Princesses in Disguise

Thought for the Day

November 6, 2009 at 8:47 am | In Bible Verses, K's Posts | 1 Comment

I was reading in Exodus chapter one the other day and was struck with the courage and boldness of two ladies mentioned there. They aren’t recognized in the “Women of the Bible Hall of Fame”, yet their character is worth taking more than a moment to ponder.

Shiphrah and Puah were the Hebrew midwives who lived around the time Moses was born. One day, they were called by the Pharaoh and instructed by him to kill every Hebrew baby boy they would deliver. Have you ever thought about what you would do in their situation?

Verse 17 tells us that these women feared God and their actions proved it. They soon realized that they could either: 1) please the Pharaoh and break God’s law, thus subjecting themselves to His punishment for murder – death, or 2) please God and break Pharaoh’s law, thus subjecting themselves to his punishment for disobedience - exile, physical mutilation, or death. They were between a rock and a hard place, left to decide between death or well… death.

The only difference in these ladies’ choice to die by Pharaoh and the choice to die by God is found in Matthew 10:28. “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Shiphrah and Puah decided to obey the One Who could destroy them both physically and spiritually for eternity rather than the one who could only harm them on earth. And God blessed them for it.

Reading this incredible story makes me wonder what I would have done in the same situation. Would I too stand up for God’s ways and fear Him rather than man? He reminds me that every day of my life I am given similar opportunities to show the same courage and boldness. Am I faithful?

Someone had a birthday…

October 29, 2009 at 2:12 pm | In K's Posts | 4 Comments

and her name is Allison!

We were on vacation in Orlando last Thursday when Allison turned 15. To celebrate, we spent the day doing fun activities at the resort and then went to the T-Rex restaurant for dinner. Allison, thanks for being you! You are sweet, creative, diligent, generous, and loving. We can’t imagine our family without you!

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.” ~ Matthew 5:16

A Pure Heart

October 16, 2009 at 6:22 pm | In Bible Verses, K's Posts, Quotes | 1 Comment

“A pure heart is one to which all that is not of God is strange and jarring.” ~ John Tavler

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” ~ Matthew 5:8

What’s Up

October 14, 2009 at 5:56 pm | In Family, K's Posts | 3 Comments

Wow, where to start? I suppose an apology for the severe neglect of our blog is in order. We really have missed blogging. It’s just that life has taken priority the past few months. Let’s see if I can give you a quick update on that so we can get back to business…

Kayla:

was at Verity Institute in Indianapolis for a month attending orientation, meeting many new friends, growing closer to her Savior, and having a simply wonderful time.
is currently studying for the American Literature CLEP (and would greatly appreciate your prayers for her test this Friday).
has been spending any free time playing board games with her family, washing dishes, baking scrumptious treats, and cheering for the four little basketball players in the family.

Stephanie:

is knee deep in schoolwork. Specifically Biology, Spanish II, and SAT prep among other things.
has recently begun taking violin lessons in addition to gracing us with her talents on the piano and guitar.
handles the laundry. ‘Nuff said.

Allison:

has been busy with schoolwork as well. Hey, it’s October.
is almost finished with two huge sewing projects. I won’t give them away just yet, but they’re going to be beautiful.
is also currently serving as a basketball scorekeeper, chef extraordinaire, and overall wonderful sister.

Okay, now that that’s out-of-the-way, let’s see if we can get some regular blogging action back to Princesses in Disguise. Please be patient with us, as we’re still trying to figure out how to wisely manage our time and all the responsibilities God has given us for this season. Thanks for understanding!

“O give thanks to the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.” ~ Psalm 136:1

Gardening Success

September 9, 2009 at 10:36 pm | In A's Posts, Gardening, Photos | 2 Comments

Back in June, I planted some sunflower seeds. Only one plant survived and it has finally bloomed! It was a lot of fun to go outside every morning to see how the bud had changed. These are some pictures of the different stages of the flower opening.

sunflower collage2

September 2, 2009 at 8:37 pm | In Bible Verses, Photos, S's Posts | 3 Comments

Enjoying the outdoors

Studying with friends

This past week Kayla has been at a college orientation at Verity Institute. She’ll return September 19th to finish the year at home. As part of the orientation, she’s on a mini Journey to the Heart this week. We would definitely appreciate your prayers for her safety and growth.

“The works of His hands are verity…” ~Psalm 111:7

August in Books

August 31, 2009 at 2:10 pm | In A's Posts, Books, K's Posts, S's Posts | 2 Comments

33-books

Kayla – Being A Girl Who Leads by Shannon Kubiak Primicerio ~I liked the general idea of this book, even though some parts were not exactly my cup of tea. Shannon emphasized the importance of standing alone as girls and using the power we have in the marketing world for good. I was personally encouraged not to settle for what the world has to offer, but stand up for truth and purity. Following tendencies come naturally to all of us, but our example Jesus led in a meek and humble way, not tolerating low standards.

Being A Girl Who Loves by Shannon Kubiak Primicerio ~ Learning to love like Jesus loves was my goal at the beginning of this book. Sadly, genuine, Christlike love is one of those qualities I as a sinner was not born with. Shannon shared many practical ways girls can learn to love others, especially those who are unlovable. Her personal stories of things she has done to show love to others and ways others have shown love for her were especially impressive on my heart. First Corinthians 13 is one passage the Lord has been using in my life lately to show me just how vital love is to the Christian life, and Shannon brought up some neat insights from it that I hadn’t seen before.

Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty ~ This summer, as I was anticipating the start of my freshman year as an English major, I decided it would be a good idea to read a few books on how to write effectively. Plus, this one just looked like it would be a fun read. I got it on CD from the library and listened to it while cleaning my room or working on other random projects. I found the “quick and dirty tips” to be both entertaining and thought-provoking and certainly learned a lot about the writing world.

Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark ~ This was another writing book I enjoyed reading this month. It was similar to Grammar Girl’s book in format. Each tip had it’s own short chapter and was explained in an easily-understood way. There were also many examples of literature passages showing real life application. I was especially delighted to see Mr. Clark use the end of a Nancy Drew chapter to explain how cliff-hangers worked. :)

A Chance To Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot ~ Another kind of book I was craving this summer were missionary biographies. Since I had never read anything about Amy Carmichael, I thought this one would be a good idea. And it certainly was. The stories of how God worked in the lives of Amy and the Indian orphans were incredible. Amy’s resolve to keep prayer the core of her day really encouraged me to do the same. Her high standards, amazingly close relationship with Christ, and humility (as described by Mrs. Elliot) caused me not to uphold her as a saintly standard, but to look to Christ to work those things in my life. I was also deeply motivated to give my whole being to whatever task God calls me to, whether that be mothering orphans in India or washing dishes at home.

Stephanie – Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy ~ This book really challenged and exhorted me to have a more intimate relationship with the Lord. Leslie shares her testimony of how she had to “throw out the trash” in order to cleanse her “inner sanctuary” and make that happen. I would recommend this book to older readers. See also Kayla’s review of it here.

The Clue of the Tapping Heels by Carolyn Keene ~ We loved reading aloud the 16th Nancy Drew book at our tea parties this month. In it, Nancy solves the mystery of stolen cats and a strange tapping sound in an actress’s house.

Allison – I didn’t finish any books this month other than Nancy Drew.

image credit

Lovely Little Box: A Tutorial

August 28, 2009 at 9:17 am | In Craft Projects, K's Posts, Photos | 1 Comment

Now isn’t that cute? Whether you are giving a gift or looking for a way to store your earring collection, I have an idea for you! Make this adorable paper box… it won’t take you more than ten minutes.

First, start out with two pieces of coordinating cardstock, one measuring 7″ x 3″ (on right in photo below), and one 4 1/2″ square (on left).

Score the 7″ x 3″ rectangle three inches from each side lengthwise, then fold. (As pictured below)

Cut one inch into each edge of the square piece and score the rest of the way down. (As pictured below)

Using the adhesive of your choice (glue or scrapbooking tape works well), assemble box. Adhere square paper to bottom inside of rectangle, folding the four flaps inside.

Add finishing touches. I rounded the corners of the lid and added ribbon to close it. The possibilities are endless. Have fun!

“You who judge do the same things”

August 26, 2009 at 2:51 pm | In Bible Verses, S's Posts | 4 Comments

Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. ~ Romans 2:1

When I read this verse recently, the Lord brought to memory someone I had been judging the wrong way. In my mind, the person was simply annoying and had many things they needed to change about themself. But this verse showed me how wrong I was.

I wrote down a list of the faults the person that annoyed me had. When I looked over them afterwards, I tried checking off the faults that also applied to me. To my surprise, I ended up checking off every one. I encourage you to try doing this if you find yourself judging others. It will definitely put things into perspective.

Kelly’s Birthday Party

August 24, 2009 at 10:02 am | In Craft Projects, Events, Family, Photos, S's Posts | 1 Comment

We celebrated Kelly’s 9th birthday with a tea party last Saturday. Six of her friends came over and together we played games, made notecards and ate lunch.