Donating blood

If you’ve ever thought about donating blood, here is one of the amazing ways you can do it.  Donate blood to help our military and their families. 

Your donation can save:

• A service member injured in action
• A child with cancer
• A family member in need of heart surgery

I was excited when I found this site and thought I would share it! 

-Bonnie

Committed to Courtship…and Waiting

Before Dad gave me my purity ring, I remember anticipating the day when he would give it to me. There was no question in my mind that I was committed to courtship as well as remaining pure for one man. When Dad finally gave me my ring, I was excited and quickly assented to the commitment Dad asked of me.

On that day, it was very easy for me to make a commitment to courtship. At the time the possibility of marriage was in my distant future. Committing to courtship when I was in my teens was easy enough, when marriage wasn’t staring me in the face.

Commitments are easy to make when there is nothing to challenge them. The hard part comes after the commitment is made and then the commitment is tested. Carrie was the first person among our friends and peers to get married…but she seemed to start a trend. Since then so many friends and acquaintances have announced courtships, engagements, then marriage, and even baby announcements. Perhaps it’s just me but when other people are getting married with seemingly no problem, my own commitment to wait patiently for my own man gets severely tested.

It’s a lot harder to continue waiting patiently during the challenging times of life. A commitment to purity requires a willingness to wait. When I get impatient with God’s timing, it would be tempting to make compromises if it weren’t for the commitment I made to God and my dad.

When we were young, Dad emphasized to my sisters and me the importance of making commitments before an issue comes up. He used the example of Daniel. Daniel made the commitment to eat certain foods; when the king’s man wanted Daniel to eat the king’s food, Daniel had no question in his mind. Because of his commitment, Daniel could not eat that food. Similarly, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego made a commitment to God so it was not an option in their minds when the king demanded them to worship him.

Similarly, I made a commitment to courtship and waiting in my teens when it was easy to make the commitment. In my life then, it is not an option to change that commitment when the challenges come. The reason for the commitment is to hold me to the standards of purity even when the going gets tough. Commitments are important; they keep us on track when life gets challenging.

When it seems all my friends are courting, getting married, and starting families, my commitment is tested. Am I willing to remain true to the commitment I made to wait for romance in God’s timing? To keep my heart in check until God brings a godly man along?

The answer must be “yes”.

~ Melinda ~

More Canning

Since Carrie and I enjoyed canning the pumpkins, I looked forward to our next chance to can. When I saw an excellent sale on tomatoes, I called Carrie to see if she would want to make and can salsa. She quickly agreed. Mom and I went shopping for all the necessary ingredients at a local store that has great sale prices on produce. We purchased about 10 pounds of tomatoes and the other necessary items (tomatillos, peppers, onions, etc.) for salsa for $9.

When Carrie was next out at our house, we started chopping vegetables and mixed them in a large pot. We added lemon juice, garlic, pepper, and salt to taste. It turned out very yummy.

Drew enjoyed helping me dry the tomatoes after Carrie washed them. All of a sudden though, he decided it would be a good idea to taste the tomato…so he did. I’m not sure it was a favorite taste because the above picture shows how far he got in eating the tomato…although there were several tomatoes that looked like that.

Our ten pounds of tomatoes made enough for us to get eleven pint sized jars of salsa plus enough extra to serve with our dinner that night. Overall, the salsa canning experiment was a success. We did not burn any towels this time either. The next time tomatoes are on sale Carrie and I hope to make salsa again.

~ Melinda and Carrie ~

January Progress

I was so excited to start working on my 101 list on January 1 and then it kinda faded into the background as life picked up pace. (I can’t believe we are already in February!!) With that said, here’s what I accomplished in January…

#4 – My goal was to read one book. I actually finished a book I had started in December and read a second one. So two books down with only 24 more to go!

#5 – I was hoping to be able to mark this one off, but this was a big FAIL! I had good intentions, but then our family got sick with first the stomach flu and then a cold. So I didn’t exercise for about two weeks there. But I’m back on track and hope to be able to mark this off at the end of February.

#10- I was hoping to master the art of doing a crown braid on myself, but that didn’t happen this month either. However I did rediscover a hairdo I enjoy doing, so I’ll consider this a success. So far I’m up to five hair dos I can successfully do on myself.

#17 – I did write in my journal at least once a week this month and I actually ended up writing more often than that.

#55 – I worked on figuring out what all I wanted to include in a Home Management Binder, although I haven’t made one yet.

#79 – The dates for Bradley certification for 2010 were finally published online and I know the dates of when I want to attend the seminar and they are later in the year. Yay!

That is my progress so far. Here are my goals for February…

#4 – Read three more books…The Joy of a Word-Filled Family, A Woman’s Call to Prayer and Destination: Moon.

#8 – I want to complete one of Amy’s Notebook Projects. I’m hoping to find one that I can do with my boys.

#41 – I want to get a good start on finding a list of snacks I can make for Tim to take to work. It would be really nice if I could find all 20 this month!

#75 – We have a couple of friends who are expecting babies in the upcoming months so I’m hoping to make a baby blanket this month.

~ Carrie ~

101 List Progress

After all the excitement Carrie and I had to begin our 101 lists prior to January 1, the beginning of the year came and then it was all too easy to forget our lists of goals. My progress has not been quite as far as I might have liked…but I have begun plugging away on various tasks.

1 – I have read three books this month. 3/500 of my goal…not a very auspicious start. When I set this goal, I didn’t stop to think that I would need to read about one book every two days. Carrie pointed this out to me recently and I realized what a large goal I had set for myself. Oh well…better to aim high.

2 – Bonnie and I began the Thirty Day Shred. I found the DVD at a Target when I was visiting Tim and Carrie. The price was $10 so I grabbed it since I would have had to pay more if I purchased it off Amazon like I had been planning to do. Bonnie and I started on January 20th. When our parents were out on a date. We were trying to decide what to do while they were gone and I was like, “Do you want to work out with me?” She surprised me when she agreed…but she did…so we did (workout that is). After that first day, Bonnie decided to continue on with me. We are now on day thirteen…almost half-way done!

3 – I’m still plugging along with my Whitefield studies. I just ordered my final two classes. Hopefully my next update I will be able to share the joyous news that I have finished my bachelor’s degree!!!

4 – I started reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I found a copy (not in the best of condition) at a used book store back in December. I picked it up since I knew I needed to read it for this challenge. So far it has been good…not really gripping though. I’m not sure I would continue with the reading if I didn’t have to for the 101 challenge.

5 – I purchased the Latin textbook I will need to begin learning the language.

So that is where my progress stands. When listed like this, it looks like I’ve accomplished more projects than I thought I had…or perhaps it would be accurate to say that I’ve started more of my goals than I thought I had.

My goals for February in order to keep plugging away at my list is to:

1 – Finish my Whitefield studies.

2 – Finish reading Sense and Sensibility.

3 – Pick a book of the Bible to memorize and memorize first chapter.

5 – Read more books in February than I did in January.

~ Melinda~