Carolyn, our adorable 11-year-old sister, recently noticed that her eyesight was a little blurrier than normal.  Mom took her to the eye doctor who confirmed that she is indeed nearsighted.  So, Carolyn picked out some glasses that, coincidentally, look almost exactly like mine.  Due to the fact that we were already very similar in personality as well as appearance, the glasses made us feel like twins.  Thus, we had to have a — yep, you guessed it – photoshoot. 

I’ve had glasses since I was twelve, but now mostly wear contacts…

Carolyn loves her new glasses! 

 Praise the Lord for the new spiritual sight He gives us when we come to Him with humble hearts.

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” ~ Psalm 119:18

Once upon a summer, I started making myself a dress.  A friend had offered to teach us girls how to make our own patterns using French couture and we obliged.  Unfortunately, I only got so far as making my pattern and bodice before the class ended, and the project was placed on the back burner.  (Because really, I didn’t need a navy blue formal, floor-length gown at that moment.  Or so I thought.) 

But then something happened.  My lovely parents bought me a plane ticket to Indianapolis (the site of one of my favorite places in the whole world) so I could spend two weeks attending my last class of the semester and the annual Verity Christmas banquet.  (Do you see where this is going yet?)

I needed a dress.  A formal, floor-length dress.  In something like a navy blue fabric.  Aha!  I had one!  Er… a bodice of one, that is.  It needed a skirt and sleeves and a cute little jacket to go with it too.  “But my schoolwork and tests and college won’t let me help you,” I told it with a pitiful face.  Well, that’s when dear little seamstress Allison came to our rescue!  She took that bodice and added to it a skirt, and straps, and a darling jacket too.  I wore it on the evening of the banquet feeling grateful to my precious sister and Heavenly Father who provided the perfect solution.  And we all lived happily ever after.  The end.

Last Wednesday, we embarked on a much-anticipated, four-night camping trip.  It turned out to be a very memorable one due to pouring rain and freezing temperatures.  Thankfully, we survived and even had a little fun.  Here are some pictures to prove it…

Highlands Hammock State Park has several walking trails…

and two playgrounds.  Allison and Charity enjoyed the swings.

One morning we awoke to a flooded campsite and leaking tents.  Needless to say, we evacuated to higher ground and sought refuge at the local library for most of the day.

We had a chilly brunch at a roadside picnic table under rainy, gray skies.  Good times.

On a dry night, we cooked hamburgers, and later, marshmallows over the fire.  Hot chocolate and a seat near the fire were coveted possessions.

The last day of the trip, it was dry, and the boys were able to enjoy playing in the woods with all the dirt, sticks, and critters a boy could want.

The best part of the trip for me was that I enjoyed some incredibly sweet times of fellowship with my family and the Lord.  He truly met me there and gave me a whole new appreciation for His Word and His amazing love for me.

“For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp…” (Deut. 23:14a)

“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

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine.” – Dwight L. Moody

Did you know that my beautiful sister Allison is a remarkably talented seamstress?  Well, now you do.  She recently finished a dress she’d been working on since the summer, making it entirely from scratch starting with the pattern.  Of course, we girls had to do a photoshoot.  And now, the princess herself…

“The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.” ~ Psalm 45:13

Our little brother Tommy has a fascination with the big, wide world.  He has told us many times of his grand plans to one day visit all the continents, the Golden Gate bridge, the Statue of Liberty, Hawaii, Iceland, Australia, the North Pole, Japan, and everywhere in between.  Until he is old enough, he virtually visits these places on Google Earth, pretending to pilot an airplane (with sound effects).  Ever since he was a toddler, he has wanted to go anywhere and everywhere Mom was going, even if it was only to the grocery store.  Today, during family prayer time, Mom prayed about a certain trip she and Dad are thinking about taking.  During a pause, Tommy abruptly interjected, “Where are we going?”  If Tommy’s life could be summed up into one question, that would be it. 

Credit for the inspiration behind this post goes to Desiree. 

A – America

B – Babies

C – Chocolate chips

D – Dentists

E – Erasers

F – Friendship

G – Grace

H – Home

I – Internet

J – Joy

K – Keys

L – Libraries

M – Moon

N – Noses

O – Opportunities

P – Parents

Q – Quilts

R – Refrigerators

S – Siblings

T – Traveling

U – Utensils

V – Verity

W­ – Water

X – Xtras

Y – Youthfulness

Z – Zippers

“Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory…” ~ Psalm 115:1

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?

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 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