My Super Easy Salsa

Hey Y'all!!! Yesterday, Mom wanted me to make some salsa so, I made up my own recipe. :D It is REALLY good! It filled a little more than a quart jar. It is not hot at all, so if you wanted it hot, then just add a few jalapenos. :D I don't like jalapenos because, (well, I don't like spicy/hot stuff anyways) but I despise them now because last time I made salsa I washed and dried my hands, then a few minutes later, I rubbed my face and it started burning SO BAD! IT BURNED!!!! O.k, here is the recipe. :P

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes
1 bunch of cilantro
1 can of whole tomatoes
1 large white onion

Directions:

• Chop up the tomatoes, cilantro, and the onion.
• Put everything in the blender, and pulse until all mixed.

That was super easy, right? For more recipes go visit Recipes from the Attic. :)

Little Tait's Preemie fund

EDIT: They reached their goal!!!



Little Tait is a preemie baby that needs your help. I got this off of their website:

"My name is Tait Zimmerman Jr. and I am a little baby boy who, without the help of modern medicine, dedicated care and God's hand, would not be alive today! I was born 3 months before I should have been and am miraculously doing well today. I spent the first three months of my life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, cared for by some terrific doctors and nurses! Now my mommy and daddy have to get creative to pay the hospital, doctors and the whole team who took care of me. They have included a lot of information for you on this site about me, and our specific needs..."

Another way you can help Little Tait is by buying an art print from Brezzy on Etsy. She is donating $10 from every "Library" print order to the Little Tait fund. I got one, and I am glad I did! You can also put a button on your site to spread the word.

June 1st is the deadline for the art print. June 3rd is the deadline for the whole fund. They need about $600 more. Please consider helping. Thanks for reading!

Well-Equipped Family

My Dad just recently started a website called, Well-Equipped Family. With a ton information about Homesteading, Preparedness, Survival and more. It also has a store. And this week he has a drawing/giveaway going on. Please go take a look. :)

Let every thing paise the Lord!

I have always loved this Psalm. It is so beautiful! Praise ye the Lord!!!

Psalm 150

Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

Dreams/Victories/Life

While going through my folder looking for quotes for the last post, I came across two that I particularly liked.

"Dreams take time, patience, sustained effort, a willingness to fail, if they are ever to be more than just dreams."- Bryan Linkoski

This one is so true! Read it again slowly...."Dreams take time," they don't happen all at once, it takes time for dreams to mature. "Patience," you MUST be patient! It takes time. "Sustained effort," "sustained" means to "bear up, undergo, experience, suffer;" so "sustained effort" could mean something like: suffering or working very hard to get it done, putting more than just a few hours into it, making it a priority. Of course, I am DEFINITELY not trying to make it sound more important than spending time with your Creator, and then your family! God should be first in our lives! "A willingness to fail," in my opinion, not having a willingness to fail is not taking any chances, or growing at all. If you did not have a willingness to fail, and you had the choice of either taking a test to be able to go to a certain college class, or not taking the test but not being able to go to the class; you would not take the test, right? That is what I think it means by "a willingness to fail." Then, Bryan Linkoski says, "if they are ever to be more than just dreams," if you are passionate about something, and don't wait for it to bloom ("dreams take time, patience...") then it will not work out. If you love a craft or art or other job and don't work hard at learning or practicing it, then it will not work out. If you enjoy something enough to make it your life work, then y0u have to have a willingness to fail, or it will not succeed. Tell me if I am wrong.

"Victories in life come through our ability to work around and over obstacles that cross our path. We grow stronger as we climb our own mountains."- Marvin Ashton

To understand it better, I am going to define obstacles in life; "An obstacle in life is something that stands in the way of working on our dreams/passions/etc. that we have to go 'around and over' in order that we can complete the things we are trying to do." So what would be an obstacle in life? I had to ask my dad about this one, because I went completely blank. He said that an obstacle in life could be: losing your job, losing a loved one, etc. And I agree. But I also think that an obstacle in life for someone like a writer, could be something like "what next?" No writer always has perfect ideas, no writer always writes perfect books, and they sometimes get turned away from publishing companies. What do you think that is when they get turned away? An obstacle? I think so, it is a challenge, it is hard.

While we are working on our dreams, and overcoming those obstacles that so often cross our paths, we grow stronger. We are able to overcome more obstacles and more difficult ones. And we grow even more stronger the farther we go. Agree? or Disagree?

What are your thoughts on these quotes? If I am wrong, please tell me! :)

Quotes

Here are some more awesome quotes that were my copy work assignment for last semester. :) I will try to only do ones that I have not already, but if I do one for the second time, then you really know it is worth reading! :) Enjoy!

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."-Albert Einstein

"Excellence is the result of habitual integrity."- Lenny Bennet

"There is no substitute for hard work."- Horace

"It is better to wear out than to rust out."-Frances Willard

"He that good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else."- Benjamin Franklin

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."- Abraham Lincoln

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not the absence of fear."- Saint Francs de Sales

"Efficiency is doing thins right. Effectiveness is doing the right thing."- Zig Ziglar

"To God alone belongs glory"

Psalm 115

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, were is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he pleased. Their idols are of gold and silver, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but speak not: eyes have thy, but they see not: they have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: they have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusted in them. O Israel, trust thou in the Lord: he is their help and their shield. The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great. The Lord shall increase you more and more you and your children. You are blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men. The dead praise not the Lord, either any that go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord.

When I was reading my Bible today, I came across this chapter, and recognised verse one from a song we sing in church. Here is verse one: "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory." I can't remember the name of the song right now, but that part of the song goes something like this: "Not to us, but to your name alone, be all the glory, the glory, forever. Not to us but to your name alone, be all the glory, the glory, forever......" It is a beautiful song, and this is a beautiful chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading. I sure did. :)

New years Resolutions, #4

Hello everyone! :) Well, since it is almost the end of May, I thought I would do the New Years Resolutions monthly update.

Um, with cleaning my room, I have to admit that I completely forgot about it. I could not even remember what this resolution was! I only remembered to do my Bible reading. I WILL try to remember to do it this Friday night. Can someone remind me? LOL. :D

With Bible reading, I was doing pretty good for most of the month, until I got the chicken pox, watched Lord of the Rings for the first time (late at night), then we went on the youth camp out. Now that we are all done with stuff, I can concentrate on getting up early enough to read. I did it this morning though. :)

By the way, it is #4 instead of #5 because I forgot to do it in February. :D

Washing, By John Drinkwater

What is all this washing about,

Every day, week in, week out?

From getting up till going to bed,

I'm tired of hearing the same thing said.

Whether I'm dirty or whether I'm not.

Whether the water is cold or hot,

Whether I like or whether I don't,

Whether I will or whether I won't,

"Have you washed your hands, and washed your face?"

I seem to live in the washing-place.

Whenever I go for a walk or ride,

As soon as I put my nose inside

The door again, there's some one there

With a sponge and soap, and a lot they care

If I have something better to do,

"Now wash your face and your fingers too."

Before a meal is ever begun,

And after ever a meal is done,

It's time to turn on the waterspout,

Please, what is all this washing about?

By John Drinkwater

Whenever I read this poem, I always think of my little brother. LOL :D

I am a disciple of Jesus!

"I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheep living, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, detoured, compromised, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of meritocracy. I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go until He comes, give till I drop, preach till all I know, and work until He stops me. And when he comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me - my banner will be clear!" - A pastor from Africa (sorry, that's all I know.)

Homeschool Tag!

Brezzy tagged whoever wanted to do this, so here we go!

1) How long have you been homeschooled?
My whole life! :D

2) What grade are you in?
Eighth (almost ninth!)

3) What is your favorite subject(s) in your homeschool?
Science, Reading, History, and Poetry. :)

4) What is your least favorite subject(s) in your homeschool?
Math

5) What is a current/previous homeschooling challenge you’ve faced?
Finding a quiet place to work

6) What are you looking forward to over the coming year?
High School!!!!

7) Name three things you like doing in the summer with your family.
Being together, visiting family, and swimming!

8) What other activities do you enjoy, such as sports, hobbies, etc.?
Crocheting, reading, biking, swimming, etc, etc.

9) Are you taking a foreign language? Are you going to in the future? Which one?
kind of, I have taken some Spanish, some Latin, and I am going to do a little French this year.

10) Where do you homeschool? (Kitchen table, living room, etc.)
On the dining table, on my bed, on the floor, wherever I can! :D

I am going to tag whoever wants to do this. I don't know who else is homeschooled. :D

Campout this weekend, all over.

The youth camp out this weekend was so much fun! About 26 or 27 people came, 16 campers and 10 or 11 counselors. That was more people than I thought were coming. :) (We have a pretty small church/youth group.) We played ultimate football, sang hymns around the campfire, study God's word together, went hiking, and so much more! I really enjoyed it. :D We got there Friday night at about six, and got back home yesterday (Sunday) at around four-thirty. Saturday morning it rained really hard for at least an hour, so we were all confined to our tents. :( But we had a bunch of fun anyways. :) I am hope I can go next year. Here are some pictures, it was SO beautiful out there! I did not take as many pictures as I wanted because of the rain.

This is a Black headed Buzzard, if I am not mistaken. :p

This tree had HUGE leaves!!!! This not my hand, LOL, it is my dad's. :D

I love this flower! It is so cool! It only has two petals!!!

I love these flowers too. :)

For more pictures, go to our other blog, I will post more there later. :D And thanks for the prayers y'all!

Lady Calls 911 Over Wrong Order

This is ridiculous! It's hard to believe that anyone would do this.

Campout this weekend!

Hi all! Well, I am so excited about this weekend, because I finally get to go on my church's youth group campout!!! This is my first year to get to go, and I am so excited. :D Trust me, I will take as many pictures as I can. :) If you would just pray that everyone would be safe, we have a safe trip there, (it is about an hours drive) and no one would get hurt, and of course, that we would all have a blast and everyone would benefit from it; that would be great. :)

~ Buttercup ~

100th post!!!

This is the 100th post! I hope that you found good info, smiled, laughed, and had fun, reading my posts. Also, I thank God for giving me this opportunity to talk about Him. Thanks for reading! :D

Cute Poems

Me

As long as I live

I shall always be

My Self-and no other,

Just me.

Like a tree.

Like a willow or elder,

And aspen, a thorn,

Or a cypress forlorn.

Like a flower,

For its hour

A primrose, a pink,

Or a violet-

Sunned by the sun,

And with dewdrops wet.

Always just me.

By Walter de la Mare

Everybody Says

Everybody says

I look just like my mother.

Everybody says

I'm the image of Aunt Bee.

Everybody says

My nose is like my father's,

But I want to look like me.

By Dorothy Aldis

The Land of Story Books

At evening when the lamp is lit,

Around the fire my parents sit;

They sit at home and talk and sing,

And do not play at anything.

Now, with my little gun, I crawl

All in the dark along the wall,

And follow round the forest track

Away behind the sofa back.

There, in the night, where none can spy,

All in my hunter's camp I lie,

And play at books that I have read

Till it is time to go to bed.

These are the hills, these are the woods,

These are my starry solitudes;

And there the river by whose brink

The roaring lions come to drink

I see the others far away

As if in the firelit camp they lay,

And I, like to an Indian scout,

Around their party prowled about.

So when my nurse comes in for me,

Home I return across the sea,

And go to bed with backward looks

At my dear Land of Story Books.

By Robert Louis Stevenson

A few Quotes

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” –John Piper

"Refuse to do nothing."

"Dance like there's only one watching. The King."

"The location of your affections will drive the direction of your decisions."

"We cannot become who we were created to be until we remember who we are."

How long, Lord, must I wait? Never mind, child. Trust me.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."

"Jesus is life, the rest are just details."

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what other people think you are."

"When any of these girls feel like they are not enough, Father, remind them that to you they are everything."

"Modesty: Tight enough to show you're a woman, loose enough to show you're a lady."

"Who you are is who you are when nobody's watching."

"you have to live in a house before it's home. Not just be happy in it, but work in it, suffer in it, build memories." ~ M. Lovelace

"You can't just follow your heart...cause your heart can be deceived; you need to lead your heart." ~ Fireproof

"He gave her 12 roses, 11 real and one fake, and he said, 'I'll stop loving you when the last rose dies."

Lord, please grant me....

This is beautiful. I wish I knew who wrote it, but I don't.

"Lord, please grant me...

...the willingness of Mary of Nazareth
...the obedience of Ruth
...the devotion of Esther .
..the serving spirit of Martha
...the listening ear of Mary
...the hospitality of Lydia
...the faithfulness of Lois and Eunice
...the leadership of Deborah
...the trust of Hannah
...the searching heart of the Queen of Sheba
...the boldness of Priscilla
...the humility of Abigail"

Ephesians 1:3-14

I have to memorize this for a youth church campout this weekend. I thought I would share it with y'all. :D

Ephesians 1:3-14 KJV



3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved: 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he had purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ: 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

More Quotes for you!

Here are some more: (there are just SO MANY good ones!)

"We were give 2 hands to hold, 2 legs to walk, 2 eyes to see, 2 ears to hear, but only 1 heart. The other half is out there and with gods direction you will find it."--Matthew Henry's commentary on Genesis 2

"The more you act like a lady, the more he'll act like a gentleman.” Sydney Biddle

"We cannot do great things on this earth. We can only do small things with great love."--Mother Teresa

"Every experience God gives us, every person he puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only he can see." --Corrie Ten Boom

"Don't cry because it's over, laugh because it happened." -Doctor Seuss

"If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen.
He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.
What about the Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem; not to mention that Friday at Calvary. Face it, friend. He's crazy about you. "

"Don't worry -- your Prince will come someday. Mine just took a wrong turn, got lost, and is too stubborn to ask for directions."

"God is still God and I am still not."

"The joy of intimacy is the reward of commitment." -Joshua Harris

"Every relationship is an opportunity to model Christ's love." -Joshua Harris

"You are a princess in God's court"--For Such A Time As This, by Lisa Ryan

"The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing." -Joshua Harris

"Humility is like underwear: Essential but indecent if it shows."

"God Grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom To know the difference."

Mother's Day

Today, the tenth of May, a day when we remember to be super nice to our super special moms. We are doing a bunch of stuff for Mommy! Especially Dad. The kids made cards, we all cleaned up when she was not looking, and Dad made Pancakes for breakfast and he is grilling burgers and hotdogs right now for lunch, we are also having a special dinner for Mom. :) Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

More Quotes for y'all!

Here are some more quotes. :) Sorry if I have posted some of the same ones before. They are really good. :D Some of them are girls quotes, but most of them are for everyone. :)

"Behind every sweet girl is a VERY protective dad"

"Anger is one letter away from danger."

"To be rescued, one must first be a princess"

"Know also that not by every knight is it worth being rescued"

"Know thou assuredly that not every knight weareth shining armor"

"Before he can be your knight in shining armour, he must first put on the full armour of God."

Watch your thoughts,
they become words.
Watch your words,
they become actions
Watch your actions,
they become habits.
Watch your habits,
they become your character.
Watch your character,
it becomes your destiny.

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone."
by Audrey Hepburn

"A girl should be so lost in God, that a guy must seek Him to find her."

"Dance with God. He'll let the perfect man step in."

"Run after God with all you've got and in the right time, look back and see who is catching up."

"You may give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." -Glen Wheeler

"Worry is like a rocking chair: It gives you something to do, but doesn't get you anywhere."

"Look around you and be distressed,
Look within you and be depressed,
Look to Jesus and be at rest."

"Be like a postage stamp- stick to one thing until you get there." -Josh Billings

"I have held many things in my hands and lost them all; but the things I have placed in God's hands, those I always possess." -Joyce Sleelbrurg

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but there echoes are truly endless." -Mother Teresa

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves."

"A house is made of walls and beams. A home is made of love and dreams."

"Nothing is so strong as gentleness. Nothing is so gentle as real strength."

"You cannot do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late!"

Life

What is it? Do you ever even notice it is there? Is it common? Is it rare? Does it have rules? Is it by chance? Is it designed? Is it important? Do you ever ask these questions?

This is one way I let out stress, so just stay with me. :)

What is it? Dictionary.com defines LIFE as: the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally.

Did you understand that or was it just me? Why can't they put it simply? I have no idea. That was the best one I found. What do you think of when you think of life? I think of living animals, plants, people, etc.

Do you ever even notice it is there? Do you SEE the life around you? When you go outside in the morning and you sit on the porch eating breakfast, what do you see? what do you hear? what do feel? I love listening to the birds, feeling the early morning breeze, etc. it is so beautiful and peaceful.

Is it common? Is it rare? I love how there are tiny, microscopic, little creatures in water. They are fantastic! They are so well designed! They are beautiful! If millions of microscopic creatures live in a tiny bit of water, how much life do you think exists on the earth? It is impossible to even try to imagine!

Does it have rules? Have you ever played the board game LIFE? It does not matter if you have or have not, you will probably be able to answer this question. Does it have rules? Of course! Any game that does not have rules does not work. Have you ever played tic-tac-toe without rules? I have, it is chaos! People are erasing, and writing over, and yelling, it is simply chaos! But why? Because there are no set rules, so all moves are legal. Life has rules, can a bumble bee sprout crocodile teeth if it wants too? Can a fish have an elephants trunk? No! God gave certain animals certain abilities, and set boundaries. He is in complete control over all.

Is it by chance? Is it designed? This question can be interpreted, Evolution or Creation, but I will not word it like that. If it was by chance, then nothing was created for a purpose, you were not created for a purpose, you are nothing, you are just a product of chance processes. If it is designed, then it was designed FOR a purpose, you were created for a purpose, you are something, you are important, you were made in the image of the creator!

Is it important? Is life important? Imagine a world without life, for a minute. No trees, no grass, no flowers, no animals, no people. Even the water would be dead, no microscopic creatures swimming about, not even algae. yuck. No life is pretty boring isn't it? Nothing happens, nothing moves, not even a breeze blows. Now imagine that all in one week, the world is filled with living creatures, everything from the tiny, microscopic water creatures to the people to the huge blue whale! Which picture did you like better? What if the creature at the bottom of the food chain went extinct, what would happen? Well, the creature that ate that creature would die out too, then what? Then the next creature would starve. And the next, and the next, and the next, until all life was gone. See, God designed everything perfectly, He designed certain animals to feed off certain animals so they would not go extinct. He made more of certain animals than others, because they were prey to more animals than others. There is a perfect balance.

It is your decision, what will you chose?????

An Update....

I thought I would give y'all an update on whats been going on with me lately. Ready? I have had chicken pox since Sunday, Dad has had shingles for a couple of weeks, one of my sisters is almost done with her pox, another sister also has the pox, my brother got the pox today, Mom got a root canal done yesterday, my one year old sister had to have stitches on her lip/chin a couple days ago (poor baby), and my three year old sister is the only person in our family that feels perfect. Craziness! I had to let it out on someone, and you were the victim I guess. Good thing I am typing it out and not telling it to you in person. lol. :D

If y'all could pray for us that would be awesome! I would really appreciate it. Thanks you guys!

Playing Chess

I won!

yeah, we had to substitute a few pieces.... lol

lining up, ready for battle!