Please Read!

Hello Followers! Well, I have some news: I am not going to be blogging any more. Have any of y’all ever noticed how short your week is? When I was little, I used to think that a week was forever! But as I have gotten older, I have begun to realize how short a day, week and year really are. How many of y’all are scared to hear that Christmas is only a few months away?!  So, I have been looking back over all the things I have done this year...and the things I planned to do this year....and realizing that too many “small” projects have taken over my life, these projects include blogging and a couple other things as well. At first, I was really excited to start my blog and even more excited to read all of y’alls encouraging comments, but as time goes on, I have realized that I have more “friends” on the internet than in “real life”. I also began to notice that I am not a very talented writer and between the amount of time it takes me to write a post, I end up spending more time talking to my “internet friends” than the few friends that I have given my word that I would keep up with. Also, I realized that I worried too much about writing a post when too many weeks (or months:) go by.....which meant less peaceful sleep and more anxiety over such a small matter. So, I have decided, that I am going to stop blogging. In a way I am sad to say goodbye to all the amazing girls I have met through my blog, but I am also relieved to spend more time working on building relationships with my family and close friends. I will be leaving my blog up, so I can look back and read all my posts, but I will not be posting any more posts unless God directs me otherwise later on. Thank you all so much, to each of you who have followed my blog or commented or even just read through my blog. I have learned a lot of amazing ideas from you and your blogs, so keep up the great work! I hope you all have enjoyed the few posts that I have written and I hope you all have a SUPER day!!! 

Love,

Evangela

Under Construction....

Hello! I am working on trying a different design on my blog right now. Sadly, nothing seems to be turning out right so everything may seem a little bit strange on my blog. Hopefully, I can get everything up and running by tomorrow. Yes, the header at the top of the page is not going to be the one I am going to keep...I was going to use it but the black background will not go away so I am going to make a new one on PicMonkey. Have a great weekend!

Evangela Grace

Why I Enjoy Writing, A List of My Favorite Writing Tips

It is amazing how many bloggers have made writing a hobby.  So many have, that in nearly half the blogs I know of, the authors have shared at least little bits and pieces of their latest writing masterpiece that they are working on at the moment. It is exciting to see their excitement as they post updates of their projects and talk about the latest tips and tricks they have discovered. I myself enjoy writing. If there is a topic that I am interested in I would be more than glad to write up a paper for it....but it's just not that easy. 

By the way, A "haikus" is a short Japanese poem
that usually consists of three sentences.

Sadly, I am by no means a naturally effective writer. To name a couple of the problems I have with writing are: a tendency to write like I talk....and y'all writers know what a dilemma that can be when trying to write a story or even a blog post. Perhaps even worse, is my being overly perfectionistic. According to a book called the First Born Advantage (and according to most everyone in my family) this is a pretty big problem with most anything I do, not only writing. You will not believe how many blog posts I have started and never finished! My word processor is one of the most space consuming programs on my computer because of how many pages I start and never finalize. Another problem that I have with my writing is that I become very nervous and lack confidence when it comes to someone checking my writing work. You all may not believe what a push it is for me to hand Mom my draft and walk away. Just the thought of someone checking what I did and giving their critique makes me quiver. It's not that I do not want their critique, it's just that I am not confident that I actually wrote everything out correctly or that it is even worth calling a post or paper or whatever it is I am writing.  

Some of you may be wondering why I desire to write if I have such a problem doing it. The reason I desire to write is because of several reasons combined. 

First, I can feel in myself an urge to write....so even though I may not feel an inspiration to write at some moments, I still feel the urge to sit down and type something out. I feel confident that this must be God wanting me to learn how to write more effectively. Perhaps he is preparing me for writing about Him or his attributes one day. 

Secondly, I feel that writing properly is something that will come in handy all throughout my life. Even though I have decided with much happiness that my future will be spent taking care of my future husband and children, hopefully, writing is something that if I have mastered, I will be able to do it effectively with little effort in the spare time I find and perhaps create my own masterpieces. 

Now this third reason may have nothing to do with it, though I feel that it most likely does. I enjoy doing things with my fingers. I enjoy typing, playing the piano and when I hear people talking I have a tendency to type out on my lap what they are saying. I know that may sound strange but I do love to do things with my fingers, so that could also be a reason why I like to write. 

The reasons I stated above are definitely not the whole list....there is probably many more reasons out there which I am yet to discover or remember as life goes on. As I continue to write, I pray that God will help me to get over my fears of failing....of trying to be too perfectionistic with my writing, of writing like I would talk, and that He would help me not to worry but to give thanks and praise for everything He has done to help me improve upon my writing skills. 

So I thought that I would add a condensed list of some tips and tricks that have helped me with writing. Some of these ideas fellow bloggers have shared with me although most of them are either ones I thought of or ones that I really benefited from out of my grammar book. Here are 5 of my favorite tips to help me when I get stuck in my writing. 

1. Don't try to start off your story at the very beginning. Go to the middle or the most exciting/intensive part of your story or whichever part excites you the most and begin to write. This technique not only helps relieve the stress of trying to find the perfect opener to your story at the very front, but helps you to discover your characters attributes as they deal with the situation so you can better portray them when you jump back up to the beginning of your story. 

2. If you feel stressed or you can't figure out what happens next in your story, stop writing and go do something else. I find that doing my chores is the key for me to start thinking of ideas for my story without stressing myself out by forcing myself to give it my undivided attention.

3. If you find yourself to be a highly scheduled person, (you like everything to be written  out with time slots next to it telling you when to begin and end) then perhaps you should schedule your writing time. Get a piece of paper and write an estimate of how much time you want (or have) to spend in writing then write down that you have 10 minutes to write, then 5 minutes to take a break, then 10 minutes to write and so on until you have filled in your schedule. To make it even more scheduled, in your 5 minute break time write what you will be doing during your break time. (Read a chapter out of a book, play a short card game on the computer, brush your hair, etc.) 

4. Read other peoples ideas. Suppose you are having trouble with your writing and need some ideas. One of the best ways to find neat tips for writing is to read what helps them....you never know....maybe their tips could help you too! You can look at other peoples blog posts on writing helps and perhaps even contact them with your questions to see if they can help you out. 

5. If your stuck on your story and can't figure out what to do next, try reading a story book and get some ideas. The book does not necessarily have to be fiction. History is often more realistic anyway...but take an event that happens in that story and mold it and change it around to where it will fit into yours. For instance, lets say you are making a story about a family going on a trip from  America to another country for the first time. They just got off the airplane. Maybe you are stuck at this point wondering what happens when they come off the plane. Then, you do as I recommended in number 4 and come upon the blog Proclaiming Grace and Evangela tells you to read a book and get an idea for your story. :) So you pick up the book closest to you which happens to be Kirsten (for you AG girls:) and you read about how Kirsten gets lost once she comes off the immigrant ship. You decide that is just what you need to add some excitement for your story so you decide to twist it a little bit, so as to make it your own, and there you go! Now you can hurry on with the rest of your story. WARNING! Don't do this too often....you do not want your story to sound too much like all the other stories out there.  No one will want to read it because they have most likely read every chapter you have in another book! 

It is amazing all the different ideas that are being shared all over the place, every minute, especially in the world of writing. Do you have a favorite idea for making writing easier and more effective for you?  I would love to hear any the ideas for effective writing...your own pen and paper masterpiece, whether it is a hobby of yours or just school work. 

Bloglovin' Review!

Hello Everyone! I just found out that Google Follower Connect (GFC) is going away. Well, I didn't just find out....I've just been to lazy to post about it before now. So I would like to invite all of my wonderful followers to start following me on Bloglovin' before Google Followers disappears into the pages of history forever! (Sorry, I just had to be a little dramatic there!) If you are like me, you want to get all the facts before you sign up or switch over to something new, so I thought I would practice my review skills and do a Bloglovin' review, that way you can get all the facts and decide for yourself. Here we go!

First Impression: As the saying goes, The first impression is the one that sticks. Your first impression of Bloglovin' totally depends on what kind of blog posts they are displaying on their front page. Let me warn you, if today was my first day of checking this site out, I probably would not have signed up. : / Hopefully you understand what I mean. So the best thing to do is hurry up and sign up without looking to long at whatever blog posts they are displaying at the time of your arrival. First impression is definitely not a big plus.

Signing Up: The signing up process is definitely easy. No adds or such to deal with.  The best thing to do when you first sign in is to click on the top right hand corner where it shows your username and click "My Blog" from the drop down menu. The instructions for claiming your blog are very clear and easy to do.

Follow Your Blogs: The second thing I would recommend is setting up all the blogs you follow in your account. I started out doing it the hard way...by typing in every blog title and clicking follow. But if you click the drop down menu again and click "following", there should be a button that allows you to sync the blogs you follow on GFC with Bloglovin' which is WAY easier than typing in all the blogs you follow! So the whole setting up process is amazingly easy to do and the instructions are very clear.

The Design: Once you are signed in and all set up, the overall look of your account is very refreshing. It's not crowded and filled with adds. It is also not big and fancy, which is why I like it.....very quiet and refreshing. I give the designing a big thumbs up!

Gadgets: The gadgets they provide and all that fancy extra stuff that us tech. people love is very moderate and useful. I love the way you can split up blogs into groups. It is also very nice how you can type in the name of a certain blog you follow or post name and it will pull it up for you. You can also set up your own profile with your picture and such, so that when people type in your blog they can read all about you and your blog. (If you want that) So far so good.

 Buttons/Counters: Then we come to the buttons. I am extremely displeased with their selection. The first two buttons are just plain awful! (I wont go into any more detail) This leaves one more button. The last button is of the Eiffel Tower. I thought the Eiffel Tower was very cute and the way it flashes made it an "attention grabber", but it being that I am not a big Eiffel Tower type person, it was not fit for my blog.

 

 So that left me with the plain 'ol "Follow this blog with bloglovin'" rectangle.



 The counters that they had were also very plain but at least they had two different colors, unlike the button, so I at least had a choice.




The button and counter selection was highly disappointing to me, so much that I am considering making my own "Follow With Bloglovin'" button.

Updates: Last but not least, Bloglovin' sends you an email every day with all the new posts that have come out from the blogs you follow. I do not really use this much right now since GFC is still available. The only thing I do not prefer about this, is that they only send you one email a day, so whenever another blog publishes a new post, you must go into your Bloglovin' account to view it....or wait until the next day for the next email.  I still like receiving the emails anyway since I will need them when GFC goes away.

So in conclusion to this review, I definitely think the good outweighs the bad and once you sign up you are in for a fun experience. So if you are wanting a more advanced way to follow your blogs I would absolutely recommend Bloglovin'. And please keep in mind, that GFC ends July 1st, (If I am wrong someone please correct me) so you may just have to swap anyway.  I hope y'all have a great day!

So long friends!
     Evangela Grace

Kaleb Herschel--MC Overview

What had only a couple days ago seemed like a normal, beautiful Spring day for the people of Belgium, has now turned into a nightmare. Kaleb Herschel is a 16 year old boy living in Belgium when a horrid black spider takes over his country. At first, it acts as if it is willing to cooperate with them....and perhaps leave them in peace? But when it begins to show its unrelenting, unmerciful power, the Herschel family must try to survive...together. With fathers careful plans and mothers love, the Herschel family prepares to abandon all hopes of the spiders withdrawal and begin preparations to leave their beloved home, but when Kaleb's closest friend ruins their plot, Kaleb finds himself surviving alone in a dark and unforgiving world....and not only in the world, but in his heart. After joining a group of saboteurs who help him to stay alive, he finds himself suddenly in the hands of his enemies, and as he prepares himself for his end, he nearly misses the very opportunity which could not only turn out to be his freedom, but the freedom of his entire country, if not the whole world. But as with every decision, there is a decision behind itself. In Kaleb's case, he must give up what seems like his only defense in the hopes of finding himself free in the end. But what if? What if his captor and only possible means of escape is a set up.....totally fake and meant to drive him into some kind of trap? Why else would his captor share such valuable information with him? Will he risk his life to rescue his family and nation or let the ever suppressant spider, better known as the Swastika of the 3rd Reich, stomp out their very existence? 

So this is a short overview of my MC (Main Character) Kaleb Herschel. Hopefully you all were able to get a little glimpse at the kind of life my MC has. Sadly, I feel this overview does not really hit on his feelings and emotions as much as the tragedy and dilemma Kaleb is facing. I am not quite sure which is better though. Which do you prefer....Emotions and feelings or tragedy and dilemma? Oh...and what do y'all think about the black spider? For those of you who are wondering....yes, I did first hear of that on The Sound of Music but I thought it was sort of mysterious so I added it! 

Alrighty! I hope you all have a super day! 

The Black Spider

For My Sister....

Hi Everyone! I am posting this entry for my sister Gabby who does not have a blog yet. She created this book cover for a contest at Designed To Inspire. Thank you Ruby for letting us enter a little late!  Here is her entry: 

What Does Your Picture Say About You?

I do not know if I have ever said anything about this on my blog before, but one thing I enjoy is making poems. Amazingly, I have noticed that the best poems I have made only come by inspiration....meaning it takes twice as long to write a poem that is not something that God has inspired me with. I also have the habit of while thinking of a topic, start making a poem about it in my head. About a month ago, I had one of those days. I was rinsing dishes and putting them in the dishwasher when I began thinking about a certain topic that had been bothering me. Suddenly, words started forming in my head which turned into verses...I ran up to my room to quickly jot them down so I would not forget...later on I sat down and finished the poem. I was rather skeptical of my poem and therefore was reluctant to have others read it, but after my Mom and sisters said it was wonderful, I decided that perhaps it was worth posting. I am also reluctant to let you all read it because I do not want to hurt any feelings....but I believe this to be a major problem, mainly among young teen girls, so I thought I would share my view on the subject in poetic form. By the way, as a word of encouragement, I have struggled with the same things as well, mainly because of wanting to fit in with what other girls were doing. So as a way of holding myself accountable, I post this poem...so that way, if I ever do anything against what I have written, hopefully you all will be there to remind me to stay true to myself and to others. Here is it.

With lips pierced tight and eyes turned away,

If only they knew,

Might their heart be turned too?

Gone are the days of fair pink cheeked maidens,

In their golden hair bright flowers,

Now, dark as ancient towers.

The colors of life blotted out by strange inks,

Gone are the vibrant colors of blues, reds and pinks.

Now a masquerade of mystery and gloom,

The once lovely face it does now consume.

What work of evil,

What work of deceit,

Robs them of such beauty

Which from them will soon fleet?

How could they except this, 

Believe it is true,

That true beauty comes from the you they never knew?

I know it is not true, 

Since some I do know,

In happiness they thrive and in cheerfulness they grow,

But when in ink their portrait they take,

I see the girl I never knew...full of sadness and most of all fake.

There is a saying which I know to be true,

“A picture is worth a thousand words”

What does your picture say about you?

                                                                                                                                  By,

                                                                                                                                    Evangela Grace

If you do not understand this, try looking over some pictures of yourself and then going over some of the questions I have below. In Genesis 4:6 God asks Cain, “Why is your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at your door and its desire is for you but you must master it.” By looking at your pictures you can ask yourself a couple questions. Is your countenance lifted up? If it is, then all must be well. But if it is not? Then all must not be well. But what if in your picture your countenance is fallen but you are positively sure that everything is going well? Maybe you know that you are doing well, but what might others think when they look at that picture? 

I guess I should tell you how much I miss seeing pictures of happy, cheerful girls, with beautiful bright smiles and gorgeous colors cloaked around them. I miss seeing REAL smiles...with teeth showing!!!! I miss seeing beautiful eyes enjoying the creation that God has blessed us with, not merely staring into space. I do believe that there is a time and place for this, but every single picture, or at least most of the ones others are supposed to be admiring, I think should reflect the beauty of God in you, that He has given you. God did not give us a sepia world to live in. He gave us a bright and colorful world! If He wanted us to look dark and dreary then wouldn't He have made us that way in the first place? What a wonderful God He is to give us such a variety of gorgeous colors! Let us show our love for what He has made by not hiding those colors! 

With Grace,

            Evangela

I Was Tagged.....

Hello everyone!  I was tagged by my friend Leah at Appassionata for a fashion tag. Let me warn you ahead of time that I am not a big “fashion” person and nearly every piece of clothing I have was bought at a thrift store....so hopefully my post on this won’t be too boring. :) 

Here are the questions she asked with my answers:

1. How would you describe your style?

–Elegant country, Spring-ish

2. What are your wardrobe staples?

–Jean skirts, heels/boots (to hide the fact that my younger sister is taller than me:), seasonal blouses

3. Most expensive item you own?

–Probably shoes, since they are the only wardrobe items we buy from the actual store and not a thrift shop :)

4. Most wanted item?

–A LONG blue dress with TONS of material on the skirt part

5. Favorite designer?

–Relatives, family, or myself :)

6. How much do you spend on clothing?

–Rarely more than $10, for anything besides shoes

7. Favorite places to shop?

–Thrift stores with plenty of long skirts and dressy blouses, My first two favorite thrift stores are The Foundry and Mission Possible (I don’t think that they are chain stores, just local ones) 

8. Favorite Fragrance

–I am not big into perfumes and that sort of stuff but my favorite is probably “Violetas Francesas”, which I received in one of those gift buckets from the hospital when I was born. (Back when hospitals used to do that sort of thing) Yeah....and it is not even half empty....tells you how much I wear perfume! 

9. Favorite way to have your hair?

–My sister Mikaela loves to dress up peoples hair and just put my hair in a braided bun the other day which I LOVE! My next favorite hair style is a “Rapunzel” hair style, so we call it. :)  (Made by twisting the hair instead of braiding it) 

10. What is your go-to outfit when you have no idea what to wear?

–If I am going out, usually my favorite black skirt with any dressy blouse that fits my mood at the moment. At home I usually prefer my jean skirt with a T-shirt.

11. Most prized possession?

–My jean skirt and any outfit of mine that is blue! :) 

I hope you all enjoyed this!    I will add names to the list of people that I am tagging as they except the invitation. 

Grace to you all,

       Evangela Grace

Paragraph No.1

Boom! A cloud of dirt and smoke flew into the sky as 17 year old Kaleb Herschel ran and took cover behind a tree. The sound of the roaring engine of a German Heinkel He 111* bomber plane flew swiftly overhead and disappeared into the horizon. The silhouette of the boy’s tired body sank back against the tree as he wiped sweat from his forehead. A quiet moan broke the now silent landscape. "Why? Why?!" The boy cried. "Why am I here? Why are things not as they should be....Normal! Why did You have to send me out here in the middle of nowhere, alone!" His cries almost sounded more like a demand rather than a question. He rested his head on his hands and moaned again. Quietly, a cool breeze blew across the torn landscape and a whispering voice, or was it the wind, seemed to say, "Kaleb. I have not left you....You are not alone."  The limp head of the boy straightened up as he glanced around then whispered, "Lord, if You are here, please show me Yourself." Then he laid his head against the tree and fell fast asleep.

This is the first paragraph I wrote for my book, Together Because Of Forgiveness. I am not positively in love with the title and I have a couple siblings who do not quite prefer it so I am totally open to any suggestions and would definitely write down your ideas on my list of title “possibilities”. 

In my next post about my story, I will be introducing you to my main character Kaleb Hershel, and perhaps some other characters. I am very excited about introducing them to you all! 

By the way, I would love for you all to stop by my blog specifically for my story. Hopefully, over time I will be posting extra bits and pieces of my story there, along with pictures and such. You can click here to go to the address. 

*The Heinkel He 111 was a main German bomber plane during WW2

Exploring The "Delopidated" House

 This weekend my sister and I went and stayed at a friends house. The mother is expecting her 6th child and we are all so excited! While we were over at their house helping out, her kids took us out to the “delopidated” house as the kids call it. (Dilapidated) :) We had a blast searching for treasure and trophies to take back home with us. Mikaela and Allie, the bravest of the bunch, were so excited that they even went to the extreme of going underneath the house to find treasure! Amazingly, most of the treasure was found underneath the house. (Since the house was pretty old, it had been built up on top of large stones leaving a fairly wide gap between the floor and the ground.) Mikaela’s souvenir was a glass Mountain Dew bottle. It seemed to have been made sometime in the late 1900’s. Allies souvenir was two old dresses that we found in the house. My souvenir was an old key that I found in what looked like a closet. For there not being much else....a pot and an old shoe....I think we all did a pretty good job of treasure hunting that day! Here are some pictures of our exciting day “treasure hunting” with our friends.

Getting the younger kids inside through the window

Mikaela with her pot and Mountain Dew bottle + her photogenic smile

Mikaela holding up a dress the girls found in the loft

The piece of a splinter that went through my shoe and pricked my toe! (I had sneakers on!) 

While I was at the house I had a great opportunity for taking some pictures. Here are a couple of the ones I edited.

Wasps nests in corner

The "turquoise room" wall...amazing texture photo! 

The "Delopidated" house 

Allie walking through the doorway (Going to find Mikaela)

 Penelope's boots 

Here is the key I found

Smiling Penelope

Me, looking out over the gorgeous landscape

This house had some amazing windows covered in vines 

This is a hole in the floor (Not quite sure why I took a picture of that)

The "delopidated" house from the pond view

The "dilapidated" house, from behind the weeds and cattails 

We had a wonderful time at our friends house! I hope you all enjoyed the pictures of our time exploring the "dilapidated" house!

With grace and peace,

             Evangela Grace

Another Contest!

I just finished a header and button for Hadassah's blog design challenge! I created a header and button for her photography blog that she is just starting called "Behind My Camera Lens"which I entered in her contest. You can visit her photography blog by clicking here, or even better....follow! Hadassah is a contributor to "Designed To Inspire" and this is where I heard about her challenge. There is still 2 days 'till the contest ends so if any of y'all creative girls out there would like to try out for it, go on ahead! If you click the caption that says "button" below the button it will also take you to Hadassah's photography blog. Oh! By the way, I am hoping to post the first tid-bit of a story I am working on here soon! (I have not come up with a name for it yet. The story takes place during WW2 in Belgium.) I would love to hear all of y'alls input about it! Have a blessed day!

Header

Button

Lyric Challenge & Possible Photo Contest

Hello Everyone! Britt from Designed to Inspire is doing a lyric challenge. Her challenge is to get a picture and make lyrics to go with a song that you like. She said it was OK if you made a couple and she would choose which one she likes best to enter in the contest. Here are some of the ones I made. 

Casting Crowns "Already There"

Meredith Andrews "Not For A Moment"

Philips, Craig, and Dean "Your Love Is Amazing"

I love doing contests and I was wondering if any of y'all who are into photography would like to do a photo contest? I was thinking that the theme could be something like "Spring On The Way". I am not going to do it if I do not get at least 5 people to participate so if you would like to be apart of the contest please leave a comment and tell me so that way I can get ready. Also, since I only have 11 followers I may not be able to get 5 people to do this so if you can spread the word perhaps we can get a good amount....the more the merrier! Also, do any of y'all want to sponsor the prize for the contest? If we get enough people I can do 1st. 2nd. and 3rd. place prizes so if any of y'all would like to sponsor that, I would be very thankful! If nobody is able to sponsor the prize I can provide it.  

Thank you all and I hope that your day is filled with God's grace and blessings! 

Love,

Evangela Grace

Birthday Fun!

My birthday this week was wonderful! The most exciting part was that my parents took me out to go get my learners driving permit....which I passed!  Exciting it was, yet tense at the same time. Thankfully, I had studied on the Internet for a while the night before plus my super Dad helped me too. 

Taking my test (I am not sure what the phones were for)

The next day Mom and Dad took me to practice driving (Don't worry, we practiced in a huge abandoned parking lot)

The first thing we did that day though, was go to a gun range and shoot my Dads hand guns. The gun range was in a building and because it was so loud we had to wear ear coverings. I felt so bad for the people that worked in the range and couldn't help wondering how bad their hearing was! 

Dad and I smiling (I just made the hit closest to the center)

Me shooting

Dad shooting

Mom shooting

After this we went to get my learners permit which took at least 3 hours. Then we went and got lunch which sort of turned into "lunner" (half lunch, half dinner). While we were eating, our waitress, who was an older Chinese lady, came up to re-fill our drinks. She asked my Mom if she wanted tea and my mom nodded yes then she asked me if I wanted more Dr.. Pepper and I nodded yes, then she asked my Dad something and walked away. We all looked at each other and Dad said "Did she really ask me if I wanted more moonshine?" "That is what it sounded like", Mom said. Then, the lady came back and laughed and said, "I was just joking!" We all laughed! Later, The lady went on to tell us that when she lived in Kentucky they would go fishing and when they were done they would go visit all the old stills. 

After we finished eating we had a few errands to run. Then, right when I thought that all the fun had ended....it started all over again!

 While we were gone the kids had decorated our bedroom and set up a gorgeous tea party. My marvelous Mom surprised me by buying beautiful teacups with saucers and a lovely rack to hang them on! I love them sooo much! While we drank our tea and ate little treats, we told the kids all about our day and got really hyper because of all the sugar we had that day and started acting silly....which was fun.   The girls even made a canopy out of curtains around my bed which was soooo beautiful. 

The table set up nice and fancy

My bed with the canopy (I share the bed with Gabby)

My favorite tea cup

Me holding up some of the treats we got

There was a lot more that happened that day which would take forever to tell so I just named off the highlights of the day. Oh! Something we found out while we were at the gun range......Never try to break into our house while my Mom is home...she has the best shot in the county! :) Of course, we could just use the Southern Home Security System......That will be a post for another day! 

My Sisters Blog is Now Up!!!!

Hi! Today I am excited to announce the "grand opening" of my sister Mikaela's blog,"Seven Crossings"! I have been anxiously waiting to tell you all about it and rather impatiently harassing her to finish it up! Since I have the pleasure of being her sister, I also have the pleasure of overhearing some of her upcoming blog posts, one of which will hopefully be coming out today, about valentines day and its origins. I can't wait to read the finished product! 

We would both be so blessed if you would come by and follow her blog......I have also heard news that she will be having a "blog recommendation" giveaway for every ten followers she gets. :) I know this may sound a little different than regular giveaways, and it is, but I will expound upon what we mean later.

I hope you all have a blessed valentines day....and remember "Gods love is everlasting". 

P.S. I will post some pictures of our valentines day later!