Sweet Awards!

Hello Dear Friends!

I hope you are having a wonderful and blessed Friday evening.

I have received some lovely awards from some lovely friends! :) I feel so blessed to have so many dear readers. You all are so special to me!

The first award is the "Best Of Friends" award.

My dear friend and sister in Christ, Grace, gave me this award! Thank you so much, dear friend!

Here are the rules:
1. Choose any amount of friends, blog friends, or real life friends, and say at least two nice things (or more) you admire or like about them.
2. Tag the friends you wrote about.
3. If those friends have blogs, be sure to link back to them.

Here are just a few of my wonderful friends:

Shannon has been such a wonderful friend to me, and I feel so blessed to have met her. She has a strong love for the Lord, and it definitely shows! I am so thankful that God has brought us together as friends and sisters in Christ!

Grace (who awarded me) has been a dear friend and sister in Christ, although I have not known her very long. She leaves the sweetest comments on my blog, her posts always bring joy to my day!

Lauren has such a kind heart, and I have really enjoyed getting to know her sweet family. She is a wonderful girl, and loves the Lord with all her heart.

Emily is so sweet, and I have enjoyed getting to know her as well. She always brings a bright shining smile with her wherever she goes! :)

Eden is a wonderful young lady, who cares about so many people! She takes beautiful photographs as well. She is so sweet to her family and siblings, and shares her love for God through her posts!

Rachel has a lovely blog. Her posts are always encouraging to my heart! Thank you, Rachel, for all the dear comments on my blog. She even featured me on her blog and shared so many sweet comments about me... How kind!

To the rest of my dear followers and readers... I award you too! Please accept this award from me to you! :)

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Now, for the second award... The "Beautiful Blogger" award.

Bethany gave me this beautiful award, and I feel beyond blessed! What an honor! :)

Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog.
2. Copy the award and paste it to your blog.
3. Tell us seven interesting facts about you.
4. Pass the award to around fifteen wonderful bloggers you've discovered.
5. Contact your nominations and let them know they've won.

Seven Interesting Facts About Me:

1. I come from a family of five... My dear parents, my older brother, my younger sister, and I.

2. I wear contacts (And I love them!!)

3. I strongly dislike chocolate.

4. My favorite food is salad! Yummy! :)

5. I traveled to China with my family to pick up my precious three-year-old sister!

6. I feel so blessed to be homeschooled.

7. I am in the eighth grade. (Highschool, here I come!)

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I am going to nominate five bloggers:

1. Grace

2. Bethany

3. Madeline

4. Cassie

5. Laura


For those of you who were not nominated, you may take this award as well! :)

Have a blessed evening!

Your Sister In Christ,

Another Lovely Award!

Hello Dear Friends!

Miss Raquel, at God's Daughter, has awarded me with the "Sweet Friend" blog award!

Thank you so much, Raquel! It is always so nice to know that I have blessed others who read my blog!

This award includes a tag as well. Here are the rules:

1. Tag at least five of your 'sweet friends' on Blogger.
2. Answer the tag (below) in your post.
3. You may tag the person who gave you this award.
4. Don't forget to comment on the post that awarded you.

Let's get started!

1. You are the ___ in your family:

I am the middle child... The second child out of three children!

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2. Do you have your own camera?

My dear Mother allows me to use her wonderful camera! Thank you Mama! :)

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3. List three of your character qualities:

Friendly, Kind, and Generous

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4. How long have you had your blog?

I started "Where The Heart Remains" on November 6, 2009.

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5. What is your favorite thing to blog about?

Oh my, the list is endless! I really enjoy posting photographs that I've taken. Other things I enjoy blogging about are: Homemaking, Everyday Life, Recipes, and much more! :)
While I'm on the subject of favorite blogging topics, I would like to ask my readers a question... Is there anything in particular that you would like me to post about more often? I always love new ideas as well, so you are welcome to leave me a comment and let me know!

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Now I would like to award:

1. Raquel, at God's Daughter
Thank you dear friend, for awarding me! :)

2. Shannon, at A Bright Light In A Dark World

3. Lauren, at A Corner Pillar

4. Johanna, at An Old-Fashioned Girl

5. Grace, at Grace's Garden Walk

6. Eden, at Heirs of Promise

7. Rachel, at Hope Journey

~and~

8. Laura, at Sharing His Love


The list could go on! Thank you to all of my dear readers for visiting my blog. It has been so wonderful getting to know all of you! :)


Your Sister In Christ,

Courtship Class: Week Four

Hello Dear Friends!

My brother and I attended another wonderful week of courtship class last Friday. I have been so encouraged by this class. I've also learned a lot, which is so great. I pray that my posts have given you some knowledge on courtship as well!

For those of you who didn't know, my brother and I have been attending a courtship class for several weeks now. If you are interested in reading my other posts for week one, two, and three, you may follow the links below:

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

On Friday, we talked a little bit about envy. I will try to explain what envy is through an example:

Have you ever noticed a person comparing himself to another?

Or, have you ever heard a person saying that he wants to be more like another?

This is an example of envy. Sadly, a lot of people have envy in their hearts. As a matter of fact, all of us have envy in our hearts. We are all sinners... But, with Jesus we can conquer those giants in our lives!! What a wonderful Savior we serve!

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We also reviewed Chapter two of the book we are reading, which is called, Seven Courtship Secrets for a Successful Marriage, by Mr. Bill Gothard, PH.D.

The title of chapter two is called The Secret of "Kingdom Seeking"! I would like to share some thoughts with you from this chapter...

The key Bible verse is Matthew 6:33, which says:

"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

I love the words of that verse. Oh, how comforting it is to know that God will provide for us if we serve and praise His Name.

The first section of chapter two talks about how you shouldn't be making someone as an idol in your life. The book used an example of how a young man was focusing all his attention on a young girl, and how he was taking a large amount of his human love away from God and giving it to this young lady. In the end, he realized that he had made a big mistake. Instead of serving God with all his heart, he was cultivating thoughts about the young girl constantly. With that young girl, he was completely fulfilled. But then, he realized that God provides everything we need for our present happiness.

What a wonderful testimony.

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I love the words of the second section. I'd like to quote some words from the book...

"Instead of seeking a marriage partner, we must first seek God's Kingdom and His righteousness. He commands us to make the the Kingdom our first priority in life."

Scripture reference: Matthew 6:10, 13

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Another subject that was spoken about in chapter two was loneliness. It is a painful emotion that a lot of people experience. But... When you are making disciples, loneliness is not a problem. We are to share the good treasures of our hearts. This is part of our training.

Scripture reference:

"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."

(2 Timothy 2:2)

Look at the story of Paul in Philemon 1. He didn't have a wife during his ministry, and did not suffer from loneliness. Instead, he focused on whom he was discipling, and they became his "dearly beloved" friends. They were also the source of his joy!

As "Seven Courtship Secrets for a Successful Marriage" says it...

"If we love Jesus, we will feed His sheep with the Scriptural truths that God is teaching us. Then we can claim the promise that "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Those words truly encouraged me, and I hope they did the same for you!

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I have really enjoyed the courtship class so far. My prayer is that you have been encouraged and up-lifted through my courtship posts each week. If you have any further questions, feel free to email me at: wheretheheartremains@gmail.com.

I always love hearing your opinion and thoughts!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, Where The Heart Remains. I feel so blessed to have readers like you! :)

Have a blessed Monday evening, dear friends!

Your Sister In Christ,

{Most of the quoted text in this post was taken from the book, Seven Courtship Secrets for a Successful Marriage by Mr. Bill Gothard, PH.D.}

A Lovely Award!

Hello Dear Friends!

I hope you are having a blessed Lord's Day. I feel so thankful to have a Savior who loves you and me so very much!

Bess, at Bess' Bag, has awarded me with the "Pure In Heart" award. Thank you, dear friend... This award means so much to me!

This award actually comes with tag as well, so I will go ahead and get started!

Below are the rules:

1. Post about the tag.

2. Choose 5 bloggers who deserve this award.

3. Leave a comment on the blogs of the people you tagged, letting them know they were awarded.

4. Answer the questions along with your post. (Omit questions you don't want to answer)

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1. Apples, Oranges, or Bananas?

I would have to say apples.

2. How many siblings do you have?

Two... One older brother and one younger sister.

3. Do you live on a prairie, woodland, city, or other?

We live on a six acre property, which I am so thankful for!

4. Scissors or glue?

Hmmm, this is quite random. I usually find scissors more useful.

5. Is your room clean?

Yes... I like to keep it pretty organized!

6. Italy, Greece, France, Spain, or England?

Italy.

7. What denomination are you?

Christian...

I love the Lord with all of my heart! :)

8. Gum, chocolate, or jelly beans?

Probably gum!

9. What is your favorite book?

The Bible!

I also love any book from the YWAM series.

10. Favorite ice cream flavor?

Peppermint! :)

11. If you had to eat one type of food for two weeks, what would that food be?

Salad! Mmmm! *smiles*

12. What is your favorite Olympic sport?

Ice skating.

13. Describe yourself in three words.

Kind, Friendly, and Creative

14. What chore do you dislike?

I don't dislike any of my chores, because I know I am obeying my parents while I complete them. Sometimes I get a little impatient while completing them, but I try to have a positive attitude in the midst of my daily chores! :)

Now, I would like to award:

~ Raquel, at God's Daughter

~ Hannah Paige, at Trusting In His Love

~ Eden, at Heirs of Promise

~ Laura, at Sharing His Love

~ Courtney, at Courtney's Blog

Thank you again, Bess! I enjoyed answering all the questions!

Many Blessings,

P.S. I now have 30 followers! Thank you dear friends! You all mean so much to me! :)

Also, I will be writing Week 4 of our Courtship Class soon....

Birds, Squirrels, and Gators...

......OH MY!!!!!

I've seen so many wild animals in and around our yard the past few days!

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I feel so blessed to have a wonderful camera, in which I can take beautiful pictures of the Lord's Creation. Speaking of my camera, a few of my dear readers have asked me some questions regarding the size of my lens. My lens is a 55-200 mm. If you are interested in reading more about you camera, click here. You will find some information about my camera in the link provided. (By the way, the camera I use is actually my dear Mother's, but she allows me to use it! Thank you Mama!)
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Now, onto the photographs!

I thought this picture was quite unique, because of the lighting!

We have quite a few hawks in our neighborhood. I have really enjoyed

taking pictures of them!

The hawk and the squirrel happened to be right near each other!

Are squirrels not cute, or what?!?!?! :)

Such a sweet creation of God!

Precious!

This is my favorite photograph! :)

Now... The alligator. This big guy was swimming around in our neighbor's pond! I was quite shocked when my brother called us from out in the pasture (he was on his horse) and said that there was an alligator next door! I am not fond of alligators, but I had to take some quick shots of this guy! :)
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Thank you so much for visiting my blog. I feel so blessed to have wonderful readers like you! I can't believe that I already have 29 followers... Thank you so much! :)



Your Sister In Christ,

I've Been Tagged!

Hello Dear Friends,

Miss Eden, from Heirs of Promise, tagged me! Thank you, sweet friend! This will be fun! :)

Rules:

Tag eight people, but do not tag the person who tagged you. If you would not like to answer a certain question, simply change it to one you like and answer that question!

What song are you currently listening to a lot?

I don't listen to music too often, but I've enjoyed MercyMe's new song, All Of Creation.

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What books are you currently reading?

In school, I am reading a book from the YWAM series, about Harriet Tubman. For pleasure reading, I am about to start "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris.

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Do you sing a lot?

I sing quite a bit, especially when I'm working around the house.

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Sweet or salty?

Sweet!! :)

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What is your favorite hobby?

I really enjoy photography!

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What is the best book you have read recently?

I have really enjoyed reading the "YWAM: American Heroes" series.

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What sites do you always visit when you go online?

I usually check my email and then go on blogger.

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What was the last thing you bought?

A cute, yellow shirt from consignment!

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Which fictional character do you think you are most like?

I don't read many fictional books, so I don't think I can answer that one!

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Favorite earliest memory?

Well, I know it wasn't that long ago, but my favorite memory is when we went to China to pick up my sweet little sister. It was the best experience, and my heart longs to be back there! :)

I feel truly blessed to have sweet Jessa in my life!

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What do you do to change your mood?

Prayer is the number one way for me! It always helps to know that God is right beside me, helping me through everything! :)

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What was the last meal you ate?

After Church, we went to a restaurant as a family, and enjoyed a lovely (and delicious) meal!

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Do you want to learn another language?

I would love to learn Chinese, and have the ability to speak it fluently.

This year, I am going to be starting Spanish for school.

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Five things you cannot live without?

1.) My Bible and my Sweet Savior, Jesus. (He will always be with me, though... No matter what the circumstance!)

2.) My dear family

3.) Food and Water

4.) My home/shelter

5.) Clothing is always nice!

When I wrote this list, it really made me think about how thankful I should be! I have all these things, plus other unnecessary material items! All the glory goes to my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ!

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Find the closest book currently sitting next to you, and flip to page 54. What is the first sentence of the second paragraph?

From the book, "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris:

"This is the good news of the gospel."

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What is something you would like to say to someone right now?

May the Lord continue to pour His abundant blessings upon you and your family! Thank you for visiting my blog! :)

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What are you looking forward to?

Going to my Grandparents house this evening, to enjoy a lovely home-cooked meal! :)

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Thank you so much for reading my tag. I really enjoyed answering all the questions! Thank you again, Eden, for tagging me.

Since I now have to go outside to help my parents with gardening, I will tag anyone who would like to answer these questions. Please leave a comment if you'd like to participate... I would love to see your answers! :)

Your Sister In Christ,

Courtship Class: Week Three

Hello Dear Friends!

I apologize for not posting in a while. Life has kept me quite busy recently! :)

We were blessed with yet another wonderful Courtship class last Friday, held by the principal of our homeschool group! In case you are not aware, my brother and I are attending a seven week Courtship class. If you are interested in reading my other two posts on week one and week two, you may follow these links:

Week One: here

Week Two: here

This Friday, we had a wonderful discussion on preparing yourself for a courtship relationship. Our class was fortunate enough to have a dear guest there. Our principal's sweet daughter (who is now married) was in town, so she was able to share her courtship story with us. It was so wonderful to hear her story. As I listened, I was so encouraged.

Our assignment this week was to read some pages from our courtship book, Seven Courtship Secrets For A Successful Marriage. The first section talks about how God initiates our courtship. I love the sound of that statement... I mean, what could be better than that! It is so comforting to know that God is in control of our relationships. Here are some Scriptures that were listed in this section:

"And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make Him a help meet for him."

~ Genesis 2:18 ~

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple."

~ Psalm 19:7 ~

The other sections focused on the courtship being initiated by the father, the mother, and the son.

I would like to conclude this post by sharing a few of my thoughts with you:

My prayer is that God will continue to keep my heart pure in the midst of waiting. Isn't it a blessing to know that God is in control of our lives?! I feel immensely blessed to know that God already has the perfect person chosen for me. I am content in this stage of my life, and I know that God continues to comfort me each and every day! Praise the Lord! :)

May God continue to be with you throughout each day! Thank you for your time. I hope you have enjoyed my posts on courtship. This class has truly affected me in great ways! I pray that the words in my posts have affected you in the same, great way!

Thank you, dear readers, for visiting my blog... Each one of you are a true blessing in my life!

Your Sister In Christ,

Sunday Is Here.....

...... AND JESUS IS RISEN!!!

Have a blessed Easter day, my dear friends!

May God keep you in His warm and comforting embrace,

Happy Easter!

Hello Dear Friends!

I apologize for my absence! I have been quite busy this week. My brother and I were blessed with a spring break this past week. It has been wonderful to just relax and spend time with family and friends.

I am really looking forward to Easter tomorrow. We always have a wonderful and cheerful time, celebrating Jesus' resurrection! It will be very nice to see many family members.

What a blessing it is to have Jesus as my Savior. I am so thankful to Him for everything He has done. He died on the Cross for us. He died on the Cross to take away our sins. I feel beyond blessed to have a Savior who loves me that much!

I would like to share a few quotes and Bible verses with you...

"Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness."

~ Floyd W. Tomkins

"Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime."

~ Martin Luther

"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though He may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

~ John 11:25-26

May the Lord bless your family, as we praise the Father for his marvelous works! And, let us all remember Jesus during this joyful Easter holiday... Let us remember what He did for us!

Many Blessings,

Photo Courtesy of Google.