5 Random Things This Maiden Loves...

1. Gel pens... I go through so many of these because they're what I use for everything, even if it's just jotting a down a quick note to myself.

2. Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans... these are rationed at our house, otherwise they'd be gone about 5 minutes after we opened the package.

3. Co. Bigelow's Mentha Lip Tint... I'm not big on lip glosses, but this one I like because it has just a hint of color and gives a zing to my lips.

4. My pillow... I love pillows, but especially the one I curl up with during the night... and sometimes during the day too.

5. The Village by James Newton Howard... the music from the Village is so beautiful, gives me chills every time I listen to it.

On other notes in my life, I auditioned for this years local theatre production of "A Christmas Carol", went to the audition just to go along with some friends and maybe for fun do something. I ended up getting the part of "Mrs. Cratchit". Totally did not expect that, it been years since I've been in a play, but it should be fun and give me something to do for a few weeks. First rehearsal is tonight!

Fulfilling Passion

" I have one desire now - to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it." Elizabeth Elliot

I've had this quote up above my desk on my wall for a little while now, it's something I look at each day and pray for each moment, that I would always remember my goal and purpose while the Lord has me here. That I would remember the relative short amount of time I have on earth to serve Him with. Eternity is something I don't think we can ever really grasp, we are finite and so the infinite is completely beyond our comprehension.

The desire to serve with all of me is a difficult one to live up to. It shouldn't be, just giving a moments consideration to everything that God has done me and me being so completely undeserving should be enough to make me want to do everything in my power to serve and love him in the way that he has loved me. But it is very difficult, very few Christian's have a deep passion for Christ.

The other day I was talking with a friend about hunting, it's really tough to get away from that topic at this time of year, not that I have anything against hunting, actually I rather like it. but talking about it so much gets old pretty quickly, and it starts to sound like the same story over and over just from different mouths. Anyway, as I was with this friend, he was talking some about how hunting is such a big thing for so many people, they have a passion for it, they want to talk about it all the time, there's a certain thrill in going out and being on the chase, shooting a buck, and then dragging it out of the woods(that part isn't quite so exciting). So much effort is put into making the time to go out and do it, having the right tools and exacting your own skills to be able to be the best that you can at it.

But how often do people put that same drive and passion into their walk with the Lord. It seems that we will focus on anything other than that, maybe not hunting in particular, but we all have things we love and get excited about. Most of them being things that in the long run will matter very little. But we fear to lose them, we want God to give us a desire for Him and focus on His Word, but we won't rid ourselves of the things that distract us from Him.

When we do finally put those things aside we find that He more than fills up any void that they might have left behind. We're talking about the Creator of the universe here, how could anything be more important to us than our relationship with Him?

"How sweet all at once it was for me to rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose!... You drove them from me and took their place... O Lord my God, my Light, my Wealth, and my Salvation." Augustine

Some Late-Night Thoughts

The life of a homeschool graduate who's main desire is to fulfill her calling as a wife and mother can sometimes be a strange, uncertain journey. I suppose that everyone has uncertainty's in their lives, but I have to say that at times it can be very difficult to be in the above position in that there really is nothing I of myself can do to get to that position I believe God has called me to. In pursuing a career there is a lot of action that each person has to do to reach it. As far as being a wife and mother I can train and prepare myself for it, but when it comes to it actually happening I am completely dependent on a man pursuing my hand. I am very much okay with this, I have no fear, knowing that if God has truly called me to this He will bring the right man at the right time.

But while I have no fear I do have uncertainty as far as where I am to go before He brings this about. I have something of a fear of pursuing anything in much depth, mainly because all I really want to is to be a wife and mother and so hesitate to devote much of my time to something I won't use or need in the future. At the same time my life is not about waiting for things to happen, it's about redeeming the time that I have before me, using it to the best that I can.

All of that to say I'm rather confused right now as to the direction things are going in. I have a lot of uncertainty right now, and lately have just been coasting, avoiding making any real decisions of what to do with my time.

And now I'm really not sure where to go with this post. I had hoped when I sat down and started writing that more things would come to me as I went but it's not working so well.

My mind is spinning with things and I can't seem to settle down and focus on any one of them. It's also a lot later than I should really be awake, though I've found that I write better late at night when the house is quiet, not that our house is ever particularly noisy considering that we are all girls, and our favorite activity is reading. :-) I think my juices just flow a little better late at night. At times that can be fun and when I'm in the middle of it, it works out really well, but what seems like a great idea at 1 a.m. usually ends up having been a bad one when I then have to get up in the morning and go through my day. On that note I think it's time I ended this and caught a few winks...

Ahh... A Tag

I was tagged a bit ago by Daughter of the King, and for an inexplicable reason haven't gotten to it till now, because of my lack of creativity right now it is quite a relief to have this tag, thanks Sarah!

Okay, so she asked nine questions which I will now answer and then I will come up with nine questions of my own to tag nine other bloggers with. Here goes!

1. What is your favorite book and why?

My favorite book is the Word given by God, for reasons quite obvious. But as far as other books, it's Jane Erye. I really don't know why, my mother finds it depressing, but has been one of my absolute favorites for several years now.

2. If your could pen the name of your own memoir what would it be titled?

Hmmm... I really have no idea, probably something with Greek roots.;-)

3. What is your favorite song, and what is it's meaning to you?

My favorite song changes constantly as I find new things to listen to and my own perspective of things changes. Breathe has been a favorite for a long time, it embodies what my life is for, God and Christ are the very air that I breathe, ever there and all that I am. The bread I eat, without which I am lost.

4.What is your ideal blogging/writing atmosphere?

Well, I usually write sitting/laying on my bed, I would like to do more on my desk, but I have no electrical outlets in my room there is one right outside my door and so my bed is the only place

the cord can reach. Usually I have music blasting through my headphones and I like to pretty much shut everything else out. I find I write better at night when the rest of the house is completely quiet.

5. What is your favorite movie genre, and why?

I enjoy a lot of different genres, but I guess my favorite would be historical films. I love watching things that I know really happened, they have so much more depth and significance to them.

6. What is your favorite tv show, and why?

We really don't watch a lot of tv at my house. Of the shows we've bought my favorite is

Stargate: Atlantis. Why, well I enjoy sci-fi, other than that I'm really not sure why.

7. If you could have the skill of playing any musical instrument which one would it be?

Well, I play piano, guitar and cello, I would love to be a whole lot better at all of them, and if I had to choose another one it would probably be the violin.

8. Who is your favorite author and why?

I have a lot of favorite authors, it would be very difficult to pick just one. C.S. Lewis, J.R.R.

Tolkien and George MacDonald are favorite fantasy authors, mostly because of their

incorporation of biblical principles in a lot their stories. L.M. Montgomery I love for here perspective on simple everyday lives rather than huge dramatic experiences.

9. Why do you write your blog?

Great question considering that I really don't write a whole lot and talk a lot about lacking inspiration. :-) I think for me it is a creative outlet, a way I can express myself and my beliefs using images, words and music. I can search things out and share with others the things that move me and challenge me. I can speak of my Lord and the amazing gift He has given me in being able to serve and know Him. It is also a way of speaking about things that I am uncertain about actually doing face to face with people.

I don't think I'm going to tag anyone right, mainly because I can't think of any questions, but

please feel free to answer these ones, and let me know in a comment so I can see your answers!

Now I'm going to follow suite to another of Daughter of the Kings recent posts, What I've Been...

I've been listening to... It's a Wonderful Christmas by Micheal W. Smith, I know it's a little early, but I love this CD, and listen to it all year round.

I've been reading...

I've been watching... We're on the 8th season of Stargate, I still like Atlanis better, but am enjoying this as well.

I've been enjoying... hot cider!

I've been wearing... sweaters!

...and scarves!

Time for Knits

Alright, so it's been a while since I've posted anything, I'm very sorry about that, just haven't had a lot to say lately. We're still working on getting my health back to it's "normal" state, if that even exists for me. It's actually going really well, I've been doing a lot better and am now able to get things into more of a routine, although I really need to work on getting up earlier. It can be rather difficult when there's not a whole lot of incentive, I'm not doing school or working so have no place to be in the morning, and so usually do a lot more sleeping and taking my time getting up and going than I really should.

I have been starting to get back into doing more projects lately though, here's some lovelies I found that I would really like to do!

We'll see how much actually comes of it. Anyway, I'm afraid I don't have whole lot else to say right now, sometime in the next few days I'm hoping to get the next "Lady in Waiting" post written... we'll see how that goes!

Until then, au revoir!