The Best of Boyhood

Last night was spent babysitting for a four year old boy named Phillip. I can't begin to tell you how active he is! It was a evening filled with dinner, a walk around the block, playing baseball in the back yard, watching him ride his bike and scooter around the drive-way, dribbling the basketball, and much, much more. Boys are indeed full of adventure and curiosity!

Going for a stroll with wagon in hand!

Yipppee!!! Swinging off the barn, or rather "castle" as he called it!

How do you define a real woman???

If you are like me and you have been pondering a lot about the future and what kind of woman you want or hope to be, reading this excerpt this past week was exactly what I needed to hear! It's so easy to get caught up in what the world's definition of a real woman is! Oh, how I want to be known as a woman after God's own heart!
Here is an excerpt from, So Much More by Anna Sofia Botkin and Elizabeth Botkin:

What is a real woman?

Former U.S. Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall lamented back in the 1940’s ,

“Godly womanhood…the very phrase sounds strange in our ears. We never hear it now. We hear about every other type of women: beautiful women, smart women, sophisticated women, career women, talented women, divorced women. But so seldom do we hear of a godly woman—or of a godly man either, for that matter. We believe women come nearer to fulfilling their God given function in the home than anywhere else. It is a much nobler thing to be a good wife, than to be Miss America. It is a greater achievement to establish a Christian home than it is to produce a second-rate novel filled with filth. It is a far, far better thing in the realms of morals to be old-fashioned, than to be ultra modern. The world has enough women who know how to be smart. It needs women who are willing to be simple. The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant. It needs some who will be brave. The world has enough women who are popular. It needs more who are pure. We need women, and men, too, who would rather be morally right than socially correct.”

A real woman is a woman who recognizes that she has been exquisitely and perfectly created by a loving God for a unique purpose. Out of genuine gratitude, awe and a desire to please her Maker, a real woman joyfully embraces her femininity and submits every aspect of her identity—the attitudes and affections of her heart and mind, her appearance, her manners, her speech, her ambitions and her beliefs—to God’s original and unique designed femininity because masculinity was not enough in itself to represent God’s image and glory. The differences between man and women glorify God, and downplaying these differences downplays God’s glory. A real woman wants to bring glory to God by being a woman.


So, what is a real woman to you?

The Importance of Tea Time

Whether you are a coffee drinker or you prefer hot tea, you have to admit that the daily ritual of sitting down, with a warm cup in hand and a good friend for conversation, is something that is lost in our culture. People all over the world know the benefits of taking time from their busy schedules to partake in the important matters of the day. When I think of how ladies in past centuries would come together and sit down for a cup of tea and simply talk to one another, it makes me wish people had that kind of time today. I know that we are all busy people with jam-packed schedules, but don't forget that your friends and families will come and go, however your schedule and to-do lists will stay with you forever! Invite a friend or sit down with your daughter and prepare something to drink and just share some time with one another! I was thinking the other day of one of my favorite memories, the event was my sixteenth birthday party and it was a traditional sit-down tea. There was an older woman that I did babysitting for who became a good friend of mine. She was from England and she blessed me with hosting my tea party. We learned the etiquette and traditions of having tea as well as trying things like scones with clotted cream straight from Devon shire. That afternoon was full of conversation and many laughs, but I think that it showed the importance of taking the time to nurture relationships and minister to friends with a listening ear and a cup of tea!