Children’s Story
This was written a while back by our younger sister for your interest. (or your siblings! 
A parable of Anna.
Once upon a time a little girl named Anna lived inside England. She did not like to work. But one day her father said to her “Anna, God made work, work is good, if people did not work then there would be no food, so work is good. You must be a cheerful worker.” Anna said “Yes father.” It took a while but soon Anna liked to work. One day her father read to her some verses in Proverbs. “ Anna, here are some verses. Proverbs 8: 33 says; Hear instruction and be wise, and refuse it not. Anna you heard my instruction about work and were wise! Proverbs 10: 4 says ; He becomes poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. Anna you are wise to obey your mother and I and work!” Anna just smiled and went to do the dishes. On day her father came to her and said Anna we are going to live in a castle for a while! “Yippeeee!” Ann and her siblings cried. Soon they were living in the beautiful castle. They had tons of fun, but they still had to do the dishes! 6 months later as Anna was wiping the dishes with her sister, her father said “Anna we need to go home in a week ok?” Anna replied “yes Sir.” So Anna learned to love work all because of the lesson her father taught her!
The End ~
Blessings,
RL~
June 2010, Siblings, Stories, Virtuous Girlhood | Comment (0)Recipe of The Week #34 Homemade Yogurt Recipe
Recently we tried our hand at making homemade yogurt. Here is how to do it with pictures!
First of all you need:
1 Quart whole, skim, or 2% organic milk
2TBSP organic cow yogurt
2/3 cup dry milk (non- fat)
A yogurt maker. (We have a Salton Yogurt Maker model #GM5that works wonderfully! It was a good buy!)
Candy thermometer
Pot
Spoon
Ladle
Add Starter thermometer
First of all preheat yogurt maker.
Than add the quart of milk and 2/3 cup of dry non-fat milk.
Than boil the milk mixture in the pot until it reaches 212 F.
Than cool until the thermometer reaches the right temperature on the add starter thermometer.
Add starter and stir.
Ladle into yogurt maker. (you must ladle or else you have a HUGE mess! Believe me we tried this before
Let cook for 1o hours. Than let sit in the refrigerator for overnight.
In the morning you may sweeten with organic cane sugar appx. 1/3 cup to taste and 1 tsp. vanilla.
Flavors:
Banana: 1-2 Bananas chopped up or pureed.
Strawberry: 10 strawberries chopped up and washed.
Blueberry: 1 pint of blueberries washed.
Berry: Berrys of your choice washed.
Peach, plum, or nectarine: 3 of either fruit washed and chopped up.
Vanilla: 1 tsp of vanilla.
Add your choice of flavors and stir.
Enjoy!
~Miss RJ
By Me, Cooking, Family, Family Life, June 2010, Life At Home, Recipes, Siblings, Virtuous Girlhood | Comments (2)Book Review: Pajama School
Recently I read a good book called Pajama School by Natalie Wickham. This book was so encouraging to me as I had been having a rough week and I picked up her book and was surprised - it was really good! Ms. Wickham wrote a heartwarming story about her life growing up as a oldest in a family of 8. I can very much relate to her in almost every situation! As I am not yet graduated from high school I can’t relate to her in that aspect but her stories about writing, piano, siblings, and school work, now, that I can totally relate to! You may check out her blog here: and order her book here:
Enjoy!
Blessings,
~Miss RJ
Family Life, Life At Home, Reviews, Siblings, Stories, Virtuous Girlhood | Comment (0)Book Review of Princess In Calico
Book Review of Princess In Calico
This little book is a pure gem! It is about a young girl who finds Jesus, and realizes that the little things like ironing and dishes do matter to God. Katura is a young girl who does nothing but work, having little time for herself. Then she receives an invitation to go to her rich cousin’s house and stay. While enjoying her new life she receives a letter from her father telling her that her step-mother is very ill. Katura must decide what to do: stay and be a princess, or be a servant. You can learn a lot from this book. Some of the things you can learn from it are:
- To be a servant.
- To change your bad attitude.
- To love God.
- To love your family.
- To find joy.
- To be content.
- To serve even when you don’t want to.
- To have peace.
- To die to yourself.
- To teach others.
- To obey.
- To follow God’s leading.
- To be patient.
It is a really great book; I won’t tell you how it ends! You can find it at Rod & Staff Publishing.
Happy reading!
Book Reviews, Family Life, Reviews, Siblings, Virtuous Girlhood | Comments (2)A Life Worth Living
A Life Worth Living
Blessings,
~RJ
Books For Godly Young Women and Girls
Here is a list of great books for young women and girls that my younger sisters and I enjoy: (Please note that we have not read some of these books and we do not agree with everything in them; they are just some guidelines for you and your parents on good books)
Elizabeth George’s A Young Woman’s Collection
Before You Meet Prince Charming
A Young Ladies Guide To The Harmonious Development Of Character
Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends
What He Must Be If He Wants To Marry My Daughter
Non-Fiction:
Under His Wings
The Beautiful Girlhood Library
Any godly Christian biography (such as Mary Slessor, Amy Carmichael, George Muller, etc, etc)
Fiction:
Lamplighter Classics
The Mildred Series
Little House Series
Anne Of Green Gables Series (the first 7 books #8 is no good!)
Men Of Iron (this is a very detailed read; some girls might prefer it more than others will)
Classics such as Hedi, Alice In Wonderland
Enjoy!
Blessings,
~RJ
Book Reviews, Family Life, Life At Home, Reviews, Siblings, Virtuous Girlhood | Comment (1)What It Means To Be A Sister
(Sorry if this is a little long! I wrote this for Shining Stars a month or two ago.)
Sisters. What does it mean to be a sister? Webster’s 1828 Dictionary says: “Sister - to resemble, akin, office or duty, affectionate, same kind, a woman of the same faith, sisterly.” So if we have an office or a duty to perform as a sister, then how does the Bible qualify the term sister or how a sister should act? Let’s check.
Psalms 42:5: “Why art thou cast down O my soul, put your hope in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of his countenance.” We must also have hope even when we fail as a daughter, as a sister or as a friend.
Onward for Him!
Blessings,
~RJ
Recipe Of The Week #24
Our Favorite Smoothies
1 container of plain yogurt
3 Tbsp. orange or apple juice
1/2 cup of sugar or honey
Your choice of cut up or whole fruit such as: strawberries, mandarin oranges, bananas, apples, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, or blackberries.
Put all the ingredients inside a blender and puree until rich and creamy!
This recipe is soooooo easy to double!
Enjoy!
Blessings,
~RJ
Family Life, Life At Home, Recipes, Siblings, Update, Virtuous Girlhood | Comments (2)A Servant’s Heart
A Servant’s Heart
Do you struggle with being a servant? I know that I do! I think we all do! It is pretty hard when you have school, laundry, siblings to watch, plus supper to make and dishes to do! But we girls need to remember an important lesson -that we are not here on our own account but on God’s; we are not here for our own pleasure, but here to serve; we are not here to please others, but to please God. We are here to serve. So, girls, when your mother calls, your sister is screaming, and baby needs a diaper change, remember that we are called to serve and we need to have a servant’s heart! (Remember, I am saying this to myself as well as to you.) And we are pleasing our heavenly father who sees and hears all, when we have a servant’s heart!
Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.” So let’s rejoice always and have a servant’s heart!
Blessings,
RJ
Family Life, Life At Home, Siblings, Virtuous Girlhood | Comments (2)Writing Hints
Do you struggle with writing? Or do you need some great writing ideas? Maybe you need some help! Well, I have compiled a list of really great articles, tips, hints, and websites that can help you out!
10 Things To Avoid When Writing by Sarah H.
Things Every Writer Should Have by Sarah H.
Finishing A Book by Sarah H.
Writing Hints by Film Script Writing (This is meant for movie writing but I figured it might be helpful!)
Writing Prompts Websites:
http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/
http://www.creativity-portal.com/becreative/activities/writingprompts.html
http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/writingexercises/tp/writingprompts.htm
http://www.writersdigest.com/WritingPrompts/
Some Tips:
http://www.writing.com/main/handler/item_id/1008914-Writing-Hints–Tips
I hope these help you!
(Please note that I do not agree with or endorse everything on these websites.)
Blessings,
~RJ
Articles By Others, Life At Home, Siblings, Stories, Tip Of The Week, Update, Virtuous Girlhood | Comment (0)I’m Back!
Well, I am officially back from staying at my grandmother’s house so you should see a lot more posts! And to all my verrry patient pen-pals, you will be receiving a letter from me this month, Lord willing!
Oh, and by the way to any of you who have e-mailed me, I have been having some major issues with my accounts. So that is why you have not received a reply! (I am going to try to fix that!)
My grandmother is doing somewhat better; she still needs some help so I will go over once a week to help her clean but I am finally able to be home for good! Please pray for both my grandmothers!
Thanks and blessings,
~RJ
Family Life, Life At Home, Seasons, Siblings, Update, Virtuous Girlhood | Comment (0)A Source Of Confidence
Dear readers, I hope you enjoy reading this article! I did! Blessings, R.J.
A Source Of Confidence
By Lana Bode
Dear Sisters,
It was a late night in January. I was tired. I was cold. I felt empty. I stared across the room, pencil in hand, poised, thinking. Where is my confidence? In whose strength am I really trusting? I had just read Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
I thought about that verse. I pondered. Finally, I turned to my open journal and admitted, “My confidence is in myself. I rely on my strengths and talents to make me successful. This will fail. Christ is the only sure foundation.”
I turned to Philippians 3:3. “…have no confidence in the flesh.” Have no confidence in the flesh. It’s that simple. By myself, I am nothing. And based on John 15:5, I can tell you that by yourself, you are nothing. Our strength is sadly weak.
Have you ever faced a challenging situation and thought, “I can handle this”? Or “I can make it”? I do not want to say that these phrases are wrong. But too easily, they advance from casual phrases to our own philosophies. We begin to not only say, but believe, that we can handle it, that we can make it. And if things start going too badly, then we turn to God.
I have often wondered why we frequently wait to turn to God until we are desperate. Why don’t we claim His strength early on instead of waiting until disaster strikes?
Whatever the reasons may be, each of us needs to realize that God’s strength is infinitely greater than our own. We must trust God’s power in every situation. Dear sisters, I firmly believe that God wants us to draw from His power supply.
In 2 Corinthians 6:1, Paul says, “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” Each of us can be a worker together with God.
We cannot survive without Him, but He can easily survive without us. Nevertheless, He wants – wants – to work together with us. What an amazing offer!
Maybe your problem is not overconfidence in yourself, but lack of confidence in God. Maybe you wonder if God is really able to work through the weak vessels we all are.
The answer is yes. (See 2 Cor. 12:9.) When Paul wrote to the Corinthians (see above), he pleaded with them not to receive the grace of God in vain. God’s grace is there. We just have to use it, and use it for His glory. He can, and will, work through you if you open your vessel, weak as it may be, and invite Him to flow through.
Maybe you have opened your vessel to God, and you don’t understand what God has chosen to do in your life. Maybe you have just experienced a painful tragedy. Maybe you are going through a tough trial.
I used to think that Christians should never ask God “why?”. Now I have begun to realize that it is okay to bring our questions, our misunderstandings, to God. That’s what the prophet Habakkuk did.
And God will answer you. Most likely, He will answer in much the same way that He answered Habakkuk. “A full answer is coming. It may be slowly coming, but you will someday understand. And in the meantime, faith in Me will carry you through.” (See Habakkuk 2:3-4.)
And God will give you the grace to respond much like Habakkuk did. “…I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.” – Habakkuk 3:18-19.
And then, on dreary nights, when you feel tired, cold, empty, you can know, deep down, that God is there, and that He will perfect that which concerns you.
Used with permisson from The King’s Daughter Magazine
Articles By Others, Family Life, Life At Home, Reviews, Seasons, Siblings, Stories, Update, Virtuous Girlhood | Comments (3)10 Ways To Build A Relationship With Your Brother
Enjoy this article! I found it helpful. (I have 3 brothers)
Ten Ways To Build A Relationship With Your Brother
Hayley Weikert
1.) “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” You know, I almost believe that! Make your brother his favorite dessert, and be sure to let him know you made it just for him! Take him a cold Pepsi if he’s working out in the hot shop. Make him a great sack lunch to take along to work, or greet him after work with hot cookies and cold milk.
2.) Enjoy music together. Sing together, offer to accompany him on the piano, take music lessons together, or just get a music book and work through it together. My brother and I are learning acoustical guitar and we are having great fun. We love to sing together, too.
3.) Share his interest in sports. Even if you aren’t into sports and feel like it’s totally a “guy thing,” come on and be a good sport! My brother and I like to ride our bikes into town (or race our bikes into town – guess who wins?!), or play tennis, which is a bit embarrassing because Yours Truly always loses. Volleyball, ping-pong, and badminton are all two-person sports that you can play with your brother. Basketball is really the all-around favorite here in Iowa (and I hate basketball!), but every once in awhile I play – just to be a good sport!
4.) Be interested in his job. Go to where he works or deliver a lunch for him. If your brother doesn’t have a job, be interested in his projects at home. Offer to help him do something (if you can) or offer to do some of his home chores if he’s had a hard day.
5.) Discuss spiritual things, such as what you’re studying in the Bible, the sermon at church, the Sunday School lesson, etc. Pray for him, pray with him, and ask him to pray for you. These things are like glue for a friendship, and a brother/sister friendship is no exception.
6.) Discuss current issues. We’ve had heated discussions about Christian organizations, political figures, world disaster zones, and just about everything you can imagine! We don’t always agree, but discussing these things makes for interesting and edifying conversation that solidifies our beliefs and convictions.
7.) Accept his friends. Offer snacks (the food thing again!), and be willing to help with the younger children so your brother can have fun with his friends. Don’t tag along, though; if your brother and his friends want to talk to you, they’ll stay where you are. Remember they came to see your brother!
8.) Iron his shirts or help with his laundry. Be helpful if his clothes need mending. And if you accidentally let his Air Force baseball cap melt in the dryer, be penitent and sympathetic. Don’t say, “That thing was as old as the hills, and besides, you don’t even like the Air Force anyway J!”
9.) Clean his room for him. Make his bed some day when he’s extra busy.
10.) Don’t nag. If you don’t like something your brother is doing, still don’t tattle and don’t nag. Pray for him, and maybe kindly tell him that what he’s doing bothers you. And leave it at that! Your brother will love you for not trying to be his parent J!
Little Siblings
Today A looked kind of sad because the 3 “musketeers” were not letting her play; so I went into our room and brought out our AG paper dolls! She just brightened right up!
Here are some ideas for playing and taking care of your siblings, and / or children that you might take care of or babysit:
- Play games, such as Duck, Duck, Goose; Hide and Seek; Tag (if outside); Red Light, Green Light; and Simon Says; card games, such as: Go, Fish and Memory. Board games I suggest include Life (I know my siblings like it and it is easy for them; they just need help with the money part), Right Turn, Left Turn, and any other games that they might like. Just think about their ability to follow the game when making a selection as the point is to make it fun for them.
- Read to them. See my post HERE about good books for younger and older children.
- Paper dolls. They are fun and easy to play with; check out some , here at Dover Publicatons (they are relatively cheap and beautiful, though there are a few that have low-cut ladies’ gowns). Here are two other sources, at Rainbow Resources Barnes And Nobel (they might be more expensive) and here at Miller Pads and Paper, which are cheaper. You can also use old Vision Fourm catologs, American Girl catalogs, A Life of Faith catalogs, and any other catalogs and flyers that can be used to make paper dolls! Oh, and if you want to use your imagination, crayons, paper, and/ or markers and colored pencils, scissors, and glue - you can make your own!
I hope that gives you some creative ides for taking caring of your siblings or other children!
Blessings,
R.J.
Please ask your parents’ permission BEFORE cutting out any of the catalogs and have a garbage bag handy!
Family Life, Life At Home, November 2008, Seasons, Siblings, Virtuous Girlhood | Comments (2)Family Life
Family Life by Kelci Marie Phelan
Friends I need and friends I have,
To encourage, help and love,
To point me ever upward,
To my glorious home above,
Friends are flowers, so they say,
But what about families, too?
Don’t family members help us,
To grow in what we say and do?
Friends are important, yes,
But families, better still,
They help greatly to weed out,
The private wants and will.
Our fathers guide and protect,
Our sisters love and care,
Our brothers help and encourage,
Our mothers are always there,
Oh! The joys of a family,
Are often too deep to tell,
The simplicities and the trials,
The hugs that love spells,
Gratitude for friends,
Is a blessing in itself,
But, oh, the joys of family life,
Are an everlasting wealth!
Taken from the Kings Daughter Volume 7, Number 3 used with permission.
Articles By Others, Family Life, Life At Home, November 2008, Poems, Reviews, Seasons, Siblings, Virtuous Girlhood | Comments (2)
