch of a house.

Beware of this killer cat! Please keep all possible snacks in safe keeping. You never know were this merciless cat might be lurking!

Okay, this is my cat and this did happen. I might have dramatized it a bit to much but I couldn't resist the temptation! I hope I didn't scare you to much! I just thought it was too good of an opportunity to pass up! ;)

Books Yet Again

Yes, books again! It seems that I'm always talking about books. If I am posting about books to often, and you are getting sick of reading about this subject on my blog, please let me know and I will try to refrain myself from posting about them! Well, that being said, here are the books that I am currently reading:

Simple Secrets to a Beautiful Home by Emilie Barnes. I have really enjoyed reading this book thus far. I'm reading this book for a program, RUTH, we are doing at our church. Emilie Barnes reveals all of the simple ways you can make your home, and spiritual walk with God, beautiful .

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Right now I am reading The Fellowship of the Ring. I'm reading this book for school through a curriculum called Literary Lessons from The Lord of the Rings. I am enjoying this book so much that words can't describe it!

Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally. I am reading this book as an assigned book from my Mom and myself. Sarah Mally writes about saving your heart for the one God is preparing for you! I have really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read more of her encouraging words of wisdom.

Sir Kendrick by Chuck Black. I have been reading this book aloud to my Mom and we are both enjoying it immensely! We hope to finish it tonight. If we do we will be starting Sir Bentley.

Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke. I am reading this book, since I have finished Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This book is on trial. Why is it on trial, you may ask? Well, my parents and I don't want to awaken love before its time in me. What I mean by that is that I don't want to read, watch, listen, etc. to things that will make me think about marriage, romance, etc., etc. Not that those things are bad, but they are not what I need to be thinking about at this time in my life. That being said, I will be reading this book and will be carefully observing how I react to it.

A Young Woman's Call to Prayer by Elizabeth George. I am doing this as a devotional, since I finished A Young Woman's Walk with God, and I find it very helpful! I'm not that far into it so I can't give you very much information about it at this time, but I hope to give very good reports about it when I've completed it.

Ida Scudder by Janet and Geoff Benge. I am reading this book, and other biographies, as my Histroy for school. I just finished Loren Cunningham, which was really good! I can't say anything about Ida Scudder yet though, because I haven't started it, but I will be starting it tomorrow!

Those are all the books I'm currently reading. Happy Reading y'all!

A Recipe

Spaghetti Casserole

Ingredients:
- 1 package (16 ounces) angel hair pasta
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
- 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
- 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom, undiluted
- 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce, Remove from the heat.

2. Drain pasta. Combine soup and sour cream. In two 8 in. square baking dishes (or one 13 x9), layer half of the meat sauce, pasta, soup mixture and cheese. repeat layers.

3. Cover and bake the casserole at 350 degree's F. for 55-65 minutes or until cheese is melted.

4. If you freeze one of the casseroles, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed.
(It can freeze for only 3 months)

I really enjoyed this casserole! It is fun to make and good to eat!

I'm still alive, just very busy! I will try to get an actual post up as soon as I can, but for now I only have time for a delicious recipe, of which I can't have. ( Thanks to my absolutely wonderful food allergies! :-/ ) Anyway, enjoy!