Douglas Wilson on Modesty

"The sin of immodesty is not a light matter. Nor is it a problem that can be isolated to this or that individual. We are God’s covenant people, and we worship Him together. We live together. Modesty in Christian women is therefore a very obvious indicator of whether or not Christian people understand who they are.

"We clearly have a need for reformation—doctrinal and practical infidelity on the part of God’s people is described throughout Scripture as adultery. And immodesty in Scripture is characterized as an invitation to ery. So whenever a woman dresses in an immodest fashion, she is making a statement (although perhaps unintended) about the condition of the evangelical church today. Her statement is a public one—and not measured by what she says her intentions are—and that statement is I am easy. So the reason we have so much immodesty in Christian women today is that they are the Church in miniature. Too many women look cheap and easy because the Christian Church looks cheap and easy."

Read the rest of the article here.

Our Big Sale

Last week we had a one day "garage" (more like a driveway/yard) sale with some dear friends who drove in from their farm over 50 miles away to share in our sale. They brought with them an entire stock trailer stuffed with boxes full of things to sell, lots of really, really good food like meat from their own livestock (later turned into delicious hamburgers), "sweet feed"( granola), a to-die-for chocolate cake, Dublin Dr. Peppers (oh, I was so excited to see those!) and more, with plenty of fun and laughter besides. We all had quite a day of visiting, eating and just having fun and enjoying each other's company. Now that is my idea of how to have a successful garage sale! :-)

Below are some random shots from our day, taken by our lovely garage sale "co-host", Mrs. Molder.

This was only a small corner of our sale. Landon and Lexi wait for customers at their lemonade stand.

Hunter and Lexi watch over the cash box. And yes, those are rabbit ears sticking out from between Lexi's arms. :-)

Some people really enjoyed looking at -and playing with!- our stuff.

Lunch time! Hunter grilled hamburgers for us - mmmm!

While Hunter grilled the burgers, Rachel taught me how to make delicious, spicy Mexican "chile macho".

Lemonade stand advertisement.

At the lemonade stand (a popular place for the boys!).

We even had livestock at our sale. Here Rachel holds one of her roosters.

Rachel, Lexi and Hunter enjoy one of the rabbits (on Lexi's lap).

The boys preparing for an attack... (note that in lieu of the traditional water guns or balloons, water bottles are being used for a very quick, effective and chilly result).

The boys tired of the sale quickly and went in search of more exciting things... Like a backyard water battle with ice cold water as ammunition! Attack!!

The end result was some cold, wet and triumphant boys

My Dad

My Dad and his boys 

Ten Reasons Why I Love My Dad:

1. The obvious: He's my Dad!

2. He is always a perfect gentleman

3. He takes me to dinner every Tuesday

4. He fills up a Starbucks card for me every other week.

5. He brings me "real" Dr. Peppers back from Waco every time he has to go down there.

6. He is a hard worker and has never failed to provide for his family

7. He is generous and compassionate, almost to a fault if that's possible

8. He likes to surprise us (and our cat, Pippin!) with ice cream outings

9. He tells great stories

10. He is just an amazing and great guy, and I'm proud that I call him and know him as "Dad"

46 Questions with ReforMaiden - part 9

46. Favorite book? I'm supposed to list one? Impossible! But to make it one answer I'll just list my favorite book above all others: the Bible

45. Favorite movie? Oh my, there are too many favorites! Let's just say that a new favorite is North and South

44. Would you bungee jump? No

43. How old are you? 22

42. Do you have a special talent? I wish I knew for sure...

41. The furthest you've been from home? New England

David McCullough on Reading:

"However little television you watch, watch less. Read. Read for pleasure. Read for happiness."

-from a speech delivered to the graduates of Bates College

For Your Entertainment:

In case you're really bored and there's just nothing new to watch on tv tonight, you're in luck! The newest reality show to hit your screen starts tonight, with a grand prize of $50,000 for the champion. In case you're wondering what sort of fearless sportsmanship, indomitable spirit or idol qualities the contestants must exhibit to win, here's a description from A&E:

You probably played rock, paper, scissors when you were a kid, but we bet you never played it for $50,000. That's the big prize that awaits the winner in the Rock Paper Scissors Championship. Bud Light sponsored local competitions in bars throughout the country to find the best players, who advanced to the exciting national finals in Las Vegas. This special captures all the excitement of the sport, focusing on both the intensity and the insanity as players are eliminated and a victor is crowned. But this isn't just a blood sport, it's also high comedy as the program reveals the history of the game, the finer points of strategy and you the viewer can become a better rock paper scissors player.

Seriously, what will they think of next? Hop-scotch championships? Maybe tic-tac-toe? Someone point me to an audition, please. I think I've finally found my way to fame.

46 Questions with ReforMaiden - part 8

40. Favorite sound? So many... I guess the ocean for one

39. What did you watch last night on tv? A very brief report on the French Open (the Mavs are the big news around here and all other sports take second place to them)

38. What's on your mouse pad? No mousepad

37. What book are you reading? I refer you to my sidebar --->

36. Favorite dessert? My Mom's chocolate sheet cake

Welcome, Weekend

Here's how I spent my afternoons this week helping a church take a group of kids on field trips when morning VBS was over:
Miniature golf in 100 degree heat on Monday...
Bouncing myself stiff on Tuesday...
Bowling on Wednesday...
Ice skating fiasco on Thursday...
Movie watching and water play (again, 100 degree temps) on Friday...

It's been fun but I'm glad the week is over. Welcome, weekend. :-)

46 Questions with ReforMaiden - part 7

35. Summer or winter? They're about the same in Texas, but I guess the cooler nights in winter are a winner for me

34. Last movie you watched? A cute Ginger Rogers movie

33. Scary movies or happy ending? Happy ending!

32. Favorite food? Authentic Mexican

31. Do you wear contacts? No

46 Questions with ReforMaiden - part 6

30. Eye color? Same as my hair

29. Hair color? Dark brown

28. Favorite sport? Tennis and running

27. Favorite drink? I have two: mochas and Dublin Dr. Peppers (which are different from just plain ol' Dr. Peppers - really!)

26. The first thing you notice about people you are attracted to? Hard to say, really. Maybe their eyes and smile. I like to look for facial expressions, too.

Whew!

What a weekend! I've been working since Thursday at a fiber market/show in the area. My official duty was fabric cutting, which means that I was on my feet constantly cutting and tearing fabrics and talking to customers. I'm not much of a salesperson, but I was pretty proud of myself when I offered a suggestion to a lady and she followed through with a purchase. Other than that, I found out that I'm not cut out for retail. It's hard to deal with people, especially when you're bending over backwards to please them and you can't even allow customers to make mistakes (the customer is always right). Yet, this year has been better than others. The booth I was in was huge and there was a lot of space to move around in. I did get in some knitting during quiet moments and I ate way too much junk food. The days were long and booth takedown was hard work. Tomorrow I have to be up early for church and then I hope to crash in the afternoon and refresh myself before starting a one week 8-5 job, and then a babysitting job on Saturday. It will all be over next Sunday, and I can hardly wait for a breather. After all, summers are for leisurely, warm, sleepy days in which your main concern is how to keep cool... which book to read next... which knitting project to start... Or so I thought it would be. :-)

Actually, I'm very thankful that God has given me the opportunity to earn extra money as I am taking a trip this summer and I really did want to go to France debt-free (or, as debt-free as possible since taking a credit card over there is safer than taking cash). I am also grateful for the good health He has given me so that I can work and I'm also grateful for the fact that it all has/will have taken place in two weeks' time and then will be complete. Better to get it all done in one sweep, in my opinion.

Due to the fact that I will be up early every morning of next week and will have to catch up on things around home in the evenings, I doubt that I will be posting much more than my 46 Questions series. But you are all probably grateful that this opinionated young lady's mouth will be closed for a little while at least. :-)

46 Questions with ReforMaiden - part 5

25. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Mom

24. Favorite smell? Homemade cookies or cake baking in the oven, freshly washed sheets, new cars, my herb garden and newborn babies :-)

23. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Bright pink or turquoise

22. What are you listening to right now? My brother playing on the piano

21. Last thing you ate? Carrots

46 Questions with ReforMaiden - part 4

20. What color pants or skirt and shoes are you wearing? I'm wearing cute pink pajamas and comfy green, blue and gray flip flops (what a color combination! Aren't you glad you can't see me?)

19. Who do you admire most? My Mom - who else? ;-)

18. Who do you miss the most? My Grandma who departed this life about 12 years ago.

17. What is the least favorite thing about yourself? So hard to say. There is so much I don't like and am working on changing. The unchangeables I'm learning to accept.

16. Red or pink? Pink