Book Review: Pajama School

March 31st, 2010

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

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Recipe Of The Week#26

March 30th, 2010

Gould’s Homemade Bread:

4 cups Lukewarm water,

2 TBSP salt,

1/4 cup sugar (white, cane, or brown),

4 TBSP yeast,

1/2 cup oil, (canola)

9 cups of flour, (any)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bosh (or bowl) until it leaves the sides of the bowl. You may need more flour if it is still sticky. Grease your bread pans and place bread inside. This will make 3 loaves and a small pan of rolls.Bake at 250 for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Than turn up the oven to 350 and bake for another 10-15 minutes until cooked through. (For those of you who have never made bread before, to tell if the bread is cooked knock on the top of the bread and if it sounds hollow take it out.)

Enj0y with homemade soup or chili.

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Beauty Tips: Cheap Hairspray Recipe

March 29th, 2010

Do you need to use hair spray? Don’t want to buy the stuff with all those bad ingredients in it? Then try this recipe! It costs lest than a penny to make and use!

1 12oz. spray bottle of water,

2 TBSP of white sugar, (or more if you need a better hold)

If desired Rose, Lavender, Jasmine, or Geranium essential oils, (just a drop or two)

Mix all together and apply! Know you have a penny hairspray that is good for you and that won’t dry out your hair!

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Change

March 28th, 2010

This week I am going to start a new system for my blog. I would like to show you what I am going to do:

Mondays: Beauty Tips,

Tuesdays: Cooking & Baking,

Wednesday: Book Reviews, and Product Reviews,

Thursday: Articles,

Friday: Sewing Tips,

Saturday: Movie Review,

Sunday: Bible Study,

I have been doing this stuff before but never had it organized if you have anything that you would like to submit or that you would like to write please take a look here:

Enjoy your day!

Blessings,

Miss RJ

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Great Quote!

March 28th, 2010

“Live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back tomorrow”

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Some Great Lyrics:

March 27th, 2010

(Please note that this music is not meant to offend anyone, it is music as my dad calls it a cross between pop, and rock. I know that many of you don’t like rock and I agree I don’t like the Beatles, Lady Gaga, Ozzy Osburne, and others, and I don’t like music where you can’t here the lyrics above the synthinezer thing, or the drums, but I do like artists like Toby Mac, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Casting Crowns. They are the artists that helped to save my dad when he was a young man. Please do not take offense by this, it is only meant to encourage you!)

Artist: Addison Road: Song: Hope Now (This is about their best song the others are too upbeat for my liking!)

If everything comes down to love
Then just what I am afraid of
When I call out Your name
Something inside awakes in my soul
How quickly I forget Im Yours

Im not my own
Ive been carried by You
All my life

CHORUS
Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

When my life is like a storm
Rising waters all I want is the shore
You say Ill be okay and
Make it through the rain
You are my shelter from the storm

Im not my own
Ive been carried by You
All my life

CHORUS
Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free
Youve become my hearts desire
I will sing Your praises higher
Cause Your love sets me free
Your love sets me free
Your love sets me free

Artist: Casting Crowns Song; Who Am I ( I love this one!)

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I’m calling
Lord, You catch me when I’m falling
And You’ve told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love, and watch me rise again
Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

Not because of who I am
But because of what You’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I’m calling
Lord, You catch me when I’m falling
And You’ve told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

Not because of who I am
But because of what You’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I’m calling
Lord, You catch me when I’m falling
And You’ve told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

I am Yours
I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
‘Cause I am Yours
I am Yours

Enjoy!

~Miss RJ

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Homeade Soap Recipe

March 26th, 2010

How cheap is it to make your own soup? It is 3 cents per load compared to national brands which are about 27 cents per load!

Here’s how to do it:

- 1 bar of fels naphtha soap (you can find it online, cheap)

- 1 box of washing soda (look for it in the laundry detergent aisle at your local department store - Arm & Hammer brand - and will contain enough for six batches of this stuff)
- 1 box of borax (this is not necessary, but it really kicks the cleaning up a notch - one box of borax will contain enough for tons of batches of this homemade detergent)
- A five gallon bucket with a lid (or a bucket that will hold more than 15 liters - ask around - these aren’t too difficult to acquire)
- Three gallons of tap water
- A big spoon to stir the mixture with
- A measuring cup
- A knife

Step One: Put about four cups of water into a pan on your stove and turn the heat up on high until it’s almost boiling. While you’re waiting, whip out a knife and start shaving strips off of the bar of soap into the water, whittling it down. Keep the heat below a boil and keep shaving the soap. Eventually, you’ll shave up the whole bar; then stir the hot water until the soap is dissolved and you have some highly soapy water.

Step Two: Put three gallons of hot water into the five gallon bucket - the easiest way is to fill up three gallon milk jugs worth of it. Then mix in the hot soapy water from step one, stir it for a while, then add a cup of the washing soda. Keep stirring it for another minute or two, then add a half cup of borax, if you are using it in your recipe. Stir for another couple of minutes, then let the stuff sit overnight to cool.

And you’re done. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll have a bucket of gelatinous slime that’s a paler shade of the soap that you used. One measuring cup full of this slime will be roughly what you need to do a load of laundry - and the ingredients are basically the same as laundry detergent. Thus, out of three gallons, you’ll get about 48 loads of laundry. If you do this six times, you’ll have used six bars of soap ($0.99 each), one box of washing soda ($2.49 at our store), and about half a box of borax ($2.49 at our store, so $1.25) and make 288 loads of laundry. This comes up to a cost of right around three cents a gallon, or a savings of $70. Happy laundering!

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Recipe of The Week #25

March 25th, 2010

(My mother is a book review and she received this book Called The Potluck Club Cookbook, this recipe is used with permission. Please do not reproduce this recipe!)

Corn Pudding au Gratin

1 (15 oz) can creamed corn

2 Tbsp. flour

1 cup diced cheese

1/8 tsp. black pepper

2 Tbsp. margarine

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup buttered bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine corn, flour, cheese and pepper; mix well. Add melted margarine and well-beaten eggs. Warm milk and add to mixture. Pour into 1 ½ quart casserole pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cook in oven until pudding begins to set, then sprinkle buttered bread crumbs over the top and reduce heat to 325 and bake until firm. If bread crumbs are not sufficiently brown when pudding is firm, turn to broil briefly. Cooking time is about 30 – 40 minutes.

Eva: “This recipe reheats nicely.” (Page 169)

Enjoy!

~RJ

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Book Review of Princess In Calico

March 24th, 2010

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!

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A Life Worth Living

March 23rd, 2010

A Life Worth Living

I know that many of you come from big families. I also know that we all have our own struggles. I know that I often have no patience and a sharp tongue! It is easy to speak when frustration builds. I really don’t have any solution but one, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Go to Him in prayer. Philippians 4:6 says; “Be careful for nothing but with everything in prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” He can help you and He alone! Know that by just walking away from the temptation to snap back or bicker will leave you more rested and peaceful than if you gave in and snapped or bickered with a sibling. So the next time that you feel the urge to lash out at your younger siblings with your tongue, take a deep breath, count to ten and say a prayer! (I am speaking to myself as well as to you). And remember to go to your Helper and Maker in your troubles and He will give you a life worth living!

Blessings,

~RJ

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Book Review: Before You Meet Prince Charming

March 22nd, 2010

Recently I received a book from some friends of mine called Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Malley. Sarah Malley wrote one of the most interesting books about purity that I have ever read. She combined fun, with serious. A great combination! But, she did it in a way well still addressing the matters that attack young girls everyday! I would recommend this book for older readers around 12 and up as it deals with some issues. Sarah did not deal with the issues in a sugar coated manner she wrote about them in a way that readers can understand the seriousness of without detailing it. She showed the importance of keeping yourself pure, and waiting for your husband. She shared stories from other young woman, that we can learn from, she also used allegoric stories, she wrote a story about a young girl as well that was very nice. I would highly recommend this book for young woman, and their parents. She challenges young woman to look to God for fulfillment, and to guard their hearts and minds. And to drop the worlds way of thinking and to think biblical.

You can find this book on sale at Vision Forum.com here.

Happy reading,

Blessings,

~RJ

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Isaiah 40

March 21st, 2010

I thought I would share Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah 40:31

“But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

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Books For Godly Young Women and Girls

March 20th, 2010

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)

Devotionals:

The Bible

Elizabeth George’s A Young Woman’s Collection

How To Be A Lady

So Much More

Beautiful Girlhood

Before You Meet Prince Charming

Raising Maidens Of Virtue

A Young Ladies Guide To The Harmonious Development Of Character

Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends

Feminine By Design

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:

Princess Adelina

The Elsie Dinsmore Series

Lamplighter Classics

The Mildred Series

The Kathleen Series

Little House Series

Anne Of Green Gables Series (the first 7 books #8 is no good!)

Aunt Jane’s Hero

Alone Yet Not Alone

Men Of Iron (this is a very detailed read; some girls might prefer it more than others will)

Emma

Pride and Prejudice

Sense and Sensibility

Mr. Pipes Series

The Moody Family Series

Little Woman

Little Men

Eight Cousins

An Old Fashioned Girl

Rose In Bloom

Jo’s Boys

Classics such as Hedi, Alice In Wonderland

Enjoy!

Blessings,

~RJ

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What is True Beauty?

March 19th, 2010

What is true beauty? Well, the world’s definition of beauty is not at all like God’s type of beauty! The world seems to think that beauty is: Looking like the cover of a magazine! 1^st Peter 3:3-4 NKJ says: “Do not, let your adornment be merely outward- arranging of the a hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” I would much rather NOT look like a star and have a meek and quiet spirit, than look like a star and not have a meek and quiet spirit. I have nothing against beauty, but we should ultimately be more concerned about what our heart condition is than what color we should dye our hair this week!

Webster’s 1828 dictionary’s definition of beauty is this: 1. “A beautiful person, the chief dignity or ornament.” 2. “Joy, gladness, order, peace, holiness, purity.”

It doesn’t say “Beauty, is looking like a celebrity” no, but beauty is a beautiful person or ornament; but did you notice the second definition? Yes, it basically says that true beauty is: “Joy, gladness, order, peace, holiness, purity.” Now, let’s look at the Merriam Webster 1988 version: Beauty- “Loveliness.” It, says nothing about joy, love etc, etc! So, as you can see, the world’s version, and God’s version are clearly two very, very, very different things! Take for instance the Proverbs 31 woman, Proverbs 31: 10 says: “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” The Proverbs 31 woman is truly a virtuous, wise and loving woman! She may not look like the world’s standards of beauty but her character is truly that of a beautiful woman! Proverbs 31:30 says: “ Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” Once again I would rather be that Proverbs 31 woman, whose character is greatly to be praised than a celebrity, who yes, may be pretty, but what about her character? What about her heart condition? What about her attitude? Yes, I would much rather, be that Proverbs 31 woman! 1^st Samuel 16:7 says: “For, man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

So, we have defined and found out that God does not look on the outward appearance, but the heart. But, what are exactly some characteristics of True Beauty? Well here are just a few:

A heart devoted to God.
A heart that cares.
A heart that loves.
A heart that is marked by purity.
A heart that serves and many, many more!

Sadly, though, in this day and age, most girls are more concerned about their clothing, hair, how they look, etc, etc, and could care less about True Beauty. But, when one day when we stand before the King of Kings, and he asks you about True Beauty, are you going to be able to say: I served others, I cared, I loved, I am devoted to you, I kept myself pure, etc, etc??? Or, will we fumble and say, “Oh, I bought 5 cases of makeup every week, or I ONLY died my hair every Monday.” Really? God, cares more about our hearts and if we have true beauty than if we “ONLY died our hair every Monday.” This world really is a lost and hurting one! So, my challenge to you is this: Try, just try for 1 week, to serve others, love others, care for others, and be devoted to God. And not think so much about how we look. Now I am not suggesting that you go out looking like a raga-muffin no, not at all! Just try not spending 50 minutes in front of the mirror just to go shopping!

So, let’s try to be more like Jesus and caring more about True Beauty, than looking like the cover of a magazine.

Blessings,

~RJ

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