The Gathering Place

The End of The Gathering Place

2008-02-04T17:55:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,
After much thought, we have decided to end our family blog, The Gathering Place. We have found it to much of a burden to keep up with. We appreciate all who have commented and linked us to their blogs.

Alli, however, is going to have her own blog. Please visit her at her new blog address on the sidebar under "Alli's Blog". This is a new blog, not her old one. I have enjoyed blogging and maybe in the future, I'll make another attempt.
God bless ~ Julie

An Afternoon Walk

2008-02-01T16:14:00.000-05:00

Apron Strings

2008-01-30T13:13:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, I stumbled across a sewing magazine with instructions on how to make three different kinds of vintage aprons. I had some free time and an urge to sew something so I pulled out my box of vintage fabric scraps and started piecing some colors together! I absolutely fell in love with the first apron pattern (far left in above picture) because it looked so feminine with the ruffled pocket and ruffles on the bottom. A sewing we will go....

Mom helped me dig through my huge pile of mismatched fabrics and, with her excellent eye for color coordination, came up with these three matching fabrics which I love together (probably because they're pink and green :)! I am really happy with how this apron turned out because normally I am terrible when it comes to following unfamilliar sewing directions. :) I absolutely love wearing aprons! Does anyone else or is it just me? There's just something about putting on an apron that makes everyday tasks more enjoyable! This is so silly but this morning I was actually planning today's outfit to match my apron! :)

This afternoon I was inspired after reading about Hannah's recent bread making post! I had always wanted to try making those beautiful artisan breads and thought I'd try my hand at it today.

I found this recipe on Panera Bread's website after Googling "artisan breads". I made their Three Cheese Bread but with two kinds of cheese because we didn't have any Asiago cheese. We're having soup tonight for dinner so I thought that would go nicely with the meal. Next, I really want to try Hannah's recipe for Italian/French bread! Is anyone else starving? :) ~Alli

2008-01-22T11:12:00.000-05:00

A Family Visit

2008-01-22T09:43:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging these past few days, but we have been delighted with a special visit from Papa and Sheri! They drove all the way up from Georgia on Thursday and stayed with us until Sunday morning. They have been staying with Aunt and Uncle since Sunday morning, and just left this morning for their long trip home. We had such an enjoyable time during their visit! I only took a few pictures, I wish I had taken more!

Papa was Buddy's new best friend during the visit. When Papa and Sheri arrived Thursday afternoon and had settled in, we had Oyster's Rockefeller for dinner! They had brought us TONS of fresh oysters and shrimp to be eaten during their visit, and we wasted no time! Sheri had never had homemade Oyster's Rockefeller before, and I think she really enjoyed it! We were allowed to have 15 each, but no one made it that far. :) On Friday, Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Tony, and the kids drove over to spend the day at our house. I had fun making 2 big pots of Cheesy Chicken Chowder for lunch!
And of course, what goes with soup...or anything for that matter? Ummm...Chocolate Oreo Cheesecake of course! Meredith, you would be so proud! It wasn't crumbly this time. :) Finally! After lunch, we took the girls and Papa over to a little Mennonite store to look around. Papa and Sheri love when we bring them little dried spices and mixes from this store when we visit them in GA so they loved it. For dinner, Papa fried us some King Mackerel fish and leftover oysters. We were stuffed.

Saturday morning, we left at 7:30am for an EARLY breakfast! We ate at a small restaurant close by called The County Seat in downtown Powhatan.

Dad, Eric, Mom, and Philip

Sheri, Papa, and I

Of course, we had to have our picture taken in front of the sign. :) It says "COUNTY SEAT Food and Gathering Place." :) Later that morning, Aunt Rhonda and the kids drove out again to have Papa's famous Low Country Boil! Goodness, it seems like all we did was eat! lol!

For those of you who have never heard of a Boil, let me explain. Shrimp, red potatoes, corn, sausage, onion, celery, etc (we added rutabagas) are boiled in crab boil in a big pot. When it's finished, you're supposed to dump it all on a table with everyone gathered around, and you eat 'till you're full! Since it was too cold outside to dump on the picnic table, we just used pans. :) It was definitely less of a mess but equally as good!

Thanks Papa and Sheri for coming to see us. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed every moment! ~Alli

It's Snowing!!

2008-01-17T11:21:00.000-05:00

This morning, we woke up to this peaceful scene of our first "big" snow this year! So far, we have only had dustings of snow and nothing really stuck to the ground. Today, we got about 1 1/2 inches! Eric wasted no time and immediately put on his boots and gloves for snowman making. Philip and I followed shortly, along with a curious Buddy who had never stepped in snow before. :) I, of course, had to grab the camera!!

This is my favorite path to walk on when it snows. It's so peaceful and quiet! You only hear the snow crunching under your feet. :) I love to see the white against the dark colors of the woods and the footprints of the deer that just walked by. A little further down the path, there is a line of evergreen trees that "bow" on both sides of the path when their branches are weighed down with snow and ice. :)

Here is Eric working on his snowman. The snow was perfect packing snow!

I thought this looked funny. :) Growing lettuce and spinach surrounded by snow! Look how green the lettuce is against the snow!

Buddy getting his first taste of snow

Don't you dare!!! You know, he chucked that snowball at my head as soon as I took this picture! Don't let that innocent face fool you. :)

Ta da! Eric and Philip's "ninja" snowman. :) He has a scarf tied around his head and a sword stuck in his back, I mean sheath. :) He looks like he's getting ready to karate-chop me!

I wanted to post a passage from Job that I was reminded of this morning in closing:

"God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;
He does great things beyond our understanding.
He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,'
and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.'
So that all men He has made may know His work...
stop and consider His wonders."
(Job 37:5-7, 14) ~Alli

The Capitol

2008-01-14T17:52:00.000-05:00

Today, Philip and I were invited to join Eli and his friend Daniel to tour the Capitol of Virginia! Eli is a Virginia Capitol Police Officer so he was able to give us the GRAND TOUR of the Capitol and the surrounding historical buildings. I had never visited the Capitol before (isn't that terrible? :), so I thoroughly enjoyed having a behind the scenes look!
Of course, before we left, the moms had to take a parting shot :) (from left to right: Eric, me, Philip, Eli, and Daniel).
Here we are walking downtown from the parking deck. I loved walking through downtown Richmond and seeing all of the old buildings and architecture. It was a perfect day for it too. :)
This was taken near the Capitol. The cathedrial-looking building in the distance is the Old City Hall.
From this spot, the distances from Richmond on the highways are measured. How neat is that?Here is a view of the Capitol from the street. Isn't it huge? We went in the underground passageway(the door to the right) that led to the Capitol itself. Philip was astonished when he saw the whole inside of the passageway was made of marble. :) There was a gift shop, cafeteria (where we ate lunch), and a gallery of various historical paintings.
Eli took us throughout the inside of the Capitol. This is a picture taken at the Capitol 's rotunda. A statue of George Washington stood right in the center and the busts of various presidents lined the walls.
This is a picture of the dome in the rotunda, although I have to say, this picture doesn't really do it justice. :) The archetecture was outstanding!
On the next floor, we saw paintings of all of Virginia's governors. Speaking of govenors, we caught a glimpse of our current governor, Governor Tim Kaine walking in the rotunda! I'm sorry to say, I didn't get my camera out in time. :)

Here is a picture of the Old Senate Chamber.

I thought this was the neatest part! Eli got us into the Senate of Virginia Chamber where we were able to sit in and listen to the senators of Virginia in session. How many times do you get to do that? It was neat to be able to actually see the senators that you hear about all of the time in action! I didn't take a picture while in session because I didn't want to get in trouble. :)
I was the annoying photographer on the tour. :) Thanks guys! Here, we are back outside in front of the Capitol building. We were able to go in the General Assembly Building where we saw the Senators' offices and the Old City Hall.

The Governor's Mansion

Here is another view of the Capitol building from the Governor's Mansion.

Our last stop: The Library of Virginia! Phil liked this place! This picture does not capture the millions of books that are all around! If you are looking for a book, this is the place to go! This library even has shelves of phone books from many years ago up until now. :)
And that was the end of our visit to the Capitol! Philip and I really enjoyed seeing the sights for the first time! I hope I got all of the facts right in my post, there was so much to take in! :) Thanks Eli for taking the time to show us around today, we had a great time! ~Alli

Grab Your Umbrella...

2008-01-13T17:56:00.000-05:00

Today we had a surprise baby shower for the Donahue family after fellowship! They are expecting their first girl so we all got to pull out the pinks and frilly fun that only a baby girl can bring!

Mom and I were in charge of bringing a batch of pink cupcakes.

Church was at the Kilpatrick's home today, and Mrs. Kilpatrick and her daughter Hannah did such a beautiful job with the decorations for the shower! The table was set with pink candles, flowers, a pink tablecloth, and winding silver beads. It looked very elegant. Mrs. Donahue was certainly surprised when she walked in this morning to a room decorated in her honor!

The young ladies' end of the table

During lunch, we played cute baby games. First we had to hold a little Easter egg full of ice, and the lady that had her "water break" first won. :) Then we were all given diaper pins to wear and whoever crossed their legs got theirs taken away (since pregnant ladies usually are unable to cross their legs:). After lunch, we joined the men and played some other hilarious games.

This looks rather interesting, doesn't it? For this game, everyone had to try to draw a baby on the back of a plate...on their heads without looking! This game was my favorite. :)

Mrs. Donahue then chose which picture she thought looked the most like a baby.

Philip won with this drawing! We also played a game where we each had a word taped to our backs that had to do with child birth. We had to then go around and ask each other questions about our word, and the first person to guess their word won. Meredith won this one! Yay!

Looking at each other's wedding pictures

After games, Mrs. Donahue got to open presents for baby Mary Elizabeth! Hannah came up with a great idea for a gift basket, and Meredith and I helped her get items and put it all together.

This afghan was crocheted by Micah and is so beautiful! She did a wonderful job! I love the edges of it...they look like lace. Micah, I need you to teach me how to crochet so beautifully! :)

Here is the little project I've been working on this past week. I made a little Regency dress for Mary Elizabeth using a pattern from Sense and Sensibility. I had so much fun making it, and I hope she will enjoy wearing it!

Well, after that part, my camera ran out of batteries! Arg! Well, Mrs. Donahue received many beautiful dresses, frilly clothes, blankets, toys, and baby necessities for her new little one, and all of the ladies got to "ooh" and "ahh" over all of the adorable girly things. We had such a wonderful time today and hope the Donahue family was as blessed with this shower as we were blessed giving it! ~Alli

From Trash To Treasure...

2008-01-08T17:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday when Mom and I went to the Pregnancy Center, we stumbled across a goodie that was laying in a trash pile in front of our storage units.

Here it is! :) Yes, it looks like a total piece of junk! There were chips, scratches, spiders, and stains all over this thing, but I had something in mind for this desk. :) Mom and I hauled it into the van, spiders and all, and took it home. Some very strong cleaner and many paper towels later...
A new sewing table! I am so excited! Before, I had my sewing supplies on my hope chest, and my knees kept knocking up against it when I tried to sew. I had always wanted a little sewing area! Sure the drawers get stuck sometimes but that's okay. :) The insides of the drawers were stained really badly so I scrubbed them and cut out some drawer liners from scrap fabric.
I'm ready for some sewing! I already have some projects lined up that I'm working on and need to finish soon. :) Maybe I'll post them when I finish! ~Alli

2008-01-08T11:19:00.001-05:00

"If you are cold,tea will warm you-

If you are heated, it will cool you-
If you are depressed, it will cheer you-
If you are excited, it will calm you."~William Gladstone

A Sprinkle of Time Saving Tips

2008-01-05T16:23:00.000-05:00

Chop a large amount of nuts and place them in the freezer for later use to save some chopping.
To keep apple slices from browning on your fruit platter, dip them in orange juice.
The sharper your knife is, the less accidents you will have because your knife will do what it's supposed to do, cut through.
Zest your scrap lemons and place zest in freezer containers for later use.
Use an ice cream scoop to form equal amounts of cookie dough or to fill muffin tins.
Instead of sifting flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together when baking, just simply whisk them together to remove any lumps.
Tuck stray bread bags or Ziploc baggies into an empty paper towel roll. Tuck away in a drawer.
Use clothespins instead of bread ties to easily close open bags.
Instead of having to wash and dry your lettuce every time you need it, try this simple time saving tip: After you bring your lettuce home from the store and before you have to make a salad, wash your greens. Grab a laundry bag that's used for nylons or delicates and place your wet greens inside (use this bag strictly for lettuce alone). Place bag in your empty washing machine and run your greens through the last spin cycle. Voila! Dry lettuce to be stored in a bag in the fridge for your salads throughout the week.
Store grains and beans in jars or containers on your counter for easy access.
Do most of your dinner preparations earlier in the day to avoid stress at meal time.
Freeze casseroles ahead of time.
Purposely make extra of your meals or save leftovers in the freezer for future meals.
Put spices on a turntable for easy access.
Alphabetize your spices with stickers and number them. When looking for a particular spice, look for it alphabetically. When putting it away, put it in numerical order to keep organized.
Soak your beans overnight in a crock pot on low for next day use.

(Taken from my Wholesome Food Preparation course by Sue Gregg) ~Alli

Ahhh! A Wonderful Daughter

2008-01-04T16:18:00.000-05:00

Today, after a particularly hard day, I came into the kitchen and found this.

What a surprise and a relief to find a carefully prepared dinner all ready to go into the oven!!!! Directions were even on the chicken enchiladas. Homemade salad dressing in the mason jar. Spanish rice in the Tupperware!!! I cannot tell you how wonderful it was. Alli is such a blessing to me. Thank you Alli, I love you ~Mom

Christmas 2007

2007-12-31T15:04:00.000-05:00

The Trents are back online from our holiday break! We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas spent with family and friends. We had a wonderful holiday, and we are still stuffed full from all of those Christmas goodies! On Christmas Eve, Nan, Bernie, Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Tony, and cousins Sarah, Jack, and Emily came out to our house for a Christmas Eve dinner.
Here we are waiting for everyone to arrive.

Once everyone had arrived, the festivities began. Punch was served, snacks were snacked on, and everyone just had a great time!
On the menu: Oysters Rockefeller, Aunt's lasagna, salad, and rolls. You have not lived until you have tried Oysters Rockefeller. I myself am not a big fan of oysters cooked by themselves, but I could eat my weight in these (as a matter of fact, I think I did!). Here, the tin foil cups are ready to be filled with oysters, a horseradish/spinach mixture, topped with breadcrumbs, cheese, and bacon. Nan is the best Rockefeller maker! I'm trying to learn the recipe so I can pass it on like she has to us!

While dinner was cooking, Emily enjoyed the little snowy village.

Ever since we had purchased our spinning tree, we have begun a new Christmas tradition with the kids. Before our Christmas Eve get-together, Mom buys little toys and candy and fills a little bag for each kid with their names on them. She hides them in the tree, and when they come over, they each take turns finding their gift bag. In this picture, Mom is playing "one potato, two potato, three potato, four..." with Sarah, Jack, Emily, and Eric to see who gets to find theirs first. They couldn't wait for after dinner to find their bags, so the grown ups gave them the "Ok". :)

Trays and trays of oysters kept coming one after another! I ate 12 oysters! Can you believe it? Once you start, there's NO stopping!

After dinner, there was a flurry of presents being opened! Amidst all of the excitement, Bud-lo found a spot to rest right in the middle of the action. We had a wonderful time!

On Christmas Day, we woke up at 6am to open presents. I was going to take pictures, but it was too early! We had our traditional breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, and orange juice for breakfast.

Later that afternoon, we headed on over to Granny and Papa's house for Christmas dinner. I forgot my camera! The smells of roast and hash brown casserole welcomed us when we got there, and I was put in charge of making sauteed broccoli and rolls. After we had all stuffed ourselves full once more, we exchanged gifts. Afterward, Granny had us all play the Christmas gift exchange game with gag gifts that she had bought! I was stuck with a rooster alarm clock that crows rather loudly! Eric won huge dog slippers where you stick your foot through the dog's mouth, Philip won a singing squirrel, Mom was stuck with blinking reindeer antlers and fake teeth :), and Dad won a shirt with a funny saying on it. It was very interesting!

All in all we had a fabulous Christmas! I can't believe it has already passed and tomorrow begins the New Year! Are y'all staying up? I didn't make it last year but I am going to try harder! Tonight we are having snacks and are going to play some board games while we wait for the ball to drop. Have a great night everyone, and we'll see you next year! :) ~Alli

How To Become Wise

2007-12-22T09:03:00.000-05:00

I found this video made by Jack McDonnell. He did an excellent job explaining what the Bible says about fools and how to become wise. I think you'll enjoy it!

We have all had the experience of being fools, however, Romans 3:23-24 says..."For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Through accepting what Christ did for us on the cross, we can be free to walk wisely before God.

Blessings to you and your family this Christmas. ~The Trent's

A Year-End Recap

2007-12-15T11:24:00.000-05:00

I came across this fun meme over at Dappled Things! What you do is you post the first line from the first post of each month for the year 2007 to see what all you've been up to this past year! Since we didn't have our blog in January or February of this year, we will just start with March. :) Here we go...

March: Welcome to our blog!

April: Character is formed under a great variety of influences.

May: Well it's not winter, but we thought we would give this new recipe a try. :)

June: I took this quiz and found out that I am Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility!

July: One of the joys of having a garden is being able to enjoy it.

August: Last month, Meredith and I were asked by the ladies in our church to be in charge of planning and catering a baby shower for the lovely Mrs. Prueitt!

September: A trip to the farm in pictures...

October: Our bags are packed! Today, Mom and I are leaving for our weekend getaway to Tennessee!

November: Well Kim over at Life in a Shoe is having ANOTHER Vision Forum Giveaway!

December: It has been twenty-two days already, and they are still growing!

Wow! This has been quite an interesting year for the Trent family. :) If anyone else would like to do the end-year recap, consider yourself tagged! Please leave a link under this post because I'd like to read it if you do. :) Have a wonderful weekend everyone! ~Alli

Philly Cheesy Pizza Dip

2007-12-15T09:28:00.000-05:00

Last night, we tried out "Philly Cheesy Pizza Dip" for our Friday family fun night. It was an immediate hit with our family! Doesn't it remind you of Christmas with the red and green? Mom found this recipe in the new issue of Food and Family by Kraft. That is a great magazine by the way, and the subscription is free! Inside are some delicious and cheap recipes like this one!

Philly Cheesy Pizza Dip

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 C pizza sauce
1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbs each chopped red and green peppers
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Spread cream cheese onto bottom of 9 inch pie plate. Cover with pizza sauce; top with remaining ingredients. Microwave on high for 2 minutes (we baked ours in the oven at 400 until hot and bubbly) until heated through. Serve with Ritz crackers.

Makes 2 cups

~Alli

And the Winner Is...

2007-12-14T15:43:00.000-05:00

Drumroll please......

Dad did the honors

Morgan Denise!!!!!

Congratulations Morgan, you have won! Please e-mail me at matrent@tds.net with your name and address, and your "Chickadees and Holly" print will be on its way! We are so excited to be able to share Dad's print with you! We all hope you will enjoy it. :)

Thank you to everyone who commented! It was so encouraging to our family to see so many of you participating. I hope you had as much fun as we did! Congratulations again to Morgan!

Speaking of giveaways, there is another one being given by my friend Meredith over at her blog, Striving to Serve at Home! If you like delicious goodies, head on over to her blog and enter this contest before this Sunday night at 9pm!

~Alli

OUR 100TH POST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2007-12-05T18:30:00.000-05:00

Alright everyone! It's time for a giveaway! This giveaway is celebrating our 100th post, well actually this is the 102nd post! Anyway, we have reached a milestone! For this giveaway, we are giving one of our readers a print of one of Dad's paintings!

Here's a little bit about how Dad got started with his artwork...Dad was first inspired to start painting by his grandmother, Nellie who lived in the countryside of Virginia, not too far from where we live now. She encouraged Dad as a young boy during the many summers when he visited her old farmhouse, and she was the one who inspired him to draw and paint. God has given Dad a zeal and love for His creation and he has always enjoyed painting nature. We are so excited to be able to share them with y'all!

To win one, all you have to do is leave a comment with the name of the print you would like to win! This is a good chance for all of you lurkers out there to reveal yourselves! :) Oh, and if you post about this giveaway on your blog, your name will be entered TWICE! Just add the link on your comment that shows us you have linked to us so we'll know. There will only be one winner who will get the print of choice, and we will draw the winner NEXT FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14th at NOON!

All prints will be signed by Dad, and they are numbered. Here are the prints to chose from:

"Mid-day Rest" (this is a Giclee print)

8 1/2 x 11 1/2

"Moving In" (this is a Giclee print)

8 1/2x 10 1/2

"Chickadees and Holly" (not a Giclee print)
9x12

Have fun everyone!! We'll see you next Friday to reveal the winner! ~Alli

Monday Fun!

2007-12-03T16:40:00.000-05:00

Today, Meredith and I travelled to the Pregnancy Support Center in a neighboring county to help out! We hadn't been in a couple of weeks so it was a real treat to get to go with her, just the two of us. We arrived and found a huge bag of baby clothes that needed hanging and some other items that needed to be placed in our "Little Blessings Boutique" store. We had a great time of laughing and freezing in the shed and quickly finished while we could still feel our fingers!

Afterwards, Mere and I drove over to the storage units that hold all of our extra supplies, clothes, and diapers for the store. We needed to pick up some wipes, and Meredith wanted to see inside the sheds that were completely cleaned about a month ago by some very helpful volunteers! It's absolutely amazing what they did to our poor little storage units! They were packed full of stuff, and if you wanted anything, you had to dig!

This picture was taken a few months ago, and you can see just how stuffed the units were. This is only one of them.
This is what they look like now! Amazing! What a blessing it was to have the help of those volunteers!
They truly worked a miracle, and we are so thankful for the commitment and service that they gave to the Pregnancy Center! We can actually find things now!

Whenever we go to the Center, we love sewing afterward. Although most of our time was spent talking, we managed to get a lot accomplished today!Our quilt is coming along quite nicely and we only have four more squares to sew! I can't believe it. :) Today we put together one square, and got another one cut out to work on during the week. We had set a goal when we first started to have our quilts finished by Christmas, but we decided to move our deadline to next Christmas. :)

Meredith had a fabulous idea to lay out what we had sewn so far just to see what our quilts would look like! This is Mere's! I think the colors that she chose are beautiful! Her outer border is going to be the white fabric that has light blue flowers on it, and I think it's going to look fantastic! I can't wait to see it all finished! Thanks for coming over today Mere!

This is a picture of mine. :) I thought at first it was going to look WAY too pink, but it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be! My outer border is going to be the floral pattern that you see in my quilt. I can't wait to finish it and be able to enjoy it! We only have one more row to sew and then we get to put it all together at last! I can't wait!

Well, that was my day so far! Now I must go and study for the final exam I have to take for my Biblical Wisdom course through Telos on Thursday. How exciting! I always get nervous with tests! Oh well, off to hit the books! ~Alli

(This is our 100th post by the way! To celebrate, we are going to be having a giveaway! Stay tuned... :)

Sprouting Update

2007-12-01T09:15:00.000-05:00

It has been twenty-two days already, and they are still growing! I am looking forward to eating fresh green salads during the winter! Now, I need to thin them, but I'm not sure how far apart. I'm going to do some research to see. I'd hate to throw away all of the thinned plants! Maybe we can plant them in the house. :) Anyway, I just wanted to share their progress and keep you updated on my gardening experiment! Oh yes, and there's...

This sweet little angel! He is so bad! ;)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! ~Alli

Holiday Trinkets

2007-11-29T12:19:00.000-05:00

This little snowy village is nestled on top of our piano. These houses are actually made of paper! Like paper dolls...but houses! We picked up a pack of them in Ohio a couple of years ago for only, I believe, $1.99 or something outrageous like that. We leave them assembled and stash them in an old truck, and at Christmas time, we sit them out with some snow and sometimes fresh greenery from outside. We just love how old fashioned they look!
Our village reminds us of the old version of the movie "A Christmas Carol". ~Alli

Another Vision Forum Giveaway!

2007-11-29T08:44:00.000-05:00

Doug Phillips and Vision Forum are sponsoring a giveaway at inashoe.com to help get word out about the FREE SHIPPING Vision Forum is offering until Midnight tonight

Help spread the word on your website or blog then leave a comment at Life in a Shoe by 10pm today to enter!

Return Of The Daughters

2007-11-27T18:19:00.000-05:00

A lot of people ask us, "Why isn't Alli working or going to college?" I mean, after all, isn't that the next step after high school according to the world's standards? This question is a hard one to answer. We know that our society thinks that the only way to be successful is to follow these traditional paths. Tony and I have been convicted in this area for Allison.

Her heart's desire is to be a keeper at home...God's highest calling for a woman. She has embraced these single years as a time of learning and loves being a helper to her family at home. Does this mean that she is uneducated or wasting her life? On the contrary! She has helped make our home the center of education, ministry, entrepreneurialism, and especially hospitality- valuable tools to carry with her to benefit the next generation for the glory of God.

This movie, the Return of the Daughters, has been such an encouragement to our family! It's wonderful to know of the growing number of young ladies who are turning to this way of life and defying today's anti-family culture.

We give this move the highest of ratings!

~Julie

2007-11-21T09:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving

from

The Trent Family!

Roll Making Technique

2007-11-19T14:26:00.000-05:00

Today I am making rolls! I love making rolls but whenever I do make them, they always turn out lumpy, uneven, and different sizes. :) That's why I was so excited when I learned about making yeast breads and rolls in my Wholesome Food Prep course because Sue Gregg taught a little trick you can use to get perfect even-sized rolls every time!

Step one: Take a little bit of dough and stretch it to make a mushroom cap (make sure your hands are greased well with oil so it isn't sticky!)

Step two: Shape your fingers in an "O" shape and push the dough up through it with your other fingers

Step three: Squeeeeeeze the dough to make a little puff like this (See my other fist? I must be squeezing this one really hard. :) It's a good way to take out all of your frustrations. ;) I have no idea what I was doing with that hand!)

After you've squeezed the dough, pinch the excess off of the bottom or tuck it under your roll. Isn't that neat? I love how this technique makes the tops of the rolls so smooth! Give it a try!

Ta da! And they actually rose this time...unlike my last attempt at making bread. :) I'm still blaming it on the yeast! ~Alli

My Rug!!

2007-11-16T19:49:00.000-05:00

Giveaway Coming Soon!

2007-11-16T19:19:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! We just wanted to let everyone know that we are going to be having a giveaway to celebrate our 100th post soon! This post is our 92nd post so there are only several more to go! We are not telling what we're giving away because it's a surprise. :) It's going to be a good one! Stay tuned and be sure to enter! ~The Trents

Autumn Walk In My Herb Garden

2007-11-16T19:02:00.000-05:00

Fragrant Oregano

Rosemary and my reading bench

The last colorful blooms before Winter

Chive seeds need collecting

~Alli~

Can You See It?

2007-11-14T14:21:00.000-05:00

Look right in the middle of the picture...

It's a tiny lettuce sprout! I can't believe how fast they came up! I went out in the garden this morning to water my plants and looked really closely to find tons of small lettuce sprouts. I only saw one spinach sprout coming up but hopefully there will be more soon! I'm so excited!!! I hope they continue to grow and don't whither away.

As I am typing this, 1 Peter 1:24-25 comes to mind:

"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth forever..."

We are reminded to not place our trust and find comfort in our own abilities as sinners, but in our Almighty Father. Even though my little plants may wither away, I can be confident that the truthfulness and goodness of God and His Word will always last eternally! That is definitely something to trust in! ~Alli

A Very Chocolaty Birthday

2007-11-12T19:40:00.000-05:00

Today is Mom's birthday! Because today was a special day, she was treated like a queen, of course! Instead of cake, we thought we'd try a new dessert for a treat after her birthday dinner. I decided to try making little chocolate bowls with chocolate mousse inside... a dieter's nightmare! I had seen some fancy chef make this dessert on a cooking show and I have been longing to make it because it looks so elegant!

Okay, I got off to a rough start. :) In order to make the chocolate bowls, you melt chocolate and then dip an inflated balloon in it to make the bowl shape. When it hardens in the refrigerator, you pop the balloon and...voila! Well, I was not thinking and dipped a balloon in piping hot chocolate fresh out of the microwave! KABOOM! There was chocolate all over the kitchen! I think I still have some in my hair. :) So, if you want to make this dessert, please make sure your chocolate has cooled!
To make the mousse: Whip a carton of whipping cream with a mixer or a whisk (the chef held three whisks together and whisked the cream making it go a lot faster!), melt some chocolate in a separate bowl (I used a bar of Baker's chocolate), then pour the whipped cream, a little bit at a time, into the melted chocolate. The chef added a scoop of whipped cream to the chocolate first to temper it and cool it down a little bit before adding the rest. Then you fold it together...not too much or the whipped cream will loose its fluffiness. Then, I scooped the mousse into a plastic baggie, snipped a corner, and piped it into the chocolate bowls. We had raspberries sprinkled on ours, but you could also use strawberries.
Mom's bowl :)

Oh another thing...if I were going to make this recipe again, I would make the bowls a lot smaller! This is a really rich dessert! It was very good though, and it is a recipe that is definitely going in the recipe box. :) The "queen" enjoyed it! Happy birthday Mom! We love you!

Target Practice

2007-11-09T14:15:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Dad and Mom bought Eric a knife and tomahawk throwing DVD from Vision Forum along with two throwing knives and a tomahawk. On the DVD, the instructor had made his targets out of tree stumps, and Eric was inspired to make his own.

Nice color choices :)

I am standing out of the way! Eric is really impressive when he throws his knives. :)

I, on the other hand, am not so great. :) Maybe he can give me lessons! Every time I throw the tomahawk, it either ends up in a tree or we can't find it. :) I think I'm going to have to get a few pointers from my 12 year old brother...just in case I ever come across a bear or a ravenous squirrel. Not like I would have the courage to actually kill it anyway. ;) ~Alli

Fun With Seeds and Family

2007-11-08T22:12:00.000-05:00

Today I have started a project that I have never attempted before- growing vegetables from seed during cold weather. I'm kind of nervous. :) We have grown vegetables in our cold frame in the spring and they did extremely well so we'll see what happens! I tried growing flowers from seeds last year and wasn't very successful. :)

Yesterday, Eric helped me relocate our empty cold frame to our open garden plot so our veggies would get more sun. After loosening the soil today, I planted my seeds! For my experiment, I decided to plant some lettuce and spinach for salads throughout the cold weather. Also, planting lettuce and spinach is pretty fool-proof since they're both very versatile vegetables. I planted half of the cold frame with lettuce and half with spinach. We shall see if they grow!

Buddy watched me plant today and was constantly running away with my seed packets! I guess his cuteness makes up for his mischievousness. :)

At around lunchtime today, Nan, Aunt Rhonda, and Emily came over for a visit! It is always so nice to have them. :) We had spicy vegetable soup, pasta salad, and turkey wraps for lunch. Emily loved playing with Buddy!

After everyone had left, Mom, Eric, and I went for a country drive to pick Philip up from college. Mom surprised us for dinner by taking us to an Italian restaurant! Now we are all stuffed and sleepy. :) A perfect ending for a wonderful day! ~Alli

Another Vision Forum Drawing!

2007-11-01T11:47:00.000-04:00

Well Kim over at Life in a Shoe is having ANOTHER Vision Forum Giveaway! This time, she has raised the stakes! On her last giveaway, all you had to do was post a wish list of your favorite Vision Forum products adding up to $150 on your blog along with a link to her post and the Vision Forum website. Now, the rules are the same but you get to make up a list worth $250!! She is going to pick three winners! We have added a couple of items to our previous wish list. :)

Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God $16
Strength and Dignity for Daughters $10
Sabers, Spears, and Catapults CDs $25
Entrepreneurial Boot camp for Christian Families DVD Collection $95
Gossip: The Plague of the Church CD $10
Still Standing DVD $18
Fathers and Sons DVD $32
Children and the Dominion Mandate CD $10
The History of the Sunday School Movement CD $10
The Influence of Older Children on Younger Children CD $10
How to Think Like a Christian CD $10

Whew! Head on over to Kim's blog, make your list, link to Vision Forum and this post, and have fun! The drawing ends tomorrow!

A New Addition

2007-10-29T16:47:00.000-04:00

Announcing the newest member of our family!

Buddy

Today, Eric received his first dog- a 5 week old Jack Russell Terrier puppy! He is such a sweet little thing!

A boy and his dog :)

Welcome to the family little Buddy!

A Great Blog

2007-10-26T20:57:00.000-04:00

Here is the link to a blog I found that is really enjoyable. It might not be new to some of you. I love when I find a great new blog to read. Enjoy!

Click Here

Vision Forum Giveaway

2007-10-26T07:51:00.001-04:00

Kim, over at Life in a Shoe is hosting a wonderful giveway from Vision Forum! All you have to do is make up a wish list adding up to $150 dollars or less of items published by Vision Forum from their new catalog, link to Vision Forum, and link back to Kim's post! Easy! The contest ends today so I hope we're not too late. :) If we had to chose only a $150 dollars worth (there is so much to chose from) our wishlist would be:

Strength and Dignity for Daughters CD by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin $10
Passionate Housewives Desperate for God byJenny Chancy and Stacy McDonald $16
Blue Lights: A Tale of Soldier Life by Robert Ballantyne $22
Entrepreneurial Bootcamp for Christian Families DVD Collection $95

Wow! That was hard to just pick a few!

Celebrate the Glory!

2007-10-22T08:31:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful weekend we had! On Saturday, Dad, Mom, Eric and I travelled to Lynchburg, VA for a encouraging and uplifting conference that celebrated the glory of the Lord! We heard about it through the Alexanders, who also went.The topic of this particular conference was how to establish family worship in the home.
The first speaker and the man who ran the show, Marc Jantomaso, gave a wonderful session on the glory of God's Word.

Eric Wallace was there to speak about the beauty of family worship in the home and in the church.

We were also able to hear Scott Brown speak which was a real treat! We have only heard him on tapes and CDs, and we enjoyed being able to actually "see" him speak! He gave a session on family worship leadership.

Arnold Pent, the author of Ten P's In a Pod, was also there to speak on the fruit of family worship. He was hilarious!

All throughout the conference, we were blessed with beautiful music played by the Harrow family. It was neat to see them actually take Scripture and put it to music.
This is the view we had from the conference!

Sitting in the sun after lunch. It was so cold and windy there!

During the conference, we were challenged to memorize a passage from Psalm. Here, Dad is trying to rehearse it before sessions began again.

Afterward, Dad went to Scott Brown to get him to autograph a book that we had bought of his. He ended up staying and chatting with him and Mr. Pent for a good 15 minutes!

We joke Dad about him hanging around all of those "famous" people. :) We had so much fun at this conference and learned so much from it. It was a blessing to see Mom and Dad be encouraged. We also enjoyed being around so many like-minded families! ~Alli

"Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who delights greatly in His commandments.
His descendants will be mighty on the earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed."
~Psalm 112:1-2

~To see some Harvest Party pictures from Sunday, please head on over to my blog!!

Cookin' Up A Storm

2007-10-19T17:19:00.000-04:00

After worship on Sunday, our fellowship is having a harvest party! Mom and I decided to make caramel popcorn balls for the group... and boy was it sticky. :) We ended up quadrupling the recipe twice to get the amount of popcorn balls that we needed (about 65 medium-sized ones)! Mom and I did sneak a few samples though while we were mixing...after all, the cook has to taste her creation to make sure it's fabulous! ~Alli

WAR!!!!!!!!!

2007-10-12T14:33:00.000-04:00

Future Hunter

2007-10-10T18:17:00.000-04:00

Back Home

2007-10-09T13:04:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! Mom and I made it safely home from Tennessee and had such a wonderful time there! To read all about our trip, please head on over to my blog!

Blogging Break

2007-10-04T07:52:00.000-04:00

Our bags are packed! Today, Mom and I are leaving for our weekend getaway to Tennessee! We will be posting lots of pictures when we get back so stay tuned. Bye for now! ~Alli

Dad's Latest...

2007-09-27T13:00:00.000-04:00

Here is Dad's latest watercolor! It is a picture of a neat, country cow farm located near our favorite restaurant in Keysville, VA. He just finished it, and we're so proud of him! I love the rolling hills and the way the cows look. I can hear them mooing!

Today, we framed his painting as a surprise! The only thing is, we haven't named it yet. Does anyone have any suggestions? We're also thinking of putting some prints in our Etsy shop to see how they do. :) ~Alli

Nicknames

2007-09-25T17:07:00.000-04:00

Over at Mountain Musings, Mrs. G let us in on her family's nicknames. I thought it was a fun way to get to know each other.

Tony-Big T, Uncle Big, Big, Babe, Hon, Slick, Slickest, Gene Autry, and Bo

Julie-Jul, Jube, Juble, Shug, Babe, Baby, Mom, Ma, and Mother Dearest

Allison-Al, Alli, Alli-oop, Alli-ooper, Ally Cat, Dee Dee, and Princess Peach

Philip-Phil, Philistine, Philips, Phee Pho, and Phil-miester,

Eric-E, E-man, and Sharky

Please leave us your nicknames in your comments.~Julie

Whistle While You Work!

2007-09-21T18:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had a real treat! Nan, Aunt Rhonda, and little cousin Emily came out to our house for a sewing project! Aunt had to prepare a craft for her Brownie troop and she needed the help of some reinforcements and more sewing machines ! We made little denim cushions for the Brownies to sit on and carry with them for hiking and such.

We had an industrious assembly line going! Mom was the photographer. :)

Here's Nan sewing away! We had the hardest time with that stubborn machine. It is a really old one that I had yet to use. Nan adjusted a few things and now it runs a smoothly as silk!

Here I am trying not to sew my fingers together. :)

Almost finished!

Here Aunt is stuffing a pair to see what the finished product is going to look like.

Well done ladies! Sixteen cushions were sewn yesterday. We were even able to make an extra one for Emily to enjoy. I hope the girls can get some good use out of them! Thanks Nan, Aunt, and Ems for coming out! We loved it! ~Alli

Our Saturday Adventure

2007-09-17T12:35:00.000-04:00

This weekend found our family on an excursion to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains! Our destination: Crabtree Falls. This was one of the many scenic views we witnessed on our way up the mountains.

Here is a picture at the bottom of Crabtree Falls. Crabtree Falls is the largest vertical drop waterfall east of the Mississippi River, and it is surrounded by many miles of winding hiking trails. You hike right alongside of the Falls so you get to hear and see it all the way up to the top. I have to say, you get a really good workout on that trail! You are literally climbing a mountain!

Here is a picture of the happy hikers! I think this was before our feet were killing us. I was silly and wore flip flops! I thought the trail was going to be a lot smoother than it really was. :)

This picture was taken further up the waterfall. The sound of the water splashing against the rocks was very soothing!

Mom and Dad at the top of the Falls.

The boys found an interesting cave along the path.

Here is a picture of the view from the top of the waterfall. You can't really see it from this picture, but the leaves on a lot of the trees had already begun to change colors.

Yes, this picture was totally staged. :) We all did taste the water and it was very refreshing. Pure mountain water! It was freezing cold!

We had a wonderful time together, even though our legs felt like Jello. :) ~ Alli

Time for a Change

2007-09-14T14:45:00.000-04:00

Seems like overnight my front porch baskets went and died. Lack of attention I guess.....
One trip to Wal-Mart will fix that. Mums and ornamental cabbages are on sale! Now if I can just keep them watered :)~Julie

Something Smells Good

2007-09-12T13:44:00.000-04:00

A couple of day's ago, I visited a cute little shop in Farmville. Immediately as I walked in, I asked the clerk, "What smells sooo good?" She pointed to the complete wall of Yankee Candles and stated that it was a blend of everything. Well, I don't know about you, but the smell of certain candles put me in mind for fall. I couldn't resist buying myself a "tart warmer". As I was getting ready to buy some tarts, the clerk suggested that I buy the bigger votive candles and simply cut them in thirds to save $. The votives cost the same price as the tarts so needless to say, I bought some votives. My favorite one this year seems to be Autumn Wreath. I can't wait for the leaves to start changing :)~Julie

Happy Birthday Papa!

2007-09-10T08:25:00.000-04:00

To our dear Dad...We wish you a happy birthday today. From your gals and guys, kids and grand kids....We love you very much! Have a great day....Love Julie

Happy Retirement Nan!

2007-09-05T18:37:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we celebrated Nan's retirement. She has worked hard for many years and now gets to kick back and enjoy her life.

All of us kids chipped in to get her something that she has always wanted......Yes we are looking forward to getting fatter now that she has her mixer...She promises she will start with whole grain breads and then the cookies. Happy Retirement Nan! We love you very much!~Your Kids

Back To School

2007-09-04T12:31:00.000-04:00

2007-09-02T18:08:00.000-04:00

The Trent family is celebrating the fall season a little early this year! Tonight, Mom fixed us apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an after-supper treat to eat on the deck outside. It's something about the crisp apples, buttery crust, and aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves that really warms the heart and makes you crave those changing leaves and cool temperatures. So bake an apple pie and enjoy! ~Alli

A Trip To The Farm In Pictures...

2007-09-01T19:04:00.000-04:00

For more pictures from our day, please hop on over to my blog! ~Alli

Are You Bitter?

2007-08-30T12:13:00.000-04:00

Most people do not recognize that they are bitter. Rather than admitting that they are bitter, they simply say they have been hurt or offended by others. I have been learning about the consequences of holding on to offenses and it has been very interesting. I've discovered that you can have physical consequences, spiritual consequences, emotional and mental problems all stemming from bitterness.

Bitterness is also deadly by way of passing it down to future generations, thus affecting hundreds of descendants. The sins of the parents are visited to the third and fourth generations of those who hold hatred in their hearts. Deuteronomy 5:9.

Wow! So what are we to do? I have noticed in my own life that I tend to "hold on" to offenses often revisiting them over and over trying to justify my feelings. I end up feeling bitter towards the other person after some time. God's only solution for bitterness is the complete forgiveness of our offenders. We must also realize that God has allowed these wounds in our lives for a purpose. These answers are not always easy to do. I know it's very hard for me to forgive someone who I think doesn't deserve it. The true test of forgiveness is if you can sincerely desire and hope for God's blessings on your offender. In this way you have released this person from the debt that you feel he or she owes you.

After all, we have been forgiven our debts by a loving God who sent His only Son, Jesus to die as a payment for our sins. If you have put your trust in Christ as your Saviour, then you have also been released from your penalty, death. Many blessings! ~Julie

Secrets to the Ultimate Marriage

2007-08-27T16:16:00.000-04:00

For the past couple of weeks, Tony and I have been watching The Ultimate Marriage seminar from IBLP. We have really enjoyed it and have learned a lot. Even though we have been married for 24 years....we still have a lot to learn.

Topics include: Self-Acceptance The Way to Accept My Spouse, Personal Responsibility The Key to Oneness, Full Forgiveness The Way to Inner Peace, Exposing Enemies, Anger Recognizing its Roots, Lust The Enemy to Intimacy, and finally, Success Standing Against the Storm. We highly recommend this seminar to all married couples. I wish we would have had it earlier in our marriage :) ~Julie

Two New Blogs Have Been Born!

2007-08-25T08:07:00.000-04:00

www.sheworkswithherhands.blogspot.com

www.strivingtoserveathome.blogspot.com

Please feel free to take a look!

New Place to Gather

2007-08-22T16:10:00.000-04:00

There has been alot going on at the Gathering Place lately. Mr. T is on vacation and has decided to put a much needed deck on the back of our home.
Eric helping Dad lay the floor down. Pretty soon we will be having coffee on the deck :)

First Day of College

2007-08-21T11:38:00.000-04:00

Today is Philips first day of college. His sister and I gave him all of the pointers we could think of and then sent him off out into the big world...

This was very hard on his mother. His father said "He's going to do just fine." I know he will be fine, it's just hard to see him grow up so fast...Here he is making his way up the stairs to the academics building. We have a surprise dinner planned...Shrimp and scallops. Say a prayer for him~Julie

More Sewing?

2007-08-20T15:16:00.000-04:00

Yes, there is another sewing project in the works! Last week in Wal*Mart (our home away from home), Mom and I spotted this very simple-looking pattern for a basic draw-string skirt. I had always a basic pattern with which I could make many skirts that would go with everything and anything. I thought I would give this one a try!

I made the A pattern (the blue and white stripped) and was surprised at just how simple it was to make! I didn't even have to call my grandma for sewing help this time (and I usually need a lot with patterns!) . :) I would really recommend this pattern for anyone who just wants a basic but stylish skirt. If I can make it...anyone can! Another great thing about this pattern is that you only need 2 1/8 yards of fabric. Therefore, it's not awfully expensive to make!

I have already made two skirts...one for myself and one for Mom. Since I enjoyed making them so much, Mom took me to Hanncock Fabrics today to pick out some fabric for two more skirts. I think the fabric we chose looks very much like Fall. :) Anyway, I can't wait to make them! I'm going to go and wash my fabric now! Stay tuned for pictures. :) ~Alli

Sew, Sew, Sew Your Quilt...

2007-08-13T20:11:00.001-04:00

Today was a "sewing day" for Alli and Meredith. First, they both made love knot blankets for their hope chests. This was a very easy blanket to make. They were excited to finally get something completed.
Next, they worked on their quilts. This pattern was very time consuming. I overheard a lot of laughter upstairs so I'm not sure if they were working or playing.... Can anyone guess the name of this pattern? No fair Sarah G. You're the only one who can't guess...That is unless no one else can guess it. :) ~Julie

A Baby Shower Tea

2007-08-07T14:03:00.000-04:00

Last month, Meredith and I were asked by the ladies in our church to be in charge of planning and catering a baby shower for the lovely Mrs. Prueitt! This was my first time coordinating anything, and I cannot tell you how much fun this was! Mere and I spent these last few weeks organizing our ideas, shopping for supplies, cooking, baking, and getting it all finished for the shower this past Saturday. The theme we picked for Mrs. Pruiett's shower was a ladies' luncheon/tea (notice the hats in the above picture :) ).

Here is a picture of the main dining table. We were so happy to have Meredith's grandma with us this past weekend! She beautifully arranged all of the flowers for the tea making the whole setting very elegant and tea-like. :) She even pressed dainty flowers from her own garden in between each plate...they looked beautiful! Also on the table was a place card for each guest, a folded lavender napkin (folded beautifully by Mere's brothers, Elliot and Oliver:) ), and a little bootie filled with dinner mints. Since the Pruiett family is expecting a little girl, we incorporated a lot of different shades of lavenders and pinks into our decorations. On Friday, Meredith and I prepared the dishes that we were going to serve. On the menu was chicken salad and croissants, turkey and spinach pinwheels, pasta salad, cheese and crackers, a vegetable platter, and fresh watermelon. On the day of the shower, we set everything out and made some very pink strawberry punch to go with the iced tea and water.

Once everyone had arrived, Mrs. Alexander shared some thoughts of encouragement and a lovely prayer for Mrs. Pruiett. She shared from Psalm 128 and I was really encouraged with these verses: "Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children like olive plants around your table. Behold for thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord." (vs.3,4) Mrs. Alexander encouraged us who were not yet married to continue to fear the Lord and trust Him with the size of our future families. The Pruiett's are expecting their sixth child, and it is a beautiful thing to see God's blessing on their family as they continue to seek the Lord's will for their lives.

After lunch, all of the ladies picked up their chairs and relocated to the living room for baby games! We had asked each lady and young lady to bring a baby picture of themselves for a guessing game. It was called "A Face Only Mama Could Love." Everyone had to guess who was in each picture, and it was tough! Hannah Girotti got the most right! We also played a measuring game where each guest had to cut a piece of yarn to wrap around Mrs. Pruiett, and whoever was closest to the actual size of her waist won. Mrs. Winter and another young lady came the closest.
Once the games had been played, the ladies gathered around to open baby gifts. Everyone say "Awwwww!". :) Mrs. Pruiett's daughters, Isabelle and Noelle (pictured here), are both excited about their new baby sister!While the presents were being opened, Meredith and I were busy clearing the main table while preparing for dessert and tea.
For dessert, we decided to make a New York-style cheesecake, a German Chocolate cheesecake, lemon bars, and chocolate covered strawberries. We also had the Winter girls make some chocolate chip cookies as well.
Here is a picture of the tea table. Meredith and I thought the mismatched teacups atop doilies and plates added charm to the table. :)

Time for tea!

Here I am with Sarah and Hannah Girotti, Meredith, Noelle, and Isabelle. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to see the Girotti family again!

Planning this baby shower was such a wonderful experience for me! But the real encouragement came when I saw everyone fellowshipping and celebrating together as we anticipate God's newest blessing in the Pruiett family. ~Alli

A Birthday Dinner

2007-07-30T16:33:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, we headed over to Nan and Bernie's home for dinner and to have a belated birthday celebration for Philip. Uncle Tony, Aunt Rhonda, and the kids were also there to join in the festivities. We had such a great time! Here is the birthday boy pictured with Eric, Sarah, Jack, Emily, and myself.

Silly picture. :)

After dinner, Philip, Eric, and I showed the kids how to make card houses. This creation was built by Jack, Sarah, and Eric after dinner. Passersby had to tip-toe to keep their masterpiece from collapsing. :)

After Nan's delicious meal, we were stuffed full! However, we were not too full for some birthday cake of course. :) After the 19 candles were blown out, we all enjoyed Uncle's wonderful chocolate cake that he made! There were so many candles, several eyes were watering from all of the smoke. :) We hope you had a wonderful birthday Phil! ~Alli

Happy Birthday Philip!

2007-07-23T20:46:00.000-04:00

Happy 19th birthday Phil! You're growing up too quickly! For his birthday dinner, we ate at his all-time favorite restaurant...Red Lobster. After his seafood feast, Mom and Dad surprised him by having the whole Red Lobster staff sing "Happy Birthday" to him when dessert was brought out. How embarrassing...but fun!

We love you!!!!

Trip To Papa's House

2007-07-22T19:21:00.000-04:00

This weekend, Tony and I took a mini vacation to see my dad in Southeast Georgia! We had a wonderful time visiting with him and helping out with his new Ice House business.

Here you see a picture of Tony, Papa, and my brother Bobby standing next to one of his newest machines. The ice houses will give you 20lbs of bulk ice for your cooler for a $1.25! I don't know about were you come from but here in Virginia we pay $3.99 for a bag. He is doing a great business providing ice at such a reasonable price. (They didn't all have incoming calls at once, I just made them pose that way :)

As you can see, the ice house is pretty big. It has an ice maker inside that is constantly making ice. Down in southeast Ga, it gets pretty hot so demand is high.
Here is dad and Sheri standing next to their grape arbor! Beautiful this time of year. Moments before this shot was taken, a fawn ran by us. We were all very excited to witness such a cute visitor.
Later that evening we all gathered for a wonderful dinner at a local seafood restaurant. Scallops and oysters anyone? Delicious. We had a great time that evening. This particular restaurant has a hole in the middle of the table with a trash can under it ready for your crab or oyster shells. We were all impressed with this and may try it on one of our outdoor tables. On the way home we stopped by Cracker Barrel for food and prizes for the kids. Can you guess what I bought for Alli? Yes, you guessed it. Everyone needs a pair of waxed lips :)

Thanks to Papa, Sheri and Bobby for all of the fun times!~Julie

Cuc's Anyone?

2007-07-14T15:42:00.000-04:00

Today the boy's got some entrepreneurial experience. We picked probably 30 cucumbers out of our garden this morning. So we got to thinking....hmmm....maybe others would enjoy some of our cuc's. So with lemonade in hand, we set up our first little farmers stand. Needless to say, no one stopped, but they get an A+ for the experience. ~Julie

A Trip To The Thrift Store

2007-07-10T19:32:00.000-04:00

Today Mom, Meredith, and I decided to hit a tiny thrift store in Farmville, VA after working in the Pregnancy Center this morning. When we pulled in the parking lot, we noticed an absolutely wonderful sign that stated a brown bag sale for clothing. Any clothing item that could fit in a grocery-sized paper bag was ours for only $5! We immediately hopped out of the van and started rummaging through the racks! Even if we saw name brand items that weren't our sizes, we threw them in the bag to sell on eBay.

The cashier said that in order to cram as many clothes in as we could, we needed to roll each item into a little ball. I think they were pretty eager to get rid of some things! After a while, she even said we could put shoes in our bag too. Our poor little brown bag was piled high and bulging at the seams! Meredith and I counted 45 thrift items when we got home. Several of the shoes and other clothing items we kept for ourselves, but the rest is going on eBay. We figured that we spend about 11 cents on every piece. What a blessing! I love thrifting! :) ~Alli

Black Bean Chowder

2007-07-09T13:53:00.000-04:00

Ever since last Tuesday, I have been feeling a little "under the weather" with a tremendous craving for soup. :) Mom's homemade chicken and rice soup is always an automatic comforting food to me when I'm sick so I have been eating that all week! Along with chicken soup, I have also been craving another one of our favorites for lunch today : Black Bean Chowder.

We found this great recipe a few weeks ago from the Girotti's blog. It is absolutely fantastic and requires very little prep work. This recipe to us has a little Mexican feel to it with seasonings of cumin and chili powder. We doubled the ingredients this time so that we will be able to eat it for dinner tonight and have leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. We have this meal very often in our house because it's so cheap, fast, and easy make! Please check out the recipe found here on the Girotti's blog...you will love it! ~Alli

Canning Day

2007-07-03T15:08:00.000-04:00

One of the joys of having a garden is being able to enjoy it. Today, we decided to harvest our beets and pickle them. I do love canning, although it is hard work and takes forever! Here, Philip, Eric, and I are plucking up our row of beets for canning.

Finished! Eric looks like he's in pain, but the funny face is really from the heavy load. :)
After we picked our beets, we brought them over to the picnic table, washed them, and sliced off the excess stems. Mom then boiled the beets in our big pot until they were tender and ready to peel!

Once the beets were peeled and sliced, Eric and I stuffed them into hot canning jars. Our hands were beet red. :)

We then poured the brine over the sliced beets, removed the air bubbles, screwed on the lids, and set them in the canning pot to be processed.

"Pop!", "pop!"

Ah, the sound of a good canning day! Since we had some leftover brine, we decided to squeeze in a few jars of pickles as well. :) ~Alli

Pictures At Last!

2007-06-30T15:43:00.000-04:00

Well, we finally figured out how to post pictures on our blog with the laptop! I know it has been a week since Philip's graduation, but we still wanted to share about his special day since it was definitely one to remember. :)

We could not have asked for a better day to celebrate for Phil's graduation. Our family and church family gathered under our oak tree for Sunday worship, and we had a small graduation ceremony afterwards. We were so thankful to have our family come and worship with us! It made the day even more special! After worship, Dad and Mom stepped forward to say a few words about their graduating son. Also, Dad had asked Mr. Donahue and Philip's good friend Eli to say a few words as well. The ceremony was very moving and contained much encouragement and advice for Philip as he begins his new journey in life. After Eli, Mr. Donahue, and Dad had shared, Philip came forward and thanked everyone who had invested in his life during his years growing up. The speech was beautiful and caused many to tear up. :) Once he had finished and Dad had given him his diploma, he threw his hat in the air. It was official...he had graduated from home school!
Once the ceremony came to a close, the women immediately began to busily prepare for the banquet lunch. We were also extremely blessed to be able to visit with the Girotti family! They drove all the way from the beautiful mountains of VA to join us for worship and fellowship. Here I am with Meredith, Hannah, and Sarah. The lovely Girotti family!

Here are some of the ladies as they enjoy sweet conversation with each other. Mom and I could not have managed without the hospitable hands of these girls! Here I am pictured with (left to right) Ashley, Nicole, Hannah, Meredith, and Sarah.
Philip and Eli

Dad, Mr. Jones, Eli, and Jonathan enjoyed picking some tunes after the meal.

The ladies oohed and ahhed over both Sarah's and Hannah's quilting projects. Sarah brought the quilt that she had just finished, and Hannah showed us her sweet baby quilt that she had made. Meredith and I were so encouraged to see their projects because we are currently still working on our quilts. Thank you Hannah and Sarah for sharing with us!
Here are some very proud parents! We had such a wonderful time of celebrating and visiting last Sunday. Congratulations Philip for graduating into a new season of your life! We are very excited to see what the Lord has done already and what He is going to do through you! ~Alli

Blogging Difficulties

2007-06-26T11:18:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! In case you are wondering why we havn't posted in a few deys...we are experiencing some technical problems with our computer! For now, we are on the family laptop which doesn't allow us to post pictures from our camera card. :( It's such a shame because we have so much to share about our busy weekend. On Sunday, we were able to celebrate Philip's graduation with our family and friends. Hopefully, we will be posting many pictures soon! Please stay tuned...

~The Trent family

HAPPY GRADUATION PHILIP

2007-06-22T15:23:00.000-04:00

A happy graduation to our middle child Philip. He has worked very hard over the years to reach this point. We are so proud of him. Not only with his academic success but most importantly, his character. He is a joy to our family. We love you Philip and congratulations! ~Mom

Tony's Garden

2007-06-22T14:27:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of Tony's garden. We thought our Papa in GA would like to see. HI PAPA AND SHERRI! Tony has been working very hard on it this year. In the past, due to our schedules, it was a little over grown with weeds. This year we have purposed to keep the weeds down. So far so good. It can however, get away from you quickly :)

These are beans ready to go up the trellis. Hopefully the rabbits will only eat the first plant. We are going to try our hats at canning squash and zucchinis. Recipes anyone? I prefer something really easy. I've made zucchini relish is the past and that was yummy. We'll keep you posted. ~Julie p.s. thank goodness for spellcheck for zucchini:)

My Weekend

2007-06-18T21:06:00.000-04:00

This weekend was such a blessing because I was able to attend the Jamestown Quadricentinnial celebration with the Alexander family! On Saturday, they picked me up and we all travelled to Jamestown together in our colonial attire, of course. :) The event was sponsored by Vision Forum Ministries, and it was so neat to be with so many like-minded families there.

I especially enjoyed being able to see the different speakers that I've only listened to on tapes in real life! My friend Meredith and I were excited to see many "famous" people such as the Botkin sisters, the Bradricks, Kelly Brown (now Kelly Bradrick), Jenny Chancey, the Brown family, the Philips family, the Hendrys, and so many more! We were a little star-struck. :)

Here, Meredith and I are surrounded by beautiful scenery at Fort Pocahontas. This was our first attempt at making dresses like these! It definitely took a lot of patience! Meredith and I just loved wearing our puffy dressed during the weekend. It's funny how wearing a dress like that will make you feel even more feminine, cause you to stand up straighter, and walk more gracefully. Well, I had to walk gracefully because I was afraid that I would step on my dress on accident and cause it to unravel. :) Besides that, I loved walking around Jamestown in a fancy dress! This is the closest we came to the Philip's family! The top picture is of Mr. Philips' lovely wife and children, and the bottom is of himself . On Saturday, we enjoyed listening to the messages of many different speakers, including Doug Philips and Paul Jehle. We also saw the firing of muskets, colonial dancing, fifers, sword fighting, fireworks, and so much more. The Alexander's and I were so excited when we heard that my family and the church family were going to meet us there for the church service on Sunday morning. The service was beautiful but very hot! Afterwards, we all followed each other to the home of a family from our church for lunch. A perfect ending to a perfect weekend! Thank you so much Alexander family for taking me along on this exciting experience! It was definitely one to remember. :) ~Alli

Family Fun

2007-06-13T08:47:00.000-04:00

This week Tony has been on vacation, hence the no posting on the blog...So in my quest to find fun family activities, I found this puzzle in Gloucester, VA. Boy has it been a doozie. Everyone puts a piece or two in as they go by. Lot's of fun. It is a picture called "Soda Fountain" and is 1000 pieces. Updates to follow.... ~Julie

Eggs in a Basket

2007-06-13T08:30:00.000-04:00

We have been noticing some commotion on the front deck for a couple of days. The cats have brought it to our attention. They have been very interested in one of our ferns so upon closer inspection....Eggs!!!

They belong to a pair of purple finches. The eggs are about the size of a dime. Yesterday morning there were only two and this morning there are three.

The only problem is how to keep the kitties away! They like to sit on the rail directly under the fern. It's going to drive me crazy :) ~Julie

"Moving In"

2007-06-04T12:07:00.000-04:00

Ever since I can remember, Dad has always been painting scenes from nature. As a boy, he was greatly inspired by his grandmother, Nellie, to draw and paint the beauty of God's creation. Ever since then, Dad has continued to do what he loves to do- draw and paint the outdoors! I guess he's painted pretty much everything in nature- from deer, creeks, and flowers, to birds, meadows, and trees.

Recently, Dad has gone through a "bird phase" and has painted at least a dozen Virginian birds in watercolor. The above picture is one of his prints called "Moving In." This one is one of Mom's favorites. :) Please take a look at some of his other work in our Etsy shop! ~Alli

My First Pound Cake!

2007-06-02T12:00:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I decided to try making a pound cake! I was shocked when it actually came out of the bundt pan in one piece. :) Usually when I flip the cake out of its pan, the good part of the cake is left stuck where it shouldn't be. :)

The recipe I used came from one of Paula Deen's cookbooks, Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics, and it is definitely NOT fat-free (but it's really yummy). The recipe was for just a plain vanilla pound cake but I decided to add some fresh blueberries to the batter for a nice summertime touch.

Mama's Pound Cake

2 sticks butter

1/2 C. Crisco shortening

3 C. sugar

5 eggs

3 C. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 C. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and shortening together. Add sugar, a little at a time. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Sift together dry ingredients and add to mixture alternately with milk, starting with flour and ending with flour. Add vanilla. Pour into greased and floured tube pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

- Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics

(If you want to, add 1-2 cups of blueberries to the batter. You can also add a dusting of powdered sugar over the top of the cooled cake for a finishing touch.)

Enjoy! ~Alli

Yard Work

2007-06-02T08:48:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, my sister Rhonda and niece Emily came over to help me do some work in the yard. I have always wanted to plant a flower bed at the base of our oak tree, so R and I pulled out the shovels and our landscaping juices started flowing! We had a great visit yesterday with lots of planting, chatting, and lunch. Today, the boys helped by adding the finishing touches. It's nice when the men come along and do the mulching :) ~Julie

2007-06-02T08:33:00.000-04:00

Take the Quiz here!

I took this quiz and found out that I am Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! Give it a try! ~Alli

A Sewing We Will Go!

2007-05-27T19:06:00.000-04:00

Alright! My friend Meredith and I have officially started sewing on our new quilting project! On Friday, we completed lessons one and two of our quilting book, which took us quite a few hours to finish. :) First, we cut out the many strips that are going to be used for the inward borders in our quilt and also the outward border. After that, she and I broke out the sewing machines and pieced together our first block, the "rail fence". We are both really happy with the way our first squares turned out!

We decided to work on the next lesson on our own over the weekend. In this lesson, we had to make the "double nine patch" square. Pay no mind to the crooked squares and stray strings...I am still learning. :) I can't wait to see Meredith's when we meet up again for the next lesson. I'm sure it turned out beautifully with those colors! I can't wait to start our next lesson during the upcoming week! Thanks again Sarah for getting us hooked on this quilt. It is so much fun! ~Alli

And the Winner Is...

2007-05-25T07:14:00.000-04:00

Aunt Rhonda!!!!!!

Congratulations Aunt!

Thank you everyone for participating! We may have another give away soon!

Last Day!

2007-05-24T08:43:00.000-04:00

Today is the last day to post a comment to win the strawberry pin cushion! Please leave a comment to get your name in the hat. We will be drawing tonight. We will post our winner tomorrow. :) Alli and I are going to our favorite thrift store today. Maybe we will find some bargains. Have a blessed day! ~Julie

A Fun Day In Farmville

2007-05-22T15:30:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I was able to spend a whole day in the small city of Farmville with my friend Meredith! Our main objective for going was to purchase some fabric for our quilts that we are going to start. After seeing the sampler quilt that Sarah had made, we were each inspired to make one for our hope chests! After we had browsed the fabric area for several hours, Meredith and I were able to put together some pretty colors and patterns for our new project. She went with different shades of blues and yellows, and I chose shades of pinks and greens.

After purchasing our fabric, we decided that we would cruise the quaint little town for a while. She and I found a wonderful little cafe to have lunch at, went looking around in the various shops, and grabbed smoothies for our walk back to the car. It was definitely a fun day to remember, and I can't wait to start sewing! ~Alli

Remember to leave a comment on the post below before Thursday for the pin cushion drawing! It's okay if you don't leave a cleaning tip. Just put your name in the hat. :)

Our First Give-Away!

2007-05-17T18:56:00.000-04:00

Does this look familiar? Perhaps you have seen it a number of times on here, my Etsy shop, and even several times on eBay! Mom and I have decided that she finally needs a home.

In an effort to pull all of you lurkers out of hiding, we thought it would be fun to have a give-away! All you have to do is leave a comment and share your favorite Spring cleaning tip! That's it, and your name will be added to the hat. If you can't think of one, just leave a comment, and we will place your name in the hat anyway. :)

Mom and I thought we would leave the drawing open until next Thursday, May 24 at 8:00pm. Then, we will draw to see who wins this little strawberry pin cushion. Have fun!~Alli

Financial Freedom

2007-05-17T13:47:00.000-04:00

Recently our family viewed The Financial Freedom Seminar by Jim Sammons. I will say that this set of DVDs is very convicting. We learned a lot about what God has to say about achieving financial freedom. Below is just a sampling of what you can expect.

What It Really Means to Be Financially Free

1. Financial freedom is realizing that true prosperity comes only from God.

2. Financial freedom is committing ourselves to God's purposes for money.

3. Financial freedom is recognizing and rejecting false financial concepts.

4. Financial freedom is responding to God's reproofs for wrong financial decisions.

5. Financial freedom is choosing to serve God rather than money.

6. Financial freedom is giving God tithes and offerings.

7. Financial freedom is keeping out of debt.

8. Financial freedom is learning how to abound and how to suffer need.

9. Financial freedom is having sales resistance.

10. Financial freedom is recognizing and rejecting swindlers...

There is so much great information in this seminar. We are slowly trying to implement what we have learned. I will suggest that you order the Men's Manual II from IBLP to go along with the seminar. ~ Julie

A New Wreath For Mother's Day!

2007-05-12T15:41:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

We hope your Mother's Day is a blessing to you, as you are such a blessing in each of our lives!

We love you!

~ the kids

A Tribute to Mothers

2007-05-12T15:32:00.000-04:00

Nobody Knows But Mother
by Mary Morrison

How many buttons are missing today?
Nobody knows but Mother.
How many playthings are strewn in her way?
Nobody knows but Mother.
How many thimbles and spools has she missed?
How many burns on each fat little fist?
How many bumps to be cuddled and kissed?
Nobody knows but Mother.

How many hats has she hunted today?
No body knows but Mother.
Carelessly hiding themselves in the hay-
No body knows but Mother.
How many handkerchiefs willfully strayed?
How many ribbons for each little maid?
How for her care can a mother be paid?
Nobody knows but Mother.

How many muddy shoes all in a row?
Nobody knows but Mother.
How many stockings to darn, do you know?
Nobody knows but Mother.
How many little torn aprons to mend?
How many hours of toil must she spend?
What is the time when her day's work shall end?
Nobody knows but Mother.

How many cares does a mother's heart know?
Nobody knows but Mother.
How many joys from her mother love flow?
Nobody knows but Mother.
How many prayers for each little white bed?
How many tears for her babes has she shed?
How many kisses for each curly head?
Nobody knows but Mother.

Happy Mother's Day!

Sewing Frenzy

2007-05-11T16:03:00.000-04:00

Help! I can't seem to stop making these! :) I'm hoping to start selling these on eBay. Stay tuned for some girly onesies!

Strawberry Pin Cushion

2007-05-09T20:19:00.000-04:00

I just posted this one on eBay if you want to take a look! It should be listed on this page with the other strawberry pin cushions. ~Alli

Garden Update

2007-05-09T18:12:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, Mom, my aunt, my cousin, and I took a trip to a local nursery and that inspired me to get my garden into shape! Mom bought many flowers to plant around her red swing, and I was able to purchase a few herbs to freshen up my herb garden. I also bought a couple of packs of flowers for some spring color!

Basil, Italian parsley, oregano, and thyme all found homes in my garden along with some zinnias and vincas. It's looking better already... minus the snake I came across while I was weeding. :)

Our vegetable garden is growing well also! Mom found a great tip off of the Pleasant View Schoolhouse blog that will help take the bitterness out of garden greens. To make them sweet, all you have to do it soak the picked greens in a bowl of cold water. Mom soaked ours for a few minutes one night for dinner and it really works! The greens are crisper and much sweeter. A great tip! ~Alli

Warm Winter Lemon Cake

2007-05-01T08:04:00.000-04:00

Well it's not winter, but we thought we would give this new recipe a try. :) My grandma found this recipe off of kraftfoods.com, and she thought it sounded interesting. We both thought that you can't go wrong with cake and pudding together! It was actually really good, and I will definitely be making it again. If you don't like lemon pudding, the recipe says you can use vanilla pudding instead. Thanks Nan for the great recipe!

Warm Winter Lemon Cake

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
2 cups cold milk
1-1/4 cups water
2 pkg. (4 serving size each) JELLO-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Pour into greased 13x9- inch baking dish; set aside.

Pour milk and water into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes and granulated sugar. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Pour over batter. Place baking dish on baking sheet to catch any sauce that might bubble over sides of dish as dessert bakes.

Bake 55 minutes to an hour or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes. (Sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.) Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Spoon into serving dishes to serve warm. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.

Enjoy! ~Alli

An April Baby Shower

2007-04-30T20:03:00.000-04:00

An April baby-shower gave Mom and I the opportunity to make some girly baby gifts! The shower was for a dear family from church who finds joy in having a full quiver! :) Mom made the new little one a soft and cuddly fleece love-knot blanket.

For my birthday, I received a embroidery book that comes with iron-on transfers. I had never used them before, but I decided to give it a try! Mom suggested that I embroider these plain white onesies. They were so much fun to make! I hope the new baby can get some good use out of them. :)

~Alli

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC!

2007-04-28T09:27:00.000-04:00

Today, Eric turned twelve years old! God has truly blessed us with his bright, smiling face. With his cheerful and energetic spirit, Eric is always an encouragement to those around him. We hope your day is as special to you, as you are to us! Little does he know, we have a surprise in store for him tonight! Happy Birthday Eric!

Love~ Your family

The Surprise is Revealed!

2007-04-27T18:46:00.000-04:00

Thank you Meredith, Sarah, Hannah, Aunt, and Nan for the lovely Happy Birthdays! I had a great 21st birthday, besides the getting old part. :) I woke up that morning without any clue to where Mom, my aunt, and my cousin were taking me that day (my poor family was getting tired of me playing the guessing game and asking for clues. ). Anyway, they were taking me to get a make-over at a local salon. I had always wanted to have my colors matched because I would like to have my make-up look more natural :) It was a real treat to have it applied by someone else! When we arrived at the salon, the make-up lady said my skin was too dry so she took me to their spa room to have a chemical peel. O boy was this a new experience for me! I was a little afraid with the words "chemical" and "peel" in the same name. After applying many layers of goop on my face, I felt like a new person!Here I am after the make-over, and boy did it feel nice! My aunt was the blog photographer (thanks Aunt). She and mom also had their foundation colors matched, and they looked fabulous! As a treat, Mom and Dad bought me some of their make-up for my birthday. After the make-up extravaganza, we set out to one of my favorite Chinese restaurants for lunch. Here I am with Aunt and my precious cousin Emily. Mom and Aunt humiliated me (thankfully there was hardly anyone in the restaurant) by having our waiter sing happy birthday to me. Actually, he sang "Hassy Birsday tu you!" It was so fun! He brought me my favorite dessert, cheesecake!Here, Emily is helping me blow out my candle! She was such a great helper! Thanks Ems! After eating way too much, we left for home and ended the day with one of my favorite meals. Mom fixed stuffed salmon, rice, and green beans for dinner. My birthday cake was made by friends of ours from church and they did a beautiful job decorating it! It didn't last very long after "Happy Birthday" was sung with this crew. :) All in all, I had a great 21st birthday! Even though I'm not a big fan of surprises, I enjoyed every moment of our outing and the special time I was able to spend with family. Thanks again everyone! ~Alli

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLISON

2007-04-25T10:24:00.000-04:00

Today is Alli's 21st birthday. We are so blessed to have her in our family. She brings joy to us every day. I can't believe my "baby" is 21!!

We have very special things planned for her today. One surprise...and her favorite meal.

Happy Birthday Alli, we love you! ~Mom

Weed Invasion!

2007-04-23T08:44:00.000-04:00

Ah spring has finally arrived...and so have the weeds! This, I'm embarrassed to say, is my poor little herb garden. Every year around the time of my birthday, I get to work- weeding, mulching, and planting in my garden. I had always wanted to have a garden of my very own after seeing how beautiful they were when we went to old southern plantations, Williamsburg, and other historical places like that. My first herb garden was a little raised bed in the backyard of our old house. I loved watching the plants grow and experimenting with new, unusual herbs. However, when we moved to the country, I couldn't take it with me :). When we moved here, I thought I would design a garden that was inspired by one in Williamsburg. We took one day to clear out the brush and brambles, and we started laying down a gravel pathway. Next, the beds were raised and tiny herbs were planted. It has been about five years since that day, and there she sits! During the two years that I worked, my garden was not tended to at all, and as you can see from the picture above, it needs a little TLC. :)

This year, I decided to try something new and start growing my herbs from seeds. Well, it was going great and tiny sprouts started peeking out of the dirt. On one of the hottest days this week, I forgot and left the plastic covering over my growing herbs, and they turned into deep-fried herbs! Poor little guys. Anyway, I decided to give-up, I mean put that project aside for a while. :) I will try again next year! Right now, I'm going to focus on de-weeding my garden before I add anymore herbs to the beds. I can't even see the beds because they're covered in a blanket of weeds!

So, stay tuned for an herb garden update. I will post an "after" picture when I have tended to my business. I kind of feel like I was acting like the slothful man in Proverbs 24 when his garden was "...all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down...Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man." (Proverbs 24:31, 33-34) I had better get busy!

~Alli

2007-04-20T09:59:00.000-04:00

For those of you wondering where we were these past couple of days...

Yesterday, Mom had to have some minor surgery and she has been feeling poorly. Please pray for a speedy recovery. Thank you to all who have called and brought food by. My Mom and I really appreciate it. We are truly blessed! ~ Alli

April Birthday Party!

2007-04-16T08:01:00.000-04:00

(pictured left to right are Eric, Jack, me and Emily, Sarah, and Philip)

Yesterday after church, our family went over to our Nan's (grandma's) house for an April birthday party. Since so many of the grandkid's birthdays are all around the same time, we thought it would be fun to have one big celebration (Eric, Jack, Emily, and I all have April b-days). The evening consisted of laughter, present opening, candle blowing, and a wonderful cookout. It was so much fun to be able to watch all of the kids open their gifts with all of the excitement! Don't get me wrong, I was excited too :).

Here I am with my Nan. She has been a constant encouragement to me all throughout my life. I think I have inherited her love for cooking and I'm hoping that one day I will become a true expert like she is. After dinner, we were able to spend some time chatting about new recipes, and I helped her plan some freezer meals.

Thanks Nan and Bernie for the wonderful time yesterday!

~Alli

My Testimony

2007-04-12T20:15:00.000-04:00

"What is my purpose in life?" I cannot count how many times I have asked myself that very question, and how often I have been asked that by others. After the completion of high school I thought, by the world's standards, that my purpose in life was to go out and get a job or leave the home and go to college. Unfortunately, I went the working route thinking, "I guess this is just what I'm supposed to do now after high school, since I don't want to go to college." After working for two years, I felt God convicting me to quit my job and come home. I thought that if going out into the world to "make something of myself" was supposed to be my purpose, then why didn't I feel fulfilled? Instead, I felt unhappy and exhausted. While I was working, God pricked my heart and my perspective changed to, "What does God want me to do with my life? What is His design for me?" Since this change of heart, God has revealed His direction in my life in so many remarkable ways.

After searching through Scripture, I found that my ultimate purpose is to glorify God in all that I do in life. Through His Word, He revealed to me ways that I can accomplish this. All my life, my desire was to be a wife and mother one day. God showed me specifically through Scripture how this was actually part of His perfect plan for a woman. I was led to this passage, "And the Lord God said, 'It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a help meet for him.' " (Genesis 2:18) Therefore, according to this verse, a woman is to be a help meet to her husband. My purpose in this season of my life is to train for this very important role at home under the guidance of my father. My job now is to be a helper to him and his ministry as preparation for my husband one day.

God also revealed to me that my purpose is to one day be a keeper at home. I found this clearly stated in Titus 2:4-5, "That they teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their husbands, that the Word of God be not blasphemed." These are the things I am working on now while I'm still at home to prepare myself so I can one day fill this calling. Right now, our home is my ministry and I'm using it as a training ground for these purposes.

In addition to being a help-meet and a homemaker, my other desire is to be a mother one day. I feel it is my duty, as a Christian, to train and teach my children(Lord-willing) and bring them up in the glory of God. After all, my generation is going to be responsible for training up and bringing forth the next Godly generation. In this phase of my life, I am trying to learn everything I can about God's Word so I may be able to teach my children when the time comes. Currently, I am enrolled in a Christian college called Telos and I am taking some online courses through them. Telos focuses on building God's principles around all areas of the lives of believers.

Ever since God has revealed to me His plan for my life through His Word, I have felt the greatest sense of peace in my heart. Only a couple of years ago, my heart felt void and everything I did felt meaningless. I had always thought, "Why am I hear?" instead of thinking, "What does God want me to do while I'm here?" I am ashamed because I had never really looked to God's perfect Word for my answer. I only made an assumption and traveled down the path that was not intended for my life. Now I know my calling in life and can't wait to see what the future holds! Now I must focus on preparing and training myself for these future roles so that I may glorify God in my purpose. I has been difficult at times to stand alone and swim against the tide of the world, but God continually gives us the grace to get through the persecution that we receive from others. I will continue to embrace His calling and hold it dear to my heart because God's ways are sovereign, and He has truly filled the emptiness in my life.

~Alli

Cookies Can Be Healthy?

2007-04-10T12:50:00.000-04:00

Yes they can! A few days ago, I found a recipe for these healthy but fabulous cookies over at Tammy's Recipes. Even though this recipe is without sugar , the substitution of honey and molasses really fools you and you can't tell the difference! Our family is trying to cut back on our sugar intake but it's really hard to find sugar-free recipes. And when you do find one, the results taste like cardboard. This cookie recipe, on the other hand, is definitely a keeper!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies

2 C. whole wheat flour (I used unbleached all-purpose flour)

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/4 C. rolled oats

6 Tbs. butter, softened

2 eggs

1/2 C. honey

1/4 C. molasses (We didn't have any molasses, so I used an extra 1/4 C. honey instead)

1 tsp. vanilla

1-2 C. (total) chocolate chips, nuts, or sunflower seeds, optional (I used walnuts)

1. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and oats. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, eggs, honey, molasses, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix, using hands if needed. Add any optional ingredients and drop by teaspoonful onto lightly greased cookie sheets, or, roll dough into balls and press lightly.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until cookies are done. Remove from oven, wait 5 minutes, and then remove to wire rack to cool.

Enjoy! ~ Alli